June Favourites!

(1) Revlon Lip Butter  in Candy Apple - £7.99 - Review here.

(2) Maybelline Popstick in Citrus Slice - £7.19 - Review here.

 (3) No7 Beehive Lipstick - £4.59 - Review here.

(4) Marie Claire Limited Edition Ciate Nail Polish in Bonbon - Review here.

(5) Simple Spot Zapper - £5.49 - Review coming next month! 

Check out my previous favourites:

May Favourites

April Favourites

March Favourites

NOTD - Topshop Nail Polish in Ice Crush

I'm moving home from University today so I thought I would do a quick NOTD for you. This is my third Topshop one in a row! I must be on a roll with all these gorgeous colours. This one is a really cute glitter polish. It doesn't look as dense in the picture as it does on my nail which is a bit odd.

I have to admit it hasn't stolen my heart as much as Razzmatazz has but it is following close behind. This is what it looks like after 3 coats. The polish is extremely hard-wearing even without a topcoat on. You could wear this on it's own like I have or on top of another colour as I have seen other people do. Both look really lovely :)

Topshop... you're on to a winner with this polish range!

Whats you're favourite/lust after Topshop nail polish?

This Week's Swimwear Wish List (Girlfriend and Boyfriend)

If you like my blog I would love it if you could vote for me for Best New Beauty Blogger in the Cosmo Blog Awards. Just click here :) Voting closes in a couple of days!

Nicole Scherzinger - Im-press!

 

There have been so many advertisements for these nails on TV recently. I feel like I am being bombarded with Nicole Scherzinger at every ad break. Consequently, I figured that it would be my duty as a beauty blogger to go into Boots and see what all the fuss was about.

I originally got the concept wrong. I didn't realise they were fake nails. I thought that it was more like a foil that was applied using what looked like a fake nail applicator. If I had known what the product really was then I probably wouldn't have picked them up because I like my nails how they are at the moment. Plus, they weren't the cheapest things you could buy... retailing at around the £9 mark!

These are pretty simple to apply though which is quite nice. You just find the one that fits your nail the best, then peel off the plastic on the back of the nail and press it down. I have used nails like this before but they never seemed to work. I would have one pinging off after wearing them for one day! Therefore I switched to using ones which you glue on. However, I have been wearing these nails for 4 days now and they are the most stubborn little things I have ever worn! They literally will not budge for anything or anyone. I suppose this is a really good thing because you get what you pay for. They are good quality, they keep their shine and they stick to your nails like nobodys business.

I haven't tried taking them off yet but when I do I shall write a small update on the bottom of this post about how the removal went. It is meant to be really easy, but it does make me wonder, since they stick so well, whether they are going to be an absolute pain to get off.

I think these are a really cool if you don't really like your nails that much and want to sproose them up for a little while or for a special occasion, but I think they are pretty pricey for everyday wear.

Have you tried any of these out? Let me know what you think. Personally I didn't really see to many styles that I liked, hence why I ended up with these ones. Unfortunately I am not that fussed with these either. I may have to do some more investigation to see if they do french nails as those would definitely be right up my street.

Haul - Anniverary presents, and shopping!

Today is mine and the boyfriend's 1 year anniversary so I thought I would show you what he got me, along with other items I have picked up over the past couple of weeks.

 

This is the ring that my lovely boyfriend bought me for our one year anniversary. He was so worried that I wouldn't like it and that it might not fit but I really love it. I think that it's completely perfect for the occasion. It is not too in-your-face and it doesn't look like an engagement ring or anything which is also good. As he said.. 'It's just a symbol to show you that I want to be with you'. Bless him :)

He also got me these office shoes in the sale. Long story short was that I had bought them for myself online in the sale but Office semi-messed up and cancelled my order so Eddie ended up seeing them in store and bought them for me :) He's such a sweetie.

Finally, he got me this cute Topshop bowling bag. I absolutely love it and think that is is going to be perfect as my carry on bag when we go on holiday. If you recognise this on my blog it might be because I featured it in a wish list quite a few weeks ago now. At least it shows he pays attention, hey? :P

AllSaints Dress - £47.50 - This is the first of two dresses that my mum bought me for me for my upcoming holidays. She picked it out for me to try out and it turns out that I really like it. It fits me really really well which is always a bonus. Unfortunately I couldn't get a very good picture but if you click on the link you can see the dress in more detail.

 

Allsaints Maxi Dress - £35 - This is the second of the dresses that she bought me for holiday. I have wanted a maxi dress for ages and always drooled over the Allsaints ones but figured that they were a bit overpriced at £50. Luckily they came down in price in the sale and although they had sold out of my size online, they had one left in the store for me to try on. It's really lovely. It's not like many maxi dresses as it is quite figure hugging but I like that. I also like the racer back detail and think it would look really nicer with a short faded denim jacket to break it up :)

Topshop Shirt - £30 - This is a little treat that I bought myself. I have been searching for the perfect denim shirt since last summer. I bought one from H&M but ended up taking it back because I didn't like it that much. However when I tried this on in the changing rooms I fell in love. After a good talking too from a few other beauty bloggers telling me to buy it, I took the plunge, so it is now part of my permanent wardrobe :) There will be another post coming up in my '4 ways to wear...' where I will show you how I like to style this piece.

Lindsey Kelk Book - £5.49 - If you saw my post yesterday then you will know I am reading this series. If you would like to know more about it, or my new Book Worm series then click here.

No7 Pore Refining Serum - £13 - This caught my eye when I was in London a couple of weekends ago. I had a spare No7 voucher so I thought I would give this a go. I will write a review once I have tried this properly to see how it works for me.

Simple Spot Zapper - £5.49 - Finally we have this.. I absolutely love this baby. I saw this on another beauty bloggers blog a week or so ago and went straight out to buy it. It has now become my new best friend! I shall be doing a review on this very soon too.

Hope you enjoyed this different haul :) What have you bought recently? Let me know in the comments below!

Book Worm #1 - I Heart New York by Lindsey Kelk

Well hello and welcome to my new book series :)

I have been contemplating whether to start write posts about books I have read for a long while now, and finally decided to take the plunge. You will have to let me know if you like the idea in the comments below so that I know whether to carry on doing them or not.

So I decided to start this series with a book I got recommended by a friend.

I know that I am quite far behind on this bandwagon because this book came out quite a few years ago now, but I have only just discovered it after my friend decided to do her dissertation on it at uni and recommended it to me as a summer read. I have since then got so hooked that I am half way through the second book in this series and cannot wait to read some more.

For those of you like myself who have been oblivious to this book's success and greatness... here is a load down on the plot:

Angela is a 20-something female who's stuck in a rut with her long-term fiance, Mark. After she catches him cheating on her, in the back of her car, at her best friends wedding (ouch!), she runs off to New York to start afresh. She soon becomes friends with a girl called Jenny who helps give her a guided tour of the city as well as the dating dos and don'ts.

I really enjoyed this book and I thought it was so comical and well written. The humour that comes from the character Angela is just like my own, and I often see myself either relating to her character or her new best friend Jenny. In honesty they seem a lot like myself and the friend that recommended this book.

My personal favourite line in the book was where Angela says : 'He's the Kentucky Derby Racehorse to my Blackpool Seafront Donkey!' Haha. Thinking I'm weird? I don't blame you. You'll just have to read it won't you.

I don't want to give anything away in case you do decide to start up this series on your holidays this summer, but I would definitely say it's worth a read. And although it doesn't leave you on a cliffhanger as such, it certainly makes you wonder if some of the characters will be able to continue on to the next book.

If you like Jane Costello books, then you will love Lindsey Kelk. I am taking Jane's newest book (All The Single Ladies) on holiday with me in a couple of week's as well as the Kelk. I have read all of her current books and she is by far my favourite author at the moment.

As I say, I am currently in the middle of the next book in the series called I Heart Hollywood and it is just as good so I will be doing a review on that one as soon as I have finished it if you would like.

Read them with me? Let's have some fun this summer :)

Nads Facial Wand Eyebrow Shaper

I have always been a girl who prefers to pluck her own eyebrows rather than wax them. If I went to a beautician I would be more than happy for the wax option but at home it just isn't for me. I would say that my technique still needs a little fine tuning. But I do have to wonder sometimes whether it's me that's not very good or whether it's the product. After all, all you have to do is put on the wax in the direction of the hairline and then smooth down the fabric strip and rip it off quickly in the other direction... how hard can it be?

So when I was mooching through my magazines and saw an advert for this Nads waxing system I thought 'why not give it a try!' I like that it comes in a pen-style dispenser and all in all it looks pretty simple to use. You wind up the pen till the green wax comes out and hey presto, off you go!

So I waited until my eyebrows had grown out a little bit before using this because the wax needs something to grab hold off and not a hair just coming through the surface. Then I cleansed with the wipe they supply in the box, as said on the directions. You get 3 wipes in total and they smell really lovely which made them even nicer to use. I also used these to wipe off an excess wax after I was finished.

Then I twisted the pen until the wax came out... and then started applying it. And I'm afraid that it still didn't work out for me. I would get two or three hairs at a time and all I could think about was how I would have been finished with plucking by now if I had chosen that option. The wax just didn't seem to pick up the hairs at all and it was seeping through the fabric strip when I was smoothing them down - I wasn't even using THAT much. Having said this I did really like the application with the pen. It was very neat and precise so there was no worries about waxing off the wrong part.

Overall... I thought this would be a good pack for a beginner waxer but it didn't work out for me. I think I shall just stick to the tweezing and leave the waxing for the experts :)

Have you tried any facial waxing products. Let me know how you got on. Or if you are like me and suck at waxing your eyebrows, it would be great to know I'm not on my own!

Toni and Guy Sea Salt Spray

I really love using salt sprays in the summer. The just-coming-out-of-the-sea-with-wavy-beach-hair look is one of the prettiest styles to sport this season in my opinion. I already have a favourite salt spray by Vo5, but for some reason I haven't been able to find it for the last couple of years, so I have been using what I have left very sparingly. This is why I thought I would branch out and try a different brand to see how well it worked for me.

I have extremely thick, stubborn hair, so the effortless look doesn't come easy. I tend to always use heat to create the waves and then use a sea salt spray to hold them during the day and keep them looking... well... beachy!

When I used this product solely on it's own, I wasn't overjoyed by it. However when I combined it with other products it worked great. I tend to use my Vo5 first, and then chuck this in my purse to use throughout the day as a top up. This spray smells amazing whereas the Vo5 just smells of salt, so I tend to use this one almost as a hair perfume as well as a styling product.

I don't find that it has a very strong hold, but as I say I have extremely thick hair so this would probably work wonders on girls with normal to fine hair. The Vo5 tends to work like a hair spray as well as a salt spray but this one seems like more of a mist. 

What is frustrating is that I cannot find one to match the Vo5, but this is useless as I can't recommend the Vo5 one as it is not on the market anymore. If you do so happen to see it on the shelf then definitely pick it up. It is in a blue bottle with yellow writing and a spray nozzle instead of a typical push down like this one has.

Overall my opinion of this product is a yes for thin hair but for thick hair... I'm afraid we are still on the hunt. 

Do you have any favourite salt sprays? If so, leave me in the comments below so I can check them out :)

NOTD - Topshop Nail Polish in Nice n' Natural

I never get bored of a nude nail polish. You just can not go wrong. It looks gorgeous if your just wearing it casually but it also fits in nicely with work attire. What I have now made as my mission, is finding effortlessly great nudes - nudes which take minimal coats and are chip resistant.

Well this can be the first polish to go on that new list. It takes 2 coats, which take all of 3 minutes to paint because it dries so quickly. The brush couldn't be easier to use. It is almost fail safe that you are going to get an immaculate finish if you have a reasonably steady hand. And finally, applying a top coat to this baby means that it becomes absolutely resistant to everyday wear... so long as your not a builder! :)

Do you have any favourite nudes? Be sure to let me know so I can check them out!

This Week's Wish List... with a twist (Girlfriend and Boyfriend)

June Glossybox for Men!

June Men's Glossybox!

I was incredibly excited this afternoon when there was knock on the door and the delivery man handed me my glossybox as I had totally forgotten that one was due!

Upon opening the parcel, I found that this Quarter's box is a special Niven & Joshua edition. Niven & Joshua is a great online resource for male grooming tutorials and a wide range of products.

As you can see, the box looks particularly nice this Quarter!

(1) NICKEL - Super Clean Face Scrubbing Gel (£16 for 125ml) Designed to eliminate a full complexion, an irregular texture, shiny patches and smooth your skin.

The Boyfriend's Opinion: I occasionally suffer from patchy irregular skin texture with large open pores, so I am looking forward to trying out this scrubbing gel. Given the fact that I am currently in the process of fitting a new kitchen, this should come in incredibly useful for clearing those clogged up pores and looking after my skin!


(2) ZIRH - Clean Face (£15.50 for 250ml) A legend amongst oily skin face cleansers for men with its unique and effective formula.

The Boyfriend's Opinion: I usually suffer from dry skin, although this may be of use during the warmer summer months when your skin is more likely to be oily. I shall definitely be taking this one on holiday next month!


(3) ZIRH - Shave Gel (£13.50 for 100ml) A Clear, non-foaming shave gel making it easy to maintain sideburns and avoid irritated areas.

The Boyfriend's Opinion: Shaving gels can be irritable for my skin, so it will be interesting to see if this gel causes a reaction. I am hoping that it'll be fine as I'd like to be able to use the two Zirh products together as part of my male grooming routine this summer.


(4) BAXTER OF CALIFORNIA - Oil free Moisturiser (£20 for 120ml) A lightweight moisturiser that quickly absorbs leaving skin smooth with a shine-free matte finish.

The Boyfriend's Opinion: As I don't particularly like oily products, this is right up my street. It will be nice to see how matte a finish it leaves on the skin!


(5) MOLTON BROWN - Re-charge Black Pepper Bodywash (£18 for 300ml) A black peppercorn scent with bergamot and oakmoss, this award winning body wash fires up the senses.

The Boyfriend's Opinion: This product is a bit of a wild card for me. Molton Brown are a very well established brand and quite highly regarded. However, I was initially a bit skeptical about wanting to smell like a nicely seasoned steak. Having popped open the bottle, I can confirm that this won't be the case, as it has a very manly smell with the bergamot, and I think that I will definitely like using it!


(6) YU-BE - Vitamin Enriched Cream (£12 for 33g) Yu-Be is extremely effective at combating severe dry skin and soothing minor skin irritations.

The Boyfriend's Opinion: I am prone to occasional dry skin, so hopefully this cream will treat that quickly and effectively.


(7) MARVIS - Classic Strong Mint Toothpaste (£5.50 for 75ml) A uniquely fresh peppermint flavoured toothpaste that gives a long lasting pleasurable taste sensation.

The Boyfriend's Opinion: I found it a little peculiar to receive toothpaste as part of my glossybox. Providing that it tastes reasonably nice, then I shall probably wait to take it on holiday with me as it is a relatively small tube, and will be useful for a week at best.


In Conclusion...


As you have probably already noticed, there appears to be a theme running through this glossybox. It includes products for all the important stages of shaving, with different face scrubs to ensure that pores are clear before shaving. The shaving gel is obviously for shaving, and then there are two moisturisers, which are vital for looking after your skin post-shave. I am really excited by most of the products in this box, with many of them likely to be useful for my holiday! I am looking forward to trying them out and reviewing them for you in the near future!

 

 

 

No7 Beautiful Skin Cleansing Water

I had been wanting to try this product for the longest time! Ever since the launch of the Beautiful Skin line by No7 I was interested in getting my hands on this and trying it out. Unfortunately this was completely impossible because there didn't seem to be a Boots on earth that had this in stock.

Finally, to my surprise, a couple of weeks ago my local Boots had two of these in stock and I jumped at the chance to spend my No7 voucher on it. The voucher didn't cover the whole cost so I had to fork out for some of it by myself but I didn't mind because I was so excited to try it.

I had previously just bought a 500ml bottle of the Taaj Makeup Remover that I had fallen in love with when I tried it in my Joliebox, so technically I didn't need this. However I felt completely compelled to buy it whilst I saw it and give Taaj a good run for their money as this product is very similar.

The idea is that you put some of the cleansing water onto a cotton pad and then wipe it over our face to remove all make up. You do this until your cotton pad is clean and then you wash your face to finalise the routine. One disadvantage to this product is that you do have to wash the product off after using it whereas with the Taaj you don't. Having said this I would wash my face regardless with them both. But for someone who may not want to, this could be a contributing factor.

On the other hand, an advantage to the No7 Cleanser is the dispenser. It is a lot easier to pump the water onto the cotton pad than it is to tip the Taaj water onto it. This may be a little factor but in my eyes it makes a big difference.

On a scale of which removes my makeup better I would say that Taaj just nips this product to the post. They are both pretty similar... both aren't that brilliant at removing mascara but can do the job. However I feel like my skin looks slightly cleaner and fresher when I use the Taaj instead.

Ultimately, this product is more expensive as it retails at £9 for 200ml, whereas I bought 500ml of the Taaj water for £17.50. However you have to wait for this to be delivered from France whereas the No7 is (theoretically) available from your local Boots. My Taaj remover didn't take long to arrive but this again could be a contributing factor to the decision.

Have you tried either of these products? What is your opinion on them?

Beauty Wish List #4

Beauty Wish List 3

Beauty Wish List 2

Beauty Wish List 1

Week in Photos #4

3 dresses I bought from Asos.. Didn't like them though / Domino's pizza and cookies! mmmm / Me messing about / Beautiful Skin Moisturiser for Oily Skin that I am contemplating buying / Yummy Hot Chocolate / My New Office Wedges / Becky messing about trying to take a photo of me / Hot Chocolate and Chicken Caeser Sandwich for lunch / Booking my train to London / Playsuit and Skirt that I can't decide between / Nandos! / Pret Caeser and Bacon Sub with Vitamin Smoothie for lunch / In the underground in London / Becky hanging on to Tower Bridge / Louboutin Exhibition / Louboutin sign / Topshop Nail Polish / Pinkberry!!! / Cinnamon and Sugar Doughnut / Bond Street Station / Recreating the turtle from Snow White and The Huntsman

NOTD - Topshop Nail Polish in Gypsy Night

This polish get's me so excited! The Topshop Nail Polishes seem to get better and better! They are quickly becoming one of my favourite go-to brands. Every time I am in the store I always see something else I like so you may find quite a few Topshop NOTD's coming up soon.

One of my friends saw me oggling at her nails the other day so let me borrow her polish and I just had to whack a picture on my blog. I can't stop staring at it. I wish the picture showed it better but the black polish is full of micro-glitter pieces that are all different colours. When you move your hand in the light it turns into what looks like a really colourful stary night!

It took 3 coats which is a bit annoying but quite normal at the same time. It dries pretty quickly and is very hard wearing. At £6 it is reaching the higher end of the nail polish scale but I think it's worth every penny.

I am on my way to London today with my friend to see the Christian Louboutin Shoe Exhibition and then go shopping so no doubt I will be hitting Oxford Circus and Topshop soon afterwards. Perhaps see you there?!

If you have any recommendations for other polishes, please leave them below :)

Shu Uemura Eyelash Curlers

I bought these eyelash curlers when I was in Beijing in January. I had previously been lusting after them in the Selfridges in London a few months prior to jetting off, so I pounced when I saw them at a much cheaper price at the airport. I only wish I had thought to pick up one of these babies for a giveaway on my blog, but hindsight is a great thing!

So, I have been using these curlers for a fair few months now. Before I bought these I was using my tweezerman ones from Boots which you can see below. They pretty much look the same except one's shiny and the other isn't! Haha.

Anyways I have completely fallen in love with the Shu Uemura ones. I have the single most stubborn eyelashes in the world. I swear not even those heat wands can make my eyelashes curly. They just want to droop and stick out regardless of whether I am wearing mascara or not, which is a right pain in the bottom. However I do find that these curlers tend to help me look a little bit more Bambi-like for longer :)

They work just like any other curlers would, but I would say that they are better made. For example, they stay stiffer for longer. What I mean by that is when you press the two hooks together they feel tight. My tweezerman curlers are getting on a bit now, and they just swing about now. Also, the black padding bit on the bottom of where your eyelashes go stays firmer for longer. The tweezerman ones are blue and they soon need to be changed because the metal above has made an imprint on them.

I would completely say that they were worth the money (even though I got them at a cheaper price... I would still buy them at full english price). They are someting which I use every day and frankly it always feels like a treat when I use them. This is like the Mulberry of eyelash curlers for me I guess.

Do you have a favourite brand for eyelash curlers? Let me know in the comments below :)

This Week's Wish List (Girlfriend and Boyfriend)

Batiste Dry Shampoo - Medium & Brunette

This product has been out for a while now but I wanted to do a review on it for two reasons. One; because I love it and two;  because I have a different use for it as well as it's usual purpose, which I thought some of you might find handy.

I first purchased this on a whim. I was actually looking for the Tres Emme colourless dry shampoo and couldn't find it anywhere. I have really dark brown hair, consequently I was sick of my hair looking a little bit grey and lifeless after I had used a dry shampoo for convenience. It seemed that no matter how well I massaged it in, it would still show through.

When I spotted this on the shelf I was quite drawn to it because I had heard good reviews about other dry shampoos that Batiste do. So I picked it up, and I haven't looked back since.

When you spray this onto your hair it's comes out the colour it claims. It matches my hair perfectly which is probably a huge selling point for me. They do have a blonde version as well but I couldn't tell you how well that one works as I have never tried it. Unfortunately it doesn't really have a smell which is a little bit disappointing, but it's not something that would stop me purchasing it time and time again.

It is a great little pick me up on the day when I don't wash your hair. It instantly makes my hair look like I have just stepped out of the shower. It doesn't take a lot to do the trick, so it lasts a really long time.

But I use this product for another use as well... It is great for putting volume into your hair. I find that the talc or the equivalent ingredient makes my hair lay different. Suddenly it is full of life and when I ruffle my hair it looks bouncy and voluminous. Sometimes I use this purely for this reason, even when I have newly washed hair!

I would say that you should definitely wash your hair after using this for a day, but I guess that you might be able to get away with using it for two if needs be.

Tip - If you don't have any dry shampoo, you can use talcum powder instead. Sprinkle a little on to your fingers and massage at the roots well.

Have you tried any great dry shampoos recently? Let me know in the comments below.

Glamour Mag - Benefit 'That Gal'

 

I'm sure every single beauty blogger on this earth now owns a copy or three of the most recent Glamour Magazine due to its free gifts this month.

The July issue includes 3 products from Benefit. You can either pick up the Bad Gal Lash Mascara, the Porefessional Balm or, as shown above, That Gal Brightening Face Primer.

I am already a loyal user of Porefessional and since I am running out I picked up one of these. However I have never tried That Gal before and thought that this would be the perfect opportunity to fall in love with another Benefit product. Or not quite as the case may be...

My first thought was that this product looks a lot like strawberry angel delight! I'm sorry but it just does! It was a lot thicker and a lot more pink than I had imagined. Often when you buy brightening products, they tend to have a pink tint to them but this looked like I was going to be slapping dessert on my face. Haha.

Anyways, once I had applied the amount shown above to my entire face, I was left with a lovely soft feeling that is typical from any form of primer. Once my foundation was applied I felt that I had more of subtle glow to my skin and all in all first impressions were good.

Unfortunately the glow turned into an oily mess pretty sharpish. I have oily skin and this brightening primer seemed only to enhance the flaw rather than hide it. It didn't seem to have any oil-controlling properties, so after a couple of days use I decided to stop using it.

I do know a few girls who have oily skin and have liked this product so much that they have invested in the full size product. It just goes to show that everyone's skin reacts differently. But for me, the holy grail Gosh Primer is safe in my makeup bag for a little while longer.