Alcohol Annoyance . . . What's the Point of Getting Drunk ???

I know this is totally random, considering all my other posts have been about make up and fashion. But I don't want to restrict myself just to those two topics. I want to voice my opinions and let people know advice and other things that I feel I want to share. Please keep reading . . .

I've got drunk a few times before. The last time was in January, and while writing this I calculated that it was a day under 6 months ago! I haven't got drunk since though, and I'm proud of it. I don't have a single good thing to say about getting drunk. I never want to get drunk again. Here are the reasons I don't like it:

• You end up feeling awful the next day (and it could lead to you just wasting the whole day doing sod all because you feel so bad)
• You might throw up
• You might lose stuff
• You might break stuff
• You could get into trouble with the law
• You could land yourself in hospital!
• You may disappoint your friends and/or family
• You might end up doing something you regret (even sexually)
• You will embarrass yourself!
• You will say things your sober mind would rather have kept quiet!
• You could get yourself seriously injured
• Your teeth will most likely feel very sensitive for 24hrs + + +
• You will waste lots of money!!!
• You will forget nearly the whole evening (no happy memories of fun with friends)
• Over time your health will deteriorate
• Pubs and clubs might throw you out
• You will put on lots of weight!
• You might think yourself 'fit to drive' and may cause serious, serious trouble
• You might even end up cheating on your beloved (or they might cheat on you!)
• Something really serious could happen to you

I could add lots more reasons, but I'll leave it there for now. Now I'm not some big 'anti-drink campaigner', as I still drink (and will explain why etc later). But I just want to air my view on why getting SO drunk is SO ridiculous! 

     In the past I have broken things or stained things etc. I've embarrassed myself greatly in front of family and friends, as well as general idiots I went to school with (I thought I could pole dance while in front of the school's 'cool crowd', need I say more). I once snogged a stranger for ages, and to this day I don't know his name or what he looked like. After this happened I ended up walking alone from Soho to Southwark (in London) at 2am (a fairly long walk + in heels!) and I don't even want to go into how 'at risk' I was. I was so LUCKY I made it back to where I was living okay. I've also snogged a male friend, and just generally behaved like a twat in the past. I've only thrown up whilst drinking once, but all the other health related reasons (bulleted above) are more than enough to make me drink rarely and a small bit at that. 

My main grievance is that I just can't see the point of spending lots of money to not remember the evening and to feel like S**T when you wake up. Waking up with regrets. Slowly remembering that you upset people. Or even that you were intimate with someone you didn't even know. Or that you lost your fave mascara in the club. Or you have bruises. Why not save your money, or buy yourself nice food, or lovely clothes and make up, or something that's actually going to make you enjoy life with GOOD MEMORIES that you can ACTUALLY REMEMBER!!! Or buy something useful. Why not save up and go on a holiday? Your money could be spent so much more wisely!

Now I must say that I do still drink (as previously mentioned). But I only get tipsy at most, and that is a promise. When tipsy, you don't do anything you regret, you can remember the good times, you won't have done the bad and you don't end up feeling like S**T (unless a drunkard has decided in their 'wisdom' to beat you up ;) ). I like getting tipsy on some occasions (not all) because it means that I become a little more confident and a little more talkative. Now I'm sometimes a bit shy so this is a good thing. It also gives me a slight happy buzz, but that is all. And that's all I want from alcohol! Just those three things. So I can just go and dance and chat with friends and just be me, but slightly brought-out-of-my-shell. I am still very much sober, but just a more talkative and confident me! For me that's enough that I need to enjoy my night. 

Now other people will of course be different to me, and sometimes this is a problem. I don't like drunken groups of lary lads that just shout obscene rude things to women. Constantly shouting footie chants and the like (please shut up). Some girls may even start on you (this has never happened luckily to me). But the problem I'm actually talking about is having friends that like to drink. Then you're the odd-one-out on a night out when they're all tanked up. The worst bit is having to look after them (although of course I care about my friends!!!) but it detracts from your night. You can't have fun because you have to look after them! Other people that annoy me, more than anything else, are those that try and FORCE you to drink. Sure, drinking games are fun, whether or not I have an alcoholic beverage in my hand. But, when people put lots of alcohol in your drink or force you to drink loads rather than a small sip on your turn or game forfeit, this is where I really draw the line. Seriously, just let me join in to have fun, but don't force me to get to a level of stupidity that I don't want to reach myself. Please don't get pissed just because all your friends are pissed!!! And if your friends like getting pissed on every night out, maybe find a few other friends who don't like drinking quite as much?

It's like people thinks it's cool to drink because everyone else says or thinks it's cool. Subconsciously - or very much consciously - some people are thinking: "All the 'cool people' from school/uni are all drinking and they say they have 'fun', so I must drink too so they validate me as being 'cool', or so I'm looked upon as being a good person to hang out with because I do the stuff that the 'cool' people do". I know that sounds long winded, but people seriously do live their lives like this! [[[Oooh I must make sure I look on trend and listening to the right music and hating the same people so people think I'm cool]]] GET A LIFE!!!!!!!!! I hate people that think like this. Just do what make you happy, not other people! :-)

Finally, I just want to say that you don't need to get drunk to have fun. Tipsy at most is the way to go :-) In my opinion of course. If you feel like you need to get drunk to be fun or interesting then YOU are the one that needs to get a LIFE. You're putting on a facade, a false impression that other people will percieve. You won't be showing them the real, wonderful, interesting and funny you! Let people know the true you, and you will find the true friends you've been looking for. So what if you're lonely for a little while; it'll be worth it until you find those real friends. I hate it when people (cough cough my ex-boyfriend) say: "Sorry guys I'm ill tonight so I'm not going to drink much, so I'll be really boring". How does that make any sense?!?!? And please don't go around (like my ex-boyfriend again!) bragging about having 57 units of alcohol in one night. You're not making anyone laugh. Only your own liver, which is laughing about how it's slowly going to cripple you if you carry on like this.

RANT OVER. Go and do whatever you want, I'm not telling you what you should and shouldn't be doing, it's just my opinions - just promise me this: don't be stupid. And please take on board at least something that I've said. And don't judge someone negatively just because they don't feel like drinking/a lot. Peace out!

See ya soon xxx

Leighton Denny Nail Varnish Review!

I have tons and tons of nail varnishes. Probably like most of you out there! I have a few that are cheap and the rest have been presents, some which would've been fairly expensive normally. One particular varnish of mine (which was a gift from my sister) is by Leighton Denny. On the Leighton Denny website their varnishes generally retail at £11.00 each, which is rather expensive from my point of view! This then led me to wonder whether the varnish is actually value for money. So I thought why not review it :-) 

Hanky Panky

No I'm not just saying it to be immature! I kid you not, this is actually the name of the nail varnish colour that I own. It is a bright metallic orange colour, and their varnishes in general are described on the bottle as being: "high performance nail colour. Easy to apply, longlasting and chip resistant. Apply two thin coats and allow to dry." But before that last bit, let's look at the bottle!


Well here it is! I've taken a couple of photos because in flash and without flash the varnish colour looks rather different. It's more like the top photo though. It is an orange colour that is quite vibrant, but not quite as vibrant as this top picture. In real life the intense colour of the varnish is toned down by the very fine glittery sheen that is within. This is what gives it its metallic edge.









I have no idea why this colour is called 'Hanky Panky'! Why orange has been associated with that phrase is just a mystery. Maybe it's just to be bold. There's nothing about hank panky that's orange . . . I'M NOT EVEN GOING THERE.




The picture is more to show the name of the brand. This one was taken without flash. I feel so bad saying this, but the colour in real life is a mixture if the two pictures!

This is the brush. I was quite surprised to find a brush in this £11.99-per-pot nail varnish that is just like most other varnishes out there. Even stupidly cheap varnishes have this brush! I was expecting a brush that was tapered for quick and accurate application, like the Bourgeois nail varnishes. Quite a disappointment on this front for me.

And here is the nail varnish on. It has a nice sheen to it, and it is a nice colour. However with the microglittery shine stuff you can end up a 'marbly' kind of effect which I don't like, because it means that you can't get just one nice shiny 'smooth' looking nail. But anyways.












It takes a fair while to become totally set and fully dry (i.e. you can press it with a fingertip and it won't have fingerprint imprinted on it, and your nail won't make a massive dent) but it takes no longer to dry than the average nail varnish. However this is another disappointment. I was expecting a fast drying polish to sort of try to justify the high price, but no luck.

Don't get me wrong, this is a lovely coloured nail varnish with a beautiful sheen. It lasts longer than others (i.e. doesn't chip as easily as long as it's fully dry etc). But for £11.99 per bottle I was expecting a faster drying product with a better quality brush, and the ability to create a smooth finish without the microglittery elements 'pooling' together to create a 'marbly' effect. Overall a good nail varnish but SOOO not worth the RRP! I would pay £4.00 for this personally, oooooh :S

See ya soon xxx

5 Make Up Items I Couldn't Live Without!

For a lot of girls it's very hard to whittle down the different make up products they own to just five things. I'm just going to mention each one generally. I.e. if I was stuck on a desert island (with lots of gorgeous single boys maybe?) and I had to pick 5 make up items that I couldn't live without, what would they be???


1) Concealer = No matter how little time you have to get ready, you can always dash a little bit of concealer on, to cover tired eyes, spots and any bits of skin discolouration! Concealer is my favourite piece of make up cos it can just freshen you up, and (providing you pick a good one) it does its job well! Foundation doesn't always conceal as well on its own, which is why it won't be appearing on my list!


2) Mascara = This is my favourite eye product. You can wear it with nothing else on the eye area and it will immediately make your eyes look bigger and more defined. A definite win for me! For me eyes are the most beautiful part of the face. Sometimes heavy make up, although sometimes nice, can detract from the 


3) Lipstick = I suppose lipstick, because unlike gloss your hair doesn't get stuck to it, and again (for me) the lips are the other important part of the face. A nice pale pinky-red colour, that isn't too pale but isn't outrageously intense in colour either (even though you can just apply less).


4) Blusher = I prefer blusher not bronzer, because to have 'blushed' cheeks is more natural than having cheeks with a brown smudge on. With blushers less is more, I used to hate walking around school and seeing the clones of the 'plastics' from 'Mean Girls' with their 'go faster stripes' of blusher (and bronzer too) emblazoned on their cheeks like there's not tomorrow. It really annoys me!!! But then again that's just my personal opinion :-)


5) Eyeliner = Even though I hate applying it (I hate having a gap between the eyeliner and the edge of the lower eyelid) - because it's so hard to make a line when there's eyelashes in the way!! - it can do wonders outlining your eyes. Even sometimes without mascara :-) You can put it on top, on bottom or both! The choice is yours.


 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 


I guess if I had to whittle it down even further, it would just be concealer and mascara. I really could just live with those two! But of course I'm never going to be in that situation where I can only have 5 or even just 2 make up products. So I guess my face power, face primer, endless amounts of eyeshadows, bronzer, lipglosses..........can all come in useful!


See ya soon xxx

Superdrug Dry Shampoo :-)

I'm a great lover of dry shampoos, because they're so handy to have if you need to go out quick without a shower and want to spruce up your hair! Some of them can be a little pricey though, but here is my favourite for you to read about, and consider buying if you wish :-)

Superdrug Dry Shampoo

These are just three of the different ones you can get. Others include: 'Away with the fairies', 'Spirit of the carnival' & 'Head in the clouds'. The ones in this picture (if you cannot read the writing) are: 'Heart on your sleeve', 'Chocolate brownie' & 'Floating on a breeze'. I am not sure if there are others, but I think that is all of them. A 150 ml bottle costs £1.99. AT THE MOMENT THERE'S AN AMAZING OFFER OF BUY 1 GET 2 FREE! Yes that's right, get 2 free I didn't mistype ;) Just thought I'd let you know. Unsure how the long the offer's on for, but only paying 1/3 of what you'd normally be paying is pretty amazing!


I used to use Batiste because it was the only dry shampoo I knew of, but now I've discovered Superdrug dry shampoo I'm not looking back! It's cheaper and just as good as Batiste.

It absorbs the oil in your hair and gives it that 'just washed' look. It really is very good. The brown bottle above has brown coloured dry shampoo inside, and freshens up the colour of brunette hair (durr!!!). I've never used this one but according to someone I know it can leave your palms looking pretty brown and weird, like a fake tan disaster! So then you have to go and wash your hands as well, and be careful in case it stains your clothes, or marks your face. You don't want to have to waste more time getting ready, or risk ruining your favourite garments! I wouldn't recommend using the brown one unless you dye your hair brown and want to refresh the colour if roots are coming through. In this case it'd be very handy!

The scents of the different ones really are reminiscent of the pictures on the front, so just try and pick which picture you like best I guess! I know that's not the best advice, but they are good at indicating the scent. I just picked which three (for the offer) I thought would smell the nicest.

I own the following three superdrug dry shampoos: 'Spirit of the Carnival', 'Floating on a breeze' and 'Away with the fairies'. My favourite is 'Floating on a breeze', because it has such a refreshing scent. It's really hard to describe, but it does smell like a really nice shampoo - so it'll make your hair smell like it's actually just been washed! It smells like a really nice, spritzy bodyspray too, GRRR so hard to describe!!! But it's smells so lovely anyway.

'Spirit of the carnival' smells of coconuts; a nice smell but just a bit to sweet for me. But that's just personal taste. 'Away with the fairies' smells like a musky, floral, sweet perfume. Very nice, but it smells possibly too 'grown up' for teens and young women. But again that's just my personal impression :-) I probably sound like an old silly, but I like 'Floating on a breeze' because the scent just makes me feel uplifted and energised, that's the impression it gives anyway.

How to Use

Take all clips, bobbles etc out of your hair. Remove the lid of the dry shampoo bottle and give it a good shake! Spray down your parting, and on your fringe (if you have one). Lift up different parts of your hair and spray near the roots, as well as a lighter spritz on lower-down parts of your hair. Rub all of your hair to work the dry shampoo in, and using a soft brush brush it out (you won't be able to get all of it out but you're not meant to). I usually just use my hands to move my hair about to try and 'shake' the dry shampoo out. Style your hair as normal. Now you should have refreshed and clean looking hair, that smells like a treat!

See ya soon xxx

Bare with me...

Sometimes when I post things (my post font colour is white) whole sections of text get highlighted in white, so the writing is invisible and you can't see it! NO idea why it happens; I always have to view my blog and doublecheck how a post looks once published. Sometimes, big gaps between pictures and/or paragraphs occur. Grrr! But when I view the blog in the 'create-a-post' manner to update it appears with no big gaps. And I'm sure that pictures I add aren't in odd positions.

Basically this short post is just commenting on how things are going a little odd sometimes when I create a post. But hey, I'm new posting and customising my template so I'm bound to have hiccups. One day I'm sure I'll learn how to iron out the creases, as they say.

I hope you are enjoying viewing my blog anyway. I am enjoying doing it, and it feels quite rewarding when you see that your posts etc have had some views, and even one or two Google +1's! Sure, when I'm posting this I have less than 300 views but in a few days that to me is amazing. Just over 200 views on my little blog? With my humble opinions and ideas on it? Get away. I do sometimes think 'do people really like it' but I'm sure as time goes on I'll get more views and my posts might improve even more. It's just a nice feeling to get when you have no confidence pretty much in yourself, but to know that someone is reading and valuing your humble opinions really is quite something!

P.S. Please share this blog in whatever way you wish. I would really appreciate it :-)

See ya soon xxx

Ways of removing make up - milk, cream, make up wipes, liquids, baby wipes, home remedies!

In the past I have used both cream cleansers, make up remover wipes and baby wipes to try and do the job of taking off my make-up. I thought I'd do a little review/explanation of each method as well as others, and recommend which is the best for which people :-) Hope you enjoy!


Cream Cleansers
Cream cleansers gently remove make up, and they're often good at removing eye make up, particularly mascara. However be careful because sometimes they can sting when they get in your eye! All cream cleanser can sting, even sensitive ones, and it's kind of difficult not to get them in your eye when you're trying to remove make up at the very edges of your eyelids! Apart from that they're fairly easy to use. However you must remember to buy cottonwool pads as well. In theory, cream cleansers will cost more because of the extra 'equipment' needed, but some cottonwool pads aren't too expensive. Some cream cleansers can also be quite expensive. They don't drip as much as cleansing milks and liquids will, but they still can so just be careful. Some can smell quite nice too! Cream cleansers are good because you can use as much as you want, rather than however much moisture is in the wipe you pulled out. You can get ones that are sensitive for your skin too.


Cleansing  Milk
The main thing about 'milks' is that they can drip easily. However, like cream cleansers, they can also smell really nice (such as the Garnier milk that smells of roses, pictured left). Again some can be a little pricey, but your skin can benefit from the softening qualities that most cleansing milks tend to possess. They're kinder to skin than clear liquids (e.g. special eye make up removers). Again you will need cotton wool to use this.
















Make up remover wipes

 You do not need to spend more on cotton wool in order to use these - yay! However just because a product is labelled as a 'face wipe', it doesn't mean it is actually designed to remove make up, rather that it just cleanses the skin. There is a bit of difference, and a specific 'make up wipe' will be able to tackle make up such as mascara. However, I'm yet to find a make up wipe which actually removes waterproof mascara easily. I often end up having to use my fingernails like 'pincers' in order to remove it, but please don't do that yourself as you risk pulling out a couple of eyelashes (believe me I know!) Some make up wipes are ridiculously expensive (with some not being far off the £5.00 mark), and you usually only get 25 wipes. What a rip-off! However they are specialised at removing make up, or should be anyway, so at least you know they should be relatively nice on your skin, compared to other general wipes.


Liquids

Liquids are the ones that are at risk of dripping the most. But they're usually clear so at least too much damage should not get done, however all cleansers are at risk of discolouring a fabric, for example. But if you are careful you shouldn't have any problems. Liquids are more often found to be specialised for the eye area, such as this 'Tesco sensitive eye make up remover' pictured opposite. They're not as common as general make up removers. However Garnier do have a '3 in 1 make up dissolver' which has 2 separated liquids in a bottle that you have to shake up to use. It's for sensitive skin and apparently removes waterproof make up! If it's not too expensive or on offer one day, I want to try it. I really want to see if it really works, plus it'd be fun to shake the bottle up!


Baby wipes



This is the method I've been using for the past few months. And I've even been using these particular wipes that you see to the left of the screen. A while ago I was getting fed up with how expensive make up wipes can actually be, and I'd heard that some people use baby wipes, so I thought I'd try them. These 'Johnson' wipes were on offer at the time, for only £1! You get 64 wipes in this particular pack, and for me that was a no-brainer. The wipes are huge as well, and sometimes if I'm only wearing a small bit of make up or just want to cleanse my make up free face, I rip a wipe in half and put the other half back in the pack to use another time. I picked these because the packet says: "As mild as pure water to skin and eyes". Anything that suggests something is skin friendly is good enough for me. These are indeed good at removing make up, but just be careful (as with any wipe I suppose) as when I need to removed eyeliner and mascara (they're okay at removing waterproof mascara), I sometimes find that the skin on the eye area feels ever so slightly sore from the continuous rubbing, particularly when I put my fingernail behind the wipe to get the precise lash line cleaning done! (That's a tip btw, that I might discuss more in another post). Overall, you get a lot more babywipes for your money (in any pack) than you do in a pack of make up wipes. So these are better value. Just make sure you get ones that clearly state somewhere (like on the front of these) that they're mild/face friendly, and/or they won't cause irritation. Some baby wipe fabrics can actually irritate the face, as in the actual material they're made from, so just be careful at that too. These pictured aren't too bad at all. Just don't scrub away too heavily as with anything!


Home remedies

• Olive oil & baby oil = Some people use these individually or together (together you get the caring properties of the baby oil along with the cleaning properties of the olive oil). They're particularly good at removing eye make up, and this is usually just what they're used for. They won't contain too many nasty chemicals, however I wouldn't recommend this if you have oily skin, or you don't want to increase the possibility of getting spots, as you'll only be putting more oil on your skin using this method!
• Natural unflavoured yoghurt = Using a cotton wool ball, this apparently is a good face make up remover. Not for eyes though!
• Baby shampoos = can remove mascara that is difficult to take off.

...and there you have it! My comprehensive overview of different methods of removing make up. Why not decide which one is best for you. 

See ya soon xxx

bareMinerals Lipgloss Review!

I got a Bare Minerals lipgloss a while ago as part of a present from my sister. So, I didn't pay the £14.00 that an individual lipgloss (of 4.2ml) costs on the Bare Minerals website! I certainly wouldn't have bought one at that price. I find that, with lipglosses, really cheap ones are just as good as really expensive ones. My only priorities with lipglosses (I don't wear them often, only if my hair's up or it's a special occasion) are that they're shiny (as in reflecting the light) and are of a nice colour that suits me. They are not something I'd invest a lot of money in anyway. They soon come off once you eat and drink and even just talk, so I don't see the point! Even non-sticky still get your hair stuck with no intention of letting go!!

So, here's a couple of piccies of the 2 colours I own. The one on the left is 'sugar cookie' which would be cheaper because it's a smaller size) and the right one is 'fruit cocktail'. Cute names I think :)


Packaging
I like the lids as they are a nice 'soft' sort of plastic that is easy to grip and the two 'bumps' make them comfortable to hold while applying. The clear bottles make it easy to view the colours as well as see when they're running out.


You might be able to observe that they have what I call 'microglitter' in them. I like it when glitter in lip products is tiny because it doesn't look too cheap and tacky. Rather, it gives a nice professional sheen.

Here is 'sugarcookie' applied. It's a nude colour and didn't bring any colour to my lips really. But it is pretty much the same colour as my lips so what do you expect! I quite like this though, because it just gives them a subtle tint and sheen, perfect for everyday wear or subtle, more natural looks. I am naturally quite pale though, so maybe I would wear a little more blusher or eye makeup so I didn't look too washed out. 

This is 'fruit cocktail' applied. It's a rich red-pink in the tube, however I didn't find colour distribution to be all that amazing. You might be able to see that, on the picture, (after literally less than 1 minute of wear) the colour had sunk into the creases of my lips, and left patches elsewhere. This is despite trying to purse my lips together and use the small brush applicator to spread it all out and make it look even. I didn't want to daub too much on in case it just looked really over the top. However the colour is nice.


Both lipglosses are quite sticky, and yes the annoying hair thing does occur!! It says on the website that they're non-sticky but I do not believe them!
But, the colours are lovely and it smells really nice - like biscuits! However online it says they're actually scented with vanilla. Smells like biscuits to me :-) Cosmetics that smell like food, yummy! I sometimes wonder if this is a psychological ploy to try and make us like them more, because they smell like things we like to eat. But anyway.........


The main thing I like about Bare Minerals is that they have no preservatives in their products, and they're made from lots of natural things.
Their lipglosses are said to hydrate, which is a bonus :) They also soften, and ingredients that provide both qualities include cupuacu butter and jojoba, sesame and sunflower oils. Antioxidant protection is also provided via vitamin E and pomegranate seed oil. Vitamin E is great at protecting against the environment (I wrote more about it in my Avon Rich Moisture Face Cream Review). They also contain honeysuckle flower extract to condition the lips, and the general goodness of bareMinerals. So why not wear makeup that actually does some good in the process = simples!!


All in all, I think they smell great, are nicely coloured, have a nice sheen, and they're lip-healthy. I reckon the colour could settle and spread out better though, particularly in 'fruit cocktail's case. I would not pay £14.00 for a full sized tube. I think it's wayyy overpriced. But still a good product :-)


See ya soon xxx

Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer Review

I'd run out of my usual concealer and to my disappointment the brand it was from doesn't seem to stock it any more. Sad times! :( :(

I thought I'd try something different and after a little bit of looking around in the shop I decided to try 'Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer'. It says on the tube that it: "Conceals flaws and blemishes for up to 16 hours. Transfer resistant."

Well, it was £4.___ (four pounds something I can't remember exact) and to be honest I'm quite disappointed. It covers quite well, and I think it does indeed last a fair while (not sure if it actually would last the whole 16 hours I highly doubt it!) but it goes ORANGE. Yes I swear to you it does! I decided to get the 2nd of the 4 different shades (1-very light --> 4-dark) because I'm quite pale but I'm not a ghost.

Choosing other concealers and face products in this way has always worked, and I even tested it on my hand in the shop and it looked okay (maybe it was the shop lighting or maybe it looks more orange-y the longer you wear it!) but recent observations have led me to think differently. Maybe using loads makes it go orange, but for some spots or other areas you have to use more. Luckily you can only see the orangey-ness when you look right up close in a mirror.

Maybe I should put concealer then foundation on (I usually do it the other way round) and then maybe the orange will be hidden, but if I just want to cover a couple of areas quickly before having to pop off quickly somewhere I may be stuck! Oh well. I've learnt my lesson, I'm not buying this again unless the lightest is actually better (I would have to try the lightest on my hand before considering buying this product again). At least it's quite good at covering! :)

See ya soon xxx

Chiara Fashion: A cheap fashion site I found!

I like to look around online for places where I can get clothes at a cheaper price. One day, and I can't remember how, I stumbled across this website: www.chiarafashion.co.uk/.

What I found, is an online fashion store that does trendy and good quality items for mega cheap prices. Peplum skirts? They have them. High-low dresses and skirts? They have them too. I could go on, but seriously just click on the link and you'll be amazed I'm sure! At the moment they have a massive sale on too, which you'll be confronted with when you visit the homepage. There are lots of items under £5 and under £10 right now.

I haven't actually bought anything from them yet because I've only recently got a job, and I'm reeet stingy . . . sometimes. I really do need some new clothes though, and I'll definitely be visiting Chiara Fashion to pick up a few items. Here are a few of my favourite items and their prices :) Maybe this'll tempt you to visit!

See ya soon xxx
P.S. If you like my blog don't forget to tell other about it! :) Much appreciated.

Avon Rich Moisture Face Cream Review !

Most people have heard of the 'Avon' make up and beauty company. I'm definitely a fan! If you don't have an Avon representative who delivers regular catalogues to your door, then you could try and find out if there's one in your area, or you could just shop online at www.avonshop.co.uk. Anyway...let's get on with looking at this facecream :)

I've been using this for a few months now, and it's lasted for quite a while with a few more to go! Even with twice-daily moisturising, you get a lot for your money!
It's from a range called 'Avon Care', and this range is described by Avon itself as: "...our value skincare that helps to make your body and face look soft and supple everyday without fuss". I consider myself to have combination skin with quite dry cheeks so I decided on the 'Rich Moisture nourishing face cream' because I didn't want to use something light, but I didn't want to use something super heavy. There are a few other 'Avon Care' face creams to choose from including: 'fresh hydration' and 'intensive moisture'.

The pots come in 200ml sizes (apart from 'fresh hydration' which comes smaller and in a tube). The RRP is £4.20 BUT at this very moment you can buy the 'Rich Moisture' face cream for only £1.75 online. That's a saving of £2.45. It's worth buying even if you just want to try it, as it's so cheap at the moment.

'Rich moisture' contains soybean and vitamin E. Vitamin E is described on www.ehow.com as being a "powerful free radical scavenger that prevents damage from the environment and repairs damage to the skin". So it's a good thing to have in a face cream/moisturiser in this day and age what with all the pollution surrounding us! It says on the back of the pot that it "helps soften and nourish dry skin". So, all in all it sounds like it's meant to be a good moisturiser that gives your skin the nutrients it needs. This moisturiser has a light, biscuit-cream colour.

How I got on . . .
Like I said earlier I've been using this for a few months. It stops my skin feeling tight after cleansing and toning, although I would imagine most face creams do this. It can make your hair go greasy though if your hair accidentally touches your face before it's all absorbed. So tie your hair back or at least clip it, particularly your fringe.

However even a while after it should've absorbed, my skin never feels totally normal and smooth. It always feels like it has something on it, almost something that shouldn't be there e.g. a residue. Other face creams and moisturisers have absorbed and quickly left my skin feeling like nothing has been left on its surface. But maybe it's meant to feel like this after, or maybe its residue from actually putting too much cream on. I'll never know! However despite this, it does make my skin feel really soft and nourished afterwards, like it's been given some TLC.

I'm not keen on moisturisers that come in a pot, simply because, even with just-washed hands, you're putting new bacteria into the pot/the air is doing the same whenever you open it or dip your fingers in it. I prefer tubes because, even if there's bacteria on your hands, there's nothing that can get into the tube and contaminate it and make it less beneficial or dangerous.

My other sticking point is that I'm not sure whether my bouts of spots are as expected, or whether there's more because of the oils this face cream contains. It specifically contains 2 oils in the ingredients list: soybean oil and glycine soja oil. And everyone knows that spot prone skin is recommended to use oil-free products! So this is my main niggling part of this critique.

Am I pleased I bought this? Yes, as my skin has been nourished and protected, and kept nice and soft. When I bought it months ago it was also on offer like it is now so I got it quite cheap.

Would I buy it again? Probably not, because I would rather find an oil-free moisturiser, to try and remove as many risks within my control as possible with regards to getting spots (or general oily looking skin, which I do get with this but I don't know if it's just natural!) I prefer moisturisers in tubes anyway for hygiene reasons.

Would I recommend it? Yes, if someone is looking for a face cream that will really look after their skin and make it nice and soft and stop dryness (which it does well). Just don't risk buying if you're spot-prone.

So there you have it! I will also review other Avon products from time to time :)

See ya soon xxx

Make Up Academy >Lipstick< Review! :)

I, like many others, have been pretty fascinated by 'Make Up Academy', the fairly recent addition to Superdrug's make up aisle and online store. A lot of MUA's products look rather professional and the prices are so so so cheap! It does make you wonder whether the low prices actually buy you a quality product, but like many other bloggers out there, I am trying to find out.

So I started out with a MUA lipstick as my first product. I was wanting a pinkier colour anyway, and for £1 I though it would be silly not to buy one! My motto whenever I'm buying anything, particularly a cosmetic product, is:

"Try a cheaper one first. If the cheaper version of a lipstick (for example) is of the quality you want then you've saved money not buying something more expensive, and if it isn't any good then you've not wasted as much money as you would've done if you'd bought something more expensive that was no good! Then, once you find your favourite product, you've saved money doing it this way and via a slight bit of trial and error you've found the best thing for you." That's my philosophy, take note if you wish :)

...Anyway back to the lipstick! There were a fair few different colours to choose from, and I tested this one on my hand and therefore decided to give it a go.

Packaging
It looks like a general lipstick from the outside, and by that I mean one that cost more than £1! You might expect it to look worse than it does, for what you paid for it. The silver lettering on the side can be scratched quite easily, but that happens to the most expensive of products!

 



Smell
It has qutie a pleasant fragrance, that I'd describe as biscuits/sweets. Kind of a mixture of the two! In my opinion it's quite a nice smell.

Colour
I chose shade 12 - a warm bright pink. I wanted a nice girly pop of colour for my face (not that I'm the most girliest of girls to say the least anyway, but I do enjoy make up). On my hand it looks nice enough, and you can see that it has glitter in it. The glitter doesn't overpower the colour when it's on my lips which I'm glad about; it just gives that extra bit of interest when it catches the light. Sometimes glittery lipsticks can look a bit cheap and tacky - not in this case!

Before & After

Forgive my 'blogging beginners photography' on this post, it'll improve I promise! As you can see I have naturally quite pale pink-nude lips. However with a full coverage of this lipstick I think it's a little too much colour for my face. So what I like to do is blot it so the colour is toned down a bit. This way you can actually get more colours out of one lipstick, depending on how much you apply.





Characteristics

This does not dry out my lips, which is a relief! It's annoying when that happens, but if it does occur to you with certain lipsticks you can put some lipbalm on before lipstick which is what I do sometimes :) When you 'rub' your lips together it does feel like a lipbalm in itself, I'm wondering if it does indeed has lipbalm properties! However it doesn't have great staying power when eating and drinking etc. And you can end up with quite a lot of colour-loss in the middle of your lips. At least it's nice and creamy and easy to re-apply! I find there's better staying-power if you apply 1 layer, blot dry and then apply a 2nd layer to the colour intensity you desire :) Alternatively you could try applying a lip-sealant such as Lipcote (which I love).

So...
All in all, great value for £1. It has a couple of bad points but they're nothing compared to the good points. You could always treat yourself to a couple of extra colours! I'm a very satisfied customer and I'll certainly be buying from MUA again. Just try and remember not to get too carried away; only buy something when you actually need it/are running out of a particular item, and treat yourself every so often too! Not too often of course ;)

Hope you enjoyed my first review :D
See ya soon xxx

Welcome!

Hi and welcome to my blog! Kind of new to the whole blogging thing, so here's what I intend to post about!
           * Make up and cosmetic products that I like, I've heard about, or that I've reviewed and took pictures of
           * I want to talk about my own style, things I tend to go for etc
           * Things I've heard in the news/magazines that I think's cool, interesting, or just plain omg!
           * Just general stuff about life :)

If you like my stuff, or what I'm intending to deliver to you, then keep checking back :D I will be most grateful. 

See ya soon :) xxx