My Empties Part Two

Excessive beauty buying and irrational hoarding doesn't bode well for saving space. I have accumulated a large bag of empty (useless) bottles. Why? Because I just can't throw any of them away without documenting how they performed first; the joys of the blogging world eh! So let's get moving so they can finally face the bin. I'm going to make this short and sweet, mainly because I have a list longer than Miley Cyrus' tongue of products that have shed their very last drop and ain't no body got time for that.

Products that have stood out to me over the last few months include Vaseline's Spray & Go Body Moisturiser, this stuff is spot on. It dries in literally seconds and the pure cocoa butter scent is delicious. Super easy for on the go, this spray is already on my shopping list for Glastonbury essentials!

The L'Oreal Gentle Eye Make Up Remover was also a much loved product, it easily removes eye make up without any fuss and gentle on sensitive eyes like mine. This product is not too dissimilar to the ol' Bioderma - yet a fraction of the price!

Rimmel's Lash Accelerator Endless Mascara treated me well for everyday eyes; a great build-able mascara with minimal clumping. I think Rimmel deserve a gold star when it comes to mascaras, I haven't found a bum eye product from them yet.

I am not that often completely disappointed with products but Dove's new dry shampoo offering really failed in my eyes. The Refresh+Care Dry Shampoo left a horrible residue in my hair which made it feel awful to touch. I'm not sure if I was doing it wrong, as everyone else seem to love this, but I was regrettably not so keen. It also didn't last half as long as everyone's standard Batiste. A big thumbs down to Dove on that one...

A 'non-beauty' product here... This Cranberry & Lime Tin Candle from Bomb Cosmetics did not live up to it's candle ancestors. I once had a marshmallow candle from bomb before, the moment I smelt it I thought I had found THE brand to provide me with the most delicious candles that actually fill the room with sweet odors. But no. This candle smelt amazing don't get me wrong, it did however, lack in the 'dispersal' department!

Well there we have it, a pit stop of my used up products, ain't you a lucky devil for reading this.

Here Comes The Summer

Over the past few days there has been a lot of dusting off of sunnies and risky sandal flaunting - all for the eagerly anticipated arrival of summer! This 'limbo' season also means we can sense a make up switch up in the near future; and today I bring to you a few tips to brighten up that face for the warmer months.

Bronzer, bronzer, bronzer - now is your true time to shine. We all like to add a little colour and definition to our frightfully pale faces when the old British weather just doesn't quite cut it. This Bourjois powder is an old fail safe, not too muddy in colour and no overpowering shimmer. This bronzer is so subtle I just take a larger powder brush and swoop it roughly around the contours of my face - basically everywhere...

Freshen up your eye look by swapping browns and taupes for rose and copper hues. The Naked 3 palette from Urban Decay is a perfect summer staple to achieve stunning eyes that look amazing in the sunshine. Also, experiment a little.... reach for an alternative eyeliner colour to spice up a simple every day look. Even a subtle navy or olive green makes a lot of difference when framing the eyes. I find the retractable liners so easy to use and no sharpening necessary wahoo!

Now to the lips... A coral/orange lip is 100% my 'go-to' when the sun puts his hat on, whether it be a solid matte lip or a sheer gloss you can't go wrong with orange (pause for thought; isn't it a tragedy that nothing rhymes with orange?) and it without a doubt looks fantastic sipping on an ice cold cocktail!

So, basically the warmer weather is just an excuse to buy more make up and not feel as guilty;

anyone else switching it up for summer?

Products Pictured (clockwise):

Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette

Rimmel Apocolips Lip Lacquer in 'luna'

17 Lasting Fix Lipstick in 'hot chilli'

Miss Sporty Mini-Me Eye Liner in '040 Eucalyptus'

Avon Glimmerstick Eye Liner in 'starry night'

Bourjois Delice de Poudre Bronzing Powder in 'light/medium 51'

All About Eyes: eye cream review

Reoccurring troubles with my eyes led me to take the plunge and finally opt for a high end eye cream. I've always had a love/hate relationship with the idea of eye cream, is it really all that, is there really a difference between a £5 'does the job' and a £50 'miracle worker'?

Having said that I had got to my 'last wits end' (only honey boo boo addicts will get that quote) with swollen, irritated eyes and so thought what the heck. I suffer from bags and redness, often with patches of irritated dry skin (tmi?) and so after a swift google and grilling of the sales woman I decided the Clinique All About Eyes Rich would do the job.

After a couple of weeks of use I am ready to report back. I was advised to apply this cream after moisturiser to the contour of my eyes (just on the bone of the socket), with a tapping motion always working out from the centre. And I did just that...

So; Bags? Still there. They ain't budging... But the cream has definitely helped them. They are less obvious and my lids are no where near as swollen in the morning. Bag blunder aside I haven't had a inch of dryness around my eyes since and packing on ample eye shadow hasn't been a problem. I also like the fact it is supposed to 'protect against environmental irritants' - always a good thing to hear! I do think this cream has helped, but I am still not convinced the £25 price tag is a worthy price.

What do you think? Is high end worth it?

Current Skincare

Right now I am generally happy with my skincare routine, it's pretty simple, nothing too fancy but it works for me. My skin is often temperamental but that the moment it's playing ball and these products are helping keep it that way.

In the morning I wash my face with Soap & Glory's Peaches & Clean cleanser as the fresh fruity smell really wakes me up. Described as 'milky-creamy' this cleanser applies and washes off with a hot flannel just like the average face wash. I then gently wipe my face with The Body Shop Tea Tree Toner (in it's new found glory) to remove any excess product before applying a thin layer of Elizabeth Arden Visible Difference refining moisturiser cream complex (that name - phew); I picked this up in T K Maxx having no idea what it was like and to my surprise I absolutely love it, it sinks into the skin after massaging effortlessly and immediately makes it appear younger and brighter. I then apply eye cream on the contour of my sockets with my ring fingers.

My evening routine practically identical apart from switching up my moisturiser for a heavier night cream - I swear by the Vitamin E Night Cream from Superdrug to re-hydrate my skin whilst I sleep. If I feel my skin is slightly clogged or I have blemishes then I opt for the Perfect World Antioxidant Cleanser from Origins to remove my make up, this is a tester size but the full size is already on my wish list... let's not mention the price.

On treat nights I use the Origins Drink Up Intensive Overnight Mask which makes my face smell good enough to eat, I have reviewed it here and highly recommend it if your skin needs a moisture perk. By far my most favourite part of my skincare set up!

Best of Broadway

I love my UD Naked palettes don't get me wrong, I swear by them, but sometimes it just isn't practical to cart round a full 12 pan palette. I had been tempted by this NYC quad ever since lily pebbles picked it up and pointed out it was a near dupe for Chanel's Charming Ombre from their Christmas collection last year and at a mere £2.99 I couldn't resist for long. It was put it to the test this weekend when I had the almost impossible task of transforming my make up from 'work day' to 'weekend' on a busy, ever so shaky, northern rail train.

Armed with my bargain ebay brush I got to work... Let me say, the colours are perfect, all being slightly shimmery we have; a dark taupe brown, an offering of both chocolate and caramel and a peachy champagne colour. The whole shebang for a defined smokey eye!

Disappointingly the colour pay off wasn't great and the fall out was - I managed to get it everywhere (not an ideal situation in public) but once tided up I was left with a subtle bronzed look that didn't shout 'I cost less than the Starbucks peppermint mocha I'm sipping on'.

With that all well and good it was then time to tackle the eyeliner en route...

NYC Quattro Eye Shadow 'Best of Broadway' 815 - £2.99

L'Oreal Nails

Spring is trying ever so hard to make an appearance and there's nothing like pastels to give brighter days a little encouragement (and I don't just mean mini eggs). L'Oreal have released 4 gorgeous pastel shades in their Perfection Color Riche Nails range, and I couldn't help but pick up a couple on my latest 3 for 2 splurge.

I opted for the pastel yellow, as its one colour I am lacking in my polish collection; and the lilac shade purely because it reminded me of parma violets! Off white pastels are definitely a trend to look out for this spring/summer, they look so clean and fresh and will most certainly compliment a wonderful tan (wishful thinking eh brits?).

These offerings from L'Oreal are the perfect size too – we all know polishes do not last till the end… And the packing itself looks so pretty I want to keep them on display! With 4 shades in total, and at £4.99 each its hard to come up with an excuse to not buy them all.

One point I will make is that the wear time with these polishes isn't great but on the plus side, the brush is! You wine some, you loose some…

Have any of you guys picked these up?

The Instagram Report #03

current set up // best of 2013 // polaroids // I now drink tea // cleanser love // more gellys // birthday antics // palette of dreams // christmas present // the simple things // lols // life saver

Give me a follow, you know you want to...

Instagram: alisonruthxo

Seventeen Cheek Stamp: Gimmick or Game Changer

Always one for gadgets (I have my dad and endless trips to staples to thank) I couldnt resist picking up this new launch from Seventeen. I mean, I used to go crazy for stamping when I was yay-high - you know that potato trick your mum would force upon you on a rainy day? I thought my stamping days were long gone, until I spotted this! Blusher in a stamp... who'd have thought it? Of course we have the likes of Benefit Fine One One and the Nars Multiples but I haven't seen anything in powder form.

First impressions - wow this seems cool, but does it actually do a good job? It did take a lot of getting used to and you have to get over the shock of looking very much like a clown in the few seconds before blending, but once you have conquered those fears it actually blends really well into a sun kissed rosy cheek. It reminded me a lot of the new Relvon highlighting palette actually, they both give you a similar amount of shimmer and add a very slight bronzed glow underneath the pink sheen.

To apply, I lightly (and I mean lightly!) stamp it right on the apples of my cheeks and use my blush brush from Real Techniques to get right in there and blend those perfectly stamped circles up the cheek bone towards my temples. There is a mirror on the lid of this product, which is always a great help for on the go, but I don't see this product as one to be thrown in my bag and applied on the move or throughout the day. It requires a lot of work to blend seamlessly and subtly - unfortunately not one of those blushes you can apply without actually thinking about it. One thing I did notice about this blush was it's staying power, it stayed put through a long days work and even out lasted my liquid eyeliner!

If you want a blush that gives you a wonderful glow that lasts, I would highly recommend this. However, if you don't have the patience to blend, blend, blend then maybe it's not for you.

Shade - Stare Struck £4.99

Topshop Lip Cream 'Double Take'

So I was recently jumped on by a YSL sales assistant and immediately colour matched to a lipstick, before my brain had even processed what was happening. You know, like that Michael McIntyre sketch where the sales assistant literally jumps into their lives - that was me. Anyway, the point is he actually picked out the most amazing plum shade from the Rouge Pur Couture Lipstick range and I instantly fell in love. 

Not feeling I could justify a purchase like that so spontaneously I fled the shop, and I am so glad I did... (trust me I'm going somewhere with this!) It just so happened that I stumbled across this beautiful lip cream in Topshop, which is almost identical in shade; and knowing full well how amazing Topshop's make up range is, I snapped it up immediately.

The texture is quite buttery and so applies smoothly, adding instant colour to your lips without needing to apply a lot of product. I found this lip cream lasts really well, almost like a stain. And can we just take a second to mention the colour again? dreammyyyy. It's a perfect transitional colour as we move into spring; not so bright that we're over anticipating summer's arrival, but not too dark that it should be paired with three layers and a woolly hat.

Topshop are on to another winner here, I simply cannot fault their make up range!

My Current (non beauty) Picks

I love a good beauty item, I do, but there are also many things in life that make it a whole better place, and I seem to neglect talking about such things. I am a big lover of the obvious; food, lie ins and a good ron-com. But here are the things that have been making my days that little bit brighter recently:

My Mad Fat Diary - God I love this show. Partly cause of the 90’s fashion nostalgia and party because of Nico Mirallegro (swoon). The story line is a teenage girls dream and nightmare all rolled into one. Following Rae Earl's battle through her teens is the perfect way to end a hard day of (adult) work; reliving your childhood 45 minutes at a time.

Mini Eggs - The obvious choice of Easter chocolate here. I can demolish a bag in less than half an hour, and not even feel ashamed – much to the despair of my metabolism.

Daffodils - You can’t beat fresh flowers; its basically spring in a vase! I currently have a bunch on my desk at work and at home, ever brightening a dull moment. There's just something about the colour yellow that makes you smile, I blame that infamous laughing baby in the telly tubby sun....

New Kicks - I finally took the plunge and bought some ‘cool-non-athletic-ever-clean’ trainers and I am so glad I did. My feet have been in shoe heaven! Okay so I may be reliving my teen years (I see a trend in this post) strutting around in Nike Airs but hey, anything goes these days, and if its comfortable then I don't care.

Camomile, Honey & Vanilla Tea - After a very unfortunate event involving tea, my 5 year old stomach and a stained dining room floor, I have since become an avid ‘non-tea-drinker’ only occasionally dabbling in fruit/herbal teas, but often finding they predominately smell A LOT better than they taste. However, I picked up these Sainsbury's Taste the Difference camomile, honey and vanilla pyramid teabags (cough fake tea pigs) and actually really enjoyed them, lovely to sip in bed with a good book.

So in case any of you were wondering, these are the things I enjoy in my spare time – and I do occasionally venture outdoors too… promise.

Bourjois Rice Java Powder Review

Right now my skin is about a temperamental as a two year old - having recently gone through a very dehydrated phase, it has suddenly done a 360 on me and often shines like there's no tomorrow. Before this purchase I only owned one powder (is that normal?), which is the old school Rimmel Stay Matte. Regrettably, this is normally thrown in my bag on a night out and applied more than needed, whilst balancing a gin and tonic in the other hand.

So when my skin felt like it needed a bit of TLC in the shine department I turned to this Bourjois powder. Released as part of their 150th anniversary, this powder was the brands first ever best selling product. You almost want to buy it purely on the historical factor (plus how cute is the packaging)!

Not being a big fan of face powders in general, I thought this loose 'feather light' powder would glide over my skin seamlessly whilst giving it a spot of radiance. I must admit, the product doesn't cake at all. It adds a airbrushed look and the finish is perfect; but disappointingly, and realistically, it does not last all day. Also, the smell reminds me of talc powder which I still haven't come to a verdict on...

This powder it great but it hasn't wowed me, anyone else feel the same?

Faith Restored

This post is dedicated to a few products that I've recently given a second chance - once thrown to the darkest corner of my draw to gather dust, these beauty products have now become firm faves in my routine.

I have had all of these products a while now and in time each one faded out of my make up routine for one reason or another. However, recently in a bid to rotate all of my make up, I decided to dust them off and give them another go. After falling completely out of love with them once upon a time, I now reach for these products on a daily basis...

The Bobbi Brown Corrector - how could I not love this little pot of magic. It really does work wonders, so much so that when I've scraped the last measly reminiscence from this pot, I'm heading straight to get a new one. It effortlessly corrects any dark circles and red patches you may have, creating a blank canvas for foundation.

The Real Techniques Contour Brush has nudged its way back into my Top 5 brushes and I have this (slightly) warm weather to thank. I have tried this brush for many purposes, but it's actually pretty amazing at what it's intended for - fancy that! A quick buff with good old Nars 'Laguna' to give your face a bit of colour and depth, and it's perfect for a summers day!

Another product coming out of hibernation is The Body Shop Tea Tree Pore Minimiser Primer (dsndjbnz mouthful). When I first used this, my skin was dehydrated and so it did nothing but dry my skin out more but I predict that when if the warm weather creeps up on us, this primer will be a saviour. For now I have been applying this around my nose and on my forehead and chin, where my make up needs a bit of staying power.

As for the Vaseline and Natural Collection eye shadow in 'asteroid' - they're cheap and cheerful! I have been chucking these two in my bag for on the go, they can spruce up any old make up look ...and 'cause well, sometimes multiple eye shadow palettes and 5+ lipsticks in your hand bag just isn't practical.

Anyone given any second chances recently?

The Lazy Products - Eyes

Lets get one thing straight, I'm a sucker for anything that makes life easier, and when it's in the make up department - even better! 2013 was most definitely the year of the chubby stick and paint pot and I really enjoyed trying out various new 'quick and simple' eye products.  I currently have 3 easy bronze products firmly in my make up drawers for when I have very limited time to get ready (who am I kidding, I reach for them even if I have bags of time).

They are as follows:

Collection 'work the colour' Eyeshadow Pencil in Hot Chocolate

Maybelline color tattoo 24hr in On and On Bronze 

Rimmel Scandaleyes Eyeshadow Paint in Rich Russet

All carry the same principle - apply, smudge, go! I prefer to use my ring finger to apply and blend out the maybelline colour tattoo and the collection pencil. I reach for a tapered blending brush with the scandaleyes paint as the consistency is more wet. You have to work quick with the scandaleyes but once blended that baby won't budge for nothin'! I also find these bronze shades create definition on the lid without the need for any darker shades in the crease, a lazy girls dream!

Are there any products you use that look amazing in one swipe?

Revlon Highlighting Palette

Revlon have been releasing some corkers recently (matte balms, I'm looking at you) and one of their newest editions is the highlighting palette. Available in 2 shades, Rose Glow and Bronze Glow, and without stating the obvious one palette is pink based and the other more brown.

The idea is to achieve a quick and easy 'sun kissed glow'. With 5 stripes of colour, Rose Glow blends together to create rosy cheeks with a natural glow that isn't too shimmery. This blush is easily build-able but it's also reeeeealy hard to be heavy handed with, which is always a bonus at 7am. With bronzey shades plus a highlighting shimmery pink, it's the whole package.

I really like this product and actually enjoy using it, I may even pick up Bronze Glow in the near future if this spring weather keeps up! Yay for warmth!

Yes, It's the Naked 3 Palette...

It's here, in my hands... The 3rd offering from Urban Decay. Did I need this? No of course not, but just look at it, how could you deny yourself such beauty? I currently own the Naked 2 and the Naked Basic palettes - the basic probably being my most used palette of all time. So there was no doubt is was going to fall head over heels come release day.

This edition is full of rose gold pinks and browns and looks amazingly beautiful in the pan. I can predict this will be worn on my lids almost daily when summer finally arrives. No. 3 includes 3 matte shades and 9 shimmer - spanning from a creamy champagne to muted pinks and even a rose glitter infused black.

The thing I love about the Naked palettes is that there is always such an array of shades that you can create an easy day look as well as a intense night time look. I am so excited to try these out, particularly 'trick' and 'mugshot' they make me do a little ahhhhh every time I look at them. And my gosh 'blackheart' will create the most intense smokey eye known to mankind - can someone please invite me to a posh party now?

So there we have it, Urban Decay pull another beautiful palette out of the bag and it has well and truly gone down a storm. I know so many of you are already enjoying this dreamy offering, and for the rest - I bet it's on your wishlist!

Grab it! GLAMOUR Steals

Heads up old chums, this months GLAMOUR magazine is giving away a range of Model Co. products worth up to £16! GLAMOUR's offerings include two lipgloss shades; Berry Pink and Striptease, plus an eyeliner, mascara and illusion lip liner.

This little gem of a magazine provides you with fab reading plus a beauty product for just two squid! Naturally I scoured the shops to hunt down the mascara and the peachy lipgloss. Guys, they are selling out fast so i suggest you are quick on your heels!

First impressions on the Model Co products:

-The lipgloss is a tad sticky but smells super yummy, plus glossy smackers are the lip of spring '14.

-Their mascara gives a very natural fluttery effect, no clumps at all!

The mag also includes a 25% off voucher for H&M ladieswear - now c'mon, I dare you to say you're not tempted.

We Heart Hi Shine

One of my favorite nail polish ranges has got to be the Gelly Hi Shine nail paints from Barry M. They are so cheap compared to other brands and apply wonderfully, I mean what's not to love? 

The polishes give you a gel salon-esque finish for a fraction of the price, and you don't even have to leave the house. They wear well, with minimal chipping and come in a great shade range.

...Here are my current gems:

from left to right

Blueberry, Blood Orange, Blue Grape, Greenberry, Lychee

My fave out of the bunch is 'lychee'. You know you have that one nail polish that you go to everytime you have no idea what colour to choose? Well lychee is mine. Purely because it's such a classy, sophisticated nude that goes with any look or outfit. I would highly recommend picking this colour up if you don't already own it - it's a must have in anyone's polish stash and probably my most worn polish of 2013.

The other colours I have are a little more 'fun' - for some reason I was really drawn to the royal blue and classic red shades for a pop of (patriotic) colour. And then of course we also have the standard pastels that just call for summer to get a move on and give us some sunshine!!!

L'Oréal: in two minds

Maybe it's just me but every time that moment comes when you need to triple pump to get the last sorry remains of your foundation out of the bottle, it's a 'same old or try something new' situation.

So when my trusty Clinique foundation ran it's course I did some blog searchin' and found a whole lot of love for the L'Oreal True Match foundation (with it being likened to Giorgio Armani's Luminous Silk foundation :O) and so hit the nail on the head and purchased the shade N1 Ivory ASAP. It just so happened that L'Oreal was buy one, get the second half price, and by magic my make up wish list grew by one (I was yet to decide what one was). Eventually picking up the Super Liner Blackbuster in a bid to wear eyeliner more.

So after a week of trial and testing I am in two minds about these L'Oreal products. I haven't used their make up before and so these recent purchases have well and truly split my opinion 50/50.

The foundation is perfect, maybe a little on the light side in terms of colour but the formula is a lightweight liquid that can be built up to a great medium coverage, with minimal product. It has a pump (score) and SPF 17 which is always a plus. I need a few more weeks wear to fully review this foundation, but I think I'm onto a winner!

Now for the eyeliner... What can I say - it ain't 'blackbusting' for a start! I found the colour was far from intense and it took me a while to build up a strong black line. The nib is good, not too hard and just the right size but you can't achieve a good cat flick in a few swipes, a complete no no for if you are on the move a lot (or mostly late for work).

It can be said, I'm quite a novice when it comes to liquid eye liner and I'm afraid I don't think this particular liner is going to help me on my journey to cat flick connoisseur.

Are there any L'Oreal products that are a must have? What am I missing out on?

spill...

Nail Polish Storage

I'm always intrigued to see how other people store their make up and beauty products - partly for inspiration, partly due to pure nosiness. So if anyone else is as equally as nosey as me, here is how I store my (current) nail polishes.

I picked up this vintage tin in good old T K Maxx. I am a sucker for their home range and as I live on the same road as one it's hard for me to keep away! I think this was around £4 and was one of many cute vintage designs. I picked this Coca-Cola one up as my bedroom has a slightly red theme and this adds a nice touch.

Top Tip: the metal tin also keeps the polishes at a lower temperature, preventing them from become gloopy for longer - as c'mon it's inevitable!

How do you store your nail polish collection?

Current Mascaras

It's a common theme in the beauty world to have multiple mascaras on the go all at once, all serving a slightly different purpose. Here are four drugstore mascaras I am currently trialing.

1. Collection Volumising Mascara(£3.99)

I very recently bought this mascara on a whim as the '£1 off' drew me in (poet and I didn't...). First impressions weren't too great but I am going to preserver with this one. The wand is huge with short plastic bristles, which I love. I find these types of brushes prevent clumps and I for one can't stand uneven lashes (picky, I know) so thumbs up there, BUT this 'volumising' mascara doesn't seem to add much more to my lashes - there's no oomph! Nevertheless, I'll give it a second chance.

2. Rimmel Lash Accelerator Endless Mascara (£7.99)

I have had this product for a while now and my love for it yoyo's. With quite a thin plastic wand it adds length to your lashes no doubt. I prefer my lashes to be thicker rather than longer and so I normally have to use this alongside another mascara to get the look that I want. I usually use this masacara as a quick fix on weekdays for work.

3. Soap & Glory Thick & Fast Mascara (£10.00)

S&G make up is regularly hyped up by bloggers - to the extent I feel I need more of the stuff in my life! This mascara came with the hugeeeee Christmas set that I most gratefully received from the rents. It's big fibre brush certainly does give you thicker lashes with minimal effort but I feel it's downfall is that you I can easily over apply and be sporting spider lashes in an instant. The formula is very wet and can be a bit messy, it probably needs a little drying before it's on top form.

4. Maybelline The Falsies Mascara (£7.99)

You may already know my thoughts towards this mascara so I won't go on for long... I'm a bit mehhhh about the whole thing. After all the hype around it I was sure I'd love it, but no. I do still use it every now and again to try and regain my confidence in it, but for now it's definitely the mascara that's most nearing the back of my draw.

Birthday Lips

Last weekend I celebrated my birthday with friends, music and vast quantities of Disaronno. Of course with it being my birthday it was an excuse to buy yet another red lip product. I had wanted to try something from NYX cosmetics for a long time - well since I discovered NEXT stocked them - so I popped down after work on friday for a post work/pre birthday treat. Unusually for me, I decided to go down the gloss route and picked up one of their Xtreme Lip Creams in the shade 'spicy' which is a dark cherry red.

My first impressions were great to say the least, it applied really easily with no mess and didn't leave my lips feeling sticky at all. I immediately fell in love with the colour and it smells pretty damn good too. These little glosses are great to throw in your clutch on a night out and keep that bold lip bold!

Now I was lucky enough to receive another NYX lip product for my birthday a day later, coincidence eh!? This time it was a Matte Lipstick in the shade 'indie flick', a bright orange/red colour. Orange toned reds are my all time favorite shade to wear - it makes me feel very 1940's.

The formula is relatively smooth, it is a little drying - but aren't they all! The colour pay off is brilliant and it lasted the whole of the night, even after countless purple rain cocktails and classic singalongs.

I think we can safely say that my first encounter with NYX costmetics was far from disappointing. I am keen to try out more of their products, I mean their Love In Paris palette has been on my wishlist for some weeks now...

I Can't Wait To Wear: Summer Nails

As mentioned in my last post I have been giving the ol’ laqured nails a miss recently in a bid for healthier looking hands. Due to lacking colour on the tips I obviously had to get my fix another way and what’s better than doing I hear you ask!? Planning! You cant beat a good list (or two).

So here's my picks for Spring/Summer nail colours to get us in the mood for some long awaited sunshine. I feel this is a range of staple colours that every girl needs wants in their summer stash…

Essie - Cascade Cool

Collection Hot Looks - Bright Lights

Maybelline Super Stay Gel Nail Colour - Mint For Life

Bourjois 1 Second Polish - Melon

Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine - Green Berry

Not gonna lie, at least one of these shades will most probably be on my hands by the end of the week.

(sorry I'm not sorry)

BURT'S BEES Lifesaver

One of the things I hate most about winter is its effect on our bodies. Bitter winds plus over usage of central heating just sucks the moisture out of our skin and it's hit me hard this year. I feel like I have 10 (and then some) moisturisers on the go, all just not quite hitting the spot.

My hands have suffered considerably. Although, I must admit I have the worst habit of picking at my cuticles (TMI alert) and yes I am hanging my head in shame…BUT this little pot of lemony goodness has saved the day!

After getting severely frustrated with the state of my hands I hit good old Google and spotted this Burt's Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream on the majority of the top hits. Safe to say I was in boots no longer than 10 minutes later!

First thing to comment on is the smell, very very lemony - one of those smells that makes you think ‘this product is going to work wonders’ before you even try it. It’s quite a hard balm, slightly more solid than Vaseline and needs to be worked with your fingers to soften it before applying. Yes, it is greasy but rubbed in well enough it sinks into the skin within minutes (ahoy there girls on the go) and softens the skin immediately. 

I currently have this little magic pot glued to my desk so I can apply it throughout the day and after a few days I feel my hands are well on their way to recovery. On that note, I am also 5 days into a nail varnish boycott – hoping I can last two weeks without lacquering up my nails in order to give them a breather. 

Burts Bees Lemon Cuticle Cream 15g - £5.99

THE Revlon Colorburst Matte Balm

One hot topic of January has to be the release of Revlon's newest lip product - the matte balm. A moisturizing yet matte balm that gives lip nourishment with a pop of colour. I recently picked up the colour elusive as I lack true pinks in my collection. Elusive is a muted rose shade, perfect for the transition from winter to spring!

The product itself is very creamy and silky on the lips, the bullet makes it super easy to apply and the colour glides on with one simple swipe. Elusive is quite pigmented and before you know it your donning a show stopping bold lip - I have however heard that some of the other shades are more sheer. On the shade front... Revlon have pulled out all the stops here with an amazing array of matte lip colours (quite literally something for everyone)!

The only gripe I have with this product is the obvious - dry lips never fall short of a matte lip product, but nothing a little lip therapy can't sort out.

Now, when's the next 3 for 2 eh...

Maybelline 'The Falsies' Mascara Review

I'm very particular about my eyelashes, my 'OCD' almost always gets the better of me when applying mascara. So when it came to needing a new tube of the stuff I decided to pick up this Maybelline mascara. Having heard a lot of great things I eagerly rushed home and whacked it on...(as you do) to find I absolutely hated it! I was so disappointed with this product as I had super high hopes that I was on track for a holy grail mascara to which I would never look back.

Firstly it's not build-able, and this is a major thumbs down for me. I need to be able to work with my lashes until they succumb to my obsessive compulsive needs. I feel the mascara doesn't give much lift and dries super quick to a crusty (bleh) texture. Another thing was that I actually didn't realise that the wand was curved, this would have definitely made me think twice about buying it - do your research Alison!

I also got a lot of smudging underneath my eye with this product, ain't nobody got time for that!
I mean it's good, but not much more - I probably won't repurchase but I'm not aiming it at the bin just yet.

Perhaps The Rocket would have been a better choice!?

Beauty Wish List

My current beauty lusts!

(clockwise)

1. YSL Rosy Blush Collector Palette

2. Laura Mercier Silk Creme Foundation

3. Shaun the Sheep Tangle Teezer

4. NYX Love In Paris Palette in 'Cest La Vie'

5. Anastasia DipBrow Pomade in 'dark brown'

6. Barry M Hi Shine Gelly Nail Polish in 'Blue Grape'

Sorry the blog has been a little MIA recently, real life rudely got in the way!

Blogging normality should resume shortly.

xoxo

The Big Three: Origins Masks

So I was lucky enough to get my hands on 3 full sized masks from Origins for Christmas, and boy I have been indulging non stop. As I had been suffering from very dry skin this winter I was keen to try out the overnight mask, a notorious product in the beauty world. I do however, suffer from break outs a lot (even without oily skin) so the charcoal mask was second on my wishlist.

Drink Up 10 minute Mask: A light mask that smells like apricots, great for a quick burst of hydration when your skin is feeling 'blahhh' and claims to act as 'a fountain of youth'. What more could you ask for eh? To sum it up - a quick fix of algae extracts aimed for very dry skin, and a little goes a long way with this product.

Drink Up Intensive Overnight Mask: This mask has a thick night cream texture, designed to slowly sink into the skin and work it's magic overnight. whilst the cream is thick, it doesn't feel heavy - my skin can still breathe once applied. It contains a range of ingredients including; apricot kernel oil to replenish moisture, avocado oil and mango butters to prepare the face for the next day and Japanese seaweed to avoid further dehydration. It smells divine...think sweet mangoes!

Clear Improvement Active Charcoal Mask: Now, unfortunately this mask doesn't smell quite as amazing as the other two but that's not the selling point... This deep cleaning mask is aimed to unclog pores and remove pollutants. It applies really easily and fully dries in around 5 minutes. One bonus for me is that it doesn't flake one bit - something I hate in masks! (flaky masks and multitasking doesn't mix well) Once dry I remove it gently with a warm cloth and my skin feels immediately fresh and purified - making breakouts fear for their lives.

Are all three worth the hype? One word - YES!

Budget Buy: Boots Leave-In Conditioner Spray

I have found a drugstore gem in the form of Boots own Coconut & Almond Leave-In Conditioner. These leave-in sprays hit the spotlight last summer and I have recently finished the Dove Nourishing Oil Spray and picked up the boots own version to try.

This spray is aimed at normal to dry hair. I towel dry my hair then spray it all over, from root to tip, and brush through. Instantly it makes my hair tangle free and so soft to touch, adding moisture and smoothing out those unruly strays. Even two days after washing my hair still felt smooth and tame. I also found it meant less straightening, which is a bonus for me and my hair!

The best part is that this 100ml bottle is only £1.39!! - I mean that's loose change (or boots points)!

Oil Slick Nails

A collection of my multi-tonal metallics for you today. I sometimes go off metallic/glittery nails but right now, this second, I'm loving them! After a rifle through my polish collection I realised I have a few very similar metallic shades - all generally donning that oil slick look.

As I said, these five shades are relatively similar -  some more than others but it just shows what trends we are seeing across the polish world right now. Okay, I must admit, I've had the Naked polishes for nearly a year now but they are still firm faves in the nail department and still on trend! (full review here)

Rimmel Metal Rush in 'Pearly Queen': A very sheer lilac polish that shines green/pink in the light. Quite the girly shade in my opinion.

Angelica Nail Colour in 'Chameleon': The most 'oily' of the bunch, purple with hints of reds and greens and generally every colour of the rainbow. This polish really does look different in every light.

Models Own in 'Purple Blue': Part of the Beetlejuice collection, this polish is very glittery mainly shining purples and blues... I know, how did you guess?

UD Naked in 'Hustle' and 'Smog': Hustle is yet another purple based metallic with hints of brown whilst Smog is coppery with subtle hints of gold and red.

Eye catching nails eh!?