I'm writing from my holiday in Scotland today, as we have some spare time this morning and I couldn't resist! I am writing this post about another Elf product I bought a month or so ago, that I forgot to mention in my last Elf post because it was still in my handbag! So here it is, Elf's Conditioning Lip Balm SPF15, from their studio line:
The shade I have is 'Nice & Natural', which I chose because I thought it would be better to have a nice neutral colour, although I also didn't expect the colour to be very pigmented. I was wrong! The colour payoff is actually really good and almost gives the illusion of a sheer lipstick. It doesn't last for ages and ages, but you wouldn't expect that from a lip balm really. Below is a better shot of the colour- I have used this quite a lot, so I apologise about the finger marks!
As for the formula, I find that it does moisturise really well but does need to be reapplied regularly, which isn't really a problem. It smells divine, with a soft vanilla scent which I absolutely love! Sometimes I just open it to smell it! (Yes, I am strange...). As the name suggests, it does have SPF15 which makes it the perfect staple summer lip balm. The packaging is really cool, with the standard cube cell shape of Elf's studio line. It is small enough to fit into your bag but a little too big to fit into your pocket.
If you want to buy this too, you can shop online from www.eyeslipsface.co.uk. This product costs £3.75, it is one of the more expensive products from Elf but I think it is 100% worth it! I can't wait to buy some more shades, I have my eye on 'Mellow Melon'! Though it comes in a large range of shades, from reds to browns. Happy shopping!
I am on holiday in Scotland until this Saturday, so I won't be posting until then :) :(
However, I have a few posts planned for when I get back next week, watch this space!
Becky xxx
However, I have a few posts planned for when I get back next week, watch this space!
Becky xxx
At the weekend I took the long journey to Birmingham with my boyfriend, we'd never been before and I really wanted to go to the Bull Ring, as I heard it is amazing for shopping. I'm not going to lie though, the main reason I wanted to go is because I was dying to go to the Forever 21 store! There are only 3 in the UK and Birmingham is the closest one to me, but still so far away so I probably won't go again for years :(.
First impressions were great, the store was HUGE, with I think 3 floors (?) full of gorgeous and affordable stuff. I have scoured the website hundreds of times and already had an idea of what I wanted to look for. Although luck wasn't on my side on that day as they didn't have my size in almost all of the things I was planning to buy! I did find a few other things though though I wasn't too upset!
I didn't have much money to spend at all, being a poor student and all! So I had to choose wisely. The first thing I got was this basic top from the 'I Love H81' range:
It is a very basic cropped tee, I loved it on the shelf as soon as I saw it because I love Mint Green and I don't own very much in this colour at all. I think it'll look great with my Mint Green Barry M nail polish! It does come up quite short, as in above my belly button, but I wear it with a white camisole underneath and it looks great. There were loads of different colours, including pink and yellow if I remember rightly! and I think it was around £8- I have lost the tag so I am not sure of the exact cost. I can't find it online either, so I don't know if it is perhaps really new to their stores or if I am looking in the wrong place!
The next and final thing I bought was a beautiful polka dot dress, at an absolute bargain price of just £12! They had it in store in like a coral pink or the white one, but I thought the white one would be easier to dress up a bit with my black blazer, heels and some nice jewelry. It is a mini dress and it has a zip on the front as you can see. It has hidden support in the chesty area, so I am not sure yet whether I'd wear a bra with it or not. I love it though! You can find this dress on the Forever 21 website here.
I will definitely be buying from Forever 21 in the future, I was amazed at the range of stuff they do. Their jewelry section was particularly impressive and the prices are brilliant, really affordable for good quality items. There is something for everybody's taste, so I would really recommend getting to a store if you are lucky enough to live near one, or take a look at forever21.com!
I am not one for wearing lipstick everyday, but I love to wear it when I'm getting poshed up to go out somewhere from time to time. My favourite lipsticks (of the ones I own!) are Rimmel's 'Lasting Finish' lipsticks, which cost usually around £4.99 and you can get them from almost everywhere- Boots, Superdrug, supermarkets etc.
The two shades I have currently are 058 'Drop of Sherry' and 170 'Alarm'. As you can see, one is more of a muted pinky-red and one is a really bright red. In the image below, 'Alarm' is on the left and 'Drop of Sherry' is on the right. You might be able to tell that I wear 'Drop of Sherry' more often out of the two. I have also swatched both colours on my hand for you to get a better idea of how the colours show up.
Okay, so what do I think? I will start with 'Drop of Sherry' first. This colour is gorgeous, it is a kind of pinky red with very subtle hints of shimmer in it. Personally I think it is a good wearable everyday colour, as it isn't hugely bright and 'in your face'. It is really flattering and I think it looks especially good when worn with smoky eyeshadow or black eyeliner. The formula is excellent, it stays on for hours and doesn't tend to transfer or smudge much which is great! It feels nice to wear too, some lipsticks can make your lips feel really dry but I don't get that with these lipsticks. Below is what this colour looks like on my lips- sorry for the rubbish quality, the camera just did not want to focus!
The second colour I have is 'Alarm' and I absolutely love it. I bought it because I wanted a bright and striking red to wear on nights out or when I want to get particularly glammed up. This colour doesn't disappoint! As I mentioned before, it stays on for ages without losing colour, I don't usually have to reapply until a few hours afterwards, depending on what I am doing. It is a great colour if you want to stand out!
To wrap this up, I am a big fan of Rimmel's Lasting Finish lipsticks and I do want to invest in some more shades- perhaps some more neutral shades that I could wear everyday. We shall see!
For the past year or so I have been looking for the perfect leather (or fake leather I should say!) jacket, to replace my tired, battered and old New Look one that I have had for about 5 years. If ever I did find one I liked, I could always be sure it would be sold out everywhere, until today! Below is the jacket as photoed on the Miss Selfridge website:
It is £52 to buy, although I got it for a bargain £46.50 with my student discount. You can buy the jacket online here. After reading many reviews I thought I might have to get a size up from my normal size, but in actual fact I had to get a size smaller than usual, so if you get the chance I would definitely try one on first!
The other thing I bought today was a scarf from the Primark sale, for just a pound! I think I annoyed the cashier a little as I paid in about 5039384 coins that I had rattling around in my purse, eek! Here is what it looks like on, I love it!:
I heard about Elf cosmetics on various blogs and YouTube channels and I had to try their stuff when I saw how cheap everything is to buy. I believe that you can purchase Elf stuff in certain American Drug Stores, but here in the UK we just have the online store (eyeslipsface.co.uk). I will run you through the bits I have and what I think of them!
Elf All Over Colour Stick- I bought two of these, in 'Pink Lemonade' (Far left in the above image) and 'Golden Peach' (Centre in above image). I actually really like these and I use the Pink Lemonade one as a blush every day. Elf's website suggests that the colour sticks can be used on either your eyes, lips or face, thought personally I don't think either of the colours I have would work on lips, far too frosty! They come in twist-up sticks and are a creamy kind of texture. They are really easy to blend into your skin and they stay on great. I use the peach one as an eyeshadow base and it's fab, doesn't crease at all! One downside that I will mention is that they are really delicate. Both of mine have snapped quite far down and so I can't quite twist them up and down very well. They still do the job though and for £1.50 each, you really can't complain.
Elf All Over Cover Stick- I own one of these in the shade 'Honey' (in the above image it is on the far right, next to my colour sticks). In hindsight I think I would've been better getting a lighter shade, but I do still use this. The consistency is actually a little different to the colour sticks, being much smoother and creamier. It is designed to be used as a concealer and I think the coverage is quite good! It smells just like the colour sticks, with a chocolate orange kind of scent- which is amazing! The cover stick was £1.50 from eyeslipsface.co.uk.
Elf Brightening Eye Colour Quads- I have two of these, as shown in the image above. I have the shades 'Butternut' (left) and 'Drama' (right). I am in absolute love with these eyeshadows and couldn't believe that for just £1.50 you get 4 usable colours. I got 'Butternut' to create a natural look and they do just the job. I thought that 'Drama' would be good to create a more dramatic smoky eye look and again I wasn't wrong. The shadows are really pigmented and stay on really well. They are quite shimmery though, so I wouldn't suggest them if you are more into matte shadows. The shadows come with a double-ended sponge applicator, which I did try using but I preferred using my brushes instead to apply them.
Elf Waterproof Eyeliner Pens- At £1.50 each again, I have the shades 'Hunter Green' and the ordinary black. At first I was amazed by these as they glided on so well and the colour was really intense. However, sadly my stance has changed on these a little as after around a month of using them perhaps twice a week each, they have run out! There is still some colour that comes out, but it is really weak and can't be built up at all so I am really disappointed after I was so pleased with them at first.
Elf Super Glossy Lip Shine SPF15- This is the gloss you see in the image above, I have the shade 'Juiced Berry'. The colour is gorgeous , although it doesn't show up very pigmented on the lips at all. The scent is also delicious- grape! The gloss is a little sticky but it stays on quite well I feel. The applicator is plastic and mine is a little scratchy which isn't too good and as a result I don't use it much which is a shame.
Elf Lipstick- The lipstick I have is from their £1.50 range and I got the colour 'Nostalgic' after hearing rave reviews about it online. It is a neutral colour that was recommended as a nude lip colour. The lipstick itself is good quality, it doesn't feel drying and is easy to apply and build up layers to get a stronger colour payoff. Unfortunately the colour doesn't look great on me as it clashes with my skin tone a little, but this is a personal preference and not Elf's fault! Below is a photo of it on my lip so you get a better idea of what the colour looks like. On the right person I think it is stunning!
There are a few other things I have but I haven't got them to hand that I might talk about in future, including a mascara and a lip balm. All of the products I have talked about can be purchased online from eyelipsface.co.uk, go and check it out! :)
I have had this nail colour for years! You may be able to tell by the worn out text on the bottle. I can tell you that the colour is 'Hot Purple' by Collection 2000 and I love it! As my bottle is quite old, it is now a little gloopy but I just can't throw it away. I use Avon's 'Nail Expert Gloss Guard' top coat and this is close to running out as you can see!
The sample I received came with 7 small sachets of the shae butter scented lotion, which is for dry to extra dry skin. I used it every day for a week and the results I saw in my skin were drastic! I can actually show you how moisturised my legs were after using the samples as Garnier included a cool 'Skin Reader' with the sample pack. The reader works when you stick the black spots to the area of skin you are using the lotion for (in this case it was my legs) and the more white comes onto the dots, the drier your skin is. Here were my results, the top dot shows my skin's result before starting my week long sample of the lotion and the bottom dot shows it after:
As you can see, the results were quite drastic! My legs feel and look so much better too, they are so soft and they look healthy, as opposed to the unhealthy and unattractive dry purple tint they had before!
The lotion I actually bought was the mango scented one designed for dry skin. I love it just as much as the shae butter sample pack, if not more because I am a sucker for fruity scents! I will definitely be repurchasing this when it runs out. I bought mine on Offer from Superdrug a few weeks ago at £2.99 for 400ml, but it usually retails at around £4.99 and I must say I wouldn't hesitate to buy it at full price! It does come in smaller bottles too and there are a huge range of scents and formulas for different skin types. I definitely recommend this product!
nails nail of the day NOTD Barry M nail varnish rimmel matte top coat
Nail of the Day: Barry M
Thursday 10 May 2012 00:06My first nail of the day post! I wore Barry M in 'Tangerine', which is a perfect shade for the Spring (although with so much rain you wouldn't know it was Spring!). I changed it up a bit by using Rimmel's Pro Matte Finish top coat, which I think gives a really nice effect.