Review: The Breakfast Scrub

I've got to admit that I'm a bit of a flake *honestly there was no pun intended* when it comes to using body exfoliating products.  I definitely go through phases, one minute I just can't get enough, and then the next I've shoved the poor things back on the shelf for another stint of dust collecting! I think that in summer I'm the worst, but I can't bear the thought of shedding any of my skin while I've got a tan...I can't afford to lose any of colour I've managed to grab!! Another reason is sheer laziness (coupled with a bit of shower OCD), but scrubs in pots are just a bit of an effort; I hate it when they get water in them, so you've got to be really careful about where you put them, and then you've got to make sure they're screwed tight, but then you've got product all over your hands so it becomes a massive mess - urrrggghhhh!  It's safe to say that I'm much better with a tube of scrub... so naturally I've bought myself yet another pot!

Maybelline ColorSensational Popstick - Citrus Slice

I simply couldn't resist the three for two offer on Maybelline in Boots a few weeks ago and I was drawn to the colour tattoos as well as this rather intriguing 'Popstick'.  Maybe I'm just a child, but the thought of putting something that essentially looks and smells like jelly on my lips was too much to resist! 

I went for the shade 060 Citrus Slice (mainly because of the smell) and I'm really happy with both the colour payoff and the fact that the scent lingers for ages!! 

This photo doesn't really do the colour justice, it looks far more pink on my lips.

I love the fact that this is more of a 'relaxed' lip colour - it's essentially a balm with a hint of colour and a really sensational smell (it definitely lives up to the name ColorSensational ) and you don't have to worry about looking in a mirror when you slap it on, and it won't look stupid if you forget to reapply it and the colour just gives your lips a natural flush (as if you'd been kissing - naughty!)

I'm going to do a full post on the Colour Tattoos and everything I picked up from Maybelline so watch this space.  

Have you tried any of the ColorSensational Popsticks?

x

NOTD: Essie Lilacism

Essie Super Bossa Nova vs. Rimmel Shocker

I'm quite fussy about the colours I like on my toes, I like brights and mostly pinks or coral, having said that, I very rarely deviate from my favourite ever toe nail colour which is Rimmel 270 Shocker, I have been painting my nails with this vibrant blue toned shimmery pink for about 6 years, and I never ever intend on giving it up.  I have repurchased this colour numerous times, but occassionally I've found that it just hasn't been stocked - not that it has sold out, but there just wasn't a space for it.  This gave me palpitations, because a life without Shocker would be a sad life indeed.  I hope the day will never come that Rimmel takes my beloved colour off the shelves, but if it does happen I feel I need to be prepared so my search for a dupe began.  So when I was going a little bit wild for Essie colours I spotted this, Super Bossa Nova, and I couldn't believe my luck - it looks exactly like Shocker! Without so much as a backwards glance I made my purchase and couldn't wait to try it out.

Essie: Cute As A Button

I am utterly obsessed with corals and pinky peachy tones at the minute; I think they just capture summer on your nails! This has lead me to own quite an excessive number of aforementioned polishes so I'm slowly trying to work my way through them and do a bit of a comparison. 

This is my first try of Essie nail varnish, and I was so excited to try it after reading so much on beauty blogs and hearing my idols such as Tanya Burr and Louise from Sprinkle of Glitter rave about them! Tanya inspired me to go for Cute As A Button as it just looks so gorgeous on her! 

As you can see from the pictures I went a little bit overboard on the coral yesterday, but Cute As A Button matched my skirt PERFECTLY so it had to be done! 

I used Sally Hansen Double Duty as my base coat and top coat (available at boots) because  I think a base coat is essential when you paint your nails regularly and with bright or dark colours...nobody wants to look like they've been smoking 40 a day! I applied two coats to my toe nails and didn't bother with a top coat (I rarely do on my toes) and the result is a gorgeous milky peach tone which I adore.  The addition of a third coat and a top coat added extra vibrancy and depth and the result is lovely.  I did wake up with sheet marks on my nails this morning though which is very irritating as I painted my nails hours before bed, but maybe I rushed into putting the top coat on?! 

I think the photos make it seem more orangey/red than it does in real life, but the photos were taken on my iPhone I'm afraid so not a lot I can do.

The consistency of this nail varnish is lovely, and I am really looking forward to trying out some other shades from Essie. 

Essie is now available from Boots and Superdrug and I would highly recommend Essie as a brand if the other shades are as luxurious as Cute As A Button.

I think that this polish is pretty comparable to Pink Flamingo (blog post about it here) from Barry M, and at £2.99 a pop it is a cheaper alternative (Essie is retailing at £7.99). 

Have you tried out any Essie polishes? Which is your favourite shade? And what is your all time favourite coral?

I hope you're all having a great day

xxx

the maxi skirt is from Fat Face, and I love it! 

Can a tweezer really be too good?

I ask this question because I thought the answer was 'surely not', and having left my trusty Boots Precision Grip Slanted Tweezers in Cardiff when I came home for Easter, I went out and purchased these Tweezerman LTD Slanted Tweezers which carry a much heftier price tag thinking that I was making an investment and I'd have them for yonks.  This is probably the case, I expect they will last well as I find Tweezerman to be a reliable brand who make good quality stuff to help you look pruned and pretty.  However, and this is potentially a very individual however, I think these tweezers are just too sharp, and they seem to cut the hair rather than pluck it, which is not the desired result otherwise i'd just whip the razor out wouldn't I?!  I remember once I was having a wax (with a new beautician) and I said I plucked in between waxing and she asked me how did I know I was plucking the hairs rather than snapping them off, and I just thought what a silly question, of course I know I'm plucking them because my tweezers grab the entire hair and the little root is plain as day.  I now understand her query because these tweezerman tweezers do seem to just sheer off the hair instead of yanking the little blighter out!! 

For a lot of people this might not be a problem other than the fact that you'd just have to pluck more often.  But personally I find it very bothersome. I've been having my eyebrows, bikini line and thighs waxed for about eight years and as a result my hairs have finally begun to grow back a lot finer, and more sparse and this is because I don't shave them off, I just get the suckers by the root!  Anyway this has given me somewhat of a phobia about cutting these hairs off at skin level (shaving or otherwise) as I fear that I will once again have monstrous dark hairs  (this particularly applies to my thighs as obviously my eyebrows are black and that's totally fine!)

Am I the only one who has found this with tweezerman tweezers? Or indeed any other brand? Or am I just using them wrong? And on the other hand, which tweezers do you think do the trick for you?  


xxx

123 Perfect

I know this might seem awful, but it has been YEARS since I bought a 'low end' foundation, and even this at £10.99 isn't cheap (although I did take full advantage of the 3 for 2 across all beauty that Boots were running last month!) 

I had heard everyone raving about the Healthy Mix range by Bourjois so I thought, for some deluded reason, to go for this instead (probably because it was new and put at the front, and like a magpie to a broach, I couldn't resist), but then I read Fleur's review on it, and I was literally too scared to try it.  All she'd said was that she didn't like it, it's not like it was going to make my face to melt away anything, but anyway I put it off and put it off, but now I've faced my fear and wore it, and you know what, I like it!! It just serves as a lesson to me not to believe everything I read as if it's the holy grail, it's just personal preference, and everyone is different! 

On to my thoughts about the foundation itself.  It glides on so smoothly, it really is so lightweight and makes my skin feel really soft (which I think we'd all agree has got to be a good thing).  This colour, 53, blends really well into my skin tone, it really does look as if I'm not wearing foundation.  As for the three different pigments working their magic to reduce circles around the eyes, brighten complexion and reduce redness, I'm not so sure, but then the dark circles under my eyes resist every product I throw at them, so I wasn't shocked that this failed to do the trick! 

I'd say that on the most part it wears well, although my t-zone needed to be touched up after a few hours as the make up seemed to have slipped, so I don't think, for me anyway, I'll be getting the 16 hours of wear it claims...what a shocker!  It does wear off a lot quicker than my Mac Pro Longwear for instance, but if you're not planning to wear it for a long day then I don't think you'd have too much of a problem.

I have found that on my chin (a problem area for me, with drying breakouts) this foundation looks a bit flaky, but then even my MAC foundation sometimes does so that's not a big disappointment either. 

Overall, I'm pleased I bought it, it's nice to have something that feels more lightweight than my usual MAC Pro Longwear. I'm a happy shopper with this one! 

Have you tried either 123 Perfect, or Pro Longwear? If you have, what do you think? And if not, what's your favourite foundation? 

xxx

NOTD: Indigo

After a weekend of moving my friends into their new flat and being a DIY goddess my nails are looking utterly horrific.  Only my little finger nails have survived to tell the tale, the rest gave up and jumped ship at the mere sight of flat packed Ikea furniture!  I decided that the best thing to do with them was hide them.  I really should give them some real tender loving care and apply base coats daily etc to give them a fighting chance, but I just don't want to have to look at them so they are well and truly hidden now! 

I don't often go for this colour Barry M shade 312 Indigo, but I'm really glad I have, I love it and I think it actually looks good on my very short nails.  It seems to have smartened them up and makes me look, dare I say it, sophisticated and perhaps professional?! 


I have included so many photos (too many most probably but oh well you can pretend you haven't seen them) because I really do think that this nail varnish is magic.  It looks so different depending on the light, sometimes it looks midnight blue, verging on a blackblue and other times it looks a very royal blue with a hint of purple.  


The application of this colour is lovely, it glides on and in two coats it looks rich and shiny and just generally lovely. And at £2.99 from Boots or Superdrug there really isn't any reason not to go for it, once again I think Barry M has produced a nail varnish that looks far more expensive than you'd expect for such a bargain!


I'm off to the cinema tonight to see 21 Jump Street, I really hope it's as good as it looks in the trailer as I'm in the mood for a good old laugh! Have any of you seen it and thought it was worth a watch?


xxx