April empties....

This will be my last empties post now before I set off to Oz, I've managed to get through most of my products I wanted to, and I'm now in the use and repurchase stage with all of my everyday products. 

Products I've repurchased: The only two things I've done a straight re-purchase for this month is the baby shampoo (for my hair extensions) and the Boots nail and cuticle oil...definitely a holy grail product! 

Products I loved: LOVE the No7 face wipes but I only tend to get them when the vouchers are in Boots. I was also a huge fan of the Lee Stafford hair treatment but I've got a few others to use up yet so didn't repurchase. As always, deodorant and Vitamin E moisturiser got used up, I actually branched out and picked up some different brands to try (I know, I know, crazy kid over here)

'Meh' products: The pore strips used to be one of my favourite face products to buy but they've recently changed the formula of these particular ones and I'm not so keen now. The Dove hair mask was a ok, its was only sample size though so I might have been more impressed if I'd given it another try. Make-up wise, the teeny eyeliner you can see there that I can no longer hold is the Rimmel kohl pencil, OK but not amazing in my opinion. I also wasn't a fan of the Vivo highlighting concealer, it wasn't bad but nothing ever matches up to Sleek's version of this to me so I won't be repurchasing. 

Loves

xxx

My ring collection....

Jewellery is one of my favourite things to buy/collect but it seems to slip under the radar on my blog, so I thought it would be nice to show you some of my favourite pieces I've collected over the years. I've got no really expensive pieces, most of it is high street although I would like to add some vintage/market stall pieces to my collection. First up are rings....


'Big' rings

Top Left - Right, Bottom Left - Right

Turquise stone - Primark

Pink centre - Primark

Green stone - Forever21

Silver & Black - Forever21

Gold and white - Primark

Black stone - Forever21

Blue Stone - Forever21

Oval flower - Primark

Silver armour ring - Forever21

Gold spiral ring - Topshop

Top Left - Right, Bottom Left - Right

Plastic brown and white - H&M

Black square - H&M

Turquoise stone - Dorothy Perkins

Silver square - H&M

Black square - Primark

Gold and turquoise triple stone - Dorothy Perkins

Live is Blind - ASOS

2 x Pink circle rings - H&M

Turquoise and gold - Primark

Large silver stone - Forever21

Thin/stackable

Left - Right: 

Spike rings - Miss Selfridge 

Pink stone ring - gift

Peace/Cross ring - ASOS

Small heart ring - New Look

Silver square rings - Forever21

Silver and pink ring - vintage fair

Star ring - Forever21

Silver stackable rings - H&M

Green leaf ring - ASOS

Dark Green flat stone ring - ASOS

Thin pink and silver ring - gift

Multi finger ring

Left - Right:

Love ring - Matalan

Anchor ring - Matalan

Lipstick ring - ASOS

Silver Cross ring - ASOS

Leaf ring - Primark

Cream and black ring - Forever21

Sliver cross ring - Miss Selfridge

Diamond cross ring - Forever21

'Special' rings

All rings from Topshop

Only a small collection but I love them all!

Loves

xxx

Top five eyeliners...

Next instalment in my top five series is eyeliners! I'm not a huge eyeliner hoarder, I tend to have a few and just stick to the ones I like. 

l-r Barry M Wink eyeliner felt tip, GOSH Carbon Black liquid eyeliner pen, Mac Kohl pencil in Smoulder, Soap & Glory Smoulder Kohl, Maybelline gel eyeliner pot 

Barry M Wink eyeliner felt tip: This is actually on it's last legs, but it's a REALLY thick felt pen that is so easy for beginners wanting to create a winged liner look. It dries up quite quickly and the nib on mine has gone a bit strange so it doesn't have a long shelf life, but it's really black and SO easy to use. The staying power isn't the best, but for around £5 I wouldn't complain.

GOSH Carbon Black liquid eyeliner pen: This is SO black, stays put until you get some sort of heavy duty makeup remover near it, and is quite easy to use. The nib is fine so you can create all sorts of looks really easily, the only draw back with this is it's quite watery so you really need to wipe the nib before you get going.

Mac Kohl: This used to be the love of my life. I've had about five of these, and whilst it is amazing, it's no longer my favourite kohl eyeliner. It's quite black, fairly long lasting, and you can sharpen it to quite a nice point if you wanted to use it on the lash line. It is great for smudging, however it sometimes smudges beyond all control when you get a bit warm....not ideal for sweaty night clubs or hot atmospheres. 

Soap & Glory Smoulder Kohl: This is, in the place of Mac, the new love of my life. I've done a full review on it here if you want to take a closer look. It lasts ALL DAY, no lie. I use it on the water line, it doesn't smudge or slip, it's a really intense black, and it comes with a sharpener in the lid!! The only draw back is it's quite a soft, gel consistency so impossible to sharpen to a point, not ideal if you want to use it on the lash line. For £5, all I have to say on this is GO BUY IT :)

Maybelline gel eyeliner: I use the sigma eyeliner brush with this, brilliant for the waterline and on the lash line, and creates a gorgeous winged liner if you have a steady hand. Again, seriously long lasting, really black, easy to use with a bit of practice and lasts ages! This is always on offer in Boots or Superdrug so really worth a go!

What other eyeliners does everyone else love?

Loves

xxx

FOTD...out for drinks...

I've been a bit off radar recently, had a busy week and I've been swapping my blackberry over to an iPhone (oh HEY Instagram and Draw Something!!) which seems to be very time consuming! Anyway, just a quick one until I can get some pictures taken for other posts! I popped out for a drink with an old friend last week, where we basically just spent a few hours talking about going travelling!

Foundation: EL Double Wear

Concealer: Bobby Brown Corrector and Collection 2000 lasting perfection

Powder: Elf HD Powder

Blusher: Mac Fleur Power

Eyebrows: HD Powder (Darkest shade) and GOSH eyebrow fix gel

Mascara: Bourjois Volume mascara

Eyeliner: Soap & Glory Smoulder Kohl 

Eyeshadow: Urban Decay Buck

Lipstick: Vivo at Tesco in Pink Pout

Also....my fringe is long enough to fit into a (very tiny) plait *cheers and punches the air*

Loves

xxx

Weekly review...Revlon PhotoReady Perfecting Primer....

I'm not one for a primer, I'll be honest with you. I always feel like I SHOULD, but never really find that they make much of a difference (with the exception of Benefit Porefessional but some of us can't justify the price tag so save it for 'special occasions'). I always have one on the go, though, just in case I feel the need to 'prime' of a morning. I picked this one up from the lady who stands on my local market selling amazing makeup and silly cheap prices. I think I paid £6 for this which is about half it's RRP. Bargain. 

It's a pale pink in colour, with a faint iridescent shimmer to it. The shimmer is subtle, like the foundation,  and to be honest I don't notice it when it's under foundation. The formula is quite 'liquidy' compared to most primers I've tried, is really easy to blend, and has a slightly chalky feeling when it's applied. This isn't a bad thing though, and I think it's what makes it more of a matt finish. 

I like it. My makeup stays put, I don't get too oily, it smells nice, it's not shimmery on the skin. Basically it's everything you'd want from a primer. You get 27ml of product which I think is a fair amount for such a thin consistency, as a little goes a long way. Hard to say if I'd re-purchase this again as I could probably quite happily go without primer in my daily makeup routine, but this has impressed me!

Has anyone else tried this primer?

Loves

xxx

Tiny Birmingham Haul and OOTD...

So I fully intended to go to Birmingham to pick up a few things for Australia and failed spectacularly! I mainly wanted to go to Illamasqua to pick up one of their Brow Cakes and the sealing gel which I did manage to get. I got the shade Gaze which is a dark grey but does go almost black with the sealing gel, but I was slightly disappointed they didn't have a black shade. I also just picked up a couple of rings from Forever21...rude not to...

 I just wore my new Zara top, H&M leather jacket, Zara jeggings, white converse and standard River Island bag....

Loves

xxx

Easter Bank Holiday in outfits....

I think it's safe to say I've had the best Easter Bank Holiday EVER!


Went out with the girls for a warm up session on Thursday, just to our local town for a glass of wine or three...

Top: Miss Selfridge

Shorts & Necklace: Topshop

Tights: Primark

Bag: TK Maxx

Belt: Dorothy Perkins

Boots: Office

Foundation: EL Double Wear

Lashes: Eyelur Kimberley Girls Aloud

Lipstick: Topshop Brighton Rock

I just popped into Leicester with the girls on Friday to look for outfits for the big bank holiday Sunday night out and for a Wagamama's...lush! I literally just threw on a baggy t-shirt from Miss Selfridge over a long black tank, my Primark mens hoody and some converse. 

Then the big event on Sunday...I'd been saving this outfit since Christmas when I bought these shorts but couldn't actually fit in them! 

Top: New Look

Shorts: Primark (!!!)

Tights: ASOS

Lita's: Random shop in Leicester that sells beaut fakes!

I wore the TK Maxx handbag from the Thursday outfit, and just bracelets stacked up my arm and a couple of rings. Lipstick was, of course, Saint Germain by Mac

Kellie, on the left, wore a Miss Selfridge Dress and Peacocks shoes, Steph wore a strapless dress from River Island, and Sarah had a New Look lace, glittery top with a stretchy black skirt and black shoe boots, also from New Look I think!

Loves

xxx

OOTD...For that 'in between' weather...

Hey lovelies :) Hope everyone's having a good bank holiday! I popped into Leicester last week and, with the weather being a bit 'meh' just recently, I have had NO idea what to wear. I went for my old faithful denim shorts from Topshop, my black boots and a thin jumper from Miss Selfridge with a sheer panel across the shoulders. I dragged out my furry River Island bag, decided on Barry M 155 lipstick and hit the shops (didn't actually buy anything though....just a bit of window shopping!)

Happy Easter everyone

Loves

xxx

Weekly review... 17 Wild Metallics Eyes...

Now I'm not a huge eyeshadow fan, but I do sometimes go mad and treat my lids to a wash of a neutral colour across the lid. I've had this particular product sat in my draw for ages and not really reached for it until this past couple of weeks. It's a sort of mouse consistency, a lot softer than a Mac Paint Pot and really smooth to apply. It almost blends too easily so a little goes a long way! 

I've got the colour Wild Nude (predictable!) and swatched looks like this (the swatch on the left is the product thickly applied, the right swatch is it blended out for more of a sheer finish)

The one problem with this is it does crease despite having an eye primer on, so I like to layer some powder eyeshadow over the top. For this I use a shade from the Sleek Storm Palette:

I use the pink shade, top row second from the top. Not only does it stop the 17 eye colour from creasing, it also really intensifies the colour..

Left swatch is the Sleek eyeshadow on it's own, middle swatch is a thick layer of 17 Metallic Eyes with the shadow over the top, and right is how I wear it: blended out with the shadow over the top to set it in place. 

Has anyone else tried these eye shadows from 17? How else do you wear yours?

Loves

xxx

Top 10 Lipsticks....

You may have noticed my 'Top 5' posts recently, I've actually been enjoying doing these and re-discovering some old gems hidden in the depths of my makeup draw! I've got a Top 5 Foundations and Top 5 Eyeliners coming up soon so keep an eye out for them, but I thought the next obvious one....with me being a lipstick addict and all...would be top 5 lipsticks. Let me just pause here and say this was an IMPOSSIBLE task...out of my 100+ lipsticks (it was a LOT more but I've had a pre-Oz clear out and donated them to friends and family) I CANNOT pick 5. So I cheated and went for 10 (which was still hard and I felt mean leaving some of them out...must get a life...)

Anyway...in no particular order apart from saying Mac Saint Germain is my fave lipstick of ALL TIME, and as far as brands go, Mac and Topshop are joint favourites.  You may also notice that 3 out of 4 of my Mac lipsticks are melted into a smush. It's a sensitive subject so I don't want to dwell on it. Anyway here they are...

(l-r) Barry M 147, Barry M 155 (new formula = amazing) Vivo at Tesco Shade 5 Pink Pout, Rimmel Lasting Finish in Pink Blush, Topshop in Brighton Rock

(l-r) Topshop in Ohh La La, Mac in Creme Cup (melted) Mac in Saint Germain (decimated!) Mac in Up The Amp (melted) Mac in Impassioned (NOT MELTED...HURAH!!)

Top row l-r Barry M 147, Barry M 155, Vivo Pink Pout, Rimmel Pink Blush, Topshop Brighton Rock

Bottom Row l-r Topshop Up The Amp, Mac Creme Cup, Mac Saint Germain, Mac Up The Amp, Mac Impassioned

As you can tell I'm a big Mac fan apart from the fact that a £13.50 lipstick SHOULD NOT melt as easy as they do. It upsets me in a big way. My favourite finish is their Amplified finishes, although I do quite like a couple of their Cream Sheen's. Topshop lipsticks blow me away. For around £8 they are creamy, long lasting, pigmented, don't melt, smell nice and are just generally amazeballs. I only have one from Vivo but hoping to pop to a big Tesco soon to pick up more of these they are so good for the price. Also, depsite Barry M being renowned for being drying on the lips, it's nothing a little lip balm can't solve. Their new formula's aren't like that at all...so more of these please Barry!

Are any of these in your Top 10??

Loves

xxx

March monthly empties....

Another good month for empties!

Products I re-purchased: I had a back up of the Botanics eye make-up remover, I'm a big big fan of this stuff. I also had a back up of my deodorant and Vitamin E moisturiser like every month. I re-purchased my Rimmel tan too - this is just a night out staple to give my legs a bit of colour! I actually finished a foundation this month which I was thrilled with! And even though I've got quite a stash of foundations sitting in a draw, I went back to Bourjois and re-purchased healthy mix which is quite something considering I hated it when I first bought it!

Products I've changed: You might be able to see the tiny stub of a Mac Kohl eyeliner pencil in Smoulder on the right hand side of the pic...this is my fourth re-purchase of this and sadly my last. I've got a spare sat in my draw and I will use it up when the occasion suits but it's definitely no longer my favourite kohl pencil, it's been blown out of the water by the Soap and Glory pencil which I did a review on here. Also, as much as I loved the Witch primer, I've recently purchased the new Revlon photo ready primer which I'll be doing a review on soon and so far I'm loving. 

Finally the last thing of note is the Str-Vectin eye cream. This stuff is INCREDIBLE! I got it in a GlossyBox ages ago and literally can't praise it highly enough, apart from the hefty £45 price tag so unfortunatly have had to settle for a cheaper alternative. One day though, I'll definitely be re-buying this! 

Anyone else had a successful empties month?

Loves

xxx