Olympics London 2012!

Lush Love Lettuce Face Mask

I have only tried two Lush face masks both of which i have loved. They last 4 weeks and you have to keep them in the fridge. Love Lettuce has been my favourite of the two so i thought i would tell you about it.

It was recommended to me by one of Lush assistants for combination skin. The aim of Love Lettuce is to brighten your complexion and give skin a healthy glow. I 100% agree with this and the fact that it leaves skin nice and smooth thanks to some of the natural ingredients. It has almond shells in it so when it is time to wash it off you are exfoliating your skin leaving a smooth and polished base. The lavender in it helps to calm the skin and helps with any blemishes you may have.

I find that Love face masks always look kind of outputting because of how natural they are, despite this they have a lovely smell to them. I use this twice a week, usually a Sunday and a Thursday. I find this is just the right amount so it does not over work my skin but does brighten it and get rid of all dead skin cells. I leave it on for around 10-15 minutes until it dries and you can see the almond seeds going flaky. (ew) I then wash it off with warm water and using my hands in circular motions so that it is exfoliating my skin.

I personally love this face mask and will defiantly be repurchasing!

Kelly xox

Mis-Match nails

So the weather here has not been too good this week, after our extra-sunny spell the previous week all reality of England has returned. So, even though it is now June, yes JUNE, it is still pouring down with rain. I didn't want to wear anything really bright on my nails as i didn't feel it was right for the weather we are experiencing. I decided to meet in the middle as i do like wearing summer colours, especially as it is meant to be the summer.


I went for Barry M 'Mushroom' on some nails and then to add a pop of colour i added in Rimmel 'Peppermint' with Barry M's glitter over the top. I think these two colours work pretty well together and represent the summer we should be having and the rain that we are actually having.


What do you wear on your nails these miserable days?
Kelly xox

A few empties!

I've seen this post quite a lot recently so i thought it was time i saved up a few of my empty products and show you. I must admit this is only a few of the things i have been using up but i never remember to keep them for posts like this. There isn't much here and what is here is mostly some sort of cream haha.

Tea Tree Water by Lush - This is the second bottle of this i have used up and i absolutely LOVE it. It works wonders on my skin and it's my favourite toner i have used so far. It's cheap - around the £5 mark i think. I will defiantly be repurchasing this.

Bare Necessity Body Lotion - I picked this up from Salisbury's last December (seems like ages ago) and it has lasted me up until around 3 weeks ago which is pretty good going. However i do use other body creams and don't just stick to the same one. I only picked this up because i needed a new one and it was on offer but i loved it none the less!

Erase Paste by Benefit - This has lasted me sooooo long! It was only the smaller size from the Confessions of a concealaholic kit which i brought last June (ish). I love it so so much and tried to live without it as it is so over priced, around £20, but i couldn't and have already purchased another.

Simple Hydrating light Moisturiser - My mum got me this for christmas and i fell in love straight away. It feels light on the skin like it says and did not break me out at all which is amazing. I have already purchased another and it is cheap which is an added bonus!

ReVive Eye Cream sample - This was a sample from GlossyBox and it is one expensive eye cream! One that i would never ever purchase but none the less it was an amazing cream to use and didn't take me long to empty the pot.

 

What have you been using up recently?
Kelly xox

My new drawers.

Last week i went on a little trip to The Range in Cheltenham. For those of you who have never heard of this, it is a huge shop that has everything under the sun in, literally. Anything you want it has it. Although i don't think it has make-up. Anyway, i have been after some drawers like this for a very very long time. I have been considering ordering of Muji ( i think that's what its called) but have never got round to it, so when i saw these i was so excited (how sad) and my boyfriend looked at me like i was some kind of weirdo.
The colour range is very poor, i wanted clear but they only had weird colours such as purple, green and blue. I decided purple as my room is that colour so that was ok i suppose. They were only....... £2.99! They did have a bigger set which was £9.99 that i was also considering but i thought i would stick with the smaller ones for now. I have put them on the top of my vanity area and filled them with my everyday products. As they are not that big i can't fit much in them but i find that it stores the products that i use every day, without fail, perfectly.
I have one for face, concealers, foundations and primers, one for eyes, eyeshadow, curlers and eyeliner and then one for lips, lipstick, gloss and balm. Oh and i also put my blusher in there too as i couldn't fit it in the top drawer. Oops!

What do you store your makeup in?
Kelly xox

Barry M Obsessed!

Another nail varnish related post today! Despite having a whole Glossy Box full of them i still find myself buying them time and time again. This time it's the good old Barry M. I find that they are amazing quality for £2.99 each and have a huugggeee range of colours available.

This time i got the 3 for 2 offer in Superdrug and picked up Barry Ice Cream and Pink Iridescent. Weird names. Anyway, one is a lovely lilac/pink colour which is perfect for the spring time as it's a pastel colour that is right on trend. The other is a clear glitter varnish which i have absolutely fell in love with and i have been wearing it over every colour i wear! As for the third i picked up the same lilac colour for my friends birthday.

I've been wearing these colours non-stop since i purchased them, as i did with the Essie 'Not just a pretty face'  when i first purchased that. What's your favourite Barry M colour?


Kelly xox

Essie - Not Just A Pretty Face

My first ever Essie nail polish! Wowww! Where have i been you ask? I've always felt Essie and Opi are very overpriced nail polishes as i am 100% happy with using £2.99 Barry M colours.
I was pretty bummed to find out that my local Superdrug are not stocking the Essie polishes as i was hoping that seeing them in person would persuade me to buy some. However, the other week, walking through Boots i clapped eyes on the stand with all of the pretty colours from Essie. I was so pleased but also kind of nervous that i would now splurge on a £7.99 nail polish every time i go in there. Anyway, i obviously HAD to buy one! I have been after ballet slippers for a while as i heard it gives that clean and polished finish. After seeing this i thought it was a little too light and opted for 'Not Just A Pretty Face' instead as this looked like it had a tad more colour.

Every single day since i had have this i have worn it on my nails! At first, with one coat i didn't really see my difference in my nail colour. I then added another coat and then my top coat (Barry M) and i fell in love with it immediately. The light flush of pink that it gives your nails, like you've just had a manicure. It's almost like you can't tell its there until you look but gives your nails the most perfect natural finish. I love it so much and think that after one polish, i am an Essie convert. I cannot wait to buy more colours for the summer!

What's your favourite shade from Essie?
Kelly xox

My recent purchases...

I love seeing what other people have brought recently to see if there are any new products that i might like to try. I'm a nosey one just as many other beauty bloggers are! So heres a glipmse of what i have been spending my hard earned pennies on this week!

Mostly skincare as i have been using up a lot of that stuff recently. (blog post coming soon!) My mum brought me the Simple hydrating moisturiser for Christmas and i loved it. It isn't anything special but it didn't break me out and was gentle on my skin. So when i ran out, i rushed to Superdrug and purchased another. However, i have been on the hunt for my perfect moisturiser as i am every other beauty product so i went with the hype and ordered the Embryolisse off of a website which the lovely Vivianna (link here) gave to me after searching around endlessly for it. I'm not 100% sure of my views of this yet seeing as i have only been using it for two weeks. When i popped into boots earlier this week i was browsing through some of their own brand and decided to pick up these two products, i hadn't heard anything about them but they were cheap so why not?!

Wrong decision! Although i'm not that bothered because they were only about £1.50 ish. The eye makeup remover pads are awful and don't do much in that department! The eye gel is ok but not anything remotely special. When i was shopping at Cribbs Causway for my mums birthday i went into Lush to find a face mask and the lovely lady reccomended me the Catastrophre cosmetic one that is filled with blueberries and a range of other yummy ingredients! So far so good. Lastly i picked up a hair dye as my hair is a miss-match of colours at the moment! I got the colour light brown to try out.

What have you purchased recently?

Kelly xox

Mac - Chatterbox

First of all apologies for the time away from blogging. It's been a crazy past couple of weeks with organising my mum's birthday, revision, netball, work the list could go on and on and shan't bore you with my life stories! On to the lovely lipstick itself!

This lipstick is an Amplified formula from Mac which means that it is meant to be creamy and full of colour! This was my first experience of the amplified and i have to say I was not disappointed in the slightest! Chatterbox is described by Mas as a bright red-pink, which i would agree with although it is not as bright as neon or a barbie pink but it is just the right in between for me.
I decided to go for this particular colour as I was looking for something more daring (dare i say) than my usual nude toned lipsticks. I'm not the bravest when it comes lipstick so this was defiantly a step in the right direction. It has amazing staying power; I have worn it on a few nights out with the girls and i haven't really had to touch it up at all, no matter how many drinks i drank! I would also wear this in the day time as you can blend it out with your fingers to make it more wearable, although, if you are a brave one when it comes to lipsticks this is the perfect day-pink colour. The colour does live up to the reputation by being opaque. It glides on my lips smoothly and effortlessly with a creamy texture meaning that it does not sink into any lines which is fab!

I am very very pleased with my first amplified lipstick from Mac and i am also very very pleased that i chose the colour Chatterbox! It's brilliant for night or day and for me is a step in the more daring colours. (even though its probably not daring to more than half of you!)

Have you tried chatterbox? What's your thoughts on it?
Kelly xox





p.s sorry about the pictures i'm still getting used to this!

My Super Duper quick Hair routine

I thought i would share with you all what my hair goes through when i have those horrible early mornings and have no time at all!
I start by washing my hair with Pantene Smooth and Sleek 2 in 1. I find this works best when I'm in a rush as it both shampoos and conditions my hair at once without having to do them separately. This 2 in 1 doesn't do anything special but it cleans my hair and leaves it soft - which is all i need to do in the mornings when I'm heading to work or sixth form.
After that i spritz the Aussie miracle hair insurance leave in conditioner all over my hair. I find that this gives me hair a more thorough conditioning as when using the 2 in 1 i don't feel like my hair has really been conditioned much and can be a little 'tangley'. This is followed by the Aussie Take The Heat spray ready for my hair dryer and GHD's!

This is all i need for my hair on days when I'm in a rush and haven't got much time and i find it works perfectly! What's your super quick routine?
Kelly xox

Garnier Pure Active Blackhead Clearing Scrub

Garnier is a brand that i have never really explored much and i don't really know why. Despite them having many skin care products in every drugstore and supermarket i have only tried this one. And i love it! I've not a bad word to say about this amazing product! They have many products in the Pure Active range which is targeted towards spot prone skin or skin that any has scaring or marks.

So, onto the product itself. It is a blackhead clearing scrub that claims to helps fade marks and fight spots. This is part of the reason why i purchased this product as i have a few scars from spots and get blemishes often. I must say that this is 100% true. Since i have been using this (around 3 months) my scars have  become considerably smaller and faded and my face is virtually spot free most of the time!  I think that's pretty amazing for a product that costs around £5 for 150ml! I use this around twice a week and would still say i have over half a bottle left. I find that it particularly helps to brighten my skin and make it more even, even though it does not claim to do this. The microbeads help to get rid of any dry or flaky patches on my skin leaving it smoother and helping my foundation to look more flawless!
It contains 2% Salicylic Acid which is an acid that works well on acne-prone skin as it encourages the shedding of dead skin cells which in turn prevents your pores becoming blocked and causing breakouts. Another one of its main ingredients is HerbaSoothe which is from the blueberry and is known for its soothing and caring of the skin.

I would defiantly recommend this to anyone who has scaring or suffers from breakouts on a regular basis. I think i will be looking to try more products from their Pure Active Range!
Whats your favourite face scrub or exfoliant?

Kelly xox

Most loved foundations... So far.

I am, as i think everyone is, on the hunt for my perfect foundation. I don't think I've found it yet but here are a few that i reach for most often. There is a mixture of high end to drugstore products here. I'll start by saying that i have combination to oily skin and get the occasional blemish. So if you have dry skin I'm not sure that some of these will work for you.

Ill go from left to right and start with Colorblend in the colour ivory beige 30ml. This is from Avon and is probably one of the cheapest beauty items that i own! I think i got this when they were having a sale and it cost me about £3-£4 which is amazing! When i ordered it i wasn't expecting anything special as it was so cheap and it was also from the section they aim at teenagers. It is an oil free formula so perfect for oily skins like mine and the consistency is very light weight. The coverage is light to medium, more on the light side so i tend to use this when my skin is having a good day or I'm not doing anything special. As for how long it lasts, i would say around 4 hours before i need to touch up with powder, which is average for my skin. I find it is perfect for the summer as it is so lightweight on my skin.

Next is the much raved about Jemma Kidd Light As Air Foundation. I first saw this product on Vivianna does make up's blog/youtube and fell in love with the way it looked on her skin. So i ordered it myself and was not disappointed with the results. I'm in the colour 02 light and you get 30ml for around £20-£25 depending on where you buy it. When i first received it however i must admit that i thought it was slightly orange toned on my skin but since then that view on it seems to have disappeared. Weird huh? Anyway, it gives a very natural finish with medium coverage that it very buildable and blendable. This lasts around 6 hours before i need to touch up with powder which is pretty good going for me. It has SPF 18 in which may cause some people problems with flash but it's been fine for me!

Second from last is the No7 Intelligent Balance Mousse Foundation in the shade New Ivory 10. This retails at £12.50 from Boots but i purchased it when i had a £5 No7 voucher so got it for only £7.50 which is pretty good! I wasn't intentionally going out to purchase this but as i am always on the hunt for a foundation i thought i would pick one up! This is a mousse foundation which isn't one i would usually go for but is great for those with oily skin - dry skin stay away! This gives me the perfect coverage with a matte finish (my preferred look), which sounds all good. However, the one bad point about it is what puts me off this foundation even though it's one of my favourites! That may be a little confusing. The only bad thing is that it clings to any dry patches like crazy! I only use this on days when i have oily skin compared to my usual normal. Sometimes i think i can get away with it but usually end up having flaky patches (ew!). Oh, and another bad point is the poor colour range, only around 4 shades! None the less this remains in my favourite foundations because of the fact that when i do have oily days it is amazing. The coverage, the time it lasts and the finish!

 

Last but certainly not least is the famous Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation in the colour ecru 16. I was brought this as a gift for my 18th birthday from my best friend as she knew i had been wanting it for a long time but wouldn't bring myself to cough up the £26.50ish price tag! This was one of my first high end foundations and i LOVE it. The majority of people who use this say it is very heavy on their skin and only use it on bad skin days or nights out. However i have to disagree with this and say i do not find it heavy on my face, heavier than other foundations yes but i still find it wearable from day to day. This coverage on this foundation is a full coverage but it is in no way, for me, cakey on my skin although you can probably tell you are wearing it. The finish is matte and has an SPF of 10 in. The best part is that it lasts on my skin all day which is very rare for me. I put it on in the morning and when i come home from sixth form its still going strong! When i go for a night out it doesn't budge at all which is pretty amazing! There is a wide colour range and comes in a luxurious glass bottle, what's not to love about this foundation?!

I'd love to know what you're favourite foundations are! Leave me a comment to let me know!

All the best, Kelly ox

Cosmopolitan Giveaway!

Cosmopolitan is a magazine that i love! It's one of the UK's most popular women's magazines that's full off make-up, fashion, trends and a whole load of womanly gossip and tips! I'm subscribed to Cosmopolitan for 12 months at the price of £15*. Considering they are normally around £3.00 a magazine that is a pretty good deal!

Cosmopolitan already have a wide range of beauty accessories out at the moment, from make-up brushes to false eyelashes. They are not available at boots but are readily available at places such as Superdrug and Tesco in the United Kingdom.

Now they have moved on from small accessories and have moved to bigger and better products from their beauty range. These particular products will only be exclusive to Argos. Here is a list of what their new products are:

Total Heaven foot spa

Manicure and Pedicure Kit

Facial Sauna

Epilator

Rechargeable bikini trimmer

Wet and dry shaver

So, if you like to keep your face and body look fabulous then these products are the perfect addition to your beauty resume! They are prefect pampering products to make you feel amazing! They come in funky purple and pink colours which are prefect for all us girls!  

You could win ALL of these products worth £180 by just going to their website and filling out a few bits of information. I wish you all the best of luck!

www.cosmopolitan.co.uk/hairelectricalscomp

* This is the offer i got but I'm not 100% this is still available.
Pictures are from http://www.cosmopolitan.co.uk/competitions/22463, http://www.cosmopolitan.co.uk/competitions/22463 and fabsugar.co.uk

Spring Nails!

As spring is fast approaching it's time to get out the bright colours for your nails! This post has been really popular with bloggers and on you tube so i thought i would join! These are my top 5 nail colours that i will be rocking through spring.

I will start off by saying that i use the Sally Hansen Hard as Nails as a base coat which i find really helps with my flaky and weak nails. I then use Barry M Top Coat and Nail Hardener on top to make them extra shiny and stay a bit longer on the nails!

Starting off with my thumb i am wearing Barry M in Bright purple. This is quite a dark colour compared to the rest of my nails but i find that the 'purpleness' is just right! Next is Rimmel professional finish in Urban Princess. This pink is one of my favourite in my entire nail polish collection and i find the brush on this so easy to use. It's quite a bright fuchsia pink which is perfect for spring and summer.

Next up is Barry M  Cyan Blue, as you can tell Barry M is trending here as i love their nail polishes! This blue is one i don't wear as much throughout the rest of the year as its quite an unusual blue, not navy but not light, it's in between. But never the less it's one of my favourites for this spring!

The next colour is Max Factor Nailfinity in Earth. This is the only polish i have in this make and one coat is opaque enough for me!

Last but not least, my top favourite of them all, Rimmel Professional in Peppermint. I love love love this colour and I've been wearing it all weak long!

Hope you all enjoyed this post and have a lovely day!

Kelly xo

Eeek...First blog post!

So, as the title of this post suggests, this is my first post! And again as it suggests, (eek!), I'm kinda' nervous!

 I've been reading blogs for around 6 months now and have become a total addict! I have my favourite ones saved in favourites on my laptop and it's one of the first things i check out when i log on as well as getting updates sent to my iPhone! Sad i know, but it has become a habit and i wanted to get into the blogger scene!

As you may already know, or not know, I'm going to be blogging about make-up, fashion and life in general. I hope you enjoy all of my posts that are to come in the future and i shall leave and enjoy the rest of this lovely sunny march day!

Kelly ox