Rimmel Haul

Hello lovelies,

I'm going to hold my hands up and say it has been a while since my last post. But there is an excuse for that, I've been working so hard for I don't know how long... I've forgotten what the outside looks like and all contact with human beings has ceased to exist. So my little blog has been put on the shelf but I have finally got a little time to myself.

Now I'm meant to be saving my pennies for Christmas but I was in desperate need of a new foundation so ended up going to ASOS to put in a cheeky Rimmel order. I'm actually shocked at the price of foundation in France it's at least twice the price of in England, and it's difficult to get hold of certain brands unless you're looking for L'Oreal or Bourjois. But you know when you only go to buy one thing and end up with five, that happened so I thought I'd share with you what I picked up.

Rimmel London Lasting Finish Soft Colour Mono Blush in 020 Pink Rose - £3.99
Rimmel London Wake Me Up Concealer in 020 True Ivory - £5.49
Rimmel London Kate Matte Lipstick in 111 Kiss of Life -£5.49
Rimmel London Moisture Renew Lipstick in 660 In Love with Ginger - £6.49

Rimmel London Match Perfection Foundation SPF 18 in 102 Light Nude - £6.99

I think in all this came to around £16.00 due to various offers that ASOS had running. I'd never thought to buy makeup from ASOS before but they regularly have offers on and it's free shipping which is fab for me or anyone living abroad and wanting to get hold of the brands that they know!

Have you tried any of these?

Beauty Stocking Fillers

Hello lovelies,

Before we know it, the big C word will be here. Stocking fillers are my favorite treats to buy for others, I love being able to choose a selection of little items that I know will be right up their street. I'm thinking of doing a series on stocking stuffers, for kids, boyfriends etc., so let me know if you're interested. Today, I thought I'd show you a few products that would fit nicely into any beauty lover's stocking!

Philip Kingsley Happy Hair Days Kit - £19.99 at FeelUnique
This gift set contains 10 x 20ml of Philip Kingsley's best-selling shampoo's and conditioners. I'm a sucker for mini beauty products anyway and this is a great way of trying out what Philip Kingsley has to offer besides the beloved Elasticiser.

Pur Minerals Show Off Collection - £22.50 at Marks & Spencer
Considering one of the Lip Gloss sticks costs £16.00 on it's own, this set is incredible value. Pur Minerals isn't a brand I've tried before, purely due to it's cost but I'm definitely going to add this to my Christmas wishlist.

Soap & Glory Clean Getaway Gift Set - £10.00 at Boots
Who doesn't love Soap & Glory? This set contains minis of Clean On Me Creamy Clarifying Shower Gel, The Righteous Butter Body Butter, Calm One Calm All stress-battling softening bubble bath and Hand Food Hand Cream. 

I Love Lots Of Bubbles Mini - £3.50 at Superdrug
This set contains 6 minis from the I Love Family! I Love is a budget brand, but for what it is, I think it's excellent quality, I love their Strawberries & Milkshake range and their packaging reminds me slightly of Philosophy.

Prepare to Party Gift Set - £10.00 at Avon
This gift set contans a SuperShock Mascara , an Ultra Colour Lipstick , a True Colour Eyeshadow Duo,a Glimmerstick Eyeliner and comes in a chic black evening bag with a total value of £31. I would love to receive this as it contains everything you need for a Christmas night out.

Have you started your Christmas shopping yet? Or do you leave it to the last minute?

Magazine Freebies #4

Hello lovelies,

I for one love a freebie, I love it even more if it's beauty related and some of my favourite magazines have really come up trumps this month!

1. Glamour: £2.00 - Choice of 4 Kate Spade for Nails Inc Nail Polishes (10 ml) in Soho Silver (silver metallic), Uptown Glamour (gold metallic), Big Apple Red (festive red) or New York Noir (glossy black).

Plus The Body Shop Joy Card - this is  a voucher that is worth either £3.00, £5.00 or £100, you just take it in-store to find out!

2. Elle: £4.00 -Choice of 3 Benefit Lip Glosses (6.5ml travel size) in Dandelion, Hoola or Coralista 

3. Marie Claire: £3.90 - Rituals Fortune Scrub Shower Cream Scrub (100ml worth £10.00)

4.  Cosmopolitan: £3.60 - Orly nail polish (5.6 ml worth £5.00) in Star Spangled (ruby red), Hair Band (glittery gold), Country Club Khaki (neutral hue) or Naughty (vampy red)

I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with Nails Inc polishes but this one is definitely a hit! I think I might ask my friend to pick me up the glossy black as it'll be perfect throughout Winter.

Have you treated yourself to any of these? Which one is your favourite gift?

Review: V05 Plump It Up Amplifying Blow Dry Lotion

Hello lovelies,

Lets just get this out the way, my one aim in life is to have big voluminous hair... think Beyoncé. So anything that promises to inject a bit of volume and life into my hair is going to make it's way into my bag. After I've bought it of course... My problem is that I have lots of hair but it's fine, so can just end up getting dragged down by products, I've been on a search for that miracle product for years.

I have to get this out the way first, this is not a lotion. A lotion to me is something that has a cream like consistency that you rub throughout your hair, this is a spray. I'd seen reviews of items from the same range but never anything about the Plump It Up spray, so I decided to risk it and give it a go.

After washing my hair and towel drying it, I liberally spritz this all over my hair from the roots to the ends, there's no point having voluminous roots if the rest of your hair is flat. Then I tip my hair upside down and blow dry it. 

I was actually surprised by the results, my hair resembled a lions mane until I brushed it out and tamed it, I was left with very thick looking hair, which is a mean feat considering my hair type, and even after straightening, I still had big hair. But in a good Beyoncé way. 

Just a few things to note about the spray; it has heat protection within it, which is always an added bonus as I can't always be bothered to use it (bad me!), it doesn't leave your hair sticky and I find the volume lasts all day without the damage that backcombing causes.

Overall I'm really pleased with Amplifying Blow Dry Lotion, it's an absolute star for flat hair because you can spritz it all over rather than just in your roots.

The V05 Plump It Up Amplifying Blow Dry Lotion (SPRAY!) is available from Superdrug for £3.69 (currently on 2 for £5.00) 

What's your favourite volumising product? 

The Sunshine Award!

Hello lovelies,

So this is a first for me, I've been nominated for a blogger award! I had seen these floating around but never really knew much about them, so I did a little bit of research into what the Sunshine Award is really about.

According to one site, the Sunshine Award is for “bloggers who positively and creatively inspire others in the blogosphere”. I want to say a huge thank you to Ebony Jay from EbonyJay Beauty My Way, it's such a honour to know that others enjoy reading my blog and I never imagined that anyone would feel creatively inspired by me!

The Rules

1. Acknowledge the nominating blogger.

2. Share 11 random facts about yourself.

3. Answer 11 questions the nominating blogger has created for you.

4. List bloggers (8-12) that you believe deserve some recognition and a  little blogging love, usually newer or up-and-coming blogs.

5. Write 11 questions for them to answer in their award post

6. Let all the bloggers know that they've been nominated

Questions

What do you think makes you different from other bloggers?

I wouldn't say I was necessarily different from anyone. I write about beauty and that's what I share with those of you who read my blog. I just hope my personality and my honesty comes across in my writing. I like to review products that you don't see much of and I try not to follow the trends.

Was there ever a time you thought about quitting?

I did! I think I did two or three posts and then life took over... But now no, I enjoy it so much and really feel like I'm just becoming a member of the blogging community.

What time of day do you find yourself blogging the most?

I don't really have a set schedule, I should try to set a day per week aside but I just blog when I feel like it. There's nothing worse than feeling like you've to blog when you just lack any inspiration.

What is your favorite makeup essential?

I've said for years that I can't do liquid eyeliner and now I wouldn't be without it.

What do you think you could do to make your blog better?

I would like to have a complete blog design. I don't understand these html codes and I doubt I ever will, I would love to be able to ask someone to do it all for me.

What music are you obsessed with at the moment?

I really do love a mixture of music, I can't stop listening to Gabrielle Aplin and Arctic Monkeys.

What do you do when you can't think of anything to write about?

I tend to have a look and read other blog posts, sometimes I'll spot a product that I've had for ages and continually use but have bypassed it for a review.

What was the first beauty product you ever used?

I have no idea! Probably shampoo but I think my first makeup was a Miss Sporty Foundation that made me look orange.

What is your hair texture like?

It's fine but there's a lot of it. 

What was your first blog post ever about?

My first blog post was just a little bit of an introduction about me and what I wanted this blog to be. I still don't feel like I've reached exactly how I would like it, but it's a work in progress.

Do you have an iPhone or an android? 

I have three phones... and no I'm not a drug dealer. They're all android and used for whichever country I'm in. I'm the one who stands there pulling different phones out their bag trying to work out which one is ringing.

11 Random Facts About Me

1. If I see anything penguin or duck related, I have to have it in my life. This is why I have so many pyjama bottoms covered in penguins.

2. I cannot stand the run up to Christmas. Why does it have to start in October?

3. I still buy Petit Filous yoghurts for myself at the age of 21.

4. I have curved little fingers.

5. I hate not working. I just love having a set pattern and feeling like I'm doing something.

6. None of my family or friends know about my blog

7. I am Yorkshire girl who doesn't like tea.

8. I only ever eat puddings with teaspoons.

9. It's the first time I've ever lived away from home so I chose to move to a different country.

10. I have lived here for two months and only realised yesterday that airplanes go past my window every 5 minutes. I just thought it was the wind.

11. I have never met another blogger.

My Questions

1. How often do you blog?

2. Favourite perfume?

3. Please share your most embarrassing fashion memory

4. Last holiday you went on?

5. If you could go anywhere in the World, where would it be and why?

6. What's the one beauty thing that you never do?

7. What was your last high-end makeup purchase?

8. Do your family and friends know about your blog?

9. How did you start off blogging?

10. If you had to eat the same food for a month, what would it be?

11. Have you ever thought about giving up blogging?

My Nominations

1. Eloise and Mary from Mallow Beauty Blog

2. Nafisah from Bamblings of Naffy

3. She Wears Burgandy

4. Genna from stylingnovice.com

5. Naomi from Pennies for a Pound

6. Jennifer at Tiger Lily Beauty

7.  Brittany at Socks & Sandals

8. Kendal at It's-called-fashion

Thanks so much to Ebony Jay for tagging me!

October Favourites

Hello lovelies,

Now I know this is a bit late but I was at home last week and although I thought I would have time to blog, I just didn't. It really hit me just how much I miss being at home, being able to understand what's going on the majority of the time and seeing all my friends and family but heyho...I'll be back at Christmas!

H20 Plus Aqualibrium Marine Toner - $17.00

I picked this up several months ago and it seems to be discontinued in the UK now but it's available in the USA. I tend to lean toward alcohol free toners and this has really helped to keep my skin clear and calm. It's a lovely toner that doesn't strip the skin but removes all traces of dirt. I still have a couple of bottles left... don't know what I'll do when I run out!

Ren T-Zone Balancing Day Fluid 50ml - £26.00

I've only got a 15ml sample size but I have really enjoyed using this and it would definitely be something that I would consider repurchasing. This product claims to reduce shine and balance combination skin and as you all know, mt T-Zone can get very oily throughout the day when wearing makeup. I find that I don't have to worry about my skin getting oily and it really calms my skin down. Ren is a brand that I'm definitely going to explore more.

Seventeen Supreme Shine Lipstick in Bon Bon - £4.99

I only picked this up as I had a half price voucher from the Boots machine and looking at the shade in the bullet, I wouldn't have gone anywhere near it. Bon Bon is a nude pinky brown shade which I really love. This lippie applies semi-sheer but it's easily buildable, it's not quite as glossy as the Mirror Shine range but the colour is more pigmented. I found this lasted about 4 hours before needing reapplying but wore well. What really draws me to this range is that my lips can get quite dry, especially during the Winter months and these are so moisturising. 

Revlon Nail Art Moon Candy in 280 Orbit - £7.99

I remember there being a huge amount of hype when these were released and I never really got it. But now I do. I love the way Revlon have matched up a dark base coat with an iridescent holographic top coat, they make a perfect pairing for Autumn. I will be doing a NOTD post at some point to show you the true effect.

What have been your October Favourites?