May Favourites 2013

Hullo!

Another month has flown by and were half way through the year already. 

Here are some of the products I've been loving in the last month. 

Palmers Cocoa Butter  - I was late to the whole Palmer Cocoa Butter hype. I finally smelt it when I found a tester in a magazine. I couldn't believe how good it smelt. As soon as I ripped the tiny packet open I knew I wanted the biggest bottle I could find. It's amazing. Its mousturizes and softens the skin whilst smelling delicious! I've Often seen it on sale in places like Superdrug, Boots and ASDA so have a look around. I'm sure I picked my 400ml bottle up in Asda for about £2!

Sleek Blush By 3 Palette in Lace - I've talked about this quite often on my blog since I bought it. The sleek blushes are amazingly pigmented and inexpensive. A big range of beautiful colours too. I want so many of them :-) You can read my review - Here. 

L'oreal Superliner Black Laquer in Vinyl Black   - I bought this a few weeks ago after hearing great things about the L'oreal liquid liners. I've been wearing it everyday since. It's a great liner and lasts all day whilst staying extreamly black, no grey-ish tinge with this one!

Maybelline Color Tattoo in On and On Bronze  - I've heard a lot about the Maybelline Color Tattoos since they came out but never took the plunge until Superdrug started the latest 3 for 2 offer. I picked up the one that seems to be most talked about which is On and On Bronze. It's a gorgeous colour and I've been wearing it constantly since I bought it. I'm deffinitly going to look into getting more of these.  Will be reviewing soon.

Maybelline The Colossal Smokey Mascara - I'm a big fan of BIG mascara brushes and The Colossal Mascara's from Maybelline of always been a firm favourite. I don't see much a difference between this and the original but I like it just the same. It gives my lashes great volume and I don't find that it clumps if I put that extra coat on for a night out. 

OCC Lip Tar in Pagent  - I won this in a Giveaway recently and I was super excited to try it as i've heard so many good things about the OCC Lip Tars. I recently found out you can get them on the Selfridges website which is great. They're slightly pricey, cheaper than MAC but I wouldn't call them Drugstore prices. I think they're worth it though. Pagent goes on beautifully, lasts for hours, feels comfortable and stains evenly. Everything you could wish for in a lip product. It dries matte too which I really like as I prefer a Matte bright lip colour. 

The Body Shop Mango EDT - I picked this up in March and have been wearing it constantly ever since. I'm nearlly finished which is sad but not too upsetting as you can get them for a great price. They are £8.50 for 30ml but you constantly have offers instore and online. I've smelt the Shea and Strawberry ones too and want them. They're not the longest lasting maybe 2 - 3 hours on my skin, longer on my clothes but much better than the body mist versions they released last year. Another great thig is that the bottle is tiny and is easy to keep in your handbag for when you need touch ups. 

Too Faced Natural Eye Palette - I waited so long before I bought this. Way too long. It's amazing. A beautiful palette that can be used for daily wear or for that special night out. I'm in love with it. I'm using it everyday. I'm not going to be like everyone else and tell you if I think you should buy this or the UD Naked palette because I seriously think you could have both. Well...if you can't get enough of the neautral's like me you should ;-) 

So those are my favourites for this month :-)

What where yours?

Linzi xxx

Collective Haul : Perfume, Hair and Clothes!

Hullo Ladies!

It's been ages since I posted on here...well less than a week but it seems longer :-) 

I've done a fair amount of shopping lately and I'm going to talk about the products I picked up. 

First stop was ASDA and like always they had a 3 for £10 offer on most of the Hair Care. I noticed a new line there...well I say "line" but my store only had two products from them. 

The GH Great Hair Moisture Drench Shampoo and Conditioner. I didn't recognise the brand but with a closer look it says that they're Manufactured for Baylis and Harding. If you live in the UK you probably know the brand, I don't know If they're sold World Wide,  you usually see them around Christmas time when they have lots of lovely Gift Sets out. These 500ml bottles were £4 and in the 3 for £10 offer so I also picked up the Aussie 3 Minute  Miracle  Reconstructor Deep Conditioner. A favourite of mine. I've tried the other 3 Minute Miracles but I think this one works the best. 

I also picked up some books from the charity shop, two Goddess Summoning Novels by P.C. Cast and Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan. 

I picked up some more Superdrug Facial Cleansing Wipes, they say they are a 4 in 1 wipe: makeup remover, eye makeup remover, toner and moisturiser. I don't know if it does ALL that but I actually really do like these, for 99p you can't go wrong. The yellow pack smells really good too :-) 

I found some Sally Hansen nail polish in Poundland. Not many nice colours there but I did find a pretty one called Good As Grape. I went to Boot's not long after and they were asking for £6.99 for the same polish. BARGAIN! 

If you read my Empties Post last week then you'd know that I've recently finished up a few perfumes. 

I have about 3 other bottles that are on their way out too so I thought It was about time I bought some more...I can't help it, it's an addiction. 

I bought the new Roberto Cavalli Perfume Just Cavalli, I've loved every Cavalli perfume I've ever smelt and this is no different :-) It's more floral than the Roberto Cavalli EDP but I still really like it. I bought the 30ml  from Superdrug for £29.99 

I also bought Nina Ricci Nina L'Elixir perfume from Amazon. It was £27.50  for a 50ml bottle. 

I have to be honest and say that whilst at Superdrug I tested out the new Taylor Swift fragrance and although it just smells like Starbursts to me....I really want it! Couldn't stop smelling my wrist after the shop assistant sprayed it on me. 

My nan took my to New Look for the sale and I have to say I picked up...a lot of things. I do this about twice a year. I'll buy nearly a new wardrobe full of clothes from the New Look Sales. I love them. 

I bought two of these Peplum tops for £4 one in this Indigo Blue colour and one in bright green. It's my first time trying a peplum...anything.....and I really liked it. Shows off my curves and looks great. 

I picked up a tank top, I loved the design, I think it cost £6. 

I picked up two of these zipper detail t-shirts both in white. Great to just use for everyday wear. These were down to £5.

I also picked up a sweater and two pairs of jeans but I've already worn them and they're in the wash so I couldn't take pictures.  Everything I bought from New Look came under £50 which I think is amazing and I would definitely suggest shopping their sales. 

So that's everything I bought recently. 

Have you found any great bargains lately? 

Linzi xxx

Empties Post - May 2013

Hullo Ladies!

My last Empties post was in January, this year is going so quickly, I thought I'd only done it about a few weeks ago! 

So I've finished a few products in the last few week and I'm just going to talk about them :-) 

First up is St Ives Naturally Clear Apricot Scrub - I used up a tube of this in my last Empties post and I bought this not long after so you can tell it lasts me a while. I like to use it once or twice a week to help keep those pesky spots away. I love it and will keep on re-purchasing!

Garnier Moisture Match in Goodbye Dry -I used this up a few weeks back so have a new bottle sitting on my side table. I really like this moisturiser. You need to use it twice a day for it to really do its job and when you do, you can really see an awesome difference. 

Aussie Take The Heat Hair Protector - I am in love with this hair protector. I use it whenever I use heat on my hair. It smells amazing and doesn't weigh down my hair or make it greasy. 

N-SPA Ruby Orange and Mango Butter Shower Sorbet - This stuff smells amazing and then what do N-SPA do....they stop making it. I cried using up the last. Okay....I didn't but it was sad.  

Percy & Reed Colour and Shine Shampoo and Conditioner - Picked them up in a magazine about two months ago. I actually really like the Percy & Reed range so far, I've only tried these and the Finishing Polish but I've loved them all. They all have a distinct smell that like a bubble gum floral, which I really liked. I don't think I'd pay the full price for them but if I saw them on sale or in another Magazine I wouldn't hesitate to pick them up. 

Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation - I reviewed this a few weeks back and I really liked it. It's a nice foundation for a sheer to medium coverage. 

I finished lot's a perfumes in the last week! 

Most of them are about 3 years old so I'm glad I finally got through them I just find it funny they all emptied around the same time!

First up - Ralph By Ralph Lauren - I nice simple fresh scent. Great If you don't know what perfume to get as a gift as I can't think of many people hating it. I myself wouldn't buy it again as I want to try many different fragrances. I'd suggest this scent for people who are fans of fragrances like : D&G Light Blue, DKNY Be Delicious and Marc Jacobs Oh Lola.

Midnight Fantasy By Britney Spears - As much as I dislike her as a person, the woman knows what fragrance to put her name on. I'm a big fan of the original Fantasy but I'm an even Bigger fan of this one. It's fruity but different because It's very berry scented. Sugared Berries. Yummy. I love it for the daytime in autumn/winter.  I would definitely re-purchase!

Last but not least is Ed Hardy for Women - A fresh Fruity scent that gorgeous for summer days. I've had it for god knows how long and I always forget about it until I smell it and then I'm like "how did I forget how great this smells?" Even though I do really like it I wouldn't be re-purchasing it for myself anytime soon as I want to try many other scents. I wouldn't mind it if it was giving as a gift though as It's still a gorgeous scent. 

So that's everything I've gone through in the last few weeks. I'm finishing up many fragrances at the moment so I think it's about time I bought some more ;-) Look out for a haul! 

Linzi xxx

Leighton Denny Plush Pink DUPE!

Hey Ladies, 

I very rarely do a DUPE post, In fact I can't remember ever doing one! 

This is an easy dupe though as I'm an amatuer ;-) If you are looking for good dupes for products check out Emily Noel's videos on her Youtube channel. She's amazing at this stuff!

My favourite Pink nail polish has to be Leighton Denny Plush Pink, so imagine my delighted surprise when looking through my collection I noticed that I had another polish that looked surprisingly similar. 

Shocking Pink by Barry M! 

I've owned it for awhile now and I just never clued in! 

From L-R - Barry M Shocking Pink and Leighton Denny Plush Pink

So when I first noticed it I was like...."well they may look the same in the bottle but what about the application?!" 

So I applied them both and I have to say the application is also very similar.

From L- R - Barry M,  Leighton Denny.

These are both one coats so that means they're both very opaque polishes. 

Both are very glossy and the lasting power are both really good too. 

So if you fancy a Leighton Denny dupe for £2.99 check out Shocking Pink from Barry M :-) 

Hope You Have All Had A Good Week So Far! 

Linzi xxx

REVIEW - Accessorize Baked Blush - Sensation

Hullo Ladies!

I've wanted some makeup from Accessorize for a while now, the packaging always drags me in but I've always held out until now. About two weeks ago I finally picked up a baked blush from them and I'm so glad I did. 

*Yep...that is a teddy bear holding a blush between it's legs ;-)* 

After swatching all the blushes in the stand I picked Sensation. 

A gorgeous pink with gold shimmer. 

I love the marbled effect. It just makes it look so much more interesting!

The amount of shimmer that runs through this blush makes it into a highlight also. 

A few months ago when the MUA Undress Your Skin range came out I picked up the highlighter thinking it was the inexpensive highlighter I'd been looking for but If you read my review then you'd know that I didn't get on with it as the shimmers were too big and you could really tell that I had highlighter on my cheek instead of a natural looking glow. 

I'm happy to say I've found that inexpensive highlighter I was looking for.....It's this! 

Yes it's a blush and it does indeed have a lovely pink colour  but it contains so much fine shimmer that it gives a lovely glow to the cheeks! 

I'm in LOVE!

I love the packaging, the product and the PRICE!

I paid under £5 for it, not sure exactly as I'm sure it was on sale....maybe paid £3.50 for it!

Have you tried these Accessorize Baked Blushes? 

I really want to try the Lip Tints they have out..they look great on the Superdrug website :-) 

Linzi xxx

'

Summer 5 Product Face!

Hi Ladies, just a quick post for you today!

I love the idea of a 5 product face, something quick and easy to put on when you don't have too much time or just can't be bothered to pile on a truck load of products onto your face. 

Here are the five products I've chosen, that I would use to create a simple yet lovely Summer look. 

L'oreal SuperLiner Black Lacquer in Black Vinyl 

Sleek Blush By 3 Palette In Lace

Revlon Colorstay Foundation in Ivory

Maybelline Great Lash Mascara in Blackest Black

Bourjois Rouge Edition Lipstick in Rouge Jet Set 

I decided on these products to make a gorgeous cat eye with a bright lip. 

A look I adore for the Summer time.

What 5 products would you choose to make an easy five product face? 

Linzi xxx

REVIEW - Bourjois Rouge Edition Lipstick - 02 Beige Trench

Hullo Ladies,

I've been looking for a great highstreet nude lipstick for some time now, all my favourite nudes are by MAC and I just can't keep excusing that £14 price mark. 

 I picked up the Revlon Lip Butter in Pink Lemonade hoping that it would be a lovely pinky nude but it was way too sheer for my pigmented lips. 

So my quest brought me to the Bourjois counter a few weeks ago and I found this gorgeous dark nude. It's called Beige Trench and it's from the "Preppy" category. 

You can see in the picture how creamy it is, the colour is gorgeous too. It's going to look stunning paired with a dark smokey eye look. 

In the lip swatch it's coming out a lot lighter than what it really looks like, It's actually quite a neutral beige with warm undertones, darker than your typical nude lipstick.  Think 90's nude lippy.  Which isn't a bad thing! Not to me anyway :-)  

A nice neutral lipstick that isn't so pale it makes me look dead ! Yay !

I'm loving these bourjois lipsticks, they're really good quality and definitely worth the price. 

Very hydrating and super pigmentation. 

I've found the lipstick I was looking for and I'm very pleased with it! 

Have you tried any of the Bourjois Rouge Edition Lipsticks? 

I'd love to get more from the collection :-)

Linzi xxx

Eau My Giddy God - Diesel - Loverdose EDP

Hey Ladies! 

I bought this lovely fragrance in the Christmas sales and I have to be honest before I bought it I wasn't that fussed. I think It was probably because I'd only tested it on paper and not skin. On the skin the fragrance warms up beautifully and lingers seductively. 

Loverdose By Diesel

. Top Notes – Mandarin Orange, Star Anise

Middle Notes – Jasmine, Gardenia and Liquorice

Base Notes – Amber, Vanilla and Woodsy Notes

It's sweet but unique and I can understand why It's popular! 

The bottle is stunning, you can stand it up on it's side but I prefer to stand it upside down like this. 

It's one of my favourite perfumes at the moment and it sits proudly on my perfume stand.

The lasting power is good, I'd say it lasts around 4 hours on me before I feel the need to re-apply. 

I've had a look online for some deals and both Superdrug and Boots have the 50ml on offer at the moment! Superdrug being the cheapest! 

Have you tried this perfume? 

Linzi xxx

REVIEW - Sleek Blush By 3 - Lace Palette

Hiya Ladies!

I'm reviewing a Sleek product today! 

One of their Blush By 3 palettes that I've wanted for ages :-) 

The palette I picked was Lace! 

The palette comes boxed in this gorgeous packaging that shows a image of what the blushes inside look like.

The palette is smaller than what I thought It would be but you is packed full of product (20g Worth!) so I'm not upset and it's quite handy for when travelling!  

These blushes are so richly pigmented that I just have to touch my blush brush to them and that's enough, because of this my favourite brush to use with this palette is the ELF Studio Blush Brush as it's very soft and blends the product nicely. 

From Left to Right : Chantilly, Guipure and Crochet.

Chantilly and Crochet are both matte shades whilst Guipure is a gorgeous shimmer shade on the verge of being a highlighter. 

You can wear each shade on its own or layer to make a totally different look.

I love how natural the matte colours can look on the skin, when blended well they give a gorgeous pop of colour to the cheeks. 

Guipure is a beautiful shimmer blush that looks stunning on the cheekbone. 

I find that my favourite way to use this palette is to take one of the matte shades, I switch between them regularly, and place them on the apples of my cheeks and then run Guipure on the cheek bone as a highlight. 

These blushes have great lasting power, just as good as any high end  blushes I've ever used. 

I'm in love with the palette and I would definitely be buying more blushes from Sleek in the future. 

I really want to pick up the Pumpkin palette from Sleek next as the colours look amazing! 

Have you tried any Sleek blushes? 

I'd love to have some suggestions! 

Linzi xxx

Review - Bourjois Rouge Edition Lipstick - 11 Fraise Remix

Hullo Ladies!

Another Lipstick review today, anyone recognising a pattern here? I seem to be slightly obsessed. It's not my fault though... I blame those drugstore brands bringing out all these gorgeous collections! 

So today I'm going to talk about one of the Bourjois lipsticks I bought last week from the Rouge Edition collection.

Fraise Remix.

It's a gorgeous coral colour that bright but just short of being neon, which I kind of like as it means it's easier to wear day to day.

The Bourjois Rouge Edition lipstick collection is set up in three categories. Fraise Remix sits in the "Colour Block" set.  

I love this colour as it's pretty unique. Although I have many coral lipsticks this is different from all of them. 

I'm loving the formula of these lipsticks, they're creamy, pigmented, long lasting and moisturising. 

One thing I noticed is that unlike most lipsticks the moisturizing aspect sticks around for as long as the lipstick is on your lips. 

I'm really enjoying this lipstick at the moment and would definitely be on the lookout for some more in the future. 

Price wise I think they're a good deal but like always I suggest looking around for the best offer. You can buy this lipstick  here for £7.99

Have you tried this range?

What is your favourite drugstore lipstick at the moment?

Linzi xxx

Superdrug Haul

Hey Ladies!

Superdrug had a 3 for 2 offer on all makeup this week and I obviously had to take advantage of it :-) 

I know I said 3 for 2 and someone may be saying to themselves "hang on there is 7 products!" well that's because I bought one the day before the offer started. Bad Timing I guess :-(

So the first 3 products I picked up was the Bourjois Rouge Edition Lipsticks. I remember seeing these everywhere when they came out and I've wanted to try them ever since. There's so many to choose from!  I must have ended up with twenty swatches on my hand before I left the store with these three. 

Apparently the collection has three different categories - Preppy, Colour Block and Night Out. Without even realising I was lucky enough to pick up one from each! 

The colours I chose  - 02 - Beige Trench, 11 - Fraise Remix and 13 - Rouge Jet Set. 

Next I picked up the Maybelline Color Tattoo in On and On Bronze. Which is a gorgeous cream eye shadow that can act as a base or just be worn on its own. 

I also picked up the Rimmel Scandaleyes Eye Shadow Stick in Bulletproof Beige. I heard about this on Dailymix Tv the other day so decided to pick it up. I wore it in my inner corner today and really liked it. 

I've always wanted to try the Maybelline Great Lash Mascara in Blackest Black as it seems to be a cult product, loved by some and hated by others, so I thought I'd give it a go. 

Also the one product I bought the day before the offer started *sigh* was the Maybelline The Colossal Volume Express Smokey Eyes Mascara. I'm real low on Mascara so I'm slowly starting to build up my collection again. Even though I didn't get this in the 3 for 2 I still got it on offer as Superdrug had a £3 off Maybelline Mascaras. Mwhahahah! 

So that's pretty much everything I got this week. Have you taken advantage of the Superdrug 3 for 2 offer on at the moment? I love it! 

Hope you all had a great weekend :-)

Linzi xxx

My Favourite Spring Nail Polishes

Hullo Ladies

I haven't talked about nail polish in ages so I thought I'd do a post on my favourites for Spring, these are polishes that I've been loving in the last few weeks.

Even though this is a "Favourites" post, these are in no particular order. 

Leighton Denny - Plush Pink. I'm wearing it now and it's my favourite pink polish. It's gorgeous and goes on really nice and smooth. Usually I get fed up quickly with a nail colour and change them day to day but I just love the way this looks that, shockingly, I keep it on for days at a time! 

 Nails Inc Sprinkles - Pudding Lane. I love Nails Inc but this must be the most interesting one out my (rather large) collection. It's so amazing and I love it for when the suns out and I can show it off at its best. 

GOSH Special Edition - Lavender Love. I don't know if you can still get this but If you can find it in your local Superdrug I suggest picking it up. It's a gorgeous lavender blue. It's beautiful on the nails.

Ciate - Bon Bon - I don't know if this is in the actual range as this came free with a magazine about a year ago (sorry!) It's a gorgeous nude though and I believe Ciate have a few of those in their line. It's a very warm toned nude which I seem to prefer. 

 

Maybelline SuperStay - Mint For Life. I decided to buy a mint polish a few weeks ago for Spring and picked up this. I really like the Maybelline Nail polishes and will be picking up some more in the future. I love this colour and will probably be wearing it throughout Spring and Summer. 

So those are my favourite Spring Nail Polishes. 

I'm off to go paint my nails with Pink Plush!

Hope You Are All Having A Great Weekend :-)

Linzi xxx

REVIEW - New Revlon Lip Butter - Juicy Papaya

Hullo Lovely Ladies :-)

I'm reviewing one of the new Lip Butters that Revlon released recently. This one is Juicy Papaya. 

It's a sheer orange toned coral. 

I have to say I love the texture of the Lip Butters and also how great they can look on the lips.

To be honest though,  I was pretty disappointed with myself for picking up the sheerest two lip butters from the new collection.  Due to having very pigmented lips I've always been a fan of bright opaque colours so I don't really know where my head was going when I decided to pick up Pink Lemonade and Juicy Papaya.

Out of them both I much prefer Juicy Papaya, It at least has some pigmentation.

Sorry about the dry skin on my lips, I seem to be constantly having trouble with them lately. I'll have to start carrying around my Burts Bees lip balm again. That always sorts it :-) 

 I've found with all the Lip Butters I own, they look best when your lips are in good condition.

I actually like this for days when I have a strong smokey eye as it's subtle with a hint of coral. I will use it up but I know for future reference to pick up the more brighter colours from the line. 

I really like the look of Wild Watermelon and Sorbet. 

Have you tried the Revlon Lip Butters? Which ones are your favourite?

Linzi xxx

REVIEW + SWATCHES - MUA - Power Pout - Rendezvous

Hey!

I recently picked up some of the Power Pouts from MUA and I thought I would give a small review on the shade Rendezvous. 

Rendezvous is the nude colour in the collection. 

What MUA Say :  "MUA Power Pout is a lip treatment with colour intensity that relieves dry, cracked lips providing immediate moisturisation. The handy pencil-style applicator provides easy to apply sheer soft lip colour and rolls up for easy use."

What I think : I agree that these lip products have surprisingly great pigmentation. Looking at some of the  chubby lip pencils that are showing up in most brands, these are some of the most pigmented ones. 

Although I find them very moisturizing, I don't believe they give any lasting results for dry lips so I wouldn't class them as a "lip treatment".

 I love that they don't have to be sharpened but the one downside to this is that I've only had it a week and it's breaking slightly so be gentle when applying. 

Some other things I like about the MUA Power Pouts is that they have a nice refreshing mint scent, you notice it when they're first applied but if you don't like that type of scent don't worry it doesn't stay for long and they don't give you any tingling sensation. Yay!

  I also love how soft they make my lips look, gliding right over any dry patches making my lips look really healthy and juicy. 

Rendezvous gives you a lovely  "Your Lip But Better" colour payoff.

 A great product maybe if you're still in school and want to wear something that gives you a lovely natural looking lip. 

Lasting power would be the same as something like a lipgloss, will stay on for an hour or two if you don't eat or drink much but will have to be reapplied often. This doesn't bother me but might be something you would want to think about before purchasing. 

I've noticed some slight staining with the more pigmented colours which is good in the way of lasting power so thats one thing to take into account also.

For the inexpensive price of just £3 each I would definitely recommend these Power Pouts and I will be picking up some more when I get the chance. 

Have you tried these yet?

Linzi xx

Collective Haul : Too Faced, Garnier, MUA and N-SPA!

Hullo Ladies!

This is just a quick haul to show you what I purchased over the last week.

I managed to find one of the N-SPA Sweet Shop gift sets on Clearance in ASDA. The scents included are Rhubarb & Custard  and Lemon Sherbert. Not a fan of the lemon one so far but the Rhubarb one smells super yummy! Just like the boiled sweets :-) 

Also while in ASDA I picked up another tube of the Garnier Moisture Match in Goodbye Dry, It's part of my daily routine now and I think one tube lasts me around 4 - 6 weeks. They were cheaper in ASDA this week, only £4 so I picked it up. I love the scent, I find it really comforting. I also want to pick up the Simple Rich Moisturizer. I might pick up that one next and see how it compares. 

The other day I took a trip into town and managed to sneak into Superdrug. I picked up three lip products from MUA. The Lip Boom in Cheeky and two Power Pouts in Rendezvous and Runaway.  I wish I had just picked up another Power Point as I'm really not liking that Lip Boom which is disappointing as I loved the last one I bought :-( 

Last but not least I finally decided to splurge on the Too Faced Natural Eye Palette that I've wanted for years! It's gorgeous, I can't wait to play around with it in the next few weeks and then write up a review! 

Have you tried the Too Faced Palette's? 

Which one do you have?!

Have a great Bank Holiday Monday !

Linzi xxx