April 2013 Favourites

Hullo ladies!

It's the beginning of a new month, so I've taken some time to think back on what I loved in the month of April : Beauty wise.

Garnier Moisture Match in Goodbye Dry

I reviewed this recently and as you may notice I've nearly run out of it. I've already repurchased it and I'm so happy I've found a moisturiser that works for me personally. 

Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation 

I've recently been on a foundation binge....as well as blusher and lipstick *Ooops*.....and I picked this up because I heard so much about it through beauty bloggers. It's a great foundation and although not my exact colour match its very close and workable. I love how it just looks like skin. 

Revlon Colorstay Foundation for Normal to Dry Skin

Another foundation I'd heard so much about I just had to try it atleast once. I've been loving the coverage. A lot of people say its full but I'd say it's more a high medium as I don't think it covers everything. It's great for covering redness but I still need a concealer for blemishes and under eye circles. I still really love it though and will probably re-purchase once I run out. 

Maybelline Colorsensational Vivid in Neon Red

I'm in love with the colorsensational vivid range but Neon Red is probably my most worn this month. It's a gorgeous orange toned red that would fit most skin tones. It's beautifully pigmented and I reviewed it here. 

Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter in Juicy Papaya

Recently I jumped on the "Lip Butter" bandwagon and  one I picked up was the new Juicy Papaya colour. At first I was slightly disappointed it wasn't that pigmented but then I realised it looked gorgeous in its own or on top of a more pigmented lipstick. 

The Balm Hot Mama Blush/Eyeshadow

I recently won this baby in a giveaway and I was so happy about it because I've wanted it for the longest time. It's a gorgeous peachy colour with gold shimmer running through it. Beautiful!

Diesel Loverdose EDP

I purchased  this lovely perfume in the Post Christmas Sale and I've been loving it this Spring. It's a gorgeous sweet licorice scent. It last's a good time and the bottle is amazing :-) 

What have been your favourites in the last month? 

Linzi xxx

What Was In My Illamasqua Mystery Box : Eye's and Nails

Hey Lovely Ladies.... 

In my head I always have some scary european accent when I write that.....creepy. 

So last weekend I managed to pick up one of these Illamasqua Mystery Box's from Debenhams for a awesome price - £17.50 

I couldn't wait to get home and see what I had!

Out of the six full size products you already know what two of them are. After seeing the swatches on the make up assistants hand I knew that I'd like the look of at least two products out of the six! 

Also...just one of the products would have cost the price I paid anyway so the rest was just a bonus in my eyes! 

The two products I knew I would receive were the  : Precision Ink in Glister £18 and Liquid Metal in Electrum £17.50

So I had 2 mystery nail polishes and 2 mystery powder eye shadows

The nail polishes are : Strike ( Metallic Turquoise ) and Velocity (Greyish Purple) £14.50 each

The two eyeshadows are : Wicked (Gorgeous Matte Lilac Pink) and Fatal ( Dark Matte Purple) £15.50 each 

From Left to Right - Liquid Metal Electrum, Precision Ink Glister, Fatal Eyeshadow and Wicked Eyeshadow.

I'm actually really happy with everything I recieved in my box. I know a lot of people who bought these mystery box's were not happy with them but for the price I paid I'm ecstatic. I will be using everything from this box.

 I love the shadows, they are really pigmented and soft and the colours are gorgeous. 

The nail polishes are beautiful and both are colours I would have picked up if I had the money :-)

 The precision ink is stunning and so different from any other eyeliner I've ever owned yet also very wearable. 

 I haven't tried the liquid metal base yet but i'm loving the swatches of it. 

If bought separately the contents of this box would come to : £95.50 

Which means I saved - £78 

I'll probably be doing reviews of all these products soon so keep a lookout! 

Have you bought one of these Illamasqua beauty boxes? 

Were you happy with what you received?

Hope you have all had a great week so far!

Linzi xxx

This Month's Favourite Reads : April 2013

Hullo Lovely Ladies, 

This month I found many amazing novels.

These are six that have really stood out for me. 

On The Island - Tracey Garvis-Graves

I've heard a lot about this novel for a long time now but the synopsis has always put me off. A thirty year old  woman on a deserted island with a sixteen year old boy and a big suggestion of romance? Sounds a bit creepy doesn't it. Well after reading 5 star reviews after 5 star reviews I finally gave in and I'm so glad I did. I want to just tell you now that I found nothing creepy or perverted about this love story. It's one of the most beautiful romance's I've read and I was thinking about it a long time after I'd finished it. 

Amazon Kindle for £3.99

Sempre - J.M Darhower

I found this novel through a blog and I enjoyed it so much. It's very different from my usual reads. It's a story of a second generation slave surrounded by mobsters and their families. At the beginning of the book we see her "saved" by a mafia doctor and shes taken to his family home and there begins the romance between her and one of the doctors sons. A lot of twists and turns to keep you excited all the way through 500+ pages. 

Amazon Kindle £3.81

Painted Faces - L.H Cosway 

This was another story I didn't think I'd like but again an author proved me wrong. Dublin girl Freda Wilson has a lovely surprise when her new next door neighbour starts to flirt with her. Usually it's her best friend that gets the bloke's attention but Freda is in for an even bigger surprise when she see's her new next door neighbour up on stage at a local club....and is that makeup he's wearing?! I absolutely adored this book and I fell for Nicholas just as much as Freda did...which surprised the hell out of me. You know you've found an amazing author when she can make you fall for a man who walks in heels better than you can. Don't worry though ladies we're told that this Hero looks just as good in a pair of jeans as he does in a corset and stockings ;-) 

Amazon Kindle £2.62 

The Edge Of Never - J.A Redmerski 

I had this book on my kindle for awhile now but I was distracted by other novels. I finally sat down to read it after hearing some of my favourite bloggers talk about it. It's a great road trip story with a stunning romance. It's a weepy one so keep some tissues close. It takes a few chapters before the story really starts but stay with it and you'll be in for a lovely surprise. 

Amazon Kindle 99p

Twisted Perfection  - Abbi Glines 

This was released just a few days ago and after reading Abbi Glines' other series I knew I needed to read this one. I have to say this is my favourite from her so far. I'm a sucker for stories with emotionally scarred characters. This is in a series so I'll be waiting awhile to read more about Della and Wood's. A great love story so far with a lot of angst. Which seems to be something I love in novels :-) 

Amazon Kindle £2.62

Thirteen Reasons Why - Jay Asher 

I've waited years to read this novel. I knew going in that It would make me cry like a baby. It was so worth it though and I continued to think of the characters a long time after I'd finished the last page. This is the story about Hannah and the thirteen reasons why she committed suicide. It's beautifully written and keeps you on the edge of your seat the whole way through and you'll feel like the author has ripped your heart from your chest....but in a good way.  Keep those tissues close :-) 

Amazon Kindle £5.49 

A quick side note : Most if not all of these novels contain sexual scenes and some even violence so I suggest them for a more mature audience

. 

Those are some of the novels I've loved and adored in the last month. What were yours? 

Linzi xxx

I Won A Giveaway!

Hullo Again Ladies!

About four - six weeks ago I won The Shades Of You's Spring Giveaway. She has an amazing Blog and Youtube channel so I highly suggest you check them out :-) 

I was so excited because the giveaway included two products that I've always wanted. 

What I won :

OCC Lip Tar in Pageant.

Hot Mama Blusher From The Balm

Color Club Magnetic Force Nail Polish in "Im The Steel Of The Night" 

&

Lumiere Silk Blush in Mimosa 

 From Left To Right - Mimosa, Hot Mama and Pageant. 

Here are some of the swatches but I'll probably be doing separate reviews on them once I have used them for some time. 

I still can't believe I own a lip tar. I've heard so many great things about them and they always looks so beautiful. I'm also ecstatic about the Hot Mama blush. I've wanted it forever now after hearing it's a cheaper dupe for Nars Orgasm. It's cheaper but not that inexpensive so I've always held back from purchasing it. It was well worth the wait. 

So that's all the lovely goodies I won recently. 

Just want to thank The Shades Of You again for this lovely giveaway!

Hope you have all had a great Sunday :-) Have you tried any of these products?

Linzi xxx

Weekend Shopping Haul : Superdrug, Debenhams & H+M

Hullo Ladies!

I went shopping with a friend yesterday to Cardiff, I haven't been there in about a year so it was very much needed. 

I knew going that I wanted certain things. 

I'm glad to say I stuck to what I already knew I needed instead of buying loads of impulse buys...although I did have a moment ;-)

First of all we stopped in H+M, I was instantly attracted to the cosmetics and fragrance stand and found these blending sponges. I've wanted one of these for a long time now after hearing so many good things about them and I didn't want to pay for an expensive one. I was lucky to find these at just £1.99 each. So I picked up two! 

We also went to Superdrug and I bought one of the Accessorize Baked Blushes in Sensation. I remember swatching these a long time ago and they looked stunning. Packed full of so much fine shimmer they could pass for highlighters easily! Which is how I used it today ;-) I'm in love!

I've also been dying for some more matte lipsticks and have heard lots of lovely things about the Sleek Matte Lipsticks. I bought Papaya Punch and Heartbreaker. These seem to be lovely lipsticks for just £4.99

Another product I've been wanting for a long time now is the Sleek Blush By 3 Palettes. I picked up Lace and I'm so glad. I'll be reviewing it soon   :-) 

Last but definitely not least was my only impulse buy and It's a Illamasqua Mystery Box from Debenhams. Down to just £17.50 I knew I had to own it. I'll be writing a post soon on what I actually received in my box. 

Hope you have all been having a great weekend. I'm going to be spending the rest of mine curled up with a good book! 

Linzi xxx

The "I'm Going Shopping Soon" Wishlist :-)

Hullo Ladies!

I'm sorry I haven't posted anything for the last few days but I've just had so much to do :-)

One of my best friends is coming down for the weekend and we're going to go shopping Saturday to Cardiff. Somewhere I rarely go! I'm really excited to see her as I haven't for nearly a year although we constantly keep in touch. Thank you facebook! 

So I've been thinking all week on what I want to spend my money on as I don't want to be picking up things for the sake of it and then never using them. This is the list I've come up with :-)

Sleek Matte Lipstick - Heart-breaker

I've been lusting after matte lipsticks lately and I've heard great things about the Sleek ones. So I'm dying to give them a try. I love the look of Heartbreaker and Papaya Punch. Have you tried them? 

Sleek Blush Palette

I've wanted one of these since before christmas so now that I'm going to a bigger Superdrug  I'm hoping to find one! 

Sinful Colours Nail Polish

Sinful Colors are a new brand to Boot's and again I'm hoping to find a stand in the larger Boot's store. 

Revlon Nearly Naked Foundation

I keep hearing about this foundation by a whole bunch of my favourite beauty bloggers so I'm willing to give it ago. I seem to be on a foundation binge lately. 

Cosmopolitan Blending Sponge

A cheaper alternative to the original Beauty Blender. I've heard using a damp sponge is great for people with dry skin so I'm going to have a good look for one of these in Cardiff. 

So that's what I'll be looking for Saturday! 

Have you tried any of these products? 

Anything you think I should look out for? 

Linzi xxx

My Top 5 Red Lipsticks

Hullo Ladies!

As the sun is shining today and the bright lippy's are out I thought I'd show you my top 5 red lipsticks :-) 

All these lipsticks are ones I love and would repurchase :-) 

They range from all different price ranges from high street to high end, 

From L- R  =  MUA It's A Situation, GOSH Hot & Sweet,  Dainty Doll Saucy Sailor,  M.A.C Red and Maybelline Neon Red.    

MUA It's A Situation Lip Boom 

. I reviewed it not long after I bought it and I loved these lasts months as It's a great vampy berry red lip for the Autumn/Winter. It's a matte formulation and is actually a lot more darker than my camera picked up today. Here is the link to the review. This lip stick is priced at £3 in Superdrug and on the MUA website. 

GOSH Hot & Sweet

I picked this up in the Superdrug clearance for around £3. It's not on the Superdrug website but you might be able to find it in your local store. It''s another gorgeous berry red and it goes on very slick which can sometimes cause bleeding so I like to blot it with some paper when I wear it. 

Dainty Doll Saucy Sailor

The Dainty Doll range has been really popular over the last few months as they're being sold extremely cheaply right now. They are great quality products and are worth checking out if you haven't yet. I bought this in TK Maxx and I adore it. It's a stunning long wearing red lipstick that's great for a night out. I'm loving this lipstick at the moment. 

MAC - M.A.C Red

I bought this nearly two years ago now, to wear to my friends eighteenth birthday party. It was my first red lippy and I loved it at first sight. I was going to pick up Ruby Woo or Russian Red but I didn't like how drying Ruby Woo looked at the time and I couldn't find Russian Red. I did find this beauty though and it's been a staple ever since. I love it. You can buy this at MAC counters and on the MAC website for £14.

Maybelline - Neon Red 

This is a recent purchase but I'm already in love with it. I was slightly worried how a yellow/orange toned lipstick would look on me but I'm just in love with it. It's a great daytime red for the summer. I can see myself loving this in the months to come.  You can buy this for £7.19 in Boot's and Superdrug.

So those are my top 5 red lipsticks! 

What are yours? 

Linzi xxx