New Hair!

After the disaster of being trusted with bleach back in April and having my hair full out, I was on a "No styling or dying" ban which ended yesterday as I wanted needed my hair doing.

But like always, my hair has to be so difficult and do it's own thing when it comes to hair dye...

Before 

After

My friend who's studying NVQ Level 3 in Hairdressing has been doing my hair for the past two years or so as going to a hairdressers is so expensive. Despite leaving the hairdye on for the maximum amount of my time, my hair did not take to it as well as it should have done hence why it's still blonde. However, it's a more natural looking blonde with brown undertones. It's also been cut short as the length it was, was more dead than dead hair can be.

I really like this new hairstyle and I've received so many compliments from my family and Liam's family. 

I think from now on, I'm going to treat my hair with a little more respect.

Motives by Loren Ridinger

I would just like to quickly say a big sorry that I haven't blogged since Thursday - I've been busy working, finishing my NVQs in Plumbing & Retail Skills and just generally spending time with Liam.

Just over a week ago, I was contacted by the lovely Jeyda to see if I wanted to try out some Motives by Loren Ridinger products and having never heard of the brand before before, I dutifully accepted. I've waited until now to try everything out which I've been so excited to do ever since the package arrived on Wednesday.

After doing a quick google search on Motives by Loren Ridinger (MLR), I've realised two things. One, is that Loren Ridinger is best friends with Kim Kardashian. Two, why have I never heard of Motives before?!

Long story short, MLR was introduced by Market America (Internet marketing and product brokerage company that specializes in one-to-marketing to sell a variety of products across numerous markets) back in 1997, five years after the company was founded by LR and her husband, James Howard Ridinger in 1992. MLR was then re-introduced in 2009 and has since been a big success. It was released in the UK in March 2012.

Liquid Powder Mineral Foundation SPF 15 in Cream Beige*

This self-setting foundation and powder in one is infused with powerful anti-oxidants and minerals that protect and hydrate skin.

I have never come across both a foundation and a powder in one before until now. It comes out looking all creamy which is what I would expect a foundation to be like and I've found that it blends in really well. On closer inspection, I've noticed that this foundation contains the smallest amount of shimmer which is hardly noticeable - it's only if you stand upclose to a mirror and strain your eyes just to see it. I'm assuming that this shimmer is one of the many benefits of this foundation as doing a little google search, this foundation has been created using the newest technology with rich polymers and silicone that protect the skin as well as smoothing out fine lines and wrinkles or it could be its exclusive multi-mineral complex that helps protects the skin whilst complementing the complexion. It also contains vitamins A, C & E which gives your skin antioxidant protection whilst help conditioning the skin also. If only my Dad would listen to me that I'm getting my Vitamin C from my makeup.. Overall, this foundation is simply amazing - I have no downsides to it at all as it does everything and more that I would expect a foundation to it. 

Their foundation comes in eight different shades.

RRP £22.50

 Lip Shine in Debutante Pink*

With a lustrous finish, this blend of high quality botanical waxes and conditioners brings ultra shine and colour whilst hydrating and conditioning your lips.

I'm more of a lipstick kind of girl than a lipgloss person however the colour of this definitely did draw me in. It's a very delicate-y metallic light pink which is so eye-catching on the lips! It has this amazing shine to it which is a bonus. It contains antioxidants which helps gives your lips a more youthful appearance (I don't think my lips look that old!) The only downside I have about this product is that it feels sticky on my lips which I don't particularly like. 

Their Lip Shines comes in a variety of seven different shades.

RRP £13

 Khol Eyeliner in Onyx*

Make your eyes your best feature with our Motives Khol Eyeliner. The look can be as subtle or as dramatic as you like, and will stay defined and precisely lined all day. This great eyeliner will not pull the delicate skin around your eyes; it glides on smooth and has all day staying power.

I personally don't wear eyeliner anymore as I don't think it suits my eyelash extensions. However when I saw this, I asked my Dad what colour is Onyx and he said it's a browny black which I thought would be perfect for my eyes to wear on nights out.. Turns out Onyx is actually mainly black which I found out whilst swatching my hand. When most eyeliners claim to have all day staying power, nine times out of ten they're lying. However, this one honestly has amazing staying power! I rubbed it under running water with soap and a flannel and it would not budge! It eventually started to budge after rubbing for ages so I'm amazed at this staying power. I will definitely find a use for this.

Their Kohl Eyeliner comes in three different shades.

RRP £13

Pressed Eyeshadow in Bedroom Eyes*

Ultra smooth and luxurious, these eye shadows are crease-proof and deflect the light away from fine lines to help visibly reduce the signs of aging for a bright, polished look. The Motives Pressed Eyeshadows have impeccable colour retention that does not run are crease so you always look your best. They glide on ultra smooth with incredible hold, a flawless look, and a luxurious feel and finish. Take the guesswork out of looking gorgeous. The Motives Pressed Eye Shadow promises to give you the long-lasting, high-colour look you have always wanted.

Just like with the eyeliner, I don't really wear eyeshadow anymore unless it's for a special occasion. However, the name of this eyeshadow intrigued me.. Bedroom eyes. It sounds so simple yet so effective - it's like "If you want to have Bedroom Eyes, just simply apply this over your eyelids and et voila, eyes perfect for the bedroom". I would just like to say that I've accidently done a drop test (It just fell out of my hands and dropped not even 7cm) on this at it were and the eyeshadow didn't break, the pan just fell out. So I think in future, their eyeshadows should have a little more glue on it. The colour of this is amazing when swatched - it's the perfect mixture of both bronze and gold with tiny bits of shimmer throughout. It's beautiful, it really is. I have to agree with it being long lasting - despite it being swatched on my hand and using my hands a lot, it lasted a good couple of hours. So I expect that on eyes, it would last even longer.

Their Pressed Eyeshadows come in a whooping seventeen different shades.

RRP £13

Vitamin C Lip Treatment*

Enriched with Vitamin C antioxidant protection, emollients and hydrating ingredients, Motives Vitamin C Lip Treatment helps resist chapping to keep lips soft and spple. Apply in the morning, throughout the day or before bedtime. Wear alone or layer with your favourite lipstick.

I think I was most excited about this product to be quite honest and I don't really know why. Perhaps it's my love for lip balms really, except this a lip treatment. When I sniffed this product, I was expecting it to smell of oranges as vitamin C comes from oranges but to my dismay, it didn't smell like oranges at all - it doesn't have a scent at all which I'm gutted about. I love my lip balms to have either a strong or subtle scent and to have one that doesn't have a scent at all just doesn't appeal to me at all. Despite it not having a smell, the texture of it is so light and yet so creamy! It definitely feels nourishing on your lips! I can't help but compare this to Carmex as it feels so much lighter than Carmex which has quite a heavy feel to it on your lips.The only downside I have to this product is that the container should have been made just a fraction bit bigger perhaps to the size of a Body Shop Lip Butter or a Lush Lip Scrub as those two sizes are perfect for somebody like me who has longer nails. Despite the size issue, I cannot fault this product anymore and I will definitely be using it underneath my lipstick from now on as it works so well as a lipstick primer as it were.

RRP £14

Despite the expensive price tags, you can get money back if you buy Motives by Loren Ridinger cosmetics through this website which I think helps makes it that little bit cheaper.

Mini ELF Haul #3

It feels like all I'm blogging about now is my latest hauls but I promise that this is now going to change! As I'm now saving up for America - I need to save £250 to get $360 if the exchange rate was at $1.50 for every £1. When I think of it, I don't think $360 will be enough for my shopping list.. Eeeek!

Anyhow, I ordered from ELF on the 8th (which is on the same day of when I blogged about my previous ELF haul) as they had a promotion on - if you spent more than £10, you could either support Mineral or Studio and get a free mineral or studio eyeshadow in one of five different shades for both ranges as well as free shipping; which is pretty frigging generous! I decided to support Studio as I personally don't like getting powder everywhere. However, I didn't receive my order until today as they had a massive backlog of orders which is not surprising due to this rather generous promotion.

L-R

ELF Matte Lip Color in Nearly Nude

"This convenient jumbo sized lip pencil creates exact colour application. The pigment rich colour glides on effortlessly and provides long lasting matte colour. The enriched vitamin A, C & E formula moisturizes and hydrates lips for all day comfort."

This is lip colour #4 and I'm quite excited to start using this as I've been using Natural quite a lot recently so I'm wanting a change. I get on so well these as they're just like a lipstick except they're quite drying and are more like a crayon.

£3.50 (Will be changed to £3.75 I believe)

ELF Wet Gloss & Brow Clear Mascara

"Enriched protein conditioners combined with rapid-dry technology. Creates healthy looking lashes instantly. Glossy, wet look finish. Wear alone or over mascara."

I only bought this to use on my eyebrows primarily instead of for both my eyebrows and eyelashes. This is because I wear eyelash extensions and thus only wear mascara on my bottom lashes therefore I think it's a waste. However, on closer inspection - the brushes look the same as eachother so I'll use both for my eyebrows. I don't quite know what to expect of this as I think this was an impulse buy.

£1.50

    L-R

ELF All Over Color Stick in Pink Lemonade

"Naturally illuminates for a healthy glow. Instantly soothes & conditions skin. Multi purpose formula."

After reading Becky's comment on my last haul about how she uses Pink Lemonade as a blusher, I thought I would try it - even more so after ELF's Cream Blush in Flirt let me down. She also say's that it's really subtle so I'm hoping she means for every day use but I'm sure I'll find out later on. Despite now owning four in total of these - I haven't actually tried them out yet so I'm determined to use one very soon.

£1.50

ELF Shimmering Facial Whip in Spotlight 

"Naturally illuminates for a dewy finish. Soothes and conditions skin. No sticky, greasy feel."

This was the one item that I've been waiting for ages to get into stock and they finally did get it in! This is apparently a really good highlighter and lasts quite a while so I'm looking forward to trying this out.

£1.50

ELF All Over Color Stick in Golden Peach

"Naturally illuminates for a healthy glow. Instantly soothes & conditions skin. Multi purpose formula."

Once again, Becky had said that she uses this and I thought what the heck, I might as well. 

£1.50

 

ELF Single Eyeshadow in Charcoal*

"Beautiful soft texture that melts into the skin for a vibrant color that lasts. Convenient and easy to apply, just layer the color to achieve the desired intensity. Apply wet or dry for a fabulous look that never creases or fades."

Despite this being a free gift, I'm a little disappointed to find that when I received it, the packaging was ripped. Perhaps all their single eyeshadows for both Studio & Mineral had rips in the packaging thus the reason why for the promotion to give it all away? I doubt I will use this as I don't wear eyeshadow often but I'll see what the colour is like swatched.

£3.75
 

UPDATE. I've left out the nail varnish that I had ordered by accident - I'll do a NOTD/NOTW in the next few days with it on as it's such a nice colour. It's in the shade Passion Pink if you're wondering.

I think when I go over to America, I might buy some of their range which you can't get over here maybe. Until then, no more ELF orders or any kind of shopping for that matter :(

Have you tried any of the above?

All ready for work.. FOTD

I've got a few minutes spare before I have to leave for work so I thought I would do a FOTD which is a first for me.

 Products used:

w7 Prime Magic Face Primer

Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer in Medium 3

Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation in 100 Ivory

Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Foundation (I don't know what shade!)

Collection 2000 Shimmer & Shade in 3 Just Peachy!

w7 Africa Bronzing Powder

17 Wild Curls in Wildest Black

Carmex Original

ELF Matte Lip Colour in Natural

Natural Collection Moisture Shine Lipstick in Apple Blossom

OraLabs Essential Extra Moisture Almond Swirl Lip Balm

ELF Makeup Mist & Set  

This is pretty much becomming my every day look as I don't particularly like changing my style of makeup as I like sticking to what I like best which I'm sure is the same for most people. When it quits raining and gets sunnier and hot again, I'll start using less products.

MUA Haul with SIX Free Gifts!

So it's only been four days since I last blogged about what I purchased from MUA (Read about it here) and here I am again with another haul from them. I honestly think that I will go on a spending ban now until I leave for America which I think would be a good idea as I've recently bought far too much makeup.

Over the long Jubilee Weekend, MUA was offering free 5 Jubilee themed products (Worth £5) with orders over £15 and I thought that I would take advantage of it. Here's what I ordered

MUA Love Hearts Nail Varnish in U&I

MUA Love Hearts Nail Varnish in U ROK

MUA Love Hearts Nail Varnish in U R FAB

MUA Love Hearts Nail Varnish in I WANT U

MUA Love Hearts Nail Varnish in LOVE U 24/7 

I only ordered five out of their six Love Hearts nail varnishes because I had bought their sixth one when I was in Lincoln over my birthday (Read about the haul in my 18th Birthday Celebrations Part Two) 

 MUA Lip Boom in OK.COM

MUA Brush On Concealer Pen in Radiance

Apparently OK.COM is a really good nude lipstick, or so I've read and considering the fact that I love my nude lipsticks, I thought that I would give it a go. I honestly don't know why I purchased their concealer pen when I already have more than enough concealers.. Maybe it's because it's getting glowing reviews perhaps.

Now onto the SIX free gifts

MUA Glamour Days Eyeshadow Palette*

MUA Glitter Eyeliner in Shade 9*

MUA Eyeliner in Royal Blue*

MUA Nail Varnish in Shade 6*

MUA Eyeshadow in Shade 2 Pearl*

MUA Lipstick in Shade 12*

 

I don't know if MUA knew that their free Glamour Days eyeshadow palette with orders was still running but when I placed my order, I got both the free Jubilee themed items AND the eyeshadow palette which I thought was quite generous.

MUA are currently having an order on their Lip Booms - any 2 for £4 which is a bargain when considering that they're £3 each! And they have released their long awaited new eyeshadow palette in Undressed which has some amazing colours in it! You can purchase MUA from their online shop or from any Superdrug/Superdrug online

Mini ELF Haul #2

I said in my last ELF haul (Read here) that I would order more things from them when they got an item back in stock. Now, they do have that item back in stock but they didn't when I placed this order :(

I'm so happy that it has finally arrived - well, it did arrive on Saturday but everybody was asleep when the postman tried to deliver it along with another package so I had to pick it up on Wednesday.

Here's what I got:

A little more than my last order but definitely worth it!

From L-R

ELF High Definition Powder 

"The high definition loose powder creates a 'soft focus' effect to the skin. Masks fine lines and imperfections for a radiant complexion. The incredibly soft and invisible powder is great for on screen and everyday wear."

I honestly do not know why I ordered this. Maybe it's because it claims to mask fine lines and imperfections for a radiant complexion. Now, I don't have fine lines yet but I sure do have imperfections.

ELF Studio Cream Blush in Flirt

"Smooths on as a cream and finishes as a velvety soft powder for long-lasting rich colour that's never greasy. Easy to blend for layering and building colour for sculpting, highlighting and adding dimension. Lightweight and refreshing formula looks natural and radiates a beautiful glow for all skin types."

  I remember seeing a Youtuber talking about it, saying that it's a nice colour and that it feels like play-dough and I honestly fell in love with the colour not the texture - honest! I actually own a cream bronzer which I love to pieces so I'm hoping that I'm going to love this just as much.

ELF Studio Blush in Gotta Glow

 "The soft sheer texture blends into the skin for a silky finish. Designed to be worn alone or layer for more depth. Highlight your complexion with a subtile healthy glow."

I'm actually going to use this as a highlighter instead of a blush as this shade is meant to be very good for highlighting which is just perfect for me as my current highlighter and me do not get along very well.

ELF All Over Color Stick in Spotlight

 "Naturally illuminates for a healthy glow. Instantly soothes & conditions skin. Multi-purpose formula."

This is a product that was an impulse buy - the product that I wanted was out of stock so I thought that this would be a suitable alternative until I got the other product hence why I bought it. I haven't actually tried out their colour sticks before, despite receiving one for my birthday so I'm not too sure on what to expect from this.

Have you tried any of these products?

 

Superdrug & Boots Haul

I came back from my long weekend away with Liam with money left over. And that means that I went a little over the top with my purchases - I generally bought only one thing that I needed.. Well, I could have waited to buy it but I wanted it for back up. Two if you count using up the £5 off No7 voucher but I didn't actually need it..

Let's start off with my purchases from Boots..

 From L-R, Top to bottom

17 Instant Glow Bronzing Rocks in Pink Bronze

Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder in Transparent

No7 Stay Perfect Nail Varnish in Tangy 220

17 Hide Away Concealer Cream in Medium

NC Lash Build Mascara in Black

NC Lash Length Mascara in Black

NC Lash Care Mascara in Clear

Revlon Lip Butter in Strawberry Shortcake

17 Instant Glow Brush*

* Free with any 17 Instant Glow product  

The lady who served me did not tell me at all that I got a free brush and yet I was waiting for her to tell me. So after I had paid and had my receipt, I walked back over to the 17 concession stand, grabbed the brush and walked back over to her and said that I got a free brush with it. She looked at me and said "Yeah, okay, whatever" - Now that is bad customer service if you ask me!

It's no wonder I walked over to Superdrug and took advantage of their last day of 3 for 2 across all cosmetics.

  From L-R, Top to bottom

 Neutrogena Visibly Clear Pink Grapefruit Facial Wash

Neutrogena Visibly Clear Gentle Exfoliating Wash

Witch Blemish Stick

Collection 2000 Skyscrapers Mascara in Ultra Black

Collection 2000 Multiplier Mascara in Ultra Black

Accessorize Volumising Mascara in Jet Black

Superdrug 3 in 1 Base Coat

Witch Concealer in Natural

You will definitely be expecting quite a few reviews soon considering the amount of things I bought yesterday.

Have you tried any of these products?

I'M BACK || MUA Haul

This is a quick little post to say that I'm back - I definitely did enjoy my long weekend away with Liam as it shows that we can fend for ourselves when it comes to cooking and cleaning as well as living together. I'm just so glad that I'm back home as I did enjoy myself but I've missed the little things such as being able to walk to the shops and have a long soak in the bath instead of having to drive 15 minutes to the closest town and have a luke warm shower/jump into a hot tub. 

So whilst I was busy packing last minute things on friday morning, the postman arrived with a little package from MUA which I was so excited about receiving! I could have blogged about it there and then on friday but I decided to wait until when I got back home. I will do swatches/reviews of all of the products shown below at a later date as I'm still currently unpacking/tidying room/sorting out makeup storage.

FROM TOP TO BOTTOM, L-R

MUA Eyeshadow Trio in Innocence

MUA Eyeshadow Trio in Pink Sorbet

MUA Mosaic Blush in Shade 3 English Rose

MUA Lip Boom in Cheeky

MUA Lipstick in Shade 14 Bare

MUA Lipstick in Shade 15 Juicy

MUA Lipstick in Shade 16 Nectar

MUA Eyeshadow Palette in Heaven & Earth

MUA Eyeshadow Palette in Glamour Days*

*Free gift with order

You may have noticed that I've changed the URL & name of the blog. It's just a few of the changes that will be happening over the next few days :)

Have you tried any of these/similar?

xoxo

VIVO Baked Bronze: Healthy Glow

VIVO BAKED BRONZE IN HEALTHY GLOW; RRP £5 FROM SELECTED TESCOS & VIVO ONLINE.

VIVO is a budget brand where their prices range from £1.50 to £6.00 which means that it can suit anybodys price range.  They stock cosmetics from eyeshadows to eyebrow kits, eyelashes to baked blushes. You can always pretty much find something from their range which is just screaming your name.

I picked up their Baked Bronze in Healthy Glow as I think it would give my skin a nice healthy glow (like the name!) in the summer months, especially when I'm out in America and don't fancy wearing too much makeup. 

The packaging is the same throughout all of their cosmetics - the same sturdy, metallic base which makes it look a little more upmarket when compared to other budget brands. However, it means that it is more prone to cracks and scratches due to the nature of it's base.

As the bronzer is baked, it comes in a dome shape which is ideal for getting the product onto your brush as it picks it up a lot easier. It also means that the product would last longer than if it was flat.

"A stunning bronzer with gold undertones that leave your complexion sunkissed and gorgeous."

In the pan, the bronzer appears to be a mixture of both a solid brown with some gold tones throughout and when swatched, I find that the bronzer takes on a more golder approach than a solid brown. This means that it can be used as a highlighter as well as a bronzer.

The bronzer is buildable meaning you can build up the colour depending on the intensity you want. It can be used for all skin tones.

Overall, I am really pleased with baked bronzer. Not only is it just £5 - you get a rather generous 12g of the product meaning that it will last you quite a long time!

When I'm next in Tesco's, I will definitely be picking up some more shades of their Baked Bronzers.

Have you tried this Baked Bronze or any of their other Baked Bronzers?

xoxo

Barry M Lip Paint #154

Barry M is a brand that we all know and adore - particularly for their bright nail varnishes and their in-your-face eyeshadows. I personally have lusted after Barry M but have never purchased anything from them as I had always shopped at another brand. But I can now proudly say that I have lost my Barry M virginity as I received this for my birthday. 

Barry M added a number of new editions to their ever expanding cosmetics range, with fresh shades really for Spring/Summer 2012. Shade #154 is another new edition to their Lip Paint (Lipsticks really!) section and has been making it's way around the blogging world.

BARRY M LIP PAINT IN 154 "PALE NUDE" RRP: £4.49 FROM BOOTS, SUPERDRUG OR ONLINE.

The first thing that I noticed about this lipstick lip paint is how sturdy and elegant it looks in its matte black packaging which twists up to reveal the coloured bullet.

With flash.

 Without flash.

Shade #154 "Pale Nude" is a peachy nude which is quite a warm shade depending on your skin tone. This doesn't really wash you out with it's peachy undertones so it mean's that you don't end up with foundation/concealer lips like what many nude lipsticks out there do.

This has quite a glossy finish to it which mean's that it's rather moisturising. However, I would definitely advice applying a lip balm before and/or after application as the staying power for this is verging on three hours.

I can definitely see myself wearing this when I don't want too much colour on my lips, so for my first Barry M lip product, it's a definite win!

Have you tried this or any of their other lip paints?

xoxo  

VIVO Lipstick: Barely There

VIVO is a budget brand where their prices range from £1.50 to £6.00 which means that it can suit anybodys price range.  They stock cosmetics from eyeshadows to eyebrow kits, eyelashes to baked blushes. You can always pretty much find something from their range which is just screaming your name

I picked up their Lipstick in Barely There as I wanted to try out a nude-y pink colour.

 VIVO LIPSTICK IN SHADE 8 BARELY THERE; RRP £1.99 FROM TESCO'S OR VIVO ONLINE.

The packaging is just like the Baked Blush (See review here) except the whole container is metallic instead of just the bottom. It makes the product look a little more expensive that what it was but it means that it's prone more to scratches and dents.

With flash.

Without flash.

The first thing that I noticed when I was swatching this was the smell - it smells so sweet and candy like! I was really not expecting it to smell edible as I was just expecting your ordinary lipstick smell. I guess if you don't like your lipsticks smelling edible, then I wouldn't advice buying this lipstick!

Barely There is a subtle pink with brown undertones throughout. It's a perfect nude lipstick for when you're wanting your lips to look nude but not concealer lip nude - just nude enough for them to have a nice subtle colour. If that makes any sense? I'm glad that it doesn't apply the colour that it looks on the bullet - as it would be a pretty chesnutty like brown colour!

When applied, it does feel rather moisturising at first. But that feeling would soon rub off meaning that I would definitely advice applying lip balm either before or after you apply it!

Overall, this is quite a nice lipstick and I will definitely be reaching for it on a day to day basis.

Have you tried this lipstick or any of their other lipsticks?

xoxo