Urban Outfitters Goodies!

Thursday, January 31, 2013
Here are some items that myself and my sister bought a few days ago from Urban Outfitters as they were having an up to 75% off sale, a free delivery code and 20% off for students (the student discount works on sale items!). The items arrived today and we got some amazing bargains so here they are (apologies for the large amount of hauls over the past few weeks, there have just been some great deals that I wanted to share). 
Artifical indoor lighting
Here is the first item I bought! It is a vaudeville and burlesque dress which should have been £85 but it was reduced to...(drum roll please)...£10! I couldn't believe that there were still sizes left. I bought a size S which is good but it could have been a little bit tighter around the waist. I am about 4ft 11 so I am tiny and this dress is about 2inches above my knee - a guideline if you wanted to buy this dress. The dress fits really well, it feels very well made and I may wear this for my graduation in July!
I also bought some BDG Mid Rise Cigarette Jeans which are a 27 inch waist and a 26 inch leg. They are a little bit too big/long but with heels they are fine. I was a bit disappointed with these jeans as I expected them to be fitted and fairly skinny but they are straight leg and loose around my calfs but they are ok for around the house. 
My younger sister, Aimee, bought these last two tops and they were £10 each but with my student discount it was £16 for both of them. They are both made of a really soft cotton material and I LOVE the forest green one.

£5 for a Shu Uemura Lipstick?

Wednesday, January 30, 2013
I ordered two lipsticks from Shu Uemura at SpaceNK last week and they arrived about an hour ago and I LOVE them! I bought them as they were only...£5 each! Yes, £5 - I couldn't not get them for that price! Full price these lipsticks are £19 or $30 each so I think I got a really good bargain!
Natural Lighting
I bought two Shu Uemura Rouge Unlimited Lipsticks in the shades 'BG 930' and 'BG 941' which were a couple of the last shades that were only £5. I didn't know what the shades would really look like so I was taking a bit of a chance but as I said they were only £5 each! Firstly, I love the packaging I think it looks so sleek and expensive and they lipsticks are quite weighty too. 
Natural lighting 
Here are the two shades! I particularly love the shade 'BG 941' but both of them are really nice. The shade 'BG 941' is a natural rosy pink in the tube but it comes out slightly brighter on the lips. The shade 'BG 930' is a natural brown nude with pink undertones - it looks pinker than it looks on the picture above. Both shades have a really nice smooth silky texture which makes them glide onto the lips really smoothly and they have a slightly glossy natural finish. They do have a bit of a plastic scent/taste. I only received them today so I can't really comment on anything else about these lipsticks but there will be a full review. Overall, my initial impressions of these lipsticks is very promising. 

January Empties: Haircare

Tuesday, January 29, 2013
If you are not familiar with empties videos/posts then to explain, through out the month you keep all of the products you have used up within that month - you don't have to have used up the whole bottle just within that month. Here are my haircare empties that I have finished in the month of January. 

1. Liz Earle Botanical Shine Shampoo: I received this as part of a present for my birthday last year. I have used the Liz Earle cleanse and polish hot cloth cleanser a few years ago but I haven't tried any of their haircare products before this and I was pleasantly surprised. I really liked this shampoo, it cleansed my hair well without making it dry and it nice fresh scent. 

2. Clynol Colour & Care Shampoo: I received this as a free gift with purchase and I am quite disappointed - it didn't really do any thing for me and it was very very average and the scent wasn't very nice, in my opinion. I would not buy the full size. 

3. T Gel Therapeutic Shampoo: I have been reacting to shampoo quite badly over the past month or two and this shampoo has really been helping stop irritation and dry flakiness which is great. Although it smells absolutely horrible! The good effects of this shampoo are overshadowed by the strong coal tar scent. Overall, I think I would buy this again as it really helped my scalp but the scent is definitely a put off for me!

4. Yves Rocher Nutrition Shampoo: I made a really big order last year with Yves Rocher and in the order I bought two of these shampoos (buy one, get one free at the time) and from the first use I didn't get along with this shampoo. The shampoo smells nice and it lathers well but the next morning my scalp will be very flaky and irritated because of this product - and if I stop using this shampoo the irritation and horrible flakiness stop immediately. Not recommended. 

5. Seah Overnight Beauty Hair Mask: another disappointing product - firstly, this hair mask really doesn't smell nice at all and it has glitter in it - why would you want a hair mask with glitter in? Secondly, the hair mask didn't do anything for my hair - very very average results!

6. Liz Earle Botanical Shine Conditioner: My sister gave me this conditioner as she said it didn't work for her (she has fine, colour treated blonde hair) but it did work fairly well for me (I have thick long colour treated hair). The conditioner smells nice and it conditions my hair well without weighing it down. 

7 & 8. Aveda Invati Exfoliating shampoo and Thickening Conditioner: I received these two small samples and I only got one use out of them so I can't really give a full review but my initial impressions were that they didn't do much really - average results and a slightly unusual scent. 

Final Sale Haul?

Monday, January 28, 2013
For my final sale haul, I went to The Urban Retreat Beautique online and I found three amazing bargains! I have never bought from there before but it is a great site, the products are from a wide range of brands and the delivery was quite quick too!
I bought three things from the Urban Retreat Beautique sale including: The Urban Retreat Anti Bump After Shave Lotion, the Urban Retreat and Daniel Sandler Foundation and Blush (light) and finally a Ellis Faas Creamy Eyes Eyeshadow pen in the shade '108'. 
Firstly, the Urban Retreat Smart Base & Blusher shade: light. I bought this product as I am always wanting to try new foundations and because this product was only...£2! How could I pass up a foundation and blusher in one - created by Daniel Sandler for only £2! The packing is great in my opinion and I was really excited to try this product. When it arrived I was a bit disappointed with the shade as it is slightly too dark for me - especially when you see the swatch but when applied and blended it is a good match. 
Natural lighting
Here is the swatch of the foundation, then the blusher heavily swatched and next to it is the blusher when blended out. The foundation has a strange spatula applicator which I wasn't expecting but it needs a spatula as the foundation is very, very thick. Although despite the thick consistency the foundation is easy to blend and it is quite moisturising - full review coming soon. The blush is really nice in my opinion and on the cheeks it looks so natural and rosy - I love it. Overall, I am very impressed with this product so far!
Natural lighting 
And last but not least I bought something that I have been wanting to try for at least a year (Lisa Eldrige posted a video review of some of the Ellis Faas products and instantly I wanted to try them). I bought the Creamy Eyes pen in the shade '108' which is a beige tan shade. This product was reduced down to £13 which is great as it should have been £22 I think. I have only tried this product without a primer and it doesn't hold up well without a primer but I will have to try it with my Nars Smudgeproof Primer. The shade is nice as a base but it wasn't really what I was expecting to be honest. Overall, I am not impressed so far but I have only used it a couple of times. 

A week in photographs #7

Sunday, January 27, 2013

Snow // Can you see me? // Boots
New Topshop Coat!
Primark Sale Cardigan (£3)
My week has consisted of university work (lots of it), snow and new clothes! Firstly, the snow, on Friday it was snowing really badly and in the morning we ended up with about one foot of snow. Although today because of the wind and heavy rain last night the snow as nearly all gone! Yesterday I received my new coat from Topshop which I just adore! It is the Topshop Talbot Hooded Short Parka and it is priced at £60. I bought a size UK size 6 as I purchased a Topshop sale petite coat (green swing coat) in a UK size 8 and it was massive on me but a size 6 in this parka is prefect! I love the colour of the coat, the design, the leather (fake) elbow patches and the really big pockets although if you don't have the push button fastenings closed then they can make a jingling noise when you move/walk which is a bit annoying. I also received a Primark cardigan this week from my Auntie, it should have been £12 but it was reduced to £3 which is a great bargain and I love the cardigan!

I hope everyone had a great week x

The First UK Birch Box!

Saturday, January 26, 2013
First it was called boudoir prieve, then it was Jolie Box and now it is Birch Box! I wasn't going to subscribe again to another beauty box as I have been so disappointed by Glossy Box for the past few months but I have read other peoples blog posts about this box and to me it looked great! Here is what I received...
Firstly, I would like to say that I am very happy with the products - I saw peoples blog posts and I really, really wanted the Fresh Sugar Rose Lip Treatment (It is so difficult to find in the UK and it is fairly expensive - there is one store in London). I also really wanted to try the KMS Free Shape Quick Blow dry Spray which I also received so I was a happy bunny when I opened the box! I also received one super fruit tea bag from Tea pigs, a Reverence De Bastien Nail & Cuticle Cream and a mini Wei Age Control Serum. 
Fresh Sugar Rose Lip Treatment: I have wanted to try this for a while but unless you live near the Fresh store in London you wont be able to get these very easily in the UK. You can buy them from America via eBay but hopefully they will be available on the Birch Box UK website soon. I have tried this a couple of times now, as I received my box yesterday and I really like it. Firstly, I really like the packaging and secondly this product is so moisturising and smoothing - it doesn't really add colour to the lips, it is just a very tint and gloss. The picture above does not show the full amount of product you get. 

KMS Free Shape Quick Blow Dry: I have wanted to this this for a while but I have putt of getting it as I don't blow dry my hair that often as it does take ages for me because my hair is long and thick. I will definitely be using this product. 

Tea Pigs Super Fruit Tea: I made this yesterday and as with all fruit teas I have tried, it smells gorgeous but it really doesn't taste nice, in my opinion. I don't like any kind of tea but I have used the mug I tea I made into a toner. 

WEI Age Control Serum: I haven't tried this product yet and I am in need of a new serum to try as I used up the Caudalie Vinosource SOS Serum this month. 

Reverence De Bastien Nail & Cuticle Cream: I have used this yet and I don't think I will - I think I will give this to my mum or auntie as I don't really need this product. But the cream itself is...pink! 

A Very Late Mini Benefit Haul!

Friday, January 25, 2013
Now, I have been really lazy and forgetful...I bought these items at the beginning of December last year and I completely forgot about this blog post...oops. I bought a few things from the Benefit UK website as they were having a mini sale up to Christmas and I bought the two creaseless cream shadows from there and I bought the Hello Flawless foundation from Debenhams I think....
I bought two creaseless cream shadows in the shade 'flatter me' and 'birthday suit' I bought the shade flatter me as I saw some beautiful swatches online of that shade and I bought the shade 'birthday suit' purely from Essie Button, shade raves about this product/shade so I thought I would try it out - I love Essie Button, I think she is amazing! Overall, I really like the shades, the shadows apply so smoothly and they look great. Although the creaseless claim doesn't really work on me - I find that at the end of the day these shadows will have creased but with a primer they do tend to last all day. 
I also received some samples with my order a couple of which I have already used, finished and loved. I love the Total Moisture cream! A full review of the Hello Flawless foundation and the creaseless shadows will be coming soon (hopefully) it is on my 'to do' list but I have a lot of uni work to do as well. 

And, its snowing again in Manchester (yey - that was sarcasm! the snow was fun at first but now getting to university is awful...and icy) x


Review: Ciate Caviar Manicure

Thursday, January 24, 2013
This is my review of the Ciate Caviar Manicure set, I received this set as christmas from a lovely auntie of mine. I have only used this set once but here is my review of the application, finish and longevity of this product. 
Natural lighting
The application process for this product was fairly simple if a bit messy. To start with you paint your nails with the normal polish provided in the set - I would suggest your do one nail at a time. I only wanted the effect on one nail so I applied a thick (ish) layer of polish to the one finger first. I then allowed it to dry slightly and I tipped the small multicoloured beads onto my nail. Make sure you have something underneath your nails to catch the breads so you can use the excess beads that come off. This bit can be really messy - even opening the lid of the bead can be messy so I would suggest you open it over a tray to catch the beads. After the beads have stuck, press very gently on the nail with the beads to push them further into the polish - do this very gently otherwise the beads will stick to your finger. While the finger with the beads was drying I painted the rest of my nails and I waited for the suggested 15-20 minutes. The normal polished applied really quite smoothly/nicely but it did need two coats really. 
Artificial Indoor lighting

The drying time for the effect is a bit longer than I wanted it to be, I had to sit for 20 minutes for it to dry so only do this if you have about 40 minutes to spare because getting everything ready, painting the nails, applying the beads, clearing up took me about 40/45 minutes in total for the first time. I did this nail effect for new years eve/day and everyone seemed to like it. Although as you can see the effect doesn't last long, after 12 hours quite a lot of the beads had come off one finger but the other finger was ok. The beads can be really annoying on the nails as they catch on things = especially your hair! 

Natural light
The after two days, the beads had nearly all come off from one finger and the other was half empty! The longevity of this nail effect is really poor in my opinion and the leaflet that can with my set said to only apply a topcoat to the tips of the nails - not all over for some reason. Overall, I like the effect, I think it is a fun set/idea but in practice it is not practical, it is slightly messy, the longevity isn't great and when the beads do fall off they leave a worn/messy pattern/look to the nails. 

Another sale haul? Yes...oops

Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Yes, another sale haul - since Christmas eve when the sales seem to have started I have accumulated quite a good amount of sale products...I don't know how that happened! Here are some of the bits and bobs I bought in the sales from Superdrug and Selfridges a couple of weeks ago. 
Firstly, Superdrug (a high street/ drugstore in the UK). The Superdrug sale was a little bit insane with some items at only 10p...yes, 10p and they were sold out but I did manage to get four UNE eyeliners. The UNE eyeliners were...wait for it...49p each! I think they retail for around £6 originally but they were 49p each. I also bought an UNE blush which was reduced to 99p, so I had to get it, right? I also bought a few gift sets in the sale as they were really cheap, with the most expensive one being only £2.99. Lastly from Superdrug, I bought the Barry M Creme Foundation in the shade 'white' which I have been wanting to buy for a while but it was only available in certain stores until a few weeks ago. The foundation wasn't on sale but I bought it to mix with my slightly darker foundations to make them suitable for my paler than pale skin.
I had a look on the Selfridges beauty sale on Christmas day and I saw that the Shu Uemura limited edition Karl Lagerfeld Eyelash Curler was on sale for only £10 so even with shipping it was only £14.95 - I think it retails for at least £20. I have been using the eyelash curler everyday since I bought it and it makes such a differences to my lashes - I love it! I full review of this product will be coming soon. 

A Week in Photographs #6

Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Coffee // Domino's Pizza // Mushroom and Double Cheese Pizza!
Plaits // Snow // Frosty Mittens 
Tattoo inspiration - all images from pinterest 
Sorry this post is a bit late (I should have posted it on Sunday...) my week has consisted of comfort food - aka: pizza, cookies, coffee, pasta! As it has started to snow here in Manchester I have been off uni and I have a lot of work to do including my dissertation (anyone who has been through the third year of university will feel my pain!). I didn't think third year would be as difficult or as stressful as it is! Anyway, besides the snow and the mountain of work, I have obsessed with Pinterest for the past couple of weeks. This week I have been looking at tattoo inspiration pics - I am dying to get another tattoo but I can't decide what...or where!

I hope everyone had a great week! x

Snow Day and OOTD!

Monday, January 21, 2013
Today I was supposed to be going to university for the full day but as you can probably tell from the photographs below and the news reports that...it has snowed! Finally a good amount of snow has fallen on Manchester! The snow hasn't stopped falling here since last evening so my lectures today have been cancelled and the campus has been closed! SNOW DAY!
This is what I woke up to - white, white everywhere and a lot of ice too. The snow does look incredibly pretty on the ground and trees but it is not so great to trudge through! Here are some photographs of the snow where I am and an outfit of the day too!
Here is my snow day outfit! Grey long sleeve top: Primark ages ago. Coat: Dorothy Perkins. Jeans: Dorothy Perkins. Boots: La Redoute. Camera: Nikon L120. 
Snow times - my sister and I having a snowball fight - it didn't last long, its very cold outside! The snow on the grass was really deep and while we were taking pictures it was still snowing - it hasn't stopped! The multicoloured bag on the table is my 'empties bag', I was taking photographs of my empties and January favourites in the snow!
I didn't realise how red my hair looked until I went outside and it was like BAM! I hope everyone has a great snow day, if you are in the UK (or anywhere else where it is snowing..)! I will hopefully post my late week in photographs tomorrow and the last of my sale haul posts too - including some Shu Uemura, Superdrug and Urban Retreat buys! 

First Glossy Box of the new year!

Friday, January 18, 2013
Here is what I received in my first Glossy Box of 2013 and I have to say...I am not very impressed and yet again I have cancelled my Glossy Box subscription because of the awful products! I received my Glossy Box a couple of days ago via Hermes. 
I received six products in my Glossy Box and here they are...I am only happy with a couple of them. I received a Lacoste fragrance sample, a glossy box eye mask, a Murad eye cream, Monu microfoliant, BM Beauty 'dewy perfection' finishing powder and a Sanctuary spa sample duo (serum and mask). 
1. Glossy box 'glossy dreams' eye mask: It is made of a really silky smooth material and it feels very comfortable when it is on but I don't personally use these products so I will have to throw this away - I can't really give it to any one with it saying 'glossy dreams' on the front...

2. BM Beauty 'Dewy Perfection' Finishing Powder: I have had a couple of eyeshadows from BM Beauty but my problem with this is that it is in a loose powder form which I find annoying and messy. Although despite this product being a bit messy it gives a gorgeous finish to the skin - luminous but not greasy looking. The only product I am really happy with in this box. 

3. Lacoste Eau de Lacoste: I have tried this perfume for the past couple of days and I am underwhelmed by it. The scent is sweet, floral with some musky notes which is very generic and the longevity is really quite poor, from my experience. 
4. Monu Instant Radiance Mirco Exfoliant: I have so many cleanser samples now that they keep being included in beauty boxes! I don't want any more cleansers, I will have to give this one away to a friend. 

5. Murad Hydro-dynamic Ultimate moisture for eyes: And another eye cream, I will use this one up as even though the box is pretty big, the eye cream tub is really small (only 3.5ml). 

6. Sanctuary Spa 30 day thermal transformation sample duo: There is a 3.5ml sachet of serum and a 7ml sachet of face mask in this set - obviously wont last 30 days and I don't have the best experience with Sanctuary skincare. 
Here is a swatch of the BM Beauty finishing powder which I think looks gorgeous, especially on pale skins but on tanned or darker skin I don't think this would work. 

Just a little something from Burberry

Tuesday, January 15, 2013
I went on the Harrods website on boxing day (or just after) and I bought one of the relatively new Burberry eyeshadow quads. Compared to the single eyeshadows I think this quad is great value for money - a great buy if you don't already own any burberry eyeshadows like me. I bought this quad for £40 which is quite expensive but it is Burberry and it wasn't in the sale (cries).
Firstly, the packaging - gorgeous! The packaging looks expensive (probably because it was very expensive!) and the quad comes in a velvet pouch, like Dior palettes come in. The velvet pouch came with three application tools too. The quad itself feels really well made, it looks gorgeous and it has a mirror inside. 
 I bought the shade 'No.2 Mocha' and here are the application tools you get. A eyeshadow brush, a angled brush and a sponge applicator. I have used these briefly but as they are mini tools/brushes they are not that easy to use so I have just been using my normal real techniques/Illamasqua brushes to apply the eyeshadows. 
Here are the shades! I love neutral/natural/nude eyeshadows, I wear them every day and I bought this particular palette as I knew I would get a lot of use out of these shades. They are all basically matte or satin finishes - there are not frosty or glittery shades which I great for me personally as I mainly use matte shades on my eyes. There is a creamy bone shade, a caramel tan shade, a milk chocolate shade and a deeper brown - all of the shades are fairly warm toned. 

Overall, I love the packaging, the shades are gorgeous and the shadows are so smooth, creamy, very pigmented and they apply like a dream. I will post a full review about longevity etc in the next couple of weeks.

Sale Haul: Urban Outfitters

Monday, January 14, 2013
Here are a couple of things I bought from Urban Outfitters in their sale a couple of weeks ago!
The Cambridge Satchel Company 
Natural lighting 
I bought this gorgeous dark green satchel from The Cambridge Satchel Company in this gorgeous dark green/teal shade but unfortunately the bag has some marks/indentations/scratches on the top so I sent it back. The satchel was reduced from £110 to £50, shame I had to send it back. 
Lastly, I bought this amazing ice cream and desert recipe book from Ben and Jerry's which should have been £7 but it was reduced to £5. I bought this as a present for my sister. I have looked though it and the recipes sound gorgeous! This book is still in stock on the UK site.

A week in photographs #5

Sunday, January 13, 2013
Candles // New Tea Light Holder (middle) // Candles against the night 
First Attempt at Depotting Eyeshadows // Second Attempt at Depotting Eyeshadows // I finally got the hang of it!
Depotting Eyeshadows successfully // Kiko eyeshadows // MUA Shade 11 Swatch
All Three Images from Pintrest!
My week has consisted of candles, depotting eyeshadows, essays and pintrest! Firstly, candles, I have been burning a lot of candles this week (everyday basically) as I am trying to use up the older ones I have so that I can burn the new ones I received at christmas. I love the way candles look, they are so homely and cosy - and great at this time of the year when it gets dark at about 3:30 in England. I have also been trying to depot eyeshadows this week with the first two attempts not going so well...but the rest went fine! Finally I have been obsessed with pintrest this week, I didn't really pay any attention to it before but this week I have been looking through pintrest once a day (at least). And on a side note, it has started to snow in England..snow day, snow day!

Also I am selling a few things on eBay.co.uk  - my username is Iann7948 

I am thinking of having a fringe cut in and I have been searching pintrest for ideas, what do you think? 

Sale Haul: SpaceNK

Saturday, January 12, 2013
I went on the Space NK website on christmas day (I'm so sociable!) and I saw this amazing set from Laura Mercier - I had to read the description of the set twice as I thought there had been a mistake! The set I bought should have been around £50 but I bought it for...(wait for it) £12.50! The set was so cheap and there was a palette, mini mascara, full size lip gloss, mini eyeshadow brush, full size primer and a full size caviar eyeshadow stick in the set - how could I not get it?
Here is the set! The box is nice and the products are even nicer. The set also came with an instruction card on how to use the product - which I threw away as I find them really patronising! So the set contains six products three of which are full size, two are minis and one is a full palette - the palette contains one blush and four eyeshadows! 
The palette! One small corner of the purple eyeshadow was smashed when I received it so there was a little bit of mess to clean up but nothing major and it didn't effect any else. I think the palette looks incredible, the blush looks gorgeous (English rose shade) and the shadows look amazing. You get a really long mirror in this palette too. And remember this came in the set (along with the five other products) for only £12.50. 
Photographs taken in natural day light
Here are the swatches for the palette - gorgeous! First is the dusty rose blush which I have tried on my skin and it is so pretty and natural - it doesn't look like a makeup blush, it looks like a natural flush on the cheeks. Secondly is one of the eyeshadow duos, it is a matte white and a slightly shimmer peachy shade both of which are great for everyday. Thirdly, another eyeshadow duo which contains a slightly shimmery olive taupe shade and a matte deep purple - great for evening makeup. 
Natural day light 
Laura Mericer Caviar Stick Eye Colour (shade: Twilight)
Next up is the Laura Mercier Caviar Stick in the shade 'Twilight' which is a gorgeous taupe/gunmetal shade - in some lights it looks taupe, in others a dark grey and in bright light it can look quite purple. A gorgeous shade and a really nice product; it glides onto the skin so easily and it is really pigmented. This eyeshadow stick is also easy to blend, smudge and once it sets it has good staying power. I haven't tested to see whether this product is crease proof yet but I am definitely looking into buying more of these!
Laura Mericer Full Blown Volume Lash Building Mascara (black)
Next is the mini eyeshadow brush. I have been wanting to buy the MAC 227 for a while but I think this brush is quite similar (but less fluffy). I really like this brush, it is great for applying a wash of colour over the lids. Now onto the mascara; I have tried this mascara once and I am disappointed by it. The mascara is a bit clumpy, it didn't apply well and not up to the quality I was expecting. 
Primer and another look a the eyeshadow brush
Laura Mericer Foundation Primer
Now I also received a full size foundation primer which the set - I think it is full size, it is a 30ml tube. I have heard a lot of good things about the Laura Mericer Foundation Primer but as I have my Body Shop Moisturise It Primer I don't think I will be using this for a while. I have tested this primer on my hand once though and it makes my skin really smooth. 
Laura Mericer Lip Glace (shade: Sweetheart)
And last but definitely not least is one of my favourite products in the set (well I love all of them, especially the palette and caviar stick) but this is a surprise like for me. I don't usually wear lip gloss and I never buy it really but I did try this and the second I applied this product I was in love! The shade is gorgeous on the lips, it give a luscious pinky sheen which look just amazing. The gloss feels so smooth, like a lip balm on the lips and it doesn't feel heavy or sticky! I have worn this a few times already and when it runs out I will buy another!