Nails Inc Porchester Road Give Away!!!

If you read back on my previous post you'll know I accidentally picked up two of the same polish at a recent event.  So to share the Nails Inc love I'm going to give away!

If you win you receive a brand new bottle of Porchester Road which is worth £11.  It is simply the best colour ever.

This is my bottle, yours will be untouched

The give away will end on Sunday 20th May.  I will contact you that day requesting your details of where to send the polish.  Don't be scared to enter . . . it doesn't matter where you live, if you win I will send to you.  But the moon is a little to far to send this :-D

The rules: 

• You have to follow me by GFC on my blog and enter a comment and tell me what your favourite polish is.
• Leave your twitter/email info. so if you win I can contact you.
• You can only comment once, however if you tweet about the giveaway (be sure to include @jollybeachang so I know) or mention it on your blog - let me know you have done so because that will enter you again.

Good luck!!

Angela xox

Nails Inc goodies + NPOTW

As you know I attended an Nails Inc event last week.  The lovely people there let us choose 10 polishes to take away with us.  This is what I picked up.

Notice anything odd in this picture . . .?

I picked up some fabulous shades which I'm really happy about, there isn't one polish here I don't like.  The Neon polishes are so funky and fresh.  Great colours for summer . . . whenever it arrives!

Blue: Kensington Park Road, Pink: Notting Hill Gate, 

Orange/Yellow: Westbourne Grove and Purple: Holland Park.

The Neon Collection is so much fun, especially for spring/summer.  Which is slightly more fun with these neon colours are they react under neon lighting, so you will truly be glowing.  So if your off clubbing you will talk of the evening with your nails.

The swatches are beautiful I achieved these by just two coats.  However on Kensington Park Road (blue) I've added the Nails Inc Jewellery polish Royal Arcade which is a cool.  A very summery combo indeed. 

Nail Jewellery Royal Arcade and Black Taxi

Following the Royal Arcade combination above, I also teamed it with Black Taxi. This turns a plain boring black into something more stylish.  

Royal Arcade alone, Royal Arcade over Black Taxi and Black Taxi alone

Now I show above that I picked up a Magnetic polish in the shade Soho, but I'm going to do a separate post on that. I also managed to bag these two below, which are my favourites.  I love everything I got but these are just something special. 

Porchester Square and Haymarket

Porchester Square has been given Hero Shade stamp approval.  Hero Shade literally means one of Nails Inc's best selling polishes.  The muted mushroom beige-gray-taupe is something every girl should own.  Every girl should also own Haymarket which is basically a Tiffany box squeezed into a bottle.

I love duck egg blue colours I think they are so lovely.  Both these shades are so fashionable.

Porchester Square on the nails

Now if you noticed in my group photo at the beginning of the post I had two of the Porchester Square polishes.  Yes I overly keen and accidentally picked up two. . .doh!  Now I could keep it for myself, but I thought I would share the Porchester love and give it away.  My next post shall explain all the details.

Angela xox

Bourjois Effet 3D in Beige Elastic

I've never been a real gloss fan, the sticky, gloopy stuff you put on your lips and within a few minutes its either worn away or your hair gets stuck in it.  Annoying!  Well that might be about to change.

Let me introduce you to Bourjois Effet 3D in the shade 01 Beige Elastic.  These hydrating glosses create beautiful luscious lips which moisturises your pout up to 8 hours.  Would you wear a gloss that long?

The hand swatch in natural lighting

The standard hand swatch shows the shine the Effet 3D has hidden inside the tube.  I opted for a natural beige colour as I normally choose something with more colour but I wanted to try a more nude and subtle shade.

And on the lips. . .with a flash

I like this on the lips, it looks very natural and not overly glittery its more of a micro-shimmer which is more stunning. On application to the lips it's not like the classic gloss, it applies like a silky balm and the wand/brush is so precise.  Your lips don't stick together like you get with some 'other' brands and it lasts a good long time.  However I will say when you rub your lips together there is a slight grainy feeling.  It's no problem just a bit strange.

If you're not a fan of this shade however, perhaps one of the other 14 Bourjois shades have on offer with take your fancy.

Angela xox

I love discovering new brands

I like the idea that I’m the first discover the product and that no one else in the country or even the world has even the inkling of it.... fat chance!
When it comes to skin care, I am a mish mash of drug store and high end-ish products. 

For the past few weeks I had a new make of facial wipes tucked into my gym bag. I actually don’t know if they are new to the market, but I have yet to see them anywhere else.  I picked these up in South London Pharmacy.

They are by a brand called Cherish and they are 4 in 1 cleansing facial wipe and you get 25 for £1.99.....bargain!

Have you seen or used these?

Angela xox

Natural Collection Blushed Cheeks in...

...Peach Melba.  Being part of the blogging and YouTube community you get to hear about so many different goodies. . . no wonder I’m poor!  One item I have heard about from numerous people is a Natural Collection blush in the shade Peach Melba.

With a delightful price tag of only £1.99, it seems daft not to check it out.  Even better if you have enough Advantage Card Point.  When I went to check my local Boots near to where I work (which s fairly large) this blush was no where in sight.  Popularity has obviously made this shade a sell out. 

Feeling defeated I was about to leave the stand when I noticed behind some other Natural Collection items, someone has stashed one lonesome Peach Melba!  Jackpot. . . perhaps I had discovered someone else’s hidden treasure?!?

Once home - packaging off I could see what everyone else was talking about.  This is truly the perfect shade.  A lovely natural hue which I think isn’t overly peachy more like your skin tone but slightly warmer and better.  Great for making more definition to cheek bones or just a natural flush to your cheeks.

I think the name of this is a little off key as I'd probably rename it beige glow or peachy beige. I wouldn't say this was overly 'peachy'. But still nice all the same. I'm not complaining honest.  What else is nice about this is so natural looking.  No shimmer, sparkles, boldness - just a light shade which is beautiful.

For under £2.00, you can't really go wrong with Natural Collection.  Everything from the brand is such a reasonable price, which is excellent if you're just starting out playing about with makeup.

Even if you don't like this - if you compare to MAC's Melba which is similar but slightly more peachy - that has the gigantic price tag of £16.00.  If I had to pick between the MAC and the Natural Collection, I would go for the Natural Collection and not just because of the price.  I think it's far more nicer.

Natural lighting and flash

Love or hate ...at £1.99 you cannot complain what ever the result.  Have you tried anything from Natural Collection?

Angela xox

Nails Inc Event

Picture heavy post, I'm sorry they are not the best quality as I only had my Blackberry!

Thursday just gone I was a lucky lucky girl and was asked by the lovely people of Nails Inc to attend an event.  When I received the email a small squeal left my mouth as I was so excited!

So through the thunder, lightening, hail and the raining cats and dogs - I hailed a cab and made my way to event.  This is only my second ever event and I was very pleased . . .it made my day.  The last one I attended was the Eyeko 10th Birthday Bash in 2010.

The event was 6pm til 8pm and as I only work 10 minutes away by cab I arrived about 6.10pm,  I think I was about the 5th person to walk through the door.  The room was beautiful. . . Nails Inc ladies with beaming smiles, manicurists, cupcakes (yum yum) wine, nibbles and NAIL POLISH!!!!  Heaven oh yeah!!!!

Laid out were up and coming collections and some recent releases.

The Sprinkles Effects Collection is a gorgeous quartet of unique glitter polishes.  Seeing the swatches of these remind me of cupcakes as they look simply delicious.  You can achieve a fabulous look from just two coats. I'm sorry I only have 3 of the swatches as the Sugarhouse one was missing, but you can get the idea of how lovely they are.  This collection hit Nails Inc stores in June and the polishes are £11 each.

Pale Blue: Sweets Way, Teal: Pudding Lane, Pink: Topping Lane and Grey: Sugarhouse Lane

The Nail Jewellery Collection which is out now consists of four glitter polishes in diamond (Burlington Arcade), pink diamond (Princes Arcade) and emerald (Piccadilly Arcade) sapphire (Royal Arcade).  I managed to get hold of Royal Arcade and I can't wait to give it a try, as I swatched it over Black Taxi and it looks amazing!  A nails of the day post will definitely be one route soon showing that off!

Nails Inc were also showing their cool Couture scheme where you can personalise your very own bottle if perhaps you wish to give someone special a Nail Inc polish.  Different colour polishes, caps, stones diamond's, studs and you can even change the name.  The box can even be tailor made with a special message added too to make it even more personal.  Such a cool idea for Mums, sisters, best friends, best maids or even a naughty gift for yourself! Pretty unique concept I think.  Prices for this range between £16 - £20.

Couture Nails Inc!  Beautiful

Adorning the far wall was the Save The Nail line, showing my favourite Toughen Up Base Coat which I blogged about here.  I'm interested in try out more of this line as it truly has rescued my nails.

The Save The Nail clan

Whilst standing around taking it all in and taking pictures I was asked if I'd like a manicure.  Hell yeah!  I opted for the polish Wembley which is part of Metallic Collection which will be launched in June costing £25.00.  The collection is made up of three colours: bronze (Horseguards Parade), silver (Greenwich Park) and gold (Wembley) which are obviously the theme of the Olympic medals which Team GB will win! Go Team GB!

Silver: Greenwich Park, Bronze: Horseguards Parade & Gold: Wembley

Here's my Nails Inc manicure, one coat was beautiful but two is stunning.  The quality of these Metallic polishes are amazing and definitely worth a look.  What you see in the bottle is what you get on your nails!

Natural lighting

Flash

If Nails Inc couldn't make the night any better they also showered us in goodies.  We were allowed to pick 10 polishes from the 'sweetie' cart.  I will show them in a up coming post this week.  I will also be giving one of them away . . . as I picked up a duplicate by accident. Doh!  Here are some more pictures for you to see....

Clockwise: 

The Neon Collection, The Sweetie Cart, Crystal Colour Limited Edition,

A handsome plastic dude and Bridge the Ridge Top Coat

I had a fantastic time thanks to Nails Inc they were truly amazing hosts.  Have I shown you anything that has taken your fancy?  Will you be hot footing it to a Nails Inc counter?!  I know I shall be . . .

Angela xox

When Angela meets Shavata

 . . . A true re-enactment.

On Friday I had my first experience of eyebrow threading.  When I finally chose where I wanted to go (I had been debating between HD Brows, Blink and Shavata) I opted for Shavata with no real reason as to why but it was more convenient.  I called expecting to have to wait forever for an appointment until the lady on the phone said ‘I can fit you tonight if you can make it’.  Yes please was my response. 

If you don’t know what the technique of threading is, it is where you use cotton which has been twisted and it is pulled along the skin.  If you Google you’re bound to find a better explanation than mine!

I didn’t go into this whole process thinking it would be a pain free experience, I knew there would be some discomfort.  So I took my seat at 5.45pm eagerly awaiting what was to come, then up pops this small Indian lady.  I never knew her name as she never told me but she tells me to lie back and she begins. . . see what see is dealing with (a before shot)

I'd stopped plucking knowing I'd get the threading done

Now I thought there’d be a nice consultation about what look I was aiming to achieve.  Wrong!  There was no talking, she literally set to work on me straight away without even a murmur.  Now I’m scared!  She probably took one look at brows and thought ‘lets put the poor child out of her misery and get this over and done with as quick as possible’. 

Anyways eyes closed she gets going and holy molely . . . it hurts.  She is threading me like a woman possessed.  In my mind I’m thinking ‘what on earth is she doing to me?  Is there anything left?’ I do like a full brow, I like mine but I confess they had become a messy and a tad wild.  So she’s still threading away and then I get a serious case of watering eyes.  I’m not crying. . . honest, it just whenever I pluck my brows I either get watering eyes or I sneeze.   I start dabbing my eyes and she asks if I’m OK, suppressing the frog in the throat I let her carry on.

One eyebrow down she moves on to subject number two.  More eye watering and discomfort follow. Once the threading is finished she pulls out the tweezers and removes the ones who are trying to escape her capture.  However it seems the chair has barely warmed up to my body temperature before she announces she is finished.  She wipes my tears and applies a cooling gel and hands me a mirror.  When I look at the reflection I am very pleased and shocked.

This picture was taken the day after, not directly after

Yes I still have brows...it felt like she was threading me bare but I was wrong.  The whole process lasts less than 5 minutes, faster than I thought.  I now feel like I have brows to be proud of.  I going to try my hardest to keep them neat and beautiful.  At a cost of £17.00 I think it is expensive especially when some places do it for less than £5!  However I wanted to go with someone well known that's why I chose Shavata.

This is what they look like with some HD Brow powder applied.

Now if you're wondering . . . would I do it again?  The answer is yes.  I now what to expect and besides I'll never let my brows get as bad as before.  However I may look for a cheaper alternative.

Have you ever tried threading?  I just hope I haven't put you off! :-D

Angela xox

Smash! Illamasqua Style

If you saw my recent Illamasqua haul (can you call two items a haul?) you'd hopefully know the lovely sales assistant at the Selfridges counter gave me a little gift. 

For my first experience with a Illamasqua polish this is a great start.  It is like the TV advert 'it does exactly what it says on the tin!' What you see in the bottle is what you get on your nails and I love it. 

Natural lighting

Smash applies like a dream, two coats is all I needed.  The colour is beautiful, it reminds me of green apples however I think the Illamasqua  website shows it looking more khaki toned.  What I also love about this is it's so glossy, you'd think I were wearing a top coat!

Do you like Illamasqua polishes, do you have any recommendations?

Angela xox

Shoes glorious shoes!!!

Oh how I love thee!  It had been a while since I have splurged on shoes for my pretty little feet.  With the summer months approaching hopefully soon, I thought it was about time to throw out the seriously old shoes and invest in some new lovelies.

Dorothy Perkins have captured my shoe heart with their reasonable prices and lovely styles.

The shoes at the front are round nosed flat ballet pumps, in a nude colour.  I love the floral detail in the lining in side.  For £16.00 there are a definite must to anyones shoes collection.  See them at the Dorothy Perkins site here.

Now the shoes at the back are both the same.  I initially picked up the nude/flesh tone ones, but loved the feel and look of them I went back for the black ones.  The nude have more of a leather looking strap with a faux suede wedge heel.

The black shoes have faux suede strapping and natural wood looking heel.  These go great with jeans, shorts. . .well everything really.  At £32.00 a pair they are a bargain I think.

All shoes are still on the Dorothy Perkins site.

Happy shopping!

Angela xox

Crack out the cake

I realised earlier this week that it is the 2nd Anniversary of me starting my little bloggie (15/04/10) oh how time has flown by.  It's only until recent that I have felt that my blog has become a success... well in my eyes any how.  I may not have a high amount of followers after 2 years, but it isn't about the numbers for me.

So I thought I'd revisit the past and show you an updated 40 Beauty Questions TAG.  Way back in April 2010 that was my very first post.  I wonder if much has changed?  You can read the first version here. If you wish to do the tag please do and let me know if you do. . .I love a good read.

SKINCARE

-How many times do you wash your face daily?
Twice morning and night

-What skin type do you have? (dry,oily,combo)
Still have my oily-combo skin, I normally get a oily T-zone.  On the rare occasion I can be a little dry depending on the weather.

-What is your current facial wash?
My beloved Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish (which I have run out of)

-Do you exfoliate?
Yes.

-What brand do you use?
Clean and Clear Daily Pore Cleanser or Superdrug Deep Action Daily Exfoliating Wash

-What moisturizer do you use?
Anything!  A bit of Liz Earle or Garnier Nutritionist

-Do you have freckles?
I said no last time but I have a few i think on my nose, faint ones.

-Do you use eye cream?
I've just started using Origins but I am a supporter of the Bobbi Brown's Extra Repair and Hydrating Eye Creams

-Do you or did you have acne prone skin?
Not acne but I am prone to spots

-Did you ever have to use Pro-activ?
No.

MAKE-UP

-What foundation do you use?
Make Up For Ever HD is my ultimate favourite but you can't get it in the UK. Grrr!

-How about concealer?
Bobbi Brown Coverup Stick for spots and MAC Select Coverup for my dark circles

-Do you know your undertone colour?
I think I'm pink???? Not sure LOL.

-What do you think of fake eyelashes?
Like them but way too much effort for me.

-Did you know that you are supposed to change your mascara every 3 months?
Yes, but I don't.  I change it between 4-6 months or when it's bone dry.

-What brand of mascara do you use?
Holy grail Maybelline One by One Volum' Express.  Love it!

-Sephora or MAC?
If we had Sephora in the UK I'd be there all the time.  So many brands to choose from.

-Do you have a MAC Pro-card?
Still haven't got one.

-What makeup tools do you use in make up application?
Fingers and brushes, not sponges.

-Do you use make-up base/primer for the eyes?
MAC Paint Pots.

-For the face?
Bobbi Brown Vitamin Enriched Face Base

-What is your favourite eyeshadow (colour or shade)?
I like neutrals,  browns and greys.  See my MAC favourites here.

-Do you use pencil or liquid eyeliner?
Every day I use a pencil but I do like gels also.

-How often do you poke your eyes with an eyeliner pencil?
I've got better at using it so not too often now.

-What do you think of pigment eyeshadows?
Fun but messy.  My favourite is Naked by MAC.

-Do you use mineral makeup?
I've tried Bare Minerals but I find it drying on my skin so steer clear.

-What is your favourite lipstick?
Chanel's Boy, MAC's Plink, Cream Cup, Sweetie or Hue

-How about lipgloss?
I like Bobbi Browns Raspberry.

-What is your favourite blush to use?
Rimmel London - Summer Fever...it's my favourite ever.

-Do you buy your makeup on ebay?
Used to but haven't in years.

-Do you like drugstore makeup?
Daft question.....like yeah of course.

-Do you go to CCO's? (cosmetic company outlets)
American CCO's sound amazing but I have been to the CCO in Bicester Village and I wasn't that impressed.  Would love to go to a US one.

-Did you ever consider taking make-up classes?
I've done two Groupon makeup classes, but I knew most things they spoke about.  I wish I had gone down that creative path as I enjoy makeup so much now.  It's a case of I wish I knew then, what I know now.

-Are you clumsy in putting on makeup?
No, I think I'm good at it.  I'm not bigging myself up there honest!

-Name a makeup crime that you hate?
Not a makeup crime more a self tanning crime, why do people like to be orange???

-Do you like colourful shades of makeup (lipstick,eyeshadow) or neutral ones?
Both. I like neutral eye colours but a nice colour on the lips or cheek.  Nothing too OTT though.

-Which celebrity always has great make up?
I still love Lauren Conrad as before but I like people like Kelly Brooke, Cat Deeley, Kate Middleton - who just look classic but not over done.  Less is more.

-If you could leave the house using just ONE make up item, what would you use?
Lip Balm or Tinted Moisturiser

-Could you ever leave the house without any makeup on?
I do leave without, who cares I say!

-Do you think you look good even without any makeup on?
Depending on how good my skin is at that time, yes I can do.

-In your opinion, what is the BEST makeup line?
Make Up For Ever, Rimmel, MAC, Collection 2000, Bobbi Brown shall I go on...?

-What do you think of Makeup?
I think makeup is fun and it can show peoples creativity.  I love it!!!

Angela xox

Illamasqua Haul

I am no longer a virgin when it comes to Illamasqua.  I made a few purchases recently so I thought a video show and tell would fit the bill.

I bought a blush in the shade Hussy and the Skin Base Foundation .  The lovely sales assistant also threw a nail polish in for free!  So stay tuned for a NPOTW some time soon.

Hope you're having a great Saturday!

Angela xox

L'Oreal Rouge Caresse . . . yes please!

There was so much hype concerning the Revlon Lip Butters it's nice to see another lipstick is starting to take over.  I blame Fleur De Force for this purchase as she had purchased one of the new Rouge Caresse L'Oreal lipsticks and was showing it in a recent post or video.  The rest is history as Fleur is a god so what she says goes. . .to me anyways.

I love the sleek clear packaging which I have to say I prefer this over the Revlon Lip Butters.  I think this looks more mature.  Revlon looks cheap next to this beaut.

I opted for the coral of the collection named funnily enough - Dating Coral.  In my pictures it comes cross very red but do not fear however as it is an illusion.  These all look bright in store but when swatching and on the lips they are balm like.  So light weight and fresh a very similar consistency to the Lip Butters.  Not the same but all most.

On the lips it's a joy to apply you can do it without a mirror even.  It glades on and applies a beautiful hue to the lips that has a slight luminosity to it so you can wear it without a gloss.  This is perfect on it's own.  When swatching in store, there was not any that made me think no thank you.  They were all pretty, I had a hard choice picking just one!

What it looks like in natural lighting.

My over all impression of these is . . . I like them - a lot!  There is 10 in the collection and I wish I had done the 3 for 2 offer in Boots at the time.  I'd love to buy more of them.  They cost £7.99 each and completely worth the pennies. 

Have you seen these?  What do you think?

Angela xox

Messy hair? Try Sea Salt Spray

If like me you are one of those people after you straighten your hair it is flat and boring . . . then I may have something you may want to try.  I know straightening is obviously meant to 'straighten' the hair, but I still like a little bit of oh la la to my look.

This has been hiding out in my collection of hair products for a while and I use it now and again when I just want to create a messy look.  It is the Salt Spray by Expertise at Superdrug.

I've had this for over a year and I'm not even sure it's still available in Superdrug, but there are plenty of different versions on the market if you can't get this exact bottle.  Bumble & Bumble and Fudge are just some lurking about.

So what the spray does is simple, it gives your hair texture.  It creates that look that most people when they go to the the beach try to avoid.  The matted beach babe look you get when the sea air is blowing or you've just walked out the sea like Bond Girl Ursula Andress.

A easy-peasy process of spraying and scrunching your hair until you get the desired look.  It can be used all over the hair and it is especially good if you want to back comb the roots to get more lift.

If you want to have an up-do look that looks messy this is excellent for that too! It would look something like this . . .

Image from weheartit.com

Excuse the dodgy look on my face but this is a screen shot of my video which I have uploaded to my channel.  This look was created by hanging my head upside down then spraying and scrunching.

I love the beach bum look!

Below is a video I have uploaded to my YouTube channel which shows you how I apply the spray.  It also compares both sides of my hair . .  .  the left side 'without the spray' look and the right side 'with the spray'.  Be warned in the video I say texture a lot.  It's still early days in my YouTube career.  I'll figure it all out eventually.  Happy watching . . .

Have you ever tried a sea salt spray in your hair?  What are your thoughts??

Have a good day!!

Angela xox

My current hair products/routine

Whilst I was having a my bubble bath last night  I got to thinking about doing a post about the products I use on my hair.  This will be a simple post as I don’t use tonnes of items, just a few bits. The post will show the items i use to clean and when it comes to styling. . .

Lush, Aussie, Macadamia, TRESemme and Aveda

As I said I don't use many things in my hair.  I try not to because my hair gets greasy quite easily so I don't like putting tonnes of chemicals into my hair.  Using less products helps my hair a lot I think.

So for starters I like to use this duo:

Lush I Love Juicy Shampoo ~ This tiny bottle has lasted me a good long time.  When I first picked this up I chose the smallest bottle 100g (they also sell 250g and 500g)  as my hair is a bit blah sometimes.  So I didn't want to spend lots money if i didn't know what I was getting.  Now I've used this for a while I love it so much.  It smells yummy like a fruit smoothie you can drink and when I apply this to my hair it just feels like it's stripping every last bit of dirty grime out of my hair.  This is full of tasty fruits from the likes of kiwi, papaya, mango and pineapple.  If you do have oily hair . . .  give this a go.  Your hair will literally be squeaky clean.

Aussie Take The Heat 3 Minute Deep Treatment ~ To make your hair soft and beautiful I have been using this as my regular conditioner as supposed to a deep treatment.  I still wear it for over 3 minutes but I opt for the Macadamia Mask for my deep treatment.  After I Love Juicy has made my hair so squeaky clean this adds a luxury feel to my hair making it soft and silky.  The 'Take The Heat' also helps for heat treated hair whether it be blow drying, curling or straightening.

And for the drying and styling phase:

Macadamia Healing Oil Spray ~ I love love love this product it has become a holy grail item.  I'd heard so much about Moroccanoil and the Macadamia and how everyone says it has helped them so much.  I picked up a small bottle in the US and I love this so much it was worth the entire trip.  After washing I spray on my damp hair (not dripping wet, just damp) I concentrate most of this on mid to the bottom of the hair, I do not add to the roots.  It smells nice and your hair is instantly manageable.  Then after the blow drying and straightening step, I spray it into my palms, rub them together and apply to the end of my hair.  I also spritz it over my entire head to add shine.  I told you i love this!!!

TRESemme Iron Style & Hold Spray ~ A heat protecting spray which I spray on my towel dried hair then blow dry.  It helps against heat damage which we all get at some stage.  It smells lovely and smooths my mane.  Only use this on wet/damp hair.  

Aveda Volumizing Tonic ~  I suffer from a case of flat roots, when I blow dry I do have volume however literally a day or two after cleaning my hair is just flat. . . rather annoying.  I think it was Fleur who I first heard mention this so I thought I'd give it a go. I've had this for a while and used it but it seemed like it wasn't quite doing it for my hair.  But after a little googling I discovered I wasn't using it correctly.  I had been using too much and on wet hair so it was making the situation worse by flattening and making the roots greasy.  So to use this now I spray about three spritz into the roots after I have partially blow dried my hair and I use a round brush to to style.


What do you use in your hair?
 
Angela xox

Happy Easter + NPOTW

Happy Easter to all . .  I thought I'd throw that out there.  Hope you are enjoying hunting for eggs and eating hot cross buns.  I know I am!  Cough Cough!!!

Yummy

So on this fine Sunday I thought I'd show you my nails.  It's my brothers 30th birthday party so I decided to make all my nails pretty!  My Essie collection is gradually expanding, this is something I picked up in the US.  A perfect spring colour . . . bright and happy!

Haute as Hello by Essie is a bright almost neon corally-peach.  Can you imagine this on tanned feet?  It is a lovely colour but I will be honest . . . it is a pain in the arse.  It took me four coats of polish to get this looking like it like it is.  FOUR!!!! 

You need patience of a saint to use this.  It is very streaky, even with three coats you could see the odd streak still! Seriously!!  Love the colour, HATE the amount of time it takes to achieve the look.

Hope you're having a good Easter break.

Angela xox

Lush Lip Scrub in Bubblegum

If you remember my recent-ish Lush Haul video (click here to see that Haul) then you’ll remember that I picked up the Bubblegum Lip Scrub. I have been using it for a few weeks now and I thought it was about time I gave you my thoughts.

The scrub comes in a handy tiny pot.  You get 25grams for the price of £4.95 it seems a lot of cash to splash but with this, a little goes a long way. 

There are other scrubs to choose from - Mint Julips (mint chocolate flavour) and Sweet Lips (a sugar sweet chocolate flavour) I’m not a keen chocolate fan so I got Bubblegum which is a tasty candyfloss flavour.  The fact that when I smelt it in store it smelt so yummy you could eat it on the spot was another selling point.

I don't use this everyday just every other night before bedtime.  I only use less than a pea sized amount and scrub it gently into my lips.  It tastes so yummy I'm not going to lie and it is complete edible so you are safe if you eat it. 

What the scrub actually does is remove dead and dry skin and smooths them.  It on contains jojoba oil which moisturises the lips without making them feel greasy.  Your lips will feel like a baby's bottom as the saying goes. 

This is completely natural and is OK to be used if you are a Vegan.  If you are looking to try a lip scrub then I recommend the Lush ones 100%.  This has been a permanent fixture on my bedside table for the last few weeks.

Do you use a lip scrub??  Will you try this?

Angela xox

Beautiful nails for under £2

Oh yes  . . . you can get beautiful nails for under £2.  Planet Pink by Miss Sporty caught my eye in Boots recently.  It immediately made me say 'wow I must have you in my life' and it was the last one on the shelf so I knew it was fate.  The colour in the bottle (my description of it) is a pinky-purple molten metal looking polish which applies like a dream.

This picture above shows just one coat of polish.  There's no streaking or patchiness  and it also dries super fast.  A dream polish I say!  It is so shiny without even applying a top coat (no top coat has been applied in my picture).  The coverage of this is incredible.  Three strokes of the brush . . . you're done and on to the next nail.

This is part of Miss Sporty's Clubbing Range and I can see why it is part of that club . . . I mean just look at it.  This is definitely a stand out and be seen polish.  It is a complete bargain at £1.99.  Hop on down to a Miss Sporty counter near you.  Miss Sporty is available in Boots and Superdrug.



This was a NPOTW to definitely show you all :-D

Angela xox

My Maybelline 24hr Colour Tattoo's

When I went to the states back in February I purchased a few of the much talked about 24hr Colour Tattoo Eye Shadows by Maybelline. They have been a huge success in the US and everyone has been loving them on their blog reviews and YouTube videos. It’s just annoying how the UK gets them afterwards. I wish we were first for once!

These were a little hard to get my mitts on, they are so popular they were pretty much sold out where ever I went.  I managed to get my hands on four of them, two in one Walgreens and two in another. . . .my first impression of these is wow-zer!!!!

Now I know you’ve probably seen pictures before but what’s one more review, picture, swatch...????

1... Tough as Taupe, 2... Bad to the Bronze, 3... Audacious Asphalt & 4... Bold Gold

I am a MAC Paint Pot lover through and through and i think they are fantastic eye shadow primers. Whenever they have limited editions i always want to get in there and give them a good swatch! So the idea of Maybelline selling a much cheaper alternative is very appealing indeed.

In the US there are ten in the collection but the in the UK it has been down sized to seven.  Also strangely they been given different names as well.  Weird! The colour range is great they’d be a colour for you no matter your skin colour.  Every body will be able to find something they like.

The colours I got:

Audacious Asphalt (UK name ...Immortal Charcoal)

If you don't have the creaseless cream eyeshadow/ liner in Skinny Jeans by Benefit  not to worry.  Get this instead,  A) because it's cheaper  (Benefit is £14.99 and Audacious Asphalt is £4.99) and B) it's better! Yes really. I always find Benefit creaselesses crease on me or you need a base.  However you can apply the Maybelline 24hr shadows direct onto the skin.  This is excellent for a smokey eye.

Bad to the Bronze (UK Name... On Bronze)

A perfect bronze for the everyday look.  I have been wearing this as part of my daily routine recently.  Reminds me of MAC's Constructive Paint Pot but they are just slightly different tones however.  This looks great on it's own and gives the perfect bronzed look.  I love it!

Tough as Taupe (UK Name... Permanent Taupe)

A great matte looking taupe which in certain lighting could look almost grey.  This is fabulous for an all over the eye look.  I've also used it on the lower lash line to smoke it out.  Can be used alone or paired with a darker crease colour.

Bold Gold (UK Name... Eternal Gold)

A light golden shimmer.  I'm saving this for the summer time as I think it'd best with a tan.  This is still good throughout the year how ever, I just used Bad to the Bronze in the crease to make it a little darker.  Could be a cool inner corner highlight too!

I know you're dying to see the swatches so I won't keep you any longer...

My finally impressions are that i am in love with these. I’m always going to love a MAC Paint Pot but the Maybelline Tattoos have a fantastic longevity. I went to bed with swatches on my hand i woke up with them still intact.  Yes I normal do wash but it was a test for the blog.  There is a good range of colours to choose from Superdrug and Boots.  At £4.99 a pop, these are definitely something you need to check out.  I think they actually have a better colour range than MAC or Benefit.  Yes I did say that :-D

Angela xox