Guest Post over on Chloe-Ryan Makeup Artist

Evening lovelies, no post from me tonight as I'm off out with work for a staff members retirement! 


I wrote a post for Chloe over at Chloe Ryan Makeup Artist about Benefit Blushers for us paler girls if you want to go and check it out.

Here's the link for y'all http://chloeryanmakeupartist.blogspot.co.uk/


Hope your out enjoying the sunshine! Would love to hear feedback from you on my other post!


Thanks for reading xx

Maybelline 24hr Colour Stay Tattoo - Swatches/Review

Afternoon lovelies, hope your out enjoying the weather, hasn't it been gorgeous?

I know there are a lot of posts floating about at the moment but I wanted to add my own review. I had heard the hype about the 24hr Colour Tattoos from Maybelline, but wasn't sure they were something for me. I wanted to wait until more reviews came out and I had been paid. Then I stumbled accross this post over on cityscape-bliss about using Permenent Taupe as an eyebrow gel, that was the point I knew I needed them in my life!

I headed into town on Saturday and picked up 3 products from Boots where they currently have makeup products on 3 for 2. I walked up the the Maybelline stand and my heart dropped, they had none - only the testers! I wandered around for a little bit, moaning to the boyfriend about how could they not have any of the actual product when, in front of me at the end of an aisle, gliting under the artificial light was the stand of new products! Had it not been so busy I woulds have squealed and done a little dance of joy.

I picked up these 3 colours:

L - R Permanent Taupe, Eternal Gold, Turquoise Forever

Turquoise Forever - This one is very bright for me, however I plan to use this as a liner as I think it will make my eyes pop more, especially when I have a tan.

Permenent Taupe - This is the reason I wanted to pick these up as its a great matt taupe colour with a slight purple undertone. It blended really well on the skin, and I have tried it as an eyebrow gel and they stayed put all day! The colour would work as a crease colour as well as a liner.

Eternal Gold - Trust me to pick up the damaged one :( I love a good gold shadow, especially for in the summer and this one would make a lovely inner corner colour to make a smokey eye summer friendly!

I haven't tried these yet on my eyes as I got them after I shopped my stash this week but I think they will be used over the weekend. For £4.99 each and on 3 for 2, I think I will head back and pick up the rest of the colours. I love the presentation of the product however I do have a gripe with Maybelline and their glass pots as it means you can't always get the product out if using fingers without digging your nail in, plus when the pot is nearly finished its a right pain to get the last out! 

I might try and do some work appropriate looks with these in the coming weeks?!

What do you think? Have you bought any yet, how have you found them?

Thanks for reading xx

Shopping my Stash #7

Evening lovelies, how is everyone coping with this loss of an hour?! I'm loving that its half seven and I can still see the sun, as well as a couple of bats flying outside the window.


This weeks make up is a mix of products I had forgotten about as well as others that I'm using to use up or because I love it!

Face:

 Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation - as my skin has improved, this is getting better but I still don't like it - I just hate waste and want it used up!


17 Cosmetics Hide Away Concealer - I like this, I don't always use it as it sometimes settles in any lines but its not a bad little product.


Benefit Georgia - Love this to set everything and reduce shine as well as smelling like peach.


Benefit Hervana - still loving this, looks great, is build able but adore it.


Eyes & Lips:

Bobby Pin Palette - I bought this 2 Christmases ago from Boots in the sale and I initially loved it but then put it away in favour of other palettes. I like the range of colours, with a crease, lid and highlighter.


Maybelline Colossal Mascara in Waterproof - Love this, especially now its warmer and I tend to rub my eyes more. Stays put all day which is great.


NYX Eye Brow Pencil in Medium Brown - Bought this a while ago and forgot about it, however found it at the weekend and now I'm loving it!


17 Cosmetics lipstick in Dare to Bare - Not normally a lipstick lover but I just fancy some colour this summer!


So there you have it, this weeks makeup choices! If there is anything you want a review of, then please let me know!


Thanks for reading xx

This Weeks Ups & Downs #11

Evening lovelies, how gorgeous has this weekend been!?! This weeks been a bit of a drag, but as ever there have been ups and downs.


Up:

• The weather has been gorgeous! All week the kids have been out enjoying it and it puts everyone into a good mood which is nice

• Its the last week before the Easter holidays which means 2 weeks off plus then only 14 weeks until the summer holidays!

• Today my gorgeous friend had her gorgeous baby christened. It was a short catholic service and then over to a community centre for the bit after. It was nice to see her again as well as meeting some of her family.

Downs:

• The dreaded low self esteem and body image has struck again. Woke up feeling great and then took OOTD pictures and decided I looked like a whale in a dress so those pictures will never see the light of day. I need to get tough with myself, this weight needs to come off!

• I did something really stupid this week. Frustration with school has taken its toll on me and so I headed to the gym to clear my head and ended up punching the reaction trainer at the wrong angle and ended up damaging my knuckle. A trip to A&E showed that there are no breaks but sadly the frustration hasn't gone away yet.

• Two more members of staff have decided that they no longer can work at our school. Its hard as we know we are a good school but sadly OFSTED have come in and made some massive demands and now we have lost 6 teachers just this year. This puts massive pressure on the rest of us :(

 I probably have more ups and downs from this week but if I listed everything then this would be mega long. Also thought I would link you my Instagram pictures from this week. 

- Swatching Maybelline Colour Tattoos, New Sunnies, My poorly hand, The boy playing with the wash basket.

How was your week? Thanks for reading xx

NOTD - Calvin Klein TuTu

Evening lovelies, finally its Friday!! The sun has been gorgeous today, so lucky to spend the afternoon outside doing PE.


I often pick nail polish that reflects my mood, and this one is no exception. Things have been quite stressful recently and so my inner emo picked this one out.


I love a good Vampy colour, I do have a large collection of them. I picked this one up at an outlet store in Spalding the last time I was at home in Lincoln. I didn't even know Calvin Klein did a range of nail polish but this was one that sparkled in my hands the moment I picked it up.


Tutu reminded me of a black tutu I used to own when I was younger with the black netting with tiny gold sequins that would sparkle under stage lights. I had high hopes for this polish.


Sadly it didn't live up to these high hopes. TuTu turned out to be quite a sheer and needed quite a few layers. 

The glitter in the polish doesn't sparkle as I wanted it to, instead it leaves the polish with a gritty feeling. Also the polish didn't wear very well, I had tip wear within 12 hours (7 of those I spend that asleep)  and this gradually got worse over the day. I battle with this for one more day and then had to remove it.


I really wanted this polish to be as gorgeous as it looks in the bottle, but sadly it isn't. For £1.50 I can't really complain, had this been more then I would have!


So what do you think? A waste of a polish or something that I need to try again?!


Thanks for reading

Recent Buys - Magazines, New Look, Boots & Lush

Evening lovelies, Wednesday again, woohoo!!!


At the weekend I found my camera cable which meant I could pull off some pictures that were stuck on there! At the start of the month I did a bit of shopping and picked up a few bits, but there are loads of things I want!

 Stocked up on magazines!

Three Knit Tops from New Look in the Sale

Real Techniques Blush Brush, Benefit Hervana, 17 Cosmetics Nail Polish - all from Boots

OPI Ink - found this in Trade Secret

Leap Frog, Madame Butterfly, Karma Bubble Bar - from Lush

This was only 3 weeks ago but already I have fallen in love with all of these things, I need to get some reviews of bits up soon, any requests?


Thanks for reading xx

Shopping my stash #6

Afternoon lovelies, hope Monday wasn't too bad for you! 


I hate Mondays, I always feel kinda out of it at school, not to mention tired! This week I've been picking items which will make me seem awake at school, but will last the day!

Face:

Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation - Still trying to use it, have found two thinner layers gives better coverage but still not loving it (hurry up payday!)


Benefit Hervana & Coralista Blush Box - For me, Benefit make some of the best blushes, especially for those of us with pale skin! I think I have nearly every blush/bronze box and these two are ones that I reach for quite a lot for a fresh, spring flush!


Benefit Georgia Blush Box - I love this box, I love it so much that I have a back up one that I rushed out and bought when I found out that it was being discontinued. I use this to set my foundation and to tackle oily bits during the day, leaving a peachy flush!


Eyes:

Soap and Glory Wizard of Flaws - This was in a gift box from Christmas 2010(!) but clearing out the box in the bathroom brought it back to my attention and now I'm trying it out - will review it soon and let you know! 


NYX Eye Palette in - I picked this up at a discount store over half term with my Mum. I havent used it yet but have heard a lot of good things about NYX so can't wait to try it out! Plus I only paid £4 for it!


17 Cosmetics Vintage Metallics palette - I found this in the bottom of my Beauty Box and knew I had to give it some love. I don't go for bright colours for spring so this is great for me and I love it, only wish they weren't Limited Edition as I don't want this to run out!

Bourjois Coup De Theatre 2 in 1 Mascara - I quite like this, the plastic brush means I can get separated lashes with a lot of product on, plus the product leaves me with thick, black lashes that I love! I received this with the Bourjois foundation at Christmas but I quite like it!


So there's my make-up for the week, I quite enjoy this although I do have a hankering for some new foundations, might need to mix it up with some of the ones I already have, but I would love an recommendations from you!


Thanks for reading xx

This Weeks Ups & Downs #10

Evening lovelies, hope your well and the weekend has been a good one for you?!




Ups:

• Spring is on its way - the blossom is out, the daffodils are here and I have frog spawn in a bowl in my classroom! The kids love looking at them every day, I was shocked when a lot of the teachers at school told me they had never seen any!

• Finally found my fitness mojo again. This week I've managed to spin twice, Shred most days this week ( I can't seem to get into a routine with this) and I'm booked onto 6 classes next week! So I'm back trying to get into some sort of shape. Question is would you like to see a photo diary of my progress?

• Finally dyed my hair again, back to bright red. I've ummed and arrghed all week about doing it as I can't decide if I'm missing my natural colour but now I've done it I love the red again!

• Superficial I know but my skin is finally clearing up, I've switched up my skin care and gone back to an old favourite product which I will review later on.

• Things are slowly settling down at school so I'm getting a life back. I can get back to the gym as well as blogging more which puts us all into a good mood!

Down:

• The weather's been poop this week so my clothes choices at school have stuck to trousers - I feel like I've kinda lost my identity since I started working because we have to look semi-professional, but working with children means I need to be decent! I can't wait to go through my wardrobe at some point and start really getting back to what I used to be like!

• Although work has settled down, its still pretty tough going and a lot of times I've wanted to quit but I get through it and just get my head down.

So there's my week, an uneventful one really but then thats how I like it! I've got lots more posts planned for this week so keep checking back for those!

How was your week?

Thanks for reading xx

NOTD - Glitter Gal holographic Polish in Red

Afternoon lovelies, finally it's Friday!! I can't wait for this weekend! It's been a long week, but finally the end is in sight.


It feels like ages since I did a NOTD, but today I have a gorgeous one for you. Introducing Glitter Gal Holographic in Red.


Recently Sam from @sjmwells sent a tweet out asking for bloggers to review a polish for her so I jumped at the chance. She explained that it was an Australian Brand which is new to the UK. Sam currently stocks the range of Holos but soon she will have stock of some interesting sounding Shade Shifters and Transition polishes! 

In my classroom - no flash

In my classroom - with flash (oooo pretty!!)

The shade I was sent is this gorgeous red Holo. A lovely, juicy red polish with tiny flecks of shimmer, this polish looks like the strawberry glaze the Krispie Kreme do on their Glamour Glaze doughnuts.

Yummy with flash!

On its own, this would be an eye catching product, however hit it under a flash or sunlight and it really dances!! A rainbow effect is scattered across the nail, as the holographic particles catch the light, showering pink, blue green and gold sparkles just to name a few.


The application is really good, a good thickness of polish, which dries quickly and evenly - this is two coats and it was totally opaque. The wear has been really good with this, tip wear only showed up after 3 days which is quite good for no base coat.

Glitter Gal polishes are Big 3 Free, which is good as it puts their formula in the same category as OPI. 


The only Holo I have to compare this against is GOSH Holographic which I found quite hard to work with as it becomes patchy very quickly, however this was great and so I would prefer this 100%


If you want more information then drop Sam a message over at http://sjmwellnails.weebly.com/index.html or on her twitter @sjmwellnails. 


You can buy this polish and other over on Sam's website for £8.75 for 9ml, I have my eye on all of the other ones so might treat myself at the end of the month!


What do you think? A gorgeous polish or what?!


Thanks for reading xx

Virtual Hauling - Aztec Print

Evening lovelies, hope you're all well, the weekend is creeping ever closer at the moment!

Today I've been doing a bit of virtual hauling as I'm craving prints at the moment. I think as a curvier person, prints can be a bit scary, they highlight an area on the body and draw attention to it. 

So I've picked some items, and how I would wear them!

1 - Topshop Burnout Tshirt - £20 - I love the colour of this shirt, pastel and prints combined. I could easily wear this all summer with shorts and converse, or throw it on when I'm on holiday as a cover up.


2 - Aztec Print Leggings - £20 - I actually own these, I bought them on Saturday in London and I was drawn to them as the colours are quite muted so I don't feel so concious. I wore them Sunday with a dark denim shirt, but I styled it here with the Tshirt as they don't clash. Great for at festivals.


3 - Motel Midi Dress With Cut Out Racer Back In Aztec Print - £32 - I love this dress. I think its quite bold but would look great for a summer wedding. The back detail is really cute. A more toned curvy figure could wear this but I'm not sure.


4 - Walton Wooden Flatform Wedges - £50. I WANT THESE!! These would be great for work and play, put with any of these items, the black colour doesn't over power, however the other colours they come in (Bronze, Pastel Blue) would add a nice clash of colour!


5 - Black Aztec Playsuit - £32 - How cute is this! This is great for curvy figures as the print is on one part of the the outfit and not the whole outfit. I love the waist on this, my only wish is that it came in part of the Tall section at Topshop as this will only just cover my bum!


6 - Wiona Square Toe Wedges - £80 - Ok so their pricey but they look comfy and something that could be dressed up or down! 


7 - Aztec Print Bodycon Skirt - £20 - There's that print again, the black and grey. The pattern is lovely for the skirt, not to obvious but something I could wear a lot over spring and summer. The price is great, as the bodycon skirts are well fitted from Topshop.

So there are some of my print picks, I love spending virtual money on things I want, just wish I had the money to do so!

What do you think?

Thanks for reading xx

We're going on an egg hunt...

We're going to find a big one, what a beautiful day! (sorry to those who don't know the We're going on a bear hunt tune, spent the day with year 2!)


Evening lovelies, bit of a different post for you, but wanted to show you what we got up to at the weekend!


For those who don't know, currently there are 209 different eggs all over London, all with different designs and waiting to be found. Some are in shops an others are just in the street in platforms. You can go round and collect the codes on them for a chance to win a £100,000 egg, or just wander and take lots of pictures!


It was so nice to just wander around like a tourist, the weather was lovely and I've been to parts of London I would never normally go!!


We managed to find 26/209 of the eggs which was quite good, although I felt I let the boy down as another couple we spotted had all the maps laminated in a book with a checklist and we just had paper maps I printed off at work!!


Here are some of the pictures that we took, as well as some others that I just love, how cute are the egg designs!!!

We managed to cover The City, St James Park, Green Park and part of Carnaby Street. It was a lot of walking but good fun!


The Egg Hunt is designed to raise a lot of money for two big charities, so if you fancy bidding on an egg to own you can!!


For more info if you interested then just visit this site http://www.thebigegghunt.co.uk/, and if you find any eggs or go on the hunt then let me know!! Sorry that its so picture heavy! 


Thanks for reading xx

Bourjois Health Mix Foundation

Evening lovelies, hope you well and having a good week. I'm writing this on Wednesday but if it makes it up before Friday it will be a miracle!!(well I failed because its now Tuesday!) School has taken over my life and not in a good way! But enough of my ramblings...


For the past few months I've been using Bourjois' Healthy Mix Foundation after leaving my make up at home during a trip to the boys parents at Christmas and a rush into town picked this up as it was on offer in Boots.

I've never tried Borjois foundation as it was always more expensive and I didn't feel I could justify it in my student days. Since then there have been loads of reviews on blogs that I've read, many of which have had a totally different experience to me!

For me it is a light to medium coverage foundation which is build able to some degree. It does make my skin look fresh, however this only lasts a couple of hours before it starts to wear. My skin is having a bit of a mare at the moment, breaking out with dry and oily patches and this foundation is not helping! It starts to slide off the oily patches, whilst showing up any dry patches and it doesn't cover up any blemishes, instead clogging around them and making then stand out more, even with concealer. 


The shade range is ok, more suited if you have a more yellow skin tone as this can make me look orange - I picked shade 52 as I'm not exceptionally pale but still lack a lot of colour!


My biggest bug bear with this product is the packaging. I don't know if it's just my bottle but I can't store it away, I have to stand it upside down otherwise the pump doesn't work and I can't get any product out! If I forget to put it upside then I can forget using it in the morning as it won't work at all, does anyone else have this?


For someone who has nearly clear to flawless skin this would be fine for them, being a good base but for me with my split personality skin it's all a bit stressful and now I'm just trying to use it up, mixing it with other products.


It wouldn't be something I will repurchase sadly, but it wouldn't stop me trying other foundations from Bourjois in the future.


What do you think? Have you tried it and loved it or loathed it?


Thanks for reading xx

Shopping my Stash #5

Morning lovelies, hope your well for a Monday morning. This is the first time I've sat down and been able to get a stash shopping post written but as I'm ahead with my school work I thought I would write one for you :)

Face:

Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation - Still not loving it, but trying to use it up more then anything - damn spending ban :(

17 Cosmetics Photo Finish Primer - again this is because of my massive dislike of the foundation, this is a must!

Benefit Erase Paste - I love this, so happy to still be using it!

Benefit Coralista - Gives a gorgeous fresh glow, this is one of my favourites at the moment.

Eyes: 

E.L.F 32 Colour Palette - I dug this out because I love one of the colours as an eyebrow fill and thought I would keep using it, some colours are very neglected though (hello bright blue?!)


Maybelline The Falsies Mascara - Love this!


So there you go, my face for this week, next week I think I will delve deeper into my collection and see what I can find!


What are you wearing this week?


Thanks for reading xx