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e.l.f. Cosmetics first buy!

I have seen so many blog posts and youtube videos all about e.l.f. cosmetics, and I was really eager to get them a try. They are praised for being an affordable drug store brand with fantastic results, so if that didn't persuade me, the price certainly did!

I visited the e.l.f. UK site, www.eyeslipsface.co.uk, and decided I would only order a couple of things, just to see how my skin reacted. I have really sensitive skin and I'm very prone to eczema on my face and body. I never usually use cheaper cosmetic brands because of this, but often cheap doesn't mean poor quality.

I'm really hoping this is the case for e.l.f. because the range of products looks fantastic!

I was tempted by so much on the site, but a lot of it was out of stock : ( so I only bought three items to start myself off.

Now my parcel has arrived I'm feeling a little stingy and will no doubt go back on later and have another look!

So the three items I chose were the Eyelid Primer in Golden, The Matte Finisher Top Coat and the Individual Lash Kit.

The Matte Finisher nail polish was a definite must, because I have been looking for an affordable alternative to my Nails Inc. version. The reviews on Makeup Alley look promising, so I'm dying to give it a go!

This top coat was only £1.50!!! £1.50!!! I couldn't believe it, so I'm desperate for it to be great! Everyone loves the underdog. It came in a really sleek box and looked much more expensive than it was! The smell is a little strong, but I can live with it. I'll put a review on as soon as I have chance!

The primer was also £1.50, and it comes in four shades, however three of those were out of stock, so I went with golden by default. It has a lovely texture, and its scent isn't terrible, although it does smell a bit chemically. I'm looking forward to reviewing it, although my initial impressions weren't great. Texture great, packaging a bit cheap and the smell, not fab. But hey ho, we'll see how it performs!

Finally the lash kit. You get 18 separate eyelash clumps (lol) in three different sizes. These were £1.50 and they also come with glue, which is great value. I will do a look with these soon. I love false eyelashes for nights out, so these should be a good alternative to the full lash!

The items came so fast in the post! I was really impressed, plus they sent me a text to say that the items had been dispatched! Very organised. All in all, pretty happy with e.l.f. so far. It could be the start of a beautiful thing!


See you all soon

Ali xxx

bareMinerals 7 Piece The Grand Collection with Brushes

I ordered the item from QVC UK. I think QVC is a really underused outlet for beauty purchases. They have some amazing brands, and they are often at much more reasonable prices. This item cost me £43.80, so it was a considered purchase. However, the sheer amount of product you receive in this box makes it more than worth the money. (I'll put a link at the moment to the item. I'm not sure can buy this set anywhere else)

So I've never tried any products from this company before so I did a bit of investigating before hand. I was pretty impressed with people's reviews so I thought I'd give it a shot. 

The set comes with seven products and two full size brushes and I was so impressed when I opened the parcel. The whole kit comes in a giant box version of the bareMinerals foundation tub, so it's super cute.

I naturally have a very pale skin tone, however I usually wear fake tan, so I needed a foundation colour which would give me some colour but also look natural on those pale skin days! I chose Medium Beige, which is a lovely tan tone, which goes on incredibly light, yet pigmented. I am prone to break outs, and due to my recent illness, my skin is not looking its best. I like a good coverage foundation usually, and I never normally stray from the liquid foundations, so I was eager to see if this powder would give me the coverage I wanted.

The great face brush which comes with the set really applies the product in a great way. The more you buff the small amount of powder on to your skin, the more coverage you seem to get. Granted it looks better and seems to stick better over a good primer. However, even without I felt like I had good coverage; and that always give you confidence.

So, as well as the full size foundation you also get a lovely full size blusher in Tickled. The powder is so smooth as it goes on and it is effortless to blend. It gave me a really awake but natural blush and I was really impressed with the staying power.

There are four eye products in the set: the Prime Time eye primer in Cameo Pink, a beautiful deep purple eye shadow in Emotion Matte, the Flawless Definition Mascara and the fantastic Round The Clock Waterproof eye liner in Midnight. 

                                     

The kit comes with a great eye brush; it is soft but very firm to the touch. It applies the product beautifully. The eye liner goes on incredibly smoothly, it is a lovely deep black colour, however it is pretty smudgy, and that's not always great, especially if you want that clean line. I probably wouldn't purchase another black eye liner, however it's a nice edition to the set. The primer sets both products of beautifully. It is smooth, and has a lovely golden shimmer. It makes the eye shadow pop, however the primer can easily be worn as an eye colour in it's own right (see pic 2)

Eye shadow over the Prime Time primer.

Eye liner, mascara and Prime Time primer.

The mascara really lengthens the lashes, and the curling effect is great. This was my lashes without being curled before hand.

The final item in the collection is the Hydrating Lip Tint in Juicy. This tint is very pretty and it slicks on with ease. It's a gorgeous pink and would suit most skin tones.

Grumpy face : (

So here it the finished look with the whole collection on . I've used different eye products on each eye so I apologise for the two face look lol. The foundation coverage is perfect, however I am going to purchase a new Kabuki brush to apply it, because I think this would work better than the brush included. Also, I like a lot of blusher, however if you applied less product you would still get a great sheen. I would definitely buy from bareMinerals again, and I'm really impressed with this as a starter kit!

Ali xxx

http://www.qvcuk.com/ukqic/qvcapp.aspx/view.2/app.detail/params.item.224028?&cookie=set#BVQAWidgetID

OPI Nicki Minaj Collection

Hello x

It's not secret that I love Nicki Minaj. I'm not really a huge fan of her music, but I love her style and persona. She is really good fun and a little bit kooky, and that really appeals to me.

When I heard rumours last years that OPI were planning on collaborating with Nicki Minaj I was so excited!

I knew the colours would be amazing, and that OPI would come up with something great. 

How right I was!

I was over the moon when I saw the preview of the colours on line. They lived up to everything I hoped and I couldn't get my hands on them fast enough. 

I knew the colours would be released in the US first, so I was straight on the Internet and ordering from my favourite wholesale nail shop in Los Angeles.

I wasn't too bothered with the steep shipping costs, because I had to get my hands on these colours and fast!

I decided to buy 5 out of the 6 colours. The reason I didn't buy the sixth colour was because it was a purple shatter. I've seriously gone off the whole shatter look, I think it's totally over done and a bit over hyped, so I decided to not bother.

The varnishes usually cost about £11.00 in the UK. Obviously you can get them cheaper in the USA, however, you've got the shipping costs to factor in. 

So here are the colours.

This is the gorgeous Pink Friday. It's unlike any other pink varnish I own. It is a creamy, sharp, cotton candy pink, and it is seriously stunning. Really beautiful and goes on thickly and evenly. One coat is sometimes enough. Definite must have.

This is possibly my favourite of all the colours, although it's a close competition between all of them them. Fly, is a turquoisey, blue colour which is really deep, yet bright. It paints on to the nail really smoothly and it makes a serious pop of colour on dull days.

Did It On Em, is a gorgeous lime green. Really pungent and bright. It's not as scary as it looks in the bottle. It's a really pretty colour which look particularly great just on the ring finger of one hand. It's really beautiful, and if you're umming and arring about buying it because of the colour, don't be put off. It's well worth it.

So on to the glitters!

Metallic 4 Life is a fantastic varnish which is CRAMMED with different sized dots of black and silver glitter. With a couple of coats it goes on to the nail completely opaque. It looks really sparkly and seriously glimmers in the light. Really sophisticated glitter varnish.

Save Me is not only my favourite glitter in this set, it might actually be my favourite glitter EVER!

My photograph doesn't do it justice! The clear varnish is packed full of tiny silver specks of glitter, however threaded through the glitter are confetti strands of multicoloured glitter! It is unlike any glitter varnish I have ever bought or seen. It is really pretty and looks amazing on top of a clear base or over any of the colours in the collection. A serious must have. 

I'm so sorry I haven't got any pictures of the varnishes on my nails. As you may know from other posts, I've not been well at all recently and I'm recovering from a major operation. Painting my nails is not only impossible at the moment, but pretty much the last thing on my mind : ( 

If you knew me, you would know that is totally out of character. I normally wear a different colour everyday if I can. So having these colours on my varnish shelf, and not being able to use them is serious torture!

As soon as I'm back on my feet I will post some pictures, I promise!

Ali xxx

OPI Avoplex Oil and OPI Nail Envy

Hello everyone,


I bought these two items in a set from QVC UK, called OPI Perfect Partners.
I'm sure you can buy this set at other places, but I find the QVC 30 day money back guarantee a great bonus - plus I got the items on two easy payments, which is always handy.


The 30 day money back feature means that you can try both items, and if you're not happy you can send them back and get a full refund. 


Anyhow, lets start with the Avoplex Oil. The 15ml of oil come in a normal, nail varnish glass bottle. The oil apparently softens and replenishes cuticle oil through it's key ingredients of OPI's Advanced Avocado Liquid Complex, avocado oil and Vitamin E. 

The oil is a golden colour and smells beautiful. I can't describe the smell, but it reminds me of sweet peas or freesia flowers. I've read a few reviews where people have said they dislike the smell. I for one love it. It's very floral but not over powering. You apply the oil twice a day or whenever your cuticles and the skin around your nails looks or feels a little dry. You can't over moisturise so it's perfectly safe to slap this oil of several times a day! Trust me, once it's soaked in, it's so tempting to pop some more on; it's so soothing and gentle.

I have used the oil at least twice a day for the last week. It has made a massive difference to the skin around my nails and the cuticles, so I'm really impressed. Also, according to an OPI technician on QVC, it can help with ridges in the nail. I have a few of those at the moment, however I've not seen a big change yet. 


I love the oil so much, that I'm tempted to buy the oil in a potable pen form, so I can tuck it in my make-up bag. I would recommend this to everyone, even if your cuticles are perfect. It's making big differences in my nails growth and appearance.


On to the Nail Envy. The product is known as an insider top secret for the growth fantastic, healthy and long nails and I was looking forward to trying it out.The glossy varnish will apparently replenish your nail plate's moisture levels and prevent cracking, splitting and peeling. This kind of product is exactly what I need at the moment. The product can be used as a base or top coat, and although it has a strong varnish smell, it goes on smoothly and creates a really high gloss finish.

So, here is the real test. Here are my nails at the moment. They are short, ridged and generally unhealthy. My nails are usually much stronger, however due to my recent few months of constant illness, my nails have really suffered. I'm hoping the Nail Envy has some effect, because I have hundreds of nails varnishes which I am desperate to start wearing again on finger nails that do them justice!

You have to apply an initial base coat once a week, and then you apply another coat, either OVER THE first coat of Nail Envy, or over the top of your regular nail varnish, every other day for a week.
Once you reach the end of the week, you need to remove all your varnish and nail envy and then start all over again. This is a crucial routine if you want full effects.


I will post the results after 2 weeks (this is when you supposedly start seeing results). So keep your fingers crossed people!


Ali xxx

Nicki Minaj Viva Glam!

Hello x

Had to come on here and let you know how excited I was when I checked my email this morning!
MAC had sent me an email letting me know that I could get hold of the new Viva Glam lipstick, which is endorsed my Nicki Minaj, before release.

Eek! So exciting! Sadly I can only order one :( but that'll keep me happy until March when I can buy a couple more. I always buy a few of the Viva Glam sets because they sell out so quickly, also the money goes to such a worthy cause. It's important we support it.

Will let you know when it arrives :)



A xxx

First Post! February GLOSSYBOX!

Hi everyone x

So, here is the first post of my new blog. 

I deleted the old one and decided to have a fresh start.

I've got a mass of new products to review, because, as you will soon find out, I'm utterly addicted to buying new beauty products. 

However, I thought I'd begin with the newest offer from Glossybox.

I was really excited when the package arrived this morning; I've not been at work for the last 3 weeks because I'm recovering from an operation, so it was a nice treat.

This months Glossybox is another limited edition, entitled "The Fashion Week Edition", to celebrate the fantastic London Fashion Week.

Apparently the box contains "5 fabulous essentials to keep you looking your fashionable best"

When I first opened the packaging I was greeted by a lovely pale pink box, which will look beautiful next to my other empty Glossyboxes which I fill will all my various make up brushes. 

As you will know, if you subscribe to any of the monthly beauty boxes, that the anticipation and excitement when opening it is fantastic! I never cheat by looking on line to see if anyone has received theirs first. It's great to get a totally unexpected surprise every month!

So, back to the box. I opened the box, put all the paperwork to one side and then peeled back the tissue...and...well, to be honest, I wasn't instantly blown away.

Don't get me wrong, the boxes are always presented beautifully, just this time the contents didn't give me that kind of 'I need to dive in' feeling.

The first item that really caught my eye was the Impress Press on Manicure by Broadway Nails.

I like Broadway nails. I love their short everyday press on nails, and they are a staple in my beauty bag. They are great for a quick fix, they look great, and they last for ages. Anyway, back to the product. The packaging was pretty interesting and I had to resist opening it, so that I could investigate the rest of my box. 

The next item was a sweet, little lip gloss, and I instantly recognised the name on the packaging-Duwop.

The tube (according to the contents card in the box) is half the size of a full tube, which is worth £16, so in my opinion, that's pretty good going. This gloss has a slightly peach tint to it, and it smells gorgeous. It should be a winner, and is a great size for slipping in to your clutch bag on a night out, or into your hand luggage on the plane.

Next up, I spied a tiny little powder pot. This is a 1g pot of BM beauty mineral eye-shadow in Dusty Road. 

I tried to swatch it for a photograph, but my camera just couldn't pick up the intense but sheer shimmer to the rusty, gold colour. I love mineral products but I've never tried BM, so hopefully this will be the start of something good, and, even though the pot is tiny, it should last for quite a while, because a little goes a long way with powders like this.

The final two products weren't really up my street, but still were very generous sizes. I'm not big in to trying new hair care products, I'm a make up girl at heart, but the Paul Mitchell Quick Slip styling product smells lovely, and I'm sure it will cheer up my hair when I'm eventually up and about again (next week hopefully!)

The final product was a shower gel by Coco Shambhala. I'm not a massive shower gel person as I have quite sensitive skin, however the product contains essential oils, smells glorious and might be nice as an extra treat for my mum, along with her Mother's Day gifts. 

So that was the February Glossybox, initially not that exciting, but once I looked everything over, I was pretty happy with the selection...however, one more thing caught my eye as I popped everything back in the box!

A little black business card was slotted under a flyer for London Fashion Week, and as you can see from the picture, it looks really, really exciting!

So on the 24th of February I will have a look and see what all the mystery is about, and then I'll let you all know!

Hope you have a lovely week,

A x