Vivienne Westwood By Melissa Lady Dragon Pom Pom shoes!!!

Hello!

Hope you're all ok!

Had a good day today in the respect that it was the last teaching day before Easter (training day tomorrow :-( )
and my beautiful new Vivienne Westwood shoes have arrived!!!

I know they're not technically a beauty item, but I couldn't resist showing you all!
They are so beautiful!
If you know me, you will know that I have been obsessed with Vivy since I was about 14. So 11 years later I'm still collecting like mad! I love her!!!

xxx

Sephora, Boots haul

Hello xxx

My lovely boyfriends mum just came back from one of her regular trips to the US, and she picked me up a couple of things from my beloved Sephora.

Firstly a pot of Bella Bamba by Benefit, basically just because it's cheaper over there. It was $28 about £15, instead of £23.

Then I finally got my hands on the must sort after, Fairydrops mascara. :-) So, so happy...can't wait to review it for you...it's AMAZING!!!

At Boots I picked up two of the Maybelline 24hr tattoo eye shadows in On and on bronze, and eternal gold. Will review these once I've tried them.

Grabbed some new dry shampoo by Lee Stafford-I'm trying mid brown, because, even though my hair is bright red, the white Batiste is a nightmare!!! Make one for red hair!!!

I grabbed a couple of other essential things such as powder etc, because it's 3 for 2 on hair and beauty. I saved about £20, which is great, so I was happy!

Finally I went to HMV and fell in love with the Monster Harajuku Lovers headphones. I love Beats by Dre, so knowing they were Monster, I know they'd be fab! Plus they are beyond cute!!!!! I couldn't resist!

Hope you all had a lovely weekend cxxx

Caviar Manicure - Ciaté

Hello xxx


This looks sooooooo fab!!!!

http://www.ciate.co.uk/caviar-mancure-set-rainbow.html

Such an exciting product!!! Can't WAIT to try this out!!!!

They will retail at £18, which I think it pretty reasonable for such a cool concept!

Ali xxxx

OPI Spider-Man Nail Polish Collection

Hello xxxx

Eeeeek too excited! Two of my favourite things all rolled in to one!

Comic book characters and nail varnish!

Soooo happy when I heard about this and the collection looks exciting...for the most part.

Call Me Gwen-Ever. Lovely orange shade. Very summery!

Into The Night - Stunning iridescent navy. Very chic. Love it!

Just Spotted The Lizard - Gorgeous!!! Totally up my street! Love it!

My Boyfriend Scales Walls - White varnish. Yaaawwn... ;-)

Number One Nemesis - Beautiful slate shimmer. I need to own this.

Shatter The Scales - A teal shimmer shatter. Nice colour, but I hate shatter varnish.

Your Web or Mine - A gorgeous bright pink

So, there they are. Due to be released in May! Love the shades, love the names, can't wait to buy them!!!

Wish there was a rich red though to go with the navy :-(

xxx

Mac Pigment samples The Body Needs

Hello xxxx

I love MAC pigments but they are so expensive, and often there is just too much product, especially if you aren't keen on the colour you've bought.

I decided to buy some MAC pigment samples but found that the websites selling them either didn't seem legit, or were majorly overpriced.

I decided, after a bit of digging around, that I would buy some GENUINE MAC pigment samples from an American site, www.thebodyneeds2.com.

The site has a fantastic selection of pigments and MAC lipstick samples, and it took me ages to choose!
I ordered the following five pigment samples: Teal, Old Gold, Blue Brown, Magenta madness, Jewelmarine.

The pigments I purchased were between $1.99 and $2.79, which is only about £1.20-£1.90. So, as you can see, really good value. You get about 1/4 of a teaspoon, which doesn't sound a lot, but believe me, a little goes a long way!

The postage was about £6.00 which was a bit steep, but it was been shipped from America, and I had the comfort of knowing the product was genuine MAC.

I won't do a review now, however, I'll try and do some looks in the next few weeks xxx

OPI Nail Envy Review

Hello xxx

I bought the OPI Nail Envy a couple of weeks ago because my nails were awful! They were short, ridged, unkempt and embarrassing. I had to wear false nails all the time which I hated, and I was desperate to have long, strong nails.

I have been using Nail Envy for 3 weeks now and Wow...my nails are amazing! I can't quite believe it!
A definite buy if you need strong nails with amazing length, in hardly any time at all!

Wearing Nicki Minaj 'Save Me' over the Nail Envy base coat.

Boots 17 BB Balm review

Hi xxx

I bought this a couple of weeks ago on a whim, and I have to say I'm pleasantly surprised!

I have tried the Garnier BB cream and it made my sensitive skins break out and crack, which was uncomfortable not to mention red.

This balm however is fantastic. A bargain at £6.99, I purchased it in the Medium shade. It melts in to the skin and creates a lovely finish. I used it as a primer under by Bare minerals foundation a few times, and that worked well, however, when I tried it on it's own, it just couldn't stand up to the ware and tear of day to day life. By lunch time it had sunk in to the skin and I looked as if I was makeup free.

I persevered however, and discovered that a layer of this covered with translucent powder to set, lasts all day, and longer. It is a fantastic combo.

Now, I'm a girl who loves her full coverage foundations; if you had told me that I would be going out with just a BB cream on and a bit of powder, I'd have run away and hid. However, now I'm converted. I haven't worn foundation for a week! Nothing! This is massive for me.

I have felt confident and comfortable enough in this cream to venture out to work, shopping and everything else that happens on a day to day basis. It gives great coverage without weighing your skin down. I can't praise it enough!

It really is worth the money. I will buy it again when it has run out, and perhaps, just maybe, I might be foundation free for a little while longer!

Blame the angry face on Glossy box :-)

Ali xxx

Harrods Glossybox

Humph...well, where to start.

I was soooo excited about receiving the Harrods Glossybox. I loved the clever marketing surrounding it, and Glossybox were really selling this as an amazing month.

When I opened the box I was pleasantly surprised by the actual Glossybox itself, nice colour, very chic.
When I opened it though I was majorly disappointed.

Nothing jumped out at me as exciting, and to be honest I just read the card we were sent straight away, rather than having a look through. Everything looked tiny, not particularly exciting and on the whole a massive let down.

I received:

A tiny (I mean tiny) sample of Versace - Vanitas Versace Eau De Parfum.

Cute bottle, but to be honest, you could get this free at perfume counters. Disappointment number one.

A half size of the Bliss Blood Orange and White Pepper Body Butter.

This is ok, I mean, this is reasonably inexpensive anyway in my opinion, and Bliss aren't a high end brand I would associate with Harrods, but it wasn't the worst product in there.

A teeny pot of Revive Intensite Creme Lustre
This would be great if I was older and actually had sagging skin around my eyes. Even as a preventative, it seems a little premature. Do you not read the profiles we filled in Glossybox? I do not need firming cream!

A small sample of Lancome Teint Miracle Foundation

This is a nice shade, and I like Lancome as a brand, so, although it is a minuscule sample, it will be good to try out.

Finally I received, the Clarins Extra Firming Body Cream. I like Clarins, don't get me wrong, but I do not need firming cream!!! Read our profiles Glossybox!

So, yep, you got it. No full size product. Rubbish.

I'm not posting any pictures because I didn't think they were even worth photographing.
This is easily the most disappointing box I have received, and it feels like such a waste of money.
How many more chances do Glossybox want?
 I was desperate for them to redeem themselves with this one.
Sadly they went down even further in my estimations.
So disappointing.
What makes me even angrier is reading all the other blogs and watching the reviews on you tube. So many people are disappointed. So many of these people are telling prospective subscribers how disappointed they are.

 Don't you care Glossybox?
Sort it out.

Just didn't live up to the hype.

Ali xxx

Benefit they're Real! Mascara Review

Hello xxx

Thought I would do a quick review of this product, as I used it today after a few months of not using it, and sadly my brain forgot to remind me how much I hated it before I put it on my poor eyes!

Anyway, as a fan of Benefit products, and on the recommendation of a friend, I decided to give the they're Real! mascara a go. At £16.50 I assumed it would be good, especially as it is a benefit product.  How wrong was I?

I know the mascara has a loyal number of followers on blogs and articles, but I just can not for the life of me understand why! It is awful!

The Pros (sorry I can only think of two!)
1. The packaging and and tube is nice and stylish. Looks really sleek, plus I loved Benefit's advertisement campaign for the mascara.
2. The end of the wand reminds me of my personal favourite Givenchy Phenomen'Eyes, however the looks they create are worlds apart.

The cons
1. The wand doesn't collect enough product to make any difference, at least not on my lashes. It just adds the colour to my lashes rather than performing the magical false lash effect that Benefit imply will happen.

2. The actual product is a NIGHTMARE to remove from your lashes. It clumps, sticks and glues your lashes together, and no amount of eye make up removal liquid will shift it! It's horrible!

3. The price. For £16.50 I expect more from my mascara. I felt ripped of by Benefit. In my opinion it just does not live up to it's claims.

So in conclusion, I would stay steer clear of this one, save yourself the money, or put another couple of pounds in the pot and buy the YSL Faux Cils. It makes my naturally long lashes look as if I've just had them dyed, it doesn't lengthen or curl them anymore than they already are. So, it's just not worth trying.

Really disappointed with Benefit this time around, as they are usually my go to brand. But hey ho, I'm glad I tried it out at least. It's not going in the bin, but it can live in the mascara box of doom in my bedroom! Mwahahahah :-)

Ali xxxx

Modelco FIBRE LASH review

Hello xxx

Hope you're all ok : )

I've been desperate to review this product since I first bought it, because I know there will be so many people out there, who, like me, were faffing around for months not knowing whether to risk the £35 price tag for this wonder product.

I am here today to say GO FOR IT!

I bought the Fibre Lash about 2 months ago from Boots. It cost £35, and believe me I spent hours and hours trailing blogs and you tube videos, just to make sure I wasn't wasting the money. I had tried the product out in Boots when it was first launched, however, the results just didn't convince me. I have naturally long lashes and the eye I had my normal mascara on didn't look much different to the Fibre Lash eye, so after much deliberating, I left Boots empty handed and began thinking about the product for months after!

About two months ago I decided to bite the bullet and just buy it, I thought that if I was the one applying I might see different results than I had got when the Boots employee did it. I was so right.

The product with consists of a tube of mascara and smaller tube of the tiny fibres, comes in a lovely box with a velvet feel inner. It's a really exciting product, and I couldn't wait to get home to try it out properly.

I instantly fell in love with the curl the mascara gave me, even before applying the fibre lash step! So, since my first application I have been experimenting with it ever since, layering up and trying it with different mascaras.

Picture taken from Boots website

So in 3 simple steps, the product promises "false lash effect" lashes. A bold promise, but one, it seems, Modelco can deliver!

My make up free lashes, not curled and looking a little flat.

Step 1: Apply the mascara product. In my opinion great lash extension is achieved straight away!

Step 2: Apply the white fluffy stuff, using the mascara wand. Do this straight away so that it sticks to the layer of mascara.  Keep your eye looking down so that no pesky fluff bits get in your eye!

Step 3: Wait 30 seconds and then apply another layer of the black mascara product. I personally can't see much difference with one application of fluff, from just the mascara step, so I usually repeat steps 2 and 3 again.


Step 4: Apply another layer of fluffy stuff. Wait 30 seconds.

Step 5: One more layer of mascara and we're done!


I'm really impressed with this product, there is no denying that it extends the lashes and makes them look fuller. It does create a false lash effect and you can layer it up to get the desired effect. The only thing I would say is that 3 layers look too clumpy and because the product only lasts as long as the fluff lasts, then I would try and savour it slightly.

Would I buy the product again? Hmmm, perhaps, don't get me wrong, I love it, but having longer lashes and getting a nice lengthened effect with other mascaras, puts me off forking out the £35 again. However, if I had very short, sparse lashes then £35 would be incredibly reasonable, if I could be getting the length I wanted without the fuss of sticking on falsies everyday.

An amazing product that is worth a try at least once, just so that you can see for yourself how clever the little fibres are!

Love Ali xxx

Ps. Sorry about the pictures, had to use the iPhone, that's why I look like a lobster! :-)











 

Weekend!

Hello xxx

It's been a long week, so I'm looking forward to a relaxing weekend. 

I've got a couple of reviews coming up in the next couple of days, so I'm looking forward to doing those.

I'm also going in to town tomorrow, so no doubt I be nipping to Harvey Nichols and Boots to pick up some new things to try out.

See you soon, and hope you're having a great weekend 

xxxx

Mini Boots haul and Mac Viva Glam Nicki

Hello x

Just been to Boots after work. Popped in for some Bongela (Booo Wisdom teeth) and ended up with a bag of goodies.

I needed some new skin care items, so managed to buy some of those, plus the make up section was calling me, and I couldn't resist!

Make up and skin care

I borrowed this image from google because my camera is being ridiculous and just won't behave! I'm looking forward to trying this. It was a completely spare of the moment grab, but when I sampled a bit on my hand it just seemed to glide on and disappear. Really lovely. Will review in a week or so, once it's had a good innings. Boots, £6.99.

Broadway Nails are great. They look really natural and last for ages. I won't be using these for a while as I'm trying to grown my own with a little help from OPI . However these are a massive recommendation, they are the best false nail I've tried.

http://ramblingsofabeautyjunkie.blogspot.com/2012/02/opi-avoplex-oil-and-opi-nail-envy.html

Boots, £4.40

Boots, £2.99! Bargain.

 I saw this on a video on youtube and was eager to try it, as the beauty-guru who recommended it described her skin type, and it completely matched mine; I get dry skin on the face arms and legs mostly. It has a gorgeous scent, but isn't over powering. Apparently after a few weeks of use it will leave your skin amazingly moisturised for the following 7 days. Suits me if it works,! I'll give it a try and let you know.

http://www.youtube.com/user/isobelrose27?ob=0&feature=results_video#p/u/0/2TCB7DRAaF4

This is Isobelrose27's channel, where I first heard of this moisturiser. She's fantastic and has a great blog.

Finally I picked up some Nivea skincare. In my opinion, you can't really go wrong with Nivea. At the moment I have visible pours, dry skin...all the horrible stuff that comes with being run down and weather beaten. I'm hoping these have some effect. I just bought some Stream Cream too, but I might save that until my skin as improved. Also all of the above products were on 3 for 2 skincare, so I got the Nivea Night cream and the Garnier Body for free! Happy purse, Happy me!

MAC Viva Glam Nicki Minaj

I was super excited, as you all know, about the new Viva Glam lipstick from Mac. My advanced purchase arrived the day before yesterday and it is BEAUTIFUL! Such a pretty pink, and so different to the gorgeous pale Gaga shade.

My camera is being naughty so sadly I couldn't manage a picture that really got the yellowy, pink tone of the lipstick.

Nicki (t) Gaga (b)

I seriously loved the Gaga pale pink lipstick and have boxes of it stockpiled, however I think I love the Nicki Minaj one even more! It is a bright, in your face pink and it is stunning.

This picture looks awful, so I apologise. I'll do a look with it soon so that you can see how great it looks on a pale skin tone. It's really lovely. I struggle to wear some pinks because I have dyed red hair. To be honest whether this suited me or not I'd be wearing it. It's too pretty!

So, the money I saved at Boots has helped me justify buying another 2 tubes from MAC tonight lol. 

Get ordering now it has been released, if you haven't already, it supports a great cause!

See you soon 

Ali xxx

The Harrods GLOSSYBOX

Well, well, well Glossybox. Hope this makes up for the not so hot, last box!

I'm actually pretty excited about this! I love Harrods. I'm a total sucker for high end products, and I always get sucked in to the hype.

I think the whole mystery box thing and the daily letter was really cool. I loved the little business card we all received and think it's been a pretty exciting build up.

To be honest, even though I was clicking the box everyday and receiving my letters, I had no idea it was spelling Knightsbridge lol bit slow on the uptake I think! From checking on the GLOSSYBOX Facebook page though, I don't think I was the only one.

I hope and pray that GLOSSYBOX do this box justice. The build up has been so extensive, that if it isn't amazing, then a lot of people will feel really let down. Also, the feeling I get from other blogs and from some Youtube videos, this is the last chance for GLOSSYBOX, for a lot of people. This box will either persuade people to stay subscribing, or it will completely put them off and they will cancel.

I don't think I'm feeling like this. Of course I wass mildy disappointed with the last months box, but I really have faith that GLOSSYBOX can bring it back. 

So, lets see what March brings. I know some people love spoiling the GLOSSYBOX for everyone, by blurting what's in it before release date. I hope I don't hear any rumours of the contents, because I'll be so disappointed :-( I love, love, love the surprise each month!

So, exciting times ahead people, lets see what we get!

Ali xxx

OPI App

I downloaded this App from the iPhone a few months ago. Anything OPI and I'm there.

It's a cool little App, doesn't do an awful lot, but it's pretty handy if you're an OPI fan.

It has a few different features, the coolest of which is the colour wheel. It has practically all the OPI colours you can imagine, and it gives you the opportunity to try the colours out on a hand that matches your skin tone.

The App updates its colours everytime you go on, so you know it's up to date. The colours are sorted in to collections AND colours. It's really handy to see what else OPI offers.

Another feature, which I don't really use, is the search bar. It would be handy if you liked an old colour, but we're unsure if it was still available.
I really like the favourites section as well. It gives you the chance to store the names of your favourite colours, which is pretty handy if out shopping, or to sen as a present list to the boyfriend ;-)

Overall, if you love OPI, it's an ok App. Got a lot of cool features but not massively entertaining. It's more of a go to place for information on colors, Worth a download. Plus it's free!

Ali xxx