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

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

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