You Need This Now!

Vaseline have released a new Lip Therapy product! (The cute travel size vaseline in a tin - didn't know they were called Lip Therapy either...)

The original Vaseline is/was great, my mum always swore by it and would use it on everything from lips to nails, hands and sunburn! When the small tins came out they were really handy and a great idea. Then came one with aloe vera, conditioning and calming. But I found both of these products quite greasy and would only wear them indoors or before bed...




Next up was SPF in a yellow tin, great for holidays, but still greasy.

Finally, they answered our prayers with a tinted Lip Therapy in a pink tin, which is quite sheer, with a subtle smell and looks great on everyone.

And now *drum roll please* we have Lip Therapy with Cocoa Butter in a liquer coloured tin. This smells gorgeous and while it isn't coloured it is super moisturisng and quite glossy for a balm, I will definitely be wearing this over most of my lip products especially now that it is getting so cold. The cocoa butter in this product also seems to have made the consistency a little thicker and smoother, so rather than greasy it almost feels creamy? It is lush!

Boots are currently offerng 3 for 2 on these treatments which cost £1.89 each. Bargain, so I took two of the new ones and a backup of the tinted one thank you very much!

I think the next step for Vaseline will have to be some sort of application tube?? Easier application, more hygenic and you don't get left with a bit of gloop on your finger...

Happy Shopping!
xo

Polish Pondering...

I have recently become a nail polish fan, I was always taken with a french manicure and well shaped nails but was never keen on painted nails, at least not on me.

The last time I owned polishes I was probably around six or seven, had a good few of them, and painted with them occasionally, mostly walls and soft-furnishings...

I think polished nails look better with a tan, particularly colours which otherwise would make you look a little, well, dead. Blues, greys and purples for example. I love Barry M's bright colours but again not on me, so when I decided to buy some polishes I did it tentatively and safely, neutrals with a hint of shimmer and in warm autumnal colours, and so far the cheapies are winning.

I own Barry M, Revlon, Collection 2000, 17, No.7, Stargazer and Rimmel...

Barry M have a fanastic colour selection, are reasonably priced and are of good quality.

Revlon have some great colours, are a good size, have good colour pay off and seem to last pretty well.

Collection 2000 I will pass on in future same with No.7.

Stargazer are very afforable, have some great colours, dry very quickly and 2 coats make it opaque, they also last for a good amount of time.

Rimmel are a bit blah, blah colours, blah pricing and blah quality.

But my winner so far? 17 Fast Finish. Good price, some great colours, quite good drying time and last really well. The best part for me is the brush, I'm guessing its the length of it, it is quite short and stubby but I find it the easiest to use, it is easy to control and I rarely "go over the lines" and need touchups.

After reading BeautyMarked19's blogpost on their new shades I had to try them, I already owned Toasted Almond, a shimmery neutral colour that goes with everything and always gets me compliments.



So thanks to her for the recommendation, 3 for 2 at Boots at the minute too, so I was a happy camper! Also I might have "borrowed" her image as mine looked keek in comparison, I got the brown shimmer, ruby shimmer and a rich green shimmer (not pictured).

Happy Shopping!
xo

Sleek Today, Gone Tomorrow...

In a previous post I mentioned that I would happily purchase Sleek products from their website as I trust their quality and the colours on the site are quite true to life. Let me rephrase that, I would happily REPURCHASE products from their website. I much prefer buying goods in person.

What's the difference I hear you cry??

Well I like to feel consistency before buying a product, I like to see the colour on my skin - not just in an image and I like to get an overall idea of product quality and performance, I can't do that by shopping online.

Why is this an issue I hear you protest! Sleek is stocked in Superdrug!

Alas no more. I have been informed it is being "discontinued" just like Eyeko was previously. Considering the surge in popularity both of these brands have received mainly due to the blogging community, I simply don't understand why they would take a seemingly backward step when it comes to product distribution in the market. Many products go from small start-up companies who distribute via their own website, to wanting and aiming to be stocked in stores. These brands appear to be doing the opposite and I simply don't understand why...

I saw a Pout Polish online I was tempted by but when I saw it instore I realised how pigmented it was and how unsuitable it would be for me. Had I purchased online I would have been frustrated and disappointed when it arrived, even though it wouldn't be the company's fault it did not suit me, and I would have had a negative experience with the company, reducing the chances of me wanting to buy from them again - see my Eyeko experience...

So all in all I think this is a sad day for the beauty world, and for these brands. I say we start a petition for them to be stocked in stores, now who is with me?!

xo

October Ins and Outs

IN

Winter boots of all shapes and sizes, especially with leggings or "jeggings"

These are my latest additions to my shoe collection and I love, love, love them!

Scarves

I think I have an addiction to neck scarves/ties/wooly/patterned...especially since I got a cold, scarves save me daily...

Winter Tv

Between new season of Gossip Girl, Dirty Little Liars starting, X Factor and Piers Morgan interviews I get spoiled for choice, I'm sure there are loads I've missed out but with Christmas season comes nostalgic tv, hopefully this year is better than last years disappointing shows! What are your winter tv faves?

Christmas Shopping, lights, decorations

I'm a little early yet, but I am the anti-scrooge. I love everything to do with Christmas and winter. Seeing your breath in the crisp air, hot chocolate, xmas tunes, decorations, shopping trips. I love it! I love spending time picking really great gifts for people that are really original, hiding them and seeing their face when they open it, priceless! My bf also thinks I'm part magpie, if I walk past a shop window that sparkles with fairy lights I always slow down to admire them. Always.


Out

Being Sick

With winter comes colds and flus... :( not nice. Not only do I cough up a lung every 5 minutes, but I get drowsy, have headaches and my nose is now so red I'm sure Santa could use me to replace Rudolph this year and I would surely light the way...

Christmas Goodies

All the treats, sweets and yummy things that are going to make me cry in January when my top button won't. quite. make. it...

Eating Healthy

I live constantly with the "I'm going to be good today" voice. Which is often drowned out as time/money/mood won't allow it... I never seem to know if what I'm eating is healthy either, or if it will help in losing/maintaining weight, so out of frustration I usually give up. With so many diets out there I think we have confused ourselves... eat no protein, eat no carbs, eat no dairy, only eat curry, only eat raw fruit and veg, eat no fruit or veg....Ummm that leaves me with crackers and water...

xx

When You Find A Beauty...

When Sleek finally arrived at my local Superdrug, I got ridiculously excited, I had heard such great reviews and can honestly say that the products I have tried so far are fantastic!

First up the much talked about palettes, I have three of these (Original, Storm and Sunset) and had to talk myself out of buying the others simply because I would never use them as I don't really wear acid bright colours.



The palettes are £5.99 on the site, I don't know if the price of these has increased but I'm pretty sure when I purchased in store it was cheaper. I would definitely pay £5.99 for these as the quality, pigmentation and colours are brilliant. I think they are better applied with a sponge applicator and then blended out with a brush as applying with a brush gives a more subtle wash of colour.

Will definitely repurchase and look out for new autumnal palettes *hint hint*...

Next is the Ink Pot. I wanted to try a high end gel liner but before I spent the cash I thought I would try a cheaper version. I think in the UK there are very few highstreet brands that offer a gel liner, and as I have never used another brand I don't know if I can give a good opinion but I think this is fab. The colour is very true, the formula nice and creamy and it stays on really well. Mine did dry up slightly after a few months (I did leave the lid off overnight once) but I just added a little water and it was fine. The very mini brush that comes with it is a tad pointless but usable.



These are priced £3.99 on the site and come in a range of colours.

On to blush. Very, very pigmented, a little goes a long way. Lovely consistency and lasts a long time. I use mine religiously, probably for around 9 months now and only hit pan a few weeks ago. I will repurchase! I am quite pale but use tanner and bronzer, so I am rarely my natural colour :S I have Coral and want to try others!



Finally I have tried a Pout Polish in Perfect Plum. I love the colour of this gloss, it is very rich and creamy. I don't think it is as moisturising as the site makes out, actually found it a little drying. Again with this a little goes a long way or you will look slightly ridiculous due to the pigmentation. I don't reach for this product very much at all, I find mine has an odd smell/taste, not unpleasant, just odd.



These are £3.99 on the site and come in a range of colours. While it isn't my favourite Sleek product, I would try it in another colour.

I was going to purchase some new sleek products in store this week, but seeing the site has made me want to have a nosey now. I feel I can purchase online with this brand as I know the quality of their products is very good, the images online are pretty true to real life colours and after my disappointing Eyeko haul I could do with a pick me up.

There are so many products I want to try from this brand. I don't think I will try the foundation, as I am very loyal when it comes to that product! But I do want to try *deep breath* some of their powders, concealer (I have never found a really great one), contour powders (I have never really attempted it), eye dusts, mascara, kajal eyeliner (looks scary!), lip sticks and nail polishes...

So far I am very impressed with this brand, it is unfortunate that my local stockist isn't very well stocked, or tidy, which makes shopping for it in person a little "meh", although you can get student discount in store...

Any suggestions on great products from this brand, or promotions they run?

xx

Losing my Eyeko Virginity...Then Regretting It.

Eyeko was still stocked in Superdrug back when I worked there and I was mildly curious about trying their range, but never did.

Since then the blogging community has apparently fallen in love with this range, which has meant a considerable increase in their prices *tut tut*. After reading on many blogs about some of their "best" products I decided to give it a go...

The website was well laid out and their branding is really quirky, quirky but not very expensive looking. Shipping within the UK is free, which is always a bonus and luckily I had an embassador code to use, which also means a free product. So far, so good. Apologies for picture quality, they are taken on a super warm fleecy blanket because I'm not well :(

The first item I picked up was the Eyeko 3-in-1 cream. Gemsmaquillage did a video on this a while back and I was very tempted by it, even though the price has increased from £5 to £8...

When it arrived it did not seem completely full, has anyone else experienced this?




I noticed the pot is not the size it appears from the outside either, the base is raised so less product is in the pot than you may first think.

The product works well as an eyeshadow base, especially for shimmery colours. When I used it as a highlighter over my foundation and bronzer I found it very difficult to blend and the result wasn't overly great. When I applied it on foundation and then applied bronzer on top it blended much better but wasn't as noticable. I definitely won't be trying this product as an eyecream! Disappointed by this, I was expecting more, especially for £8 and I don't think I will be repurchasing unless I can figure out what to do with it.

The next item I purchased was the new Eyeko Magic Mascara. I think the packaging on this product is gorgeous! It takes a lot for me to try new mascaras as I find most of them are over-priced and under-deliver on results. When I heard my holy grail Loreal Voluminous was being discontinued in the UK I bought 4 of them off eBay!

I couldn't get a really great picture of the product but Zoella has one on her blog. She had raved about this product so I thought I would try it. It arrived with a dent in the bottom, which I would have overlooked had I thought it was a really good mascara... It seperates lashes really well, and gives them a good curl, but it is not very thickening or volumising, which results in my lashes looking slightly spidery. Fine for a daytime look but for night I would layer another mascara over it.



Another I won't be repurchasing I think...

I have recently been getting more into nail polishes and thought I would try Eyeko's as they get good reviews. I liked the look of Vampira and Cosmic. The website was offering Vampira for free when you spent a certain amount, so I was quite happy to purchase Cosmic. The polishes look a little on the small side, and although some bloggers like the packaging, I think it looks a little cheap.

However, I can't fault the product itself, the glitter is lovely in both of them and one coat is pretty opaque. I haven't worn these for long enough to know how well they wear, but I really like the colours. I am unsure if I will repurchase as I think some brands on the highstreet offer great polishes in a wide range of colours at a similar price.




The final product I purchased was the Graffiti Eyeliner Pen in Black. I love this product!! I have tried Eyeliner Pens before but the angle you have to hold them at to apply always meant the fluid did not come out right. This is the best liquid eyeliner pen I have ever used. It allows you to create a really fine, straight line, which is buildable and it does not come off easily. Would definitely repurchase and consider other colours, which I think they should expand upon too!



Finally my free embassador code product, well, I didn't get one. Apparently it is stated on the site that each customer can only recieve one promotion at a time, which is fair, I was just unaware of it and was expecting a free gift.

Overall, if it were not for the eyeliner pen this would be a very depressing post. If the items were a little cheaper it may not have been so disappointing but when you consider the quality of brands such as Sleek, 17 and Barry M at the prices they charge, I do not think I will purchase from Eyeko until my eyeliner pen runs out...