I've Been Away A While...

Hello All

(or whoever is still reading my blog, after the closure of Google Reader!)

It has been over a month since my last blog post and boy, oh boy, the past month has been crazy!

I have so much to talk about, as always. So expect to see a lot more posts coming up.

I have 5 days off work, starting tomorrow, as part of my Birthweek celebrations. Yes, on Monday 8th, I turn 26 years young! And in my usual style, I'm going all-out on the celebrations!

Tonight, I am going to Wolverhampton, for a few drinks at The Giffard Arms, with my lovely sister. I love The Giff, it's an awesome 'rock pub', similar to my favourite hometown pub, The Yorkshire House, except The Giff is larger, with 2 floors, a beer garden and a 2 dancefloors (and an awesome gothic chair!).

Friday - Alton Towers with my sister, then home, quick change and off to Aberystwyth, for a night of camping, sunset on the beach and drinks, with 3 of my good lad mates

Saturday - Day at the seaside in Aber, then a meal and drinks with friends in the evening

Sunday - LONDON!!!

Monday - LONDON!!! Yes, I will be waking up in London on my actual birthday - way too excited about this!

Tuesday - Chill out day, lunch, cupcake catch-up with my bestest in the lovely Ironbridge, then cinema to see Now You See Me

I'M SO EXCITED, I NEED TO SHOUT!!!

(This is a joke between a couple of friends and I, FYI)

Anywhoooo, enough of the over-excited rambling...

Here's a bit of what I've been up to since my last post:

I went blonde (for a couple of days)

I became a mermaid (well, almost...)

I finally got to see BON JOVI live, supported by one of my favourite bands, Kids in Glass Houses

I rocked out at Download Festival

I met some awesome people!

I took my parents away for mum's birthday and a late Father's Day treat, to New Brighton and Liverpool for a night and 2 days

I bought some new Jeffrey Campbell boots!

I've shared some hilarious times with great friends

I had a lovely day out at Dudley Zoo and Castle

I've shopped, oh man, have I shopped!

 (This is my Liverpool haul - going to Liverpool on payday was a bad idea!)

and I've been working out at the gym

In the space of a month, I've lost half a stone, my blood pressure has dropped and my resting heart beat has lowered. My water intake was low, but my assessment was the day after I came home from Download...

That's enough from me for now, massive ramble there!

Life is good and I'm just really happy :)

xXx

Escentual #MicellarBlindTrial

Micellar water has become a big thing in beauty recently. It cleanses, removes make-up, unclogs pores and so much more.

I've been using up small samples from various brands and I was on the search for a good micellar water to order a full-size bottle of! So, I was really excited when I received an email from Escentual, asking if I would like to take part in their 14 day #MicellarBlindTrial. I jumped at the chance!

100 people were selected and we all received 7 generous 20ml dropper bottles of micellar water, from 7 different brands...

BUT...

We do not know which is which! The bottles are simply labelled Sample A - Sample G.

How exciting?!

The brands in this trial are Dior, Caudalie, Bioderma, Nuxe, La Roche-Posay, Vichy and Avène.

I think that this is a fantastic idea and I am really excited to have been a part of the trial.

I haven't seen dropper bottles since school, this feels like a fun science experiment!

Last year, I received Taaj micellar water in one of my old beauty boxes and that stuff was great!

I found the majority of the micellar waters nice to use, except for one...

Sample B -Well, this caused me some problems! My skin flared up, went red, blotchy and a load of spots appeared, almost immediately. This may sound stupid, but after a few days break, using different micellar waters (which helped my skin recover), I decided to return to Sample B, just to check! The result, immediate bad skin, again. Confirming that it was Sample B. When I told my mum, she had a stress. I've always had sensitive skin, so the very perfumed Sample B did not go well with my skin! My sister and friend even commented a couple of times on my 'blotchy' skin. One of my sister's comments was "You haven't had spots like that in years! Eurgh!". Charming, I know. But that is how bad my skin reacted!

I have now submitted my results, via Escentual's very tough survey. It was difficult to choose a favourite, but Sample C definitely stood out to me, as it really helped to soothe, calm and cleanse my skin, particularly after my incident with Sample B. Sample C was a bit of a saviour. I would probably try all the micellar waters again, bar Sample B. Though some were quite drying. Sample A had a strong scent, which I read a lot of people were not fond of, but it was quite nice, in my opinion. All others (apart from the highly perfumed Sample B) had quite nice, refreshing scents, some almost unscented.

Thank you to Escentual, for giving us this opportunity.

I look forward to the reveal of what brands were which samples.

Have you tried micellar water?

Any recommendations?

xXx

Illamasqua Paranormal Collection UV Nail Polish 'Omen'

Last Sunday, I attended Illamasqua's monthly Beauty School Drop-In, at Selfridges, Birmingham. More about that soon!

And of course, I couldn't walk away from the Illamasqua counter empty-handed...

Illamasqua have just launched their new Paranormal Collection and from seeing a sneak peak of the glittery UV polishes in last month's Company Magazine, I knew I had to have some!

I used my BlanX White Shock LED light to check out the UV effect, wow!

I'm not usually a fan of green nails, but Omen, the green, glittery polish from the Paranormal Collection, really stood out to me! It's a gorgeous colour. The other colours available are Ouija (pink), Séance (purple) and Geist (a clear UV topcoat). I already have many pink and purple polishes, but I would love to try these Paranormal polishes too!

I love the display!

The Polish:

Omen is a beautiful light green, glitterful polish.

It is UV, as are all the Paranormal polishes.

The shade reminds me of Ariel, The Little Mermaid's fin. And anything mermaid is a winner with me!

I'm in love with this polish!

This is my second Illamasqua nail polish, but I definitely plan to buy more soon! You can read my review of Scarce, the speckled polish from the I'mperfection Collection, here.

Illamasqua polishes are a little more expensive than the usual high-street/drugstore brands, such as Barry M and Models Own. Retailing at £15 each, the price is high but you definitely get what you pay for, great quality! The price is the only reason that I didn't buy all 4 of the Paranormal polishes.

Here's the polish...

and here it is, after 5 days! I rarely keep polishes on for more than 2 days but I love Omen so much, I kept it on the whole week!

It only started to chip on day 5, so impressed, great wear!
Only 2 coats were required for good coverage.

What do you think of the Paranormal Collection?

Do you like green nails?

xXx

MAC Hayley Williams Sounds Like Noise Lipstick Review & Swatches

MAC Hayley Williams Sounds Like Noise: Bright Matte Orange Lipstick

Orange lipstick? Yes, orange lipstick!

Who loves orange lipstick? Zoe loves orange lipstick. Is it true? Mm-hmm. I do, I do ,I do, I do, I do-ooh! :)

(If you get the reference, awesome!)

When I heard that MAC were collaborating with Hayley Williams from Paramore, I was intrigued. Hayley's style is unique and I love how she works crazy colours, not only clothes, but hair and beauty too. I've always liked Paramore. I remember when I first heard Emergency, way back in 2006/7, then bought their album. Paramore are still around, making music and I love their new track 'Still Into You', it's so catchy!

I hadn't planned to buy anything from the Hayley Williams MAC collection at first, mainly as I'm trying to save money and wasn't so sure on the very orange-based collection.

However, when the products were released a few weeks back, the hype and swatches made me NEED to buy in to the collection. Plus, there was free delivery, SOLD.

By the time I went on the MAC website, the gorgeous eyeshadow had sold out (boohoo!), BUT, the lipstick was still available! I love MAC lipsticks. Since I bought my first (MAC Disney Venomous Villains Violetta) back in 2010, my MAC lipstick collection has grown and grown. I'll be blogging about my collection very soon.

On to the lipstick:

Being a matte lipstick, it is slightly drying, but not as much as others that I have tried and application was smooth.

Opaque colour is achievable in just one swipe.

£14, MAC Cosmetics.

Unfortunately, this is now sold out but there are many other orange lipsticks available.

Orange is a big beauty trend this year and is perfect for the summer months! I have another bright orange lipstick, Barry M's 117, which I have only ever used once, when I dressed as a pumpkin many-a Halloween ago! I must dig it out and try it again.

Here I am, wearing Sounds Like Noise on a day out in Aberystwyth with my parents :)

Bubblegum ice cream - delicious! We then did a 6 mile coastal walk to Borth, so technically, I worked it off, right?!

I'm a massive lipstick fan and I will wear any and every shade. I have everything from standard nude, pinks, reds, to crazy colours like black, green and blue!

What do you think of orange lipstick?

Are you experimental with lipstick?

xXx

Roger & Gallet Fleur de Figuier Replenishing Body Lotion and Soap

Yesterday, I received an exciting package.

What was in the package?

Well, it was 2 of Roger & Gallet's new products from their Fleur de Figuier range.

As soon as I opened the package, the gorgeous fruity fragrance wafted out! What a delightful scent.

The scent is very zesty and feminine. It's a great scent for summer days.

If you like the smell of grapefruit and fig, you'll love this range!

I received the Fleur de Figuier Soap and Fleur de Figuier Replenishing Body Lotion.

Fleur de Figuier Soap Travel Box (RRP £5.50, 100g):

Well, I'm not usually a fan of soaps, especially perfumed soaps, as my sensitive skin does not appreciate them. So, I was slightly worried about this highly perfumed soap, BUT, this is kind to my skin.

The soap comes with a plastic travel box, which is handy to store the soap and once I have finished the soap, I will use it for another soap that fits!

The soap is soft of the skin, super-lathering and the scent is strong and sensational.

Among the qualitities, this soap is 100% plant based, hypoallergenic, paraben free, dermatalogically tested, suitable for vegetarians and vegans.

Fleur de Figuier Replenishing Body Lotion (RRP £12.50, 200ml):

Body lotion is always good. I have so much body lotion to get through, but this is a lovely addition to my hoard.

With 24 hour hydration, Fleur de Figuier Replenishing Body Lotion provides the skin with so much moisture, without being greasy, which is a big plus. It leaves the skin smelling lovely and the scent really lasts on the skin.

Fast absorbing and light on skin, what more could you want from a body lotion?

Infused with fig pulp, for softening and suppleness, along with a bunch of other glorious ingredients: glycerine to hydrate the skin, olive oil for its antioxidant properties and vitamin content and shea butter, for nourishing, moisturising and refreshing.

Also in the new Fleur de Figuier range, is a Fresh Fragrant Water and a Gentle Shower Cream. These are definitely on my wishlist!

Roger & Gallet products can be found in Marks & Spencer stores.

The new Fleur de Figuier range has just been released (May 2013), so get down to M&S, give them a sniff and buy, you won't be disappointed!

While you are there, check out Roger & Gallet's other products. Roger & Gallet are a great brand and I have been very impressed with all of the products that I have tried.

Treat yourself, or treat a loved one. Roger & Gallet products would make lovely gifts :)

Click here for a full list of Roger & Gallet stockists.

Have you tried Roger & Gallet?

xXx

Disclaimer: I was sent these Roger & Gallet to try out, thank you to Steph for these. As always, all opinions are 100% honest and my own.

NOTD: Birds in the Sky

Late last night, I had a sudden nail art idea. I wanted to try out some more of my Skin Art Nail Tattoos and thought up a cute idea, using the bird tattoos and some old nail polishes that I haven't used in a while, Barry M's Blueberry Ice Cream and 17's Mini Skirt.

This is such a simple, yet great nail art design to do.

Firstly, apply the blue base, I used Barry M's Blueberry Ice Cream (which is the same colour as my car! Pretty cool.).

Once the base is dry, get a small piece of sponge, I tore a little piece off a bath sponge that I bought especially for nail art. Paint the white polish on to the sponge, I used 17's (now known as Seventeen) Mini Skirt. Then simply dab the sponge over the nails.

When the white has dried, clear up any mess around the nails. I used a cotton bud with a little nail polish remover to clear up the white that had gone beyond my nails.

Next, apply the birds. (If you have patience and a steady hand, you can create birds using nail polish or a nail art pen!). I used Skin Art's Nail Tattoos, which were in my goodie bag from the #NorthMeetUp. I used my tweezers to pick the tattoos from the backing sheet, then applied them to my nails, pressing firmly to secure.

Finally, apply a top coat to finish and seal. I used Barry M's All in One.

I found that the top coat improved the look of the sponged white polish, giving it a smoother, more cloud-like look.

Here's what the clouds looked like before applying a top coat.

and here's everything I used:

I'm really impressed with how well this nail art came out and I love Skin Art's Nail Tattoos! I have many more to use, so expect to see more nail art very soon.

xXx

Disclaimer: The Skin Art Nail Tattoos were in the goodie bag from the #NorthMeetUp. Everything else was purchased by me.

Beautiful Bargains: Dainty Doll Blusher

Dainty Doll is a brand that I have been wanting to try for a long time, so I was very excited when I found a whole selection of Dainty Doll cosmetics at bargain prices, on a stall in the Metrocentre, during last month's Newcastle trip. I instantly fell in love with the blushers!

Dainty Doll is Nicola Roberts from Girls Aloud's cosmetic brand, aimed at pale-skinned beauties. I've never been a fan on Girls Aloud, but I love how Nicola has become a style and beauty icon, ditching the fake tan and embracing the pale! She always looks beautiful.

I picked up 2 products, 2 Dainty Doll powder blushers.

I chose 002 My Girl and 004 You Are My Sunshine.

My Girl is a lovely light pink shade with a subtle shimmer, whilst You Are My Sunshine is a gorgeous shimmery summer coral.

How much did they cost? Well, I picked these up for the bargain price of just £2.99 each! They retail at £13.50!

I first picked up just My Girl, but returned to the stall after trying You Are My Sunshine in Boots and seeing how gorgeous it was! The fact that it was £13.50 in Boots and £2.99 on the stall also made me NEED to go buy it from the stall.

I'm not 100% sure whether these are real or not...

There are a few things that made me question it, the main being how cheap they are being sold for!

One box was slightly larger than the other, 1 says 'Powder Blusher', 1 says just 'Blusher',  1 says Made in UK (with a sticker saying Packed in China), 1 says Made in China.

Regardless, the blushers are absolutely amazing! Application is great, they last ages and have a gorgeous finish. The blushers have a built in mirror, which is always handy.

The blush even contains vitamins A, C and E.

Fragrance Direct are currently selling Dainty Doll cosmetics, including these blushers, at an even more bargainous price of £1.99 each!!

I would definitely like to try more Dainty Doll products :)

Have you tried Dainty Doll?

Any recommendations?

xXx