31 March 2012

Back to the Beauty!

Hello,
After my rather distressed post earlier I wanted to get things on here back to being more positive. Yes I may be having a bit of a personal crisis, but the blog is my happy space. So, to get things back on track, here is my latest (an probably last) haul before the spending ban kicks off. I am so happy with this collection.
I popped into Poundland to look for a storage solution for my beauty bottles and got way over excited when I saw that they had lots of Sally Hansen goody bags each containing 3 products for just £1 each! Imanaged to grab lots of lovely bits and pieces and paid just £5 over all, including my new storage box :)

First up, these are the two Sally Hansen goody bags I bought. Aren't they great for £1 each?
In the first one I got a natural beauty lipstick in Sunburst, a natural butter lip shine in Lush and a 13.3ml liqueur shine for nails polish in Beaming. The lipstick is a beautiful colour, its a real my lips but better shade and I can see this replacing my make up store lipstick as my daily shade. The lip shine glides on like a dream. I was slightly disappointed that it has a brush applicator rather than a doe foot but the brush is good quality and applies the butter well. The shade is really ligt and pretty and perfect for a casual, nude look. I'm also really happy with the nail varnish. The first coat applied a little thin but with a second it wascompletely opaque. The colour itself is a beautiful bright red that I think I will probably weara lot onmy toes during the summer.

In the second bag I got another natural beauty lipstick in the same shade (sunburst) because I didn't notice the shades when I picked the bags up but I don't mind because its such a lovely colour. I also got a lacquer shine for lips in Jasmine. I thought this would come out fairly light as a gloss but it is actually a really deep pink, highly pigmented colour. Again it has a brush instead of a doe applicator, but this also applies well, although as its a fairly dark colour you need to be careful when you apply. Finally, I got a lovely natural beauty cream blusher in Sunset. I've never really used cream blushers so I'm excited to try this. When I swatched it on my hand the colour was very pretty and applied smoothly. It also blended in quickly and effortlessly in to a pretty pink shade.

I also grabbed two bags with just one item in.
I was fairly excited by this diamond strength varnish in baguette beige that was in the first individual bag I picked up. In the bottle the shade is light and creamy and I was hopeful that it would apply fairly well, however I was a little disappointed. The colour is indeed lovely but it is very watery and thin so takes a few layers to get much opacity. It also took quite a while to try so I managed to smudge it all over the place. I do think it would look pretty as a base coat under a lightly coloured glitter polish.

In my fourth and final bag I got a Rimmel London loose powder eye shadow in Smokey. I bought this one because I loved the light silver shade and was intrigued by what would be provided to apply the shadow. As it turns out, you are given a nice sturdy foam applicator. I usually dont like these, but the shape and size of this one make it easy to apply the shadow and create a smokey look. I can't comment on the staying power of this yet as I haven't worn it properly but it stayed well on my hand.
So here's a photo of all my new little beauty bits. And all for just £4. This is the reason I love Poundland : )

And lets not forget the storage box! Doesn't it look cute with all my face and brush cleaning products tucked away inside?

Have you seen these Sally Hansen bags in Poundland? What do you think of my new pieces?
I hope this post makes up for my moany one earlier and everyone is back in a happy mood.
Annie x

Where do I Go? (Bit of a Pity Party)

Hello ladies,
I'm afraid this post isn't a happy one packed with make-up and goodies. The truth is, I'm feeling rather lost at the moment. Things just don't feel right.
For years as I was growing up I wanted to be a theatrical make-up artist. More than anything I wanted to work with make-up and beauty but back then I was too young to do anything about it as I was still at school and studying full time. When I got old enough to be able to make my own choices regarding school and work and what I wanted to study I was suffering a lot with depression and just hid away from it all. As a result I only gained 9 GCSE's and just one A-level. All with high grades granted, but I was set to achieve so much more so naturally I was devastated.
My way to cope with everything has always been to write lists. Plan my way through everything and de-clutter spaces to find peace in the order of things I can control.
This is partly why I decided in the first place that event and wedding planning were careers I would enjoy and thrive in, and on top of that, the work I would be doing would bring so much happiness to other people.
Only, now I'm not so sure.
As I've picked myself back up out of the depression I have been looking after myself again, getting back into enjoying make-up, taking care of my skin and washing my hair with indulgent lotions and potions. I've found myself excited to get up in the morning and "putting my face on" and every night without fail I sit down and remove it before cleansing my face and applying night cream and eye cream. I read around 30-40 different beauty blogs and I love every minute of doing so. I want to be part of that community again because it feels like where I really belong.
Whilst depressed I was a very different person. I spent a lot of time wanting to be a domestic, stay at home woman who spent her time baking and crafting beautiful things, largely so that I could hide away and not come face to face with too many people. I could work at home, in my own little space and not worry about life interrupting me. But now I see that that isn't who I am at all.
I am still that bubbly, confident person who dreams of working with make-up and beauty. Theatrical make-up is no longer my main interest, but I still deep down want to be a make-up artist. That is where my passion lies.
But now I worry that I have left things too late. I have spent a lot of my time and money training to become an event and wedding planner, which don't get me wrong, I am enjoying, but it means I no longer have the financial support to pursue what I now realise, I always wanted, even when I couldn't see it.
This is why I feel lost. I feel like I have let myself down by feeling this way about my choices, I feel like I've ruined the chance I could have had at doing what I really want to do, and I'm not really sure where to go next. Do I forget about my dream and leave behind the thought of working with make-up? Do I save up and sign up to a professional make-up course? Do I go ahead and set up the wedding planning business like I was aiming to? Its a hard call.

This however, is the reason that my blog has taken a different turn lately. As I have been re-discovering myself and my deep rooted interests, Three Little Buhos has been focusing a lot more on beauty and fashion, and I'm happy about that, it gives me a great outlet for all of my beauty related ramblings. Its a happy retreat at the end of a long day. But it does mean that my posts and features have evolved a little. So I am sorry if you are disappointed to see the old style Three Little Buhos go but at the end of the day, we all need to write about what we truly love. With me that is make-up, beauty, fashion, Lolly the Grumpy Kitty and weddings...although more wedding style than wedding planning.

Sorry this have been such a long and wordy post but believe me, I feel soooo much better for letting it all out. What do you think I should do? I love all of you sweet people who read and comment on my blog and your opinion really does matter to me so any advice is gratefully received.



Just to cheer things up a bit, here is an adorable picture of Florence, my little roborovski hamster, a constant source of happiness.
Annie x

30 March 2012

The Seven Beauty Sins

Hello,
I've seen this floating about so I thought it was my turn to jump on the band wagon and share my 7 beauty sins.

Greed- What is your most expensive beauty product? What is your cheapest?
My most expensive product at the moment is my Estee Lauder Invisible Fluid Foundation...although my Tri-Pentox eye cream has a higher RRP (good old TK Maxx) My cheapest is a normal lip balm that I picked up from Sainsbury's for about 50p before I went travelling.

Wrath- What products do you have a love hate relationship with? What was the hardest to find?
I have a rather love hate relationship with moisturisers that have a push pump top. I find they always seem to go a bit gross and clogged up which puts me off, but I am a total sucker for a nice moisturiser! I am so proud of my hardest to find item because I am the proud owner of the M.A.C Venomous Villains My Dark Magic mineralize. These sold out everywhere as soon as they came out but my lovely mum managed to hunt me one down and paid well over the RRP price for it. I love it, and I love my mum :)

Gluttony- What are your most delicious beauty products?
My most delicious product by far is The Body Shop's Chocomania body butter. It smells totally divine, even if you can't actually eat it :) Although the lip butter from the same range tastes rather fab :P

Sloth- What beauty products do you neglect due to laziness?
I'm generally quite good at being bothered with my beauty routine but I do seem to have a lot of bottles of Nair lying around after a cold winter...I also have a few fake tan wipes that are lurking but I think thats more because I'm scared of going bright orange!

Pride- What beauty product gives you the most confidence?
My new Porefessionals by Benefit is amazing for this, when put under or over foundation, it makes my skin look totally flawless, its confidence in a tube.

Lust- What attributes do you find most attractive in the opposite sex?
A good smile. When Dan smiles I melt a little inside. A happy personality is another thing I love, especially if it means the sexy smile comes out lots too. A nice bum is also always appreciated ;)

Envy- What item would you most like to receive as a gift?
I'd be happy to receive anything as a gift really, presents are always good! But I would particularly love to be treated to a beautiful, high quality make-up brush set that includes the lot, I'm talking like 24- 31 brushes guys. I would love the person who gave me one of those eternally!

Now it's your turn. What are your seven beauty sins?

Annie x

Blogging Sites and What They Can Do For You

Hello lovelies :)
After enjoying a lie in this morning, I can feel a productive day coming along! I've already done all the reading for my next assignment and written the plan in the last hour so I'm feeling optimistic today!

As a blogger, we all want to get our blog seen by other people. We write down our thoughts, opinions and experiences not only to keep a record for ourselves but also to share these things with other like minded people who might be interested or inspired by what we are writing.
In this day and age, the internet is a big, vast ocean full of little fish like us who are all wanting to be heard so it isn't always easy to lead people to your little corner of the internet to discover your blog but luckily there are plenty of websites for bloggers to come together and meet one another. So here are a couple of my favourites and a bit of information about how I use them and how they can help you.


First up we have blogger (or blogspot) of course, which is the platform my blog is set up on. Blogger is run by google and is a great platform for setting up your original blog. It is also now the only platform which allows you to use Google Friend Connect, which is perhaps the most widely used tool to gain followers (or it was until google stopped allowing all blogs to use it!)
I don't find blogger useful for finding other blogs, but the dashboard is nicely laid out making it easy to see when blogs that you follow using GFC have added a new post. There is also a handy list of all the blogs you follow displayed down the left hand side of the page so you can find posts by a particular blog quickly. The cheeky print screen shows how everything is laid out.



Next we have Bloglovin' which I have to say is my total favourite blogging site. I use it solely to follow my favourite blogs because I love how it is laid out. When you start following a blog, all of the new posts from that blog are added to your feed from then onwards as with all blogging sites, but bloglovin' splits them down  for you and sends a daily email to you letting you know how many new posts have been added over all from the blogs you follow in the last 24 hours. When you log in to your homepage, down the left hand side of the page it also shows you how many new posts there are from each individual blog. My favourite feature bloglovin' provides, however, it the toolbar that opens along the bottom of the screen when you open up the first blog post. Unlike other platforms, this toolbar means that you do not have to open up a new window for each post you want to read, you simply click "next" and you  are able to move on to the next unread post you have. I love this feature, it makes reading blogs so much easier. You can also "like" any post you read which is saved into a separate section on your account so you can always find the post again in the future.
Although I only use bloglovin' to follow blogs, it is also a great site for finding them, although I do find that it likes to promote the big fish in blogging rather than up and coming talent which annoys me a little. Heres a print of the homepage once you have an account, it is essentially just one, big, easy to navigate feed. I'm really surprised that now more people use bloglovin'!

Finally, we have Bloggers, a site that I am relatively new to, but really impressed with so far. This is the site that I use to find new blogs because the way that the site is designed makes this so easy. You can search for blogs by popularity, genre/content and also country. I usually use the country option because, whilst I enjoy reading blogs from all over the world, I like reading beauty and fashion posts most and these are most useful to me if written by someone who is writing about products from my own country where I can pick them up myself if I like the look or sound of them. I have found some seriously great blogs on this site that I would never have otherwise. When you sign up you can write up a profile page where you talk about you and your blog so that other people can get a good idea about what you write. You also link up your blog to your page so people can easily access it. You have the option to add friends from other blogs and you can also "vote" for a blog if you like it. I'm not 100% sure what voting does, but I think that it increases the level of exposure the site gives you so you can work your way up to being a big fish. People can also vote for each individual post you write, drawing more people into the posts you write. It seems to be a good system, even if I don't fuly understand it because I have had a lot more exposure and page views since joining bloggers. Heres a screen print of the dashboard, I'm not as keen on the bloggers dashboard, but I don't use it much for reading blogs anyway, just finding great blogs so I'm not bothered :)
And those are my top three blogging sites and why. I hope this post was useful and that I didn't ramble on too much. You can find links to follow me on all three of these sites in the sidebar of my blog, but if you're interested in having a look at the sites yourself here are some links.

Do you use any of these sites? What is your favourite blogging site?
Catch you later,
Annie x

29 March 2012

Well Known Brand Cosmetics in Poundland?

Hello,
I quickly nipped into Poundland the other day because I needed some tissues and couldn't help but take a look at what cosmetics they had to offer after reading somewhere that they often do little packs with a well known brand cosmetic product in each and was pretty excited to find products from Revlon, Maybolene, Collection 2000 and Miss Sporty among others. I know these aren't high end products, but when you're only paying a pound, even collection 2000 is worth a look. I've also seen these bags in TK Maxx before with a higher price tag but many of those boast slightly higher end brands.
I ended up coming away with three of these "famous brands" bags. Heres what I decided upon.
I got a Covergirl Tru Shine lipstick (discontinued) in Lilac Shine, a Chit Chat juicy lipstick which didn't have a colour name, and two Miss Sporty quick dry sheer tints, one in orange and one in red. And all for just £3!

The nail varnishes are both fairly pretty colours, but very sheer as they say. I'm not 100% sure why people would want such a wishy washy colour other than for a top coat personally, but there you go. In the swatches above I used three coats to get that level of opacity. I'm pretty happy with the orange, but not the red so that one will be going in the "to go" pile. The orange, however, I will keep to use as a topcoat because a lot of my nail varnishes have no sparkle to then, so a coat of this on top will add a little shine if not a lot of colour.
Next we have the Covergirl Tru Shine lipstick in Lilac Shine. I must say that I have been very happy with this lipstick. It is a lovely soft shade that has lilac tones but appears more pink on lips. The lipstick glides on smoothly and gives a good level of colour that looks pretty on its own but would also look nice paired with a slightly tinted gloss.
The staying power of this is also fairly good. You would need to re-apply several times during the day, but I got a good three hours out of it before needing to do so.
As you can see from the photo, it looks nice and subtle on lips and would be perfect for pairing with statement eyes or for a soft, day to day look.

Finally, we have the Chit Chat Juicy Lipstick.
Sorry for the slightly blurred photo, my camera didn't feel like focusing properly. As you can see, this is a wonderfully pigmented dark pink shade. When I saw it, I knew I would love it. The packaging is also rather well designed I think. The lipstick is shaped like a think pencil (similar to the Virgin Cosmetics lip crayons that I used to love, before they got discontinued) however, instead of needing sharpening to get to more product, you simply twist the bottom of the pencil which I like. You can also retract the excess if you want to. The only downside would have to be the lid of this product. I find that it falls off fairly easily so it isn't one to keep loose in your handbag!
I think this is more of an evening colour personally, it is lovely and bright on the lips and would look lovely paired with thick cat eye liner for a 50's style look. I did find this product a little drying after a while so it is a good idea to apply a good lip balm before application (I always use The Body Shop Chocomania lip balm, reviewed here). The staying power of this lipstick is pretty good, it did wear off after a few hours but because of the bright shade, I find that you are left with a subtle pink tint to the lips. I'm really impressed by this colour, especially since it is made exclusively for Poundland.

If you want to pick up any of these products you can here:

Miss Sporty Sheer tints: Discontinued but can be found on Ebay here
Covergirl Tru Shine lipstick: Discontinued but the whole range can be found on Ebay here
Chit Chat Juicy Lipstick: Exclusive to Poundland stores

Have you ever bought any of these bags? What did you get? Would you ever consider trying out Chit Chat cosmetics from Poundland?

Annie x

28 March 2012

Lets Do Brunch!

Hello,
I had a wonderful day today. The weather has been glorious here in Bath and the temperature way up into the twenties.
I went into town for the day with one of my best friends and we decided to "do brunch" like proper fancy ladies. There was freshly squeezed orange juice and everything! I also treated myself to some lovely new treats before I start my spending ban at the beginning of April.

yummy brunch and fresh OJ : )

I had yummy smoked bacon, poached eggs and hollandaise sauce on muffins

Kassi had eggy bread and smoked bacon stacked with golden syrup : )

All happy together in our summer clothes and make-up

A couple of cheeky buys ;P

I've been wanting a new foundation for a while because I was getting fed up with my beloved Mac Studio Fix because it just feels so heavy on my face. I like my skin to be able to breathe so I shelled out the £27 for the new Estee Lauder Invisible Fluid Make-up. Like lots of you other beauty blog ladies, I got a sample of this amazing foundation in the latest issue of Glamour and fell in love with it. I was matched to the one of the lightest shades (1nw1 I think it was) and it really is the perfect match for my skin. I am in love. And just to make things that little extra bit great, the lady on the counter gave me this double ended product for free! One end is their light toned double wear concealer and the other end is a pretty coloured lipgloss. If I'd bought this it would have cost almost £20!
My other little treat was Benefit's The Porefessional. Now, this was sort of an accidental purchase. I have been looking for a good primer for a while but hadn't found one I really liked. Whilst I was waiting for Kassi to faff around for a while I popped to the benefit counter and the lovely lady workingthere today demonstrated the product for me so well and was just *so* lovely and friendly that I found myself coming away with a bottle...and applying for a job with them! (that is definitely strong selling power!) I felt a little better when both me and Kassi left the counter having been sold lovely goodies by the Benefit ladies (Kassi spent more!) and we're going back next month for a makeover session. They also threw in a little sample of their facial emulsion, a lovely deep moisturiser.
And finally, from Boots I just grabbed a pack of eye make-up wipes because I ran out last night. These were good and cheap thank goodness and I paid with my advantage card so it didn't even feel like spending money.
I'll write up some reviews for you lovely people in a few days when I've put them through their paces, but right now I'm so excited about both products : )

What have you done on this lovely day?
Annie x

The Weekly Wedding Fix #9

Hello,
Wednesday again. Doesn't time fly these days?!
This week for the Wedding Fix I have put together a lovely Destination Wedding theme for you in tribute to the beautiful weather that we've been having here in England recently.
Enjoy : )
1. Destination weddings are usually held in a hot location so you need to remember this when choosing a dress. A popular style to for destination weddings a Grecian dress which is very light and floaty. However, I have instead chosen this short, puffball dress as it is a more fun choice and allows you to show off your wonderfully sun kissed legs on your big day. If you're getting wed on a beach, it also avoids getting sand all over the hem of your dress.

2. I love this twist wrap dress from Dessy. The dress can be styled in many different ways to suit all of your bridesmaids and it is available in lots of lovely colours. The material is also easy to care for and will not crinkle easily which is an important consideration for a destination wedding.

3. Guests may become a little over heated if your wedding is held out doors or in a sunny room so these brightly coloured paper fans make the perfect favour for your guests. The handle can also be personalised so that people will always remember your big day.

4. It is likely to be difficult arranging flowers for a destination wedding so instead, why not make use of a beautiful parasol as an alternative option that is ultra feminine and will also keep the sun off your face, avoiding any heat related make-up malfunctions. You can get these in any colour under the sun so you are sure to find a beautiful parasol for you and your girls.

5. Destination weddings bring to mind visions of dreamy fruit cocktails for me and there is a whole host of wonderful options available to you. You could choose a drink that is a popular local choice or go for something more classic. I have chosen the Bahama Mama which is a Jamaican classic and truly delicious.

6. Footwear always provides a little dilemma when abroad I find. For smart occasions I want to wear beautiful shoes but my feet just get so uncomfortable. For a style that is both smart and comfortable, why not consider beautiful floral sandals similar to these from Office? They will stay comfy in the heat all day and allow feet to breathe, whilst still being fitting for the event.

7. To follow on from the theme of travel at your reception, you can make good use of luggage tags or labels as place settings. If you only have a small party of guests, you could even get them specially personalised as an extra touch.

8. The cake is another part of the day that can be problematic to plan from the UK but by rule you should remember that you will not need a large cake because you are likely to have less guests at a destination wedding, and people also have suppressed appetites in hotter weather. It would be wise not to choose a chocolate decorated cake unless you are sure it will be kept in a well air conditioned room until being served and over all. As a different option, why not try a local bakery on your pre-wedding trip to the area and ask them to provide individual cakes or pastries for the wedding.

So there we have a beautiful destination wedding. I hope you enjoyed this one because I loved putting it together.

I'll be back later with some photos of the lovely girls day out I had with my friend Kassi today and what I bought.

Annie x

27 March 2012

Beauty Products that I will Never Understand

Hello,
sorry there was no post up last night, I was zonked after work so just slobbed around for a few hours before an early night.
Now, we all know that there are some truly awful beauty products out there that just shouldn't be on the market. But what really bugs me at the products that are just plain pointless. Some I will just never understand. Here are my top (or should that be bottom) picks for the most pointless beauty products in the world.
Lolly and I disapproving of these pointless products. I seem to literally be made of eye bags in this photo :S

1. Lash Cards. Thats right, you can actually buy packs of cards to stop you getting mascara or make-up all over the place around your eye... Yes it is a great idea to use a little something as a "lash card" but why waste money on a special product to do so when you could easily use a tissue, cardboard tags from clothing, or even the dried up wipe you used to remove your make-up the night before which would work out a whole lot cheaper and save your much needed sanity for other, more useful past times.

2. No-touch Soap Dispensers. Soap cleans hands. Yes. We all know that. We also all know how to wash our hands; either applying the soap to dry hands before then running them under the tap and lathering up, or by wetting hands, then applying soap and lathering up, enjoying the bubbles and getting rid of the grime. Never does the soap part come last, that just wouldn't work would it? Realistically, you are only ever going to touch the soap dispenser when your hands are already dirty so why worry if that little push pump gets germs on it? Or if you pick up a few extra germs from said push pump for that matter, because the whole point of the product inside is to kill those very germs you just picked up. See, useless product!

3. Nail Varnish Wipes. I do own these and I try very hard to like them. But I just can't do it. I admit that they could be handy to take on holiday, but to be honest, why bother? A small pack of around 20-25 are quite expensive to buy, and if you are using a thick, high quality polish you need to use three of them, sometimes four, to get the damn stuff off, and even that takes a hell of a lot of persistent scrubbing (good for the old bingo wings maybe). What I don't understand is why people bother. For £1 you can get a big bottle of normal remover which takes just one or two cotton pads to clear both hands with a lotmore ease and a lot less scrubbing.

4. Seven day moisturiser. This, in itself, is a great concept. If it actually was what it says that it. It would be lovely to only need to moisturise once a week. Yet even though it claims to keep skin soft and moisturised for seven days, you still need to use it every day. Umm... Why? Surely that contradicts itself? Why not just use a normal one that admits that you need to use it each day for the proper effect and save yourself the extra money (you could maybe even save enough to fund the lash card habit...)

Other contenders that drive me bonkers:

  • Bottom lash mascara- can we really not be trusted to get those little pesky hairs with a full sized brush?
  • Lip tattoos- do people know how ridiculous these look? Yes, even you Jessie J.
  • Venetian blind glasses- what exactly is the point of glasses that you can't see through, don't enhance your sight or provide protection from the sun?
  • Stick on eyeshadow- one size really doesn't fit all girls and these crush our creative side.
So these are just some of the more pointless, or (in my mind) useless beauty buys that are on the market. How about you, do you have any products that annoy you like this? what do you think is the most pointless beauty product out there?

Annie x
ps, my blog sale is running here. If there is anything you fancy just let me know.

24 March 2012

TK Maxx Mini Splurge

Hello,
Isn't the weather today amazing? This morning was spent eating cake and drinking squash out in the sunshine, it was bliss. This afternoon my mum and I decided to go and take a look around TK Maxx. I've been looking for a new face powder for a while now, and they usually have some great offers on beauty products. I couldn't help myself and ended up picking up some amazing deals. Here's what I got:
 I love summer shoes and these Blowfish sandals will be perfect for spring and summer. I like how they have great ankle support/ These cost me £10 as apposed to the £40RRP. (In a separate photo because I'm superstitious so couldn't put new shoes on the table.)
I was so excited to find all four of these beauties. As you can see, I found a pressed powder (the very same Calvin Klein one I've been eyeing up online only much cheaper). I also picked up a Calvin Klein liquid eyeliner because my beloved French Connection one got all clogged up and dry. The Tri-pentox eye serum is a seriously exciting find for me, mainly because of the huuuge discount I got on it for such a great make, I can't wait to start using this every night. The trimmer pen I picked up simply because it was cheap and I was fascinated. The idea behind it is that use use the tiny blade to trim hair from small places, such as brows, top lip, toes (Eew! Who would use the same thing on their toes and then their face?!) and generally keep you looking neat. I think I'll use this mainly on the annoying little hairs that seems to be stray around my eyebrows.

Now, here's for my favourite bit. I added up the total RRP for each of these items and then added up how much I actually paid and the difference is actually shocking. Here's the Maths:

Blowfish Sandals- RRP £40, paid £10 = saving £30
CK eyeliner- RRP £15, paid £5 = saving £10
CK face powder- RRP £19, paid £7 = saving £12
Little Trimmer- RRP £10, paid £5 = saving £5
Tri-pentox cream- RRP £45, paid £7 = saving £37
30+10+12+5+37= £95

Thats right, I managed to save myself a massive £95 on the original RRP price. How crazy is that?! I knew I could expect to save money on great products, but even I was impressed at how much. I got £129 worth of products for just £34 so I'm over the moon : )
I shall of course write some reviews of all the beauty bits for you lovely ladies over the next few days. 
I'm off to doll myself up ready for a lovely evening out with Daniel. We're going out for drink and are then heading to Yo Sushi to pop our Yo Sushi cherries! Can't wait.
Annie x

23 March 2012

Nails Inc. Malibu Cocktail Collection

Hello,
Yesterday I had the excitement of receiving a package containing the three limited edition colours from the Nails Inc. collaboration with Malibu. I was so excited to find these online for just £1.20 each for a full sized pot that I snapped all three up and paid a grand total of £6 for them including postage costs. Bargain.
Now, I'm a big fan of Nails Inc. Malibu and bright colours so why I didn't score some of these when they were readily available I don't know, but I am delighted that they are part of my collection now. They are beautiful colours and also have great names; Malibu Mojito, Malibu Cosmo and Maliblush, named as such because of the limited edition cocktails Malibu released for the summer.
The pots are full sized at 10ml each and rather charmingly, all have "drink Malibu responsibly" printed onto the pack of the pot along with the drink aware url.
These polishes give the great level of coverage you expect from Nails Inc. and in the swatches below, I only applied one coat to get such a good level of opacity. They also dry brilliantly fast so there is no waiting around for hours whilst waving your hands around like a loon waiting for the colour to set. I don't know how long yet they last without chipping but so far, the colour has yet to budge, despite lots of battering.
I love all three of these shades, especially the Malibu Mojito (teal) and I'm pretty sure all three will become my go to summer colours this year.

Do you own the Nails Inc. Cocktail Collection colours? Which shade is your favourite? Is anyone else wanting to sit down in a pub garden and drink malibu with lemonade right now? Because I sure am!
Annie x

Photo a Week Challenge- Week Nine

Hello,
Its friday again (yayyy) and that means its time for another photo a week challenge entry.
This week the topic suited me perfectly. Planning.
I plan everything. In fact the book in the photo is my everything book and is filled with lists, plans, notes and general jottings about everything. I write a to do list in there every day, I plan all of the weeks posts for Three Little Buhos, I make note of things I love, I write down my thoughts when my head gets too full, and I add all sorts of other things too. The everything book is a god send!
I have the blogger statistics page open because I love seeing which of my posts are the most popular and which ones my lovely followers aren't interested in so that I can plan my future posts based on what you people like.
And of course there is Lolly the Grumpy Kitty keeping me company because I can't go anywhere or do anything without her following. I took this photo on my bed which is the best place in the world in her eyes, especially since she isn't usually allowed in the room.

Are you one of these people like me who need to plan everything? Or do I seem a little mad for being so overly organized?

Annie x

Boots 17 Make-up Haul Reviews

Hello,
As you will already know if you read this post here, last weekend I went on a bit of a shopping spree...seems to be quite a regular occurrence, and I took advantage of the boots 17 range 3 for 2 offer and picked up these three goodies.
I got one of the limited edition spring florals eye palettes, a blush and glow two tone blusher and a supreme shine lipstick. I've now been using them all week and I have to say that I love all three, and they're excellent quality for so little money.

First lets take a look at the blusher:

As you can see, in the pot, this blusher is two different separate shades. I guess this is so you can achieve two different colours if you like, but I have to say, personally, I think the pot is too small to do that effectively so I just use the two together by sweeping my big blusher brush around a bit.
The colour that the blusher gives is a light, pinky tone that looks really fresh and just adds a touch of colour to cheeks. This is perfect for me because I have such pale skin, but the colour would easily be buildable by just using more of the product.
The swatch on my hand actually looks fairly dark bu thats because I used my finger to apply it, with a brush the tone is a lot more subtle but still holds the same peachy pink tone and a slight shine. I would definitely re-purchase this blusher and might try other shades in the same product.

Now the eye palette:
With this product, I was first drawn in by the beautiful design. The different colours look wonderful together and the effect definitely looks more high end than the price that I paid for it.
The gold, pink and purple eye shadows are all lovely, light colours that work well together and blend into each other well on the eye. Indeed, if you use the right sized brush, it is possible to pick up and use two different colours at once and use the gold as a highlighter and the pink or purple on the actual lid.
The bronze shadow I haven't used yet because it swatches quite dark and I've been feeling in a light, springy mood, but personally, I think Imight try applying it with a large brush as a bronzer on my cheeks as it is a nice shade that would look pretty that way.
As you can see from the swatches, the gold, pink and purple are all light, pastel tones, which are great for every day use. The bronze is a lot darker and more pigmented so should be used with a little more caution! I have been really impressed with the staying power of these shadows. Even after a 9 hour shift at work they looked just as bright as when I applied them, and they did not do that annoying thing where they work their way into a dark line along the crease of the eyelid so I was very happy. I would really recommend this palette, but be quick to buy as it's limited edition!

Finally for the lipstick:
I have been looking for a red lipstick for some time now and when I saw this colour I just had to give it a go. The name isn't very imaginative, something like "hot berry" or "hot red" if I remember rightly but as soon asI saw the colour of the bullet I knew I needed it. In the swatch it looks slightly pink toned but on my lips it is perfectly red. The staying power is very good too, although if you were wearing it for a night out you would need to re-apply once or twice I think. I really like the feel of this lipstick. Unlike some, it doesn't dry out my lips, and after a little while, you can hardly feel that there is any lipstick there. Another great product from 17 that I would buy again.

So those are my three new loves from 17. In the photo above I'm wearing all three, but the bright lips definitely take center stage!

What do you think? Do you own any of these products? Are there any other great 17 cosmetics that I should try?

Annie x

22 March 2012

Neals Yard Rehydrating Rose Daily Moisture Review

Hello.
The other day I picked up a copy of this month's Marie Clare especially to get hold of this full sized daily moisture by Neals Yard (if you didn't already know, it is the free gift this month and is usually sold for £12). I was really excited to try this out because I love Neals Yard goodies and this product has received a lot of hype.
 This lovely cream is advertised as being perfect to use all over the body, including your face. I held back from trying it out on my face for a few days however, because I was nervous that it might make me break out because my skin is a little prone to breakouts with new products, even though my skin isn't oily or anything. But when I found out that my lovely beauty therapist friend Ami  uses this when she gives facials I pulled myself together and started using it on my face at night because I know Ami only uses the best products.
I'm really glad I started using this. My skin is noticeably softer after a few days of application and it sinks into the skin really well without being greasy or sticky. The scent is soft and natural, and although rose isn't a personal favourite of mine, this isn't over powering and doesn't linger for too long.
My only annoyance at this product is that it's very easy to squeeze too much out to use for just one go but other than that I can't fault it.
Have you tried this moisturiser? What did you think? Do you use any other Neals Yard products that you'd recommend?
Annie x

How Am I Meant To Save Money...

... when Urban Outfitters send me such tempting offers?!

I woke up this morning to find an email telling me about their VIP secret sale AS WELL as giving a code for free delivery (extra yay!) so of course, being the weak willed lady I am, I followed the link to their website straight away.
I don't usually do a lot of shopping at Urban Outfitters because I wear a lot of dresses and the cut they favour there doesn't really suit me. But I adore their shoes. So Imagine my delight when I saw that these beauties that I've been lusting over for months now, were almost half price.
Straight into my arms : )
I regret nothing!
Annie x

21 March 2012

The Weekly Wedding Fix #8

Hello lovelies,
Its that time of the week again so here we are for another Weekly Wedding Fix. This week in feeling the lovely spring vibes so I've put together a soft yellow wedding theme for you. Enjoy :)
1. A soft colour theme allows you to choose a pretty, delecate wedding dress. This fishtail gown with a lace overlay would look so pretty with any light clour theme and the fishtail adds a touch of fashionista edge.

2. Yellow is a very feminine, fresh colour but you need to be careful when choosing the style of dress as pale yellow is very easily made frumpy by an unflattering cut. This little dress from Forever 21 has a young looking, figure hugging cut.

3. Small scented candles make a sweet favour for your guests. If you were to burn the same scented candles during your wedding reception, the scent would also remind guests of your happy day.

4. Yellow is a tricky colour to pair up exactly, so instead of choosing yellow shoes for you and your bridesmaids, opt for either white or cream to match the wedding gown. These classic white courts from Office are perfect.

5. I love simple bouquets and I think that a pretty yellow bouquet of tulips tied simply with white ribbon would look stunning. And as they are a brighter shade than the other, softer shades of yellow, they will also stand out proudly.

6. Nature is beautiful. Bring it into your wedding theme with lemon name cards. They will look lovely and fresh sat on the table and guests can take them home after the event if they wish, if not, you can make use of them yourself.

7. The obvious choice of drink for this yellow themed wedding is freshly made lemonade. But because I can't resist a good cocktail, here is the recipe for spiked lemonade which tastes wonderful and is lovely and refreshing on a hot day.

8. With a lightly coloured wedding theme, it is possible to coat the cake with icing in a shade of the chosen theme colour. This yellow wedding cake shows this perfectly. The over all effect is sweet, tasteful and not over the top. Just be careful to go for a very light shade.

And there we have it, a pretty, light yellow wedding theme. I really like this one personally, especially the pretty cake and classic shoes. What do you think?

Annie x

Bitter Disappointment

Hello,
I'm writing this because I need to let off some steam!
I recently subscribed to Carmine beauty boxes because after seeing peoples previous boxes and reading lots about the fabby products that come in them, I decided that it was the box for me. It seemed less skin care orientated and more focused on lovely make-up samples that I would be likely to use all of.
I am livid because I have just received an email from Carmine telling me that they have joined forces with Glossybox. This annoys me because there is a reason I didn't go with Glossybox, and that is because all the reviews I've read say exactly the same; that the box just doesn't seem worth the money any more. The samples are small, contain lots of low value items, and are mainly skin care based.
Why Carmine has bailed out and joined with Glossybox I don't know. Maybe they were bought out because Glossybox deemed Carmine a threat? Whatever the reason, it has really ticked me off and I'm sure many other Carmine girls feel the same.

Ok,  rant over. But what am I meant to do now? With the email from Carmine I was given a money off code for the next Glossybox but is it really worth giving it a go just because of that?
What will you be doing now Carmine have stopped their boxes? Will you surrender to Glossybox? Which box would you recommend I give a go instead?
Annie x

*OFFER ALERT* Nails Inc. on buyapowa

Heya,
Just a quick one to share my excitement. The Nails Inc. All Stars collection is up on buyapowa now and if enough of us club in, we'll all get it for just £17 as apposed to the £30rrp.
Follow my referral link above to snap up your set : )
Are those colours not amazing?!
Annie x

20 March 2012

Is it Lazy if I'm Still Doing Stuff?...

Hello,
How is everyone this evening?
I'm chilling out and enjoying having my feet up and my pj's on.
I'm super excited for the next few days. I have no plans what so ever until Friday now. I plan to spend them doing washing, studying for my next essay, reading too many beauty and fashion blogs and doing some major spring cleaning of all my clothes, useless nicknacks and make-up. I haven't had a proper cull of my make-up in over a year now so I'm crazily excited about doing so.
In short, the next couple of days are for me.
My question to you though is, is it lazy to be excited about having no plans until friday and being able to just do what the hell I want, even though I'm still going to be doing stuff?
I've been thinking about this for a while now and I just can't decide :S

Annie x

19 March 2012

I've Been Shopping!...Again

Hello,
As I mentioned, yesterday mum and I went for a wander around town. The weather was lovely, Bath is so pretty in the sunshine :)
Of course, despite trying to save money, I couldn't resist picking up a few bargains.
Boots are currently running an offer on their Number 17 products where if you buy two, you get the third free. Who am I to reject this offer?! I grabbed one of the limited edition spring eye pallets, one of their new Blush and Glow blushers and one of the supreme shine lipsticks. Because I haven't really had the chance to test them properly yet, I'll do a proper review in a couple of days when I have some time off.
Whilst in Boots I also used my last £5 off No7 voucher to buy a little tube of their fabulous Nail and Cuticle Care Cream (reviewed below) because due to the nature of my job I have terrible trouble with the condition of my cuticles. I have been able to put this product through its paces sooo well today.
Finally, when I saw a copy of this month's Marie Claire in Sainsburys I grabbed it. I don't usually buy it but I NEEDED the Neals Yard Rehydrating Rose Daily Moisture. This free gift usually retails at £12 so it is more than worth the £3.70 magazine price (and with my 10% discount it only cost me £3.33! Even better!) Seriously, go get this while it's still on the shelves!

Anyway, onto the review :)

No7 Nail and Cuticle Care Cream:

I work in a supermarket. It isn't glamourous, it isn't easy, and it is DAMN hard on the nails, but it pays well for now and I work with some great people. On mondays I work a nine hour shift stocking the shelves on the chilled food department and when I get home, my nails, cuticles, and tbh, hands in general, are completely wrecked.
Today I decided to do a little experiment with my new cuticle cream so before work, and then again in each break I applied a tiny amount (thats all you need) just to my right hand, the left hand I didn't apply any cream to so that I could see the difference between the two.
Please please please excuse the dirty nails, I snapped these as soon as I got home before washing and scrubbing my hands to show you the full effect. This is my left hand which I didn't apply any cream to and, as you can see, those cuticles are looking pretty rough and sore after a long day of playing with cardboard boxes.
This is my right hand which had a tiny amount of the No 7 nail and cuticle cream applied to each nail 3 times during the course of the day. As you can see, while there is still a little bit of damage, they look so much better than the nails on my left hand. They're no where near as dry, there has been minimal splitting and there was no bleeding (yay!)

This cream is a God send for those of us who have very active jobs. The tube is small (only 10ml) but you only need a very small amount; a small dot on each cuticle. It is a smooth, creamy consistency and sinks in nice and quickly with little effort needed. It also has a very faint, sweet smell that is fairly pleasant. Uusally, this tube retails for £7 but with my £5 off voucher I paid just £2 so it was a complete bargain. I would definitely re-purchase at the full price.

Have you ever tried this cuticle cream? Do you have any other tips for keeping your nails and cuticles in good shape? How about any of these other products, have you tried these?

Annie x