27 June 2013

Payday Shopping Treats!

I got paid! Woo! Everyones favourite day of the month.
Most of the month I try to be good with money and limit shopping, especially recently when my hours haven't been as high as is ideal but this month I've treated myself to some bits and pieces since there seems to be sales on everywhere at the moment!
My first stop was Cath Kidston because I happened to be opposite the shop when I spotted the big sales signs and thought it would be rude not to! I picked up a few little bits here including one of the cute oil cloth makeup bags for £4 which went straight in my handbag and some shell buttons £1.50 and a pin tin £2.50 to go in my sewing box ready to create beautiful things.
I also picked up this beautiful glass vase for £6 to store all of my makeup brushes. Its a tiny bit taller than ideal but it looks beautiful on my dressing table :)

Next was a trip down to Boots because I've been needing a new foundation. No7 makeup is currently buy one get the second 1/2 price so I was able to pick up the Instant Radiance foundation I've been wanting to try for £12.50 and get a really pretty Stay Perfect cream eyeshadow for just £4 instead of the usual £8.

Finally I hit the Topshop sale. I love their jewellery and accessories and always look forward to picking them up reduced because I do find things a bit pricey for what they are otherwise. At the moment I'm loving metallic ankle socks so I picked up 3 pairs for £2 each, my favourite have to be the mint. Jewellery wise I was really restrained despite loving loads of bits and just came away with this fab green bracelet for £4.25 I just love how vibrant the colours are and that its something slightly different.

So thats my payday haul. For the amount I spent I think I did really well and the only thing I paid full price for was the foundation and even that was kind of discounted over all!
What have you been buying this payday? Have you been taking advantage of all the sales?
Annie xx

20 June 2013

The June Lust List

Money is super tight for me this month and I swear not being able to afford to shop makes you lust after so much more than usual! I've seen so many beautiful things on my wanders that I'd love to own but just can't afford to buy and it makes me sad haha.
Here are the top few things that are on my Lust List this month.
1. Nars Sheer Matte Foundation- I've been using the Estee Lauder Invisible Fluid foundation for quite a while now and I really love having a higher end foundation to provide a good base to build from so after hearing great things about the Nars one I'd like to give it a go :)

2. Topshop Chunky Flower Bracelet- I'm all about statement jewellery and this pretty pink Topshop bracelet is a lovely piece for summer and festival season!

3. Topshop Hyper Sandals- Believe it or not its actually been a couple of years since I last bought sandals so I think its about time I treated myself to a new pair. These funky pink ones caught my eye and I fell in love with them.

4. Dolce and Gabanna Pour Femme- I simply need this smell in my life. It is truly beautiful. With top notes of   neroli, raspberry and mandarin, middle notes of sweet orange blossom and jasmine and a base of marshmallow, vanilla and sandalwood its incredibly sensual, sexy and my dream smell.

5. Urban Outfitters Ethnic Animal Slip Dress- So cute! I live in little dresses, cardigans and tights and this dress is totally up my street with its sweet little animal print.

Pay day cannot come fast enough :) Although I need to be good and start saving some money anyway so maybe the shopping trip will have to wait a while. What are you lusting after this month?

Annie xx

15 June 2013

Illamasqua Gleam in Aurora Reviewed

Another of my Illamasqua sale purchases! Gleam is a product I had been lusting after for a while in the shade Aurora which is a heavenly pearlescent champagne colour. It really is a magical shade.
Gleam is Illamasqua's answer to a cream highlighter designed to be able to be used on both face and body and is available in 2 shades; Aurora and Supernatural which is a deep bronze tone.

The Gleam comes in the stylish classic Illamasqua packaging, and is slightly larger in size than the blushers, weighing in at 6.5g of product. The flip up lid is easy to use without feeling like it would come loose in your handbag and the compact also feels nice and sturdy. It does bug me that the light cream shows up so much is it gets on the black case but thats just me being a neat freak! The highlighter is also a good size to either dab with a stippling brush or with fingers which is a nice bonus and something I miss with highlighters such as High Beam (Benefit) or Feeling Younger (Lush) so it does feel nice and versatile.
Wear wise, I like to dab this around the outside corner of my eyes and along the cheek bone and as you can see in the photo above, it reflects the light really nicely and gives a nice glow without looking too much. I've found that I like to dab with my fingers best because you can achieve a nice soft, subtle look easily, but I do buff out with a brush lightly after if I feel I've been a little heavy handed. The colour also looks pretty highlighting the brow bone, but this doesn't show very well in my photo, oops! I find that the colour doesn't fade really during the day and I arrive home with the same healthy glow visible as when I first apply so I'm more than happy with the quality. At £18 this product doesn't come cheap but I have completely fallen in love with it and think that for the quality and how little is needed per use, the price isn't as bad as you might originally think and I would happily replace this when it runs out.
You can pick up a Gleam compact here from the Illamasqua website :)

So what do you think? Pretty eh? Would you be able to justify buying yourself?
Annie xx

14 June 2013

NOTD- Illamasqua Scarce Nail Varnish

I posted a couple of weeks ago about a cheeky little Illamasqua order that I placed with a friend during their sale. One of my buys was a limited edition polish from the I'mperfection range called Scarce which is a beautiful speckled pink. I already had the purple version, but the pink just needed to be mine!
In the photo I am wearing one coat of Scarce over the top of a coat of a nude Models Own shade. The coverage is amazing and there is no problem with trying to get even distribution of the black glitter pieces. The colour is a very cute pastel pink that I normally wouldn't wear but I really love how the black glitter gives it more of an edge.
In terms of wear this is also a great polish and I've been wearing it for 3 days now with no chipping and thats with no top coat either.
At £14.50 Illamasqua polishes aren't cheap but for the quality you get I think the price is reasonable, especially as a special treat every now and then :)

What do you think? Do you like the look of Scarce? Do you own any of the I'mperfection collection? Which colour is your favourite?
Annie xx

6 June 2013

Festival Fashion Essentials from House of Fraser

Summer time and Festival Season are finally upon us once again! That means it's time to do some epic shopping to find the ultimate festival fashion essentials.
One way that I've found to keep this as much fun and as low stress as possible is to grab a basket and lose myself in the local House of Fraser. Its a good way to see what different brands have to offer all in once place and I can grab my cheeky beauty bits and bobs at the same time ;)
So here are my top picks this festival season from HOF come sun or shower.
Come Sun:
1. Playsuits are perfect for festivals, fact! This Oasis playsuit is rocking the floral trend and lets you make the most of the lovely weather whilst making sure there are no post party drink pantie flashing blunders!
2. Small cross body bags are a great idea because they're big enough to hold the essentials without bulking you down and being cross body makes them more secure in big crowds of people. This red one from Mango is really sweet.
3. I don't go anywhere in the summer without my shades. This season I'm loving classic cat eye glasses like this pair from Oasis.

...Or Shower:
1. No festival kit is complete without a small but very waterproof jacket! I love how this Bench jacket is bang on trend but will still keep you and your possessions dry with its big pockets :)
2. Everyone knows to pack their wellies as well and as much as I like bright, fun ones, this black pair from Aldo with their zip detail really caught my eye.

Beauty:
1. It can be so easy to "forget" sun cream because it can feel gross on skin and seems to have very little purpose other than spoil your fun by stopping you tanning. Big no-no! Treat yourself to Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess sun cream and protect yourself with factor 30 that will also help you to build up a light golden glow without feeling heavy or sticky on the skin.
2. Being a cosmetic junkie its always hard not to over pack my makeup bag when I go away (case proven here) which is why something like Benefit's Primping with the Stars kit is a must have in my festival essentials kit. It contains a little of everything needed to keep skin looking fresh despite lack of sleep so theres only the need to take minimal extras on the side :)

So there we go, festival essentials sorted quickly and easily and all from one place! What do you think?

Annie xx

3 June 2013

Mini Illamasqua Haul

Recently Illamasqua did an amazing 50% discount promotion through their twitter on everything on their site. Muy emocionante, si?
I'm trying my best to be really good with not spending on cosmetics at the moment, but having a rather fabulous friend who happens to also get 20% on Illamasqua makeup anyway I thought it would be rude not to buy a few bits and take advantage of the 70% off ;)
I think I managed to be pretty restrained concidering! There were a couple more bits that I would have liked to buy but due to the 50% offer being worldwide they were out of stock by the time we made our order so I just got the Gleam in Aurora and nail varnishes in Untold and Scarce. I've got photos taken ready to review all three and I must say I love them all, especially Gleam :)
So the total price for the three? At full price they would have come to £47 but with the discount they cost just £14.10- thats less than one full priced nail varnish! Bargain!

Did you take advantage of the Illamasqua sale? What did you get?
Annie xx

2 June 2013

MAC Baking Beauties Eclair Paint Pot Review

After my last MAC review which was less than positive, I simply had to show you the other product I bought that same day and instantly fell in love with; the Eclair Paint Pot which is part of the limited edition Baking Beauties collection.
MAC paint pots are already a firm favourite of mine due to the long lasting colour, crease proof formula and pretty colours and I could have happily bought all of the limited edition shades if my budget allowed...and still might have to go back for Moon Cake if it's still available when I get paid ;)

Eclair is a beautiful light chocolate shade with a gold pearl gleam running through it. In some lights it appears dark brown where as in others it's lit up and full of deep gold warmth.
The colour is very buildable and can either be used lightly and blended out for a fairly natural glow with a nude eye or worn heavier for a deep chocolatey look which I personally favour.
In terms of wear, I have no trouble wearing this colour across the lid as a thick liner and find that it does not crease at all even with no primer and it also doesn't fade. I usually use a dab of the Painterly paint pot to even out the colouring of the full lid then swipe this along the top. Its a really simple way to get a pretty, made up look without spending hours or having any maintenance.

Over all, I think this may actually be one of my favourite ever MAC products, and more than makes up for the nail varnish fiasco and I already know it will be worn to death. Eclair costs £14.50 and whilst it's sold out on the website, I've seen it on several MAC counters in stock over the last few days so it is still out there if you're quick! Similar shades you can get online that are similar though are Rubenesque (which does have shimmer) or Quite Natural and Groundwork (which are pretty chocolate shades with no shimmer) all of which are part of the permanent collection :)

What do you think of Eclair? Do you love the shade as much as I do? Have you used the Paint Pots before?

Annie xx