Barry M Nail Paint in Lemon Ice Cream

I went back to Superdrug for another installment of Barry M about a week or two ago. From time to time Superdrug do offers on Barry M, and again they were offering two Nail Paints for £5. It's hard to resist since there's always more than one colour I want to buy. Still a fan of the pastel shades, I thought Lemon Ice Cream was a perfect summer shade. Yellow is never an easy colour to wear, but the pastel tone makes it a little more wearable and less garish. The picture above is probably a little lighter than real life which is a shame because this is the exact colour I hoped for. Like I've experienced before with Barry M Nail Paints, the final colour pay-off is a little darker than the bottle. I'm not sure why this is, in the picture I'd only used two coats, maybe I needed more? But I thought that would surely make it darker, I'd like to maybe try this over a coat of white polish to make it more of a pastel shade. Confusion aside, this is still a lovely colour, I think Summertime is the perfect excuse to be a bit more experimental with colour, and yellow is one of those instantly lift-you-up kind of colours.

If you're not convinced about yellow finger nails, you can always give it a go on your toes.

Beauty Product of the Month: June - Purity Facial Exfoliator

I've swapped my trusty Lush Angels on Bare Skin to try something new. This is what I've been using for the last couple of months or so, it's another Purity product, and this is their facial exfoliator, deep pore cleanser. I won't delve into what I like about this brand as I've touched on that before, but this is a great daily exfoliator. The key ingredients are ground coconut shell which acts as the exfoliant, coconut oil, almond oil and aloe vera. The oils make this a very nourishing, moisturising cleanser, the texture is almost a bit silky. It might seem a bit harsh to have coconut shell in a facial wash, but it's ground so fine that it's not scratchy like you'd expect, but quite kind to your skin. This is therefore suitable for people with sensitive skin since it is not perfumed either, I can't imagine a reason for this product not agreeing with your skin type.

The cleanser is free from parabens which is good news if you're eager to avoid them like I am a little! I know so many products contain them, but even without them, this product lasts 18 months once opened which makes me wonder why they're really needed.

I'll keep this review short, I just want to say I'm sorry for a lack of posts recently, I realise I'm like a month behind with my products of the month, but I hope to be back now, and want to make more of an effort with the blogging world now it's summer and I have a bit more time on my hands! I have a few posts lined up so look out for them, and thankyou for sticking with my blog while things have been a bit quiet.

Make-up Product of the Month: June - MUA single eyeshadow

Last month I noticed a new make-up stand had popped up in Superdrug. Make-up Academy, or MUA for short is a range where everything is available for £1! I usually steer clear of collections like this, there are already a few similar brands available in Superdrug, one of which is the 2True range, where there are often no testers to the products and since believing everything would be poor quality and therefore false economy, I never bought anything. (if anyone knows any differently about this brand please let me know!). However there was something quite appealing about MUA, it doesn't scream tacky like some other brands and there are testers available for the products so you know exactly what you're getting. OK, I know £1 isn't going to break the bank if you don't like the product, but seriously what's the point in owning something rubbish no matter how cheap it might be. If something is a bargain and actually works though, that's entirely different! That's why I was so pleasantly surprised with MUA. The range features eyeliners, glitter eyeliners, solo eyeshadows, mascaras, powders, blushers and bronzers, and other things I'm sure I've missed out. The first thing I want to point out about MUA is the range of colours. I think they are filling a gap, other cosmetics brands have missed out by stocking a few quite unusual and striking colours. The solo eyeshadows are possibly the stand out product of this brand. There are a lot of shades to choose from, a few neutrals, but mostly quite bright, fun colours, perfect if you want to experiment with a new colour before you invest in a more expensive brand. I went for shade 11 which is called Pearl. Not the most suitable name I don't believe, since it's quite a dark, taupey shade but there you go. This is a gorgeous colour, quite shimmery and very comparable to MAC's Satin Taupe which is a staple in anyone's eyeshadow collection. It's a little darker than Satin Taupe, but makes it more suitable as a crease colour for that reason, and I find the consistency of the shadow really blends well with other eyeshadows. Another plus, which was also a surprise to me was just how pigmented the eyeshadow is.The other swatch in the picture is the glitter eyeliner I bought in shade 7. This is just something fun I picked up, I don't wear something like this very often but I think something like this is great for going out. You could wear it over black eyeliner and your usual eye make-up for quite an intense look, it would perk up any neutral look. Of course it would look great with a purple smokey eye, or alternatively, you could just wear a slick of this with mascara for a less dramatic look. I went over the line on my hand twice to build up the colour you can see. Slightly annoying downside of this product, there's no guarantee where the glitter will end up so it goes on a little patchy and therefore two coats are probably needed. I prefer to do just the one line of eyeliner, but like I say, I wouldn't wear this every day, so it's not a big deal.
So overall, a lot of good things to say about this brand. I can imagine it appealing to a younger target market, with the price and range of colours, (I did spy a neon yellow glitter eyeliner btw!) but I think this is great for all make-up lovers who like to experiment with colour without breaking the bank.

Beauty Product of the Month: May - Simple Sun Sensitive Protecting Facial Hydrolotion

The name of this product is a little bit of a mouthful, but all you need to know is this is a sun protection cream effectively. On Simple's website you can sign up to be a VIP member, which allows you to post on the website's blog, answer surveys to gain points which you can eventually turn into free products, and occasionally, get sent samples. This was actually the only product I have received for free from Simple and although I wasn't expecting great things, I hardly ever repurchase anything I've gotten as a trial size, whether it be from a counter, a magazine or wherever, I actually want to go and purchase the full size of this product.

So it came in a 10ml tube, and a little too early in the year for me to use. I put it away, forgot about it, then rediscovered it just before my holiday. It turned out to come in great use and was a staple item in my beach bag. Now I am careful when it comes to sun protection and pretty rigourous applying it, there's nothing worse than having a patchy tan, or any burnt parts when the rest of you is tanning safely and evenly. Having said that, I really don't like applying most sun lotions to my face; they're greasy, make my skin far too shiny and I can't apply anything over it. Until now, that's something I settled for, after all, your face is probably the most important part to protect when you go abroad as it's always exposed so is going to face the most damage. However, this facial hydrolotion offers SPF 25 without the greasy face! It's just like an ordinary moisturiser. This is exactly what I want from my sun protection on my face. If you're anything like me and like to put a little make-up on for the beach, (I'm not talking a full face here, just a touch of bronzer and the like) then this is perfect, it settles in to your skin like any other moisturiser and leaves a matte finish on your face so you can go ahead and apply anything over the top of it. I was sort of expecting my face to still tan because I didn't have that heavy, greasy feeling that all other sun lotions seem to leave me with, but it does work.

The nice thing is knowing this product is by Simple which means few chemicals that are going to irritate your skin. I think this is targeting the natural product lovers as it contains "sunflower goodness" to "naturally fight premature ageing". I don't really expect a sun protection cream to be too natural, and it really doesn't bother me that much, as long as it protects my skin. I think this product is suitable for people with sensitive skin and might be worth trying if you've been irritated by other brands of suncream. I personally love it purely for the non-grease factor and that's persuaded me to go and repurchase. I haven't actually seen it in the shops but I did check the website a while ago and I think this is available in various SPFs.

The only thing I will miss is the size, as this was a handy little product to pop in my bag alongside my regular suncream for the rest of my body. I don't overly want to be lugging around two sun protection products...I'm sure I'll get past that though.

Rimmel's latest mascara offering: 3 looks in 1...

Rimmel's latest mascara offering is the 3 looks mascara. My initial thoughts were ones of confusion, 3 looks in 1? How can that be? Even when I got the mascara home and examined it I was still a bit perplexed. It finally occured to me that when you twist the dial, the pressure at the top of the tube increases or decreases, thus allowing more or less mascara on to the wand, depending on your desired look. You probably are a bit smarter, and worked that out quicker than me. The pictures on the advert are so exaggerated it's not even funny, so I decided to conduct my own little test to show you what the different looks you can really create are. Turning the dial to number 1 is supposed to create 3 times more volume; number 2, 5 times more volume and number 3, 10 times more volume than your ordinary lashes. Ok... so below is a picture of the wand to give you an idea of the amount of mascara released on the wand on each dial, top left is number 1, and going clockwise, 2 and 3. Sorry they are not the same size exactly, but hopefully you can see the difference in the wand each time.And below are pictures of the mascara when applied with just one coat. When twisted to number 1, lashes are really separated well with just enough volume to enhance your lashes without it being glaringly obvious you're wearing mascara, a nice natural day time look.Number 2 for me is probably the best way to wear the mascara. More volume yet still enough separation so you don't get that nasty spider looking lash situation. The only problem with this was I felt like I couldn't achieve the right length with my lashes. They seem a little stumpier in this picture. I guess I could fix this with a dash of another mascara on the tips, something specifically for lengthening.Number 3 is below, different lighting in the shot, but you get the idea. My lashes were pretty lengthy after application but I'm not too keen on the volume side of things. You can see from the top picture of the mascara wand that when the dial is on number 3, there is a LOT of mascara on the wand, and that's the problem, the bristles on the wand can't really do their job because the wand is overloaded. So instead of separating it just kind of puts a huge chunk of mascara on your lashes which you're left to try and sort out. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone who doesn't use mascara a lot. I wear it everyday almost without fail, so I feel I'm a pro at applying it on myself by now! I could see myself getting in a mess with this if I wasn't so familiar with the whole process though. Looking at the picture I think it resembles the spider lashes I was talking about. My lashes are volumised but it's like I can count how many lashes I have which just isn't quite right.

My overall conclusion of the mascara: I like the idea of it more than the actual mascara. 3 looks in 1 seems too good to be true, and sadly yes it is. If you want to create 3 different looks you probably need 3 different mascaras. Personally I think it's better to have a mascara that is buildable. Examples of these are L'oreal Lash Architect, and Rimmel's Glam Eye Mascara. They really separate your lashes so you an build up the volume by applying a greater number of coats. I sort of think this mascara is trying to do too much. It works well on number 2 though, and that can be built up but then it renders the other dial numbers useless. So honestly, this is a bit of a gimmick which I clearly got suckered in to. Like I say, nice in theory, but it doesn't represent what Rimmel is about. I really rate Rimmel mascaras on the whole, I have quite a few reviews on here, but this just isn't one of their best. It's probably better for someone looking for a daytime mascara, using it on dials 1 and 2 depending on how dramatic you want your lashes, but I'd steer clear of number 3, it just doesn't deliver what it's meant to and their are plenty of better max volume mascaras out there.

Anyone tried this and had more success?

Make-up Product of the Month: May - Barry M Nail Paint Mushroom

I don't have to explain what's good about Barry M, I'm sure you already know. Great quality nail varnish, it's long lasting and good value for money. Alongside that, there is a vast array of colours to choose from, and now added to that collection there is a (much needed) choice of pastel colours. The most popular are probably the pastel pink and purple shades, they are gorgeous in person. But I was drawn to this dirty shade of griege! I don't know what it is about these shades, but I seriously love them! This one is called Mushroom, which I don't think is a particularly accurate description, the colour is more of a greyish, slightly taupe shade. The other pastel colours are named after ice cream, this would probably fit in as the chocolate ice cream of the bunch (at least in the bottle...).It really doesn't come out the same as the colour in the bottle which is more brown toned. That's ok though, I'm happy with the result, I don't own any shades in this family so this is a good start. I love the finish of this nail varnish. It's super shiny and glossy and a good formulation because I applied two coats of this yesterday and no sign of chipping yet. Another winner from Barry M.

Elephant Parade and Lush Designs

Obviously make up and beauty related topics are what I normally blog about, but my interests are varied and hopefully if you are a follower of this blog, you won't mind me venturing out to other topics. Being interested in all things pretty also transcends to home decor, and I am always looking for ways to beautify my home. I went to Greenwich market yesterday, a favourite place of mine where you can find some unique and beautiful items. I noticed a shop there before that I hadn't seen before called Elephant Parade. If you live in or have visited London recently you will probably have noticed these giant elephant statues dotted all over. The idea behind Elephant Parade is to raise money for, and ultimately save endangered elephants. I absolutely love elephants, I think they are beautiful, powerful yet gentle creatures and one of my favourite animals, I couldn't imagine a world without them. My Mum is also a big lover of elephants, which is probably where I get it from so when I saw the Elephant Parade shop I had to have a browse. The shop was full of statues of elephants, in various sizes, each one a unique piece of art. Elephant Parade started in 2007 in Rotterdam and has come to London for 2010. There are about 250 different painted elephants and you can buy statues of each of the larger, original ones. The larger ones will be up for auction in July, and the smaller ones available in the shops are limited edition, the number available depending on how many the artist made. I bought myself one, and one for my Mum for her birthday. They are both from the 2009 Elephant Parade held in Amsterdam. I kind of wanted London ones, and thought that's what I was buying, but I didn't realise until I got home that the parade has been held in various locations before. I think they are both gorgeous anyway, and it was so hard to choose. If you want to have a look at the elephants, you can buy them from the website here and here. Next door to the Elephant Parade shop is a shop called Lush Designs. I have been lusting after a light shade from there for about a year (!) so after moving rooms I thought it was as good a time as any to finally buy one. Lush Designs is a small independent shop that sell interior textile items such as light shades, cushions, as well as clocks and bags with quirky prints on them. I really wanted a large light shade, and managed to find myself one in the sale part of the shop marked at £20, down from £38, I'm such a bargain hunter! It was a little damaged, but it's only a crease mark, it's not ripped and you can't tell once the shade is hanging up. I love the monkey design on this one. Check out Lush Designs here.
I love that my room is finally starting to take shape. I will have to post a picture of the whole room so you can get a real feel. Enjoy the rest of your weekend ladies. xXx