Maybelline Colour Sensational lipsticks

I was first introduced to these wonderful lipsticks when I won Ambre Rose on a blog competition (I love fellow bloggers!). Ambre Rose is in the pink family of these lipsticks and the other week I was browsing Superdrug on The Strand (probably my favourite Superdrug, it's so well stocked and organised) and Maybelline had 3 for 2 on certain products.

Impressed the first time round with Colour Sensational, I knew I could trust the quality of these and there were so many great shades to choose from. I like how the shades are organised into colour families, it makes it a little easier choosing the right colour for you. Nothing from the Plums appealed to me, I don't know if plum would suit me, I've just always avoided it so I guess I'll never find out. So I got 3 from the remaining 3 families, Pearl, Brown, and Red.

Red is again a colour I struggle with, I think it's the fear factor that stops me reaching for red lipsticks. Amongst the red family, there were a few coral numbers which is a colour I adore. I found the perfect lipstick to wear under Revlon's Coral Reef lipgloss. It's almost an exact match, unfortunately the pictures below don't show the vibrancy. It's called Coral Pop (number 420) a peachy/red tone that's quite bold and so best paired with a toned down eyeshadow look. I think you could still go quite bold on your cheeks though and pair this with a coral blusher like MAC's Peach or a nice bronzer. The consistency of this one is a little more drying than the others, I would recommend exfoliating your lips before applying as even the tiniest amount of dry skin seems magnified by this. Having said that, the pigmentation is fantastic, as is how long this lipstick lasts, I'd say a good few hours and because it's quite a matte finish, doesn't rub off on your glass when you drink. Applied well, it looks great.

Next we have Rose Pearl (822) from not surpringly the Pearl family. These shades were released later than the other colour families and are probably the most appealing to me. I think these are the hardest colours to find as I haven't found them in all the Superdrugs I visit. Rose Pearl is this gorgeous shimmery shade. It looks like a nude in the tube, but with a very fine bluey silver shimmer to it which is more apparent when applied. Think crushed pearls on your lips! I think nude fans will love this shade, I wear it mostly during the day time but this would look so glamourous with a smoky eye instead of a classic plain nude lipstick.

And finally, Velvet Beige (630) from the Browns family. I think this might be my favourite of the three I bought because I took a bit of a risk with it and found a colour that I never go near, but actually really love and think I will reach for this the most. I happen to be a big fan of browns but I usually go for the nudey browns, for example my favourite shade is MAC's High Tea. This is still a nudey brown but somewhat darker than I've tried before.
I love darker colours that suit my skin tone because I find them more long lasting than lighter shades. My lips are really pigmented too so I need quite a strong colour that's just as pigmented to show up on my lips. Velvet Beige leaves my lips with this wine stained colour that really warms my entire face up. At the risk of sounding like an idiot, this is also a lipstick that makes me feel "sophisticated" and "grown-up"! I guess it's a shade I associate with older women than myself, but I think if something looks right on you, or more to the point, feels right on you, you should wear it, over something you feel you should be wearing for your age. I love the creamy texture of Velvet Beige, (it's funny how all the Colour Sensational lipsticks feel like they have different consistencies, yet they still have that same marzipan smell!) it's moisturising without being overly glossy. This will definitely be my most used lipstick over Autumn/Winter.

Lush Loot, I went Bath Ballistic

As the title suggests, I did go on a bit of a jolly with the new bath ballistics. I only really wanted my AOBS face wash and to trade in 5 washed black pots for a free face mask, but then I saw all the new bath ballistics. There was quite a crowd in there at the time so I couldn't really see anything properly so I figured try them all out and decide which one's best at home! I've never really had a bad experience with Lush bath ballistics anyway.

So from top right going clockwise, we have Dragon's Egg, Twilight, Mrs. Whippy and Fizzbanger. Twilight had practically sold out at the Lush in Covent Garden, I got the second to last Twilight left! Clever marketing by Lush on their part, I'm not expecting much from this one, it seems like it's a lavendar scented, relaxing bath bomb, nothing too out of the ordinary but it's seen a surge in popularity just as it's name sake film.

I'm looking forward to trying all of these ballistics out, I will post a review separately, the one I'm most looking forward to trying is the Dragon's Egg as the lasy was demonstrating the product in the store, it did a colour changing, noise making spectacle I can't wait to see in my own bath-tub! I do love Lush for making bath-time fun! Above are the more essential products I bought, AOBS which I have previously reviewed, Brazened Honey face mask which was a freebie after trading in 5 old pots. Again it was difficult navigating my way around the store so I just grabbed the one nearest/most appealing to me, which happened to be this. I liked the look and the name of it, but I should've paid a bit more attention because this is actually more suitable for dry skin which I don't have. There are a few others that would certainly be more appropriate for my combination skin, I'm thinking more along the lines of Cosmetic Warrior to try out as I've tried Sacred Truth before. This one actually smells how I remember Sacred Truth to smell, which made me think I'd picked up a wrongly labelled mask. I don't know, but it just doesn't smell anything like honey to me. It does have exfoliating properties in it which I think is good for any skin from time to time and I think all of Lush face masks will leave you feeling pampered and that's what it's all about for me.

Also in the picture is Summer Pudding soap which I threw in as a last minute whim because it was love at first sniff! Absolutely amazing. It has glacier cherries in it and I know everyone says this about Lush, but this soap really does smell good enough to eat. Cherries are my favourite fruit so that's a bonus. I love how in the shop it actually looked like a big summer fruit pudding as well, I needed me a slice! It looks and makes my bathroom smell great and is very kind to my skin. I'd used Sea Vegetable before this which was a lovely, fresh smelling soap but somewhat drying, so I'm pleased this one doesn't dry my skin out.

Getting crafty

I have always had a thing for crafts, sewing and making things from fabric. I sometimes wish I had have gone down that route with my career, but in a way it's probably best I didn't as it's now just a hobby and something I can enjoy doing. I love being creative and decided as it's my birthday month this month, I would get a sewing machine and get creating! I'm starting off quite simple, my first project will be making cushion covers! I have plain white bed linen (it was really difficult to find anything for Superking size :s), and cream/taupe cushions. The cushions suited the old bed, but now they just look a bit drab, so I need a colour injection. I'm not really one for matchy matchy, so I thought I'd just find some fabrics I like and not bother if they clash. On plain white it doesn't look too overboard, they are only cushions after all. I looked online for fabric, mostly on ebay, and there are so many beautiful fabrics on there, but a little overpriced when you add on shipping. I wanted to go into an actual shop so I could see the fabric for myself. That's where I found out about a shop in Clapham called Fabrics Galore. Oh. My. God. I'm so glad I went over there. It's like fabric heaven! I read some reviews online and people were saying that they had a great variety of fabrics, some designer, at knock down prices. They specialise in end of line fabrics so I guess that's how they're able to keep their prices low. Amongst their lines, they had a lot of Liberty, Alexander Henry and Paul Smith fabrics. It was hard to pick out material for my three cushions but I'm happy with what I found in there. I got these three, along with a zip for each and it came to around £19. I bought the multi-coloured pins separately off ebay. I think that's quite reasonable as the blue skull one is Alexander Henry, and the other two feel like good quality cotton. The flower one is a very thick good quality cotton, it looks like you could cover your sofa with this. There were a lot of different patterns available in this range, and many of them were quite retro looking, reminiscent of Cath Kidston.

This one was the most expensive at I think £9 a metre, but the detailing is just gorgeous. I love the flower detailing on the skulls, who knew a skull could look so pretty?! And it has this hint of gold painted over some of the lines. It's pretty stunning. I'm thinking of going back for more and making a tote bag out of this or something similar. So now I have everything I need to make my cushions! I can't wait to start on them, and I will post pictures when they're finished.

I've also been getting creative with old bangles, and covering them with fabrics that I like. I'm thinking of making these to sell,maybe sewing buttons on them. I think I'm going to sell this one as it is. I hope no-one minds posts like this too much, I know it's going off the beauty theme a little.

Weekend on the Thames

This weekend I went with my boyfriend to do a spot of rowing! We tried to do it a few weekends back when it was super hot, but because the weather was so beautiful, a lot of other people had got the same idea and so if we wanted to do it, it would mean queueing for an age. I'm glad we waited and went back this weekend because we were able to hop straight on a rowing boat.

My boyfriend seemed to get the hang of it pretty quickly, and it was so relaxing and peaceful being rowed along the river. I decided I wanted in on the rowing action so I took over. I found out it wasn't as easy as it looked and I wasn't able to navigate the rowing boat too well. I ended up going in to the river bank.I eventually got the hang of it though and was able to row us in a straight-ish line. We saw a few other people out on the river, including a boat full of people dressed up as Jack Sparrow. This was easily £5 for the hour very well spent!

(Lace sleeve detail top and Baxter Jeans from Topshop, necklace from Accessorize, bangle from Primark.)

Revlon 3 for 2

I picked up three items by Revlon recently, they are still currently on an offer of 3 for 2 which is always worth taking advantage of. I have to say Revlon is not a brand I spend a lot of time looking at, I've tried a few of their products but always find the choice of colours a little uninspiring and a little overpriced for what they are. Having said that, I think recently they've released much more appealing products, in more fashionable colours so I felt compelled to give them another chance. I'm glad to say I've not been disappointed. I purchased Coral Reef lipgloss which is a gorgeous vibrant coral colour. It was difficult to get an accurate photograph of the gloss, I feel like it's considerably brighter than this in real life. I like the way this product applies, although if you have dry lips you will really need to use a lip balm first as I've noticed the colour concentrates more in the cracks, and I didn't really notice any cracks before I put this on! I don't get this with any other lip gloss I own, but I think that's because this is more pigmented than other glosses. I'd say it's pigmented enough to wear on its own but I recently purchased a coral lipstick I could pair this with which I think will give a great pop of coral. I'd probably wear this as more of a statement lip with a neutral eye. Coral isn't as bright and noticeable as a hot pink or classic red lip, but it's still quite a statement. I love how coral really brightens your face up, and warms your complexion, I think it's a colour that would suit everyone, and is just so perfect for summer.

So much so...I obviously had to buy Tropical Temptation too! The gloss actually looks the same shade as this in the tube but obviously it didn't turn out that bright. This is the perfect shade of coral nail varnish I have ever seen. It's verging on neon in some lights, but not enough to look silly. It's just a beautiful, vivid colour that will perk your fingers and toes up, and make you look summery, with or without a tan. I'm also super impressed at the quality of Revlon nail polishes as this is my first experience of them. I used three coats in the picture above, I had two coats on for about 2-3 days, then decided to top it up with a third coat. It wasn't majorly streaky, but I just felt a third coat would show it's true colour as I hadn't applied my first two coats very liberally. I was surprised that two coats lasted as long as they did, a third should mean I get another couple of days out of them.

So the freebie, was this: the infamous Minted. Why oh why did I wait til now to buy?! I love it! I bought it because I had on outfit I wanted my nails to match with that was a mint green colour, The top was lighter than this shade, but this was the closest I could find, and it complimented it really nicely. I had wanted Barry M's mint green for a while, which is a little darker than this, but this is far nicer in my opinion and would suit a lot more people's skin tones. It's a quirky colour, but the fact that it's still quite light makes it more wearable and not too "out-there! It's a lovely creamy consistency, equally as long lasting as Tropical Temptation, and the picture below is with two coats applied.

The lipgloss is priced at just under £7 I believe, and the nail polishes just over £6, I can't remember the exact amount. The nail polishes may seem overpriced for a drugstore brand, but I actually think it's not too bad since they are a good sized bottle. They are worth buying if there is a specific colour you really like, or use a lot of.

It's the little things....

....that make me smile. Like finding things I love in unexpected places. I've been on the hunt for a teapot recently! I saw a few nice ones in Cath Kidston which I thought were quite fitting, I wanted one that's kinda retro and old fashioned since really who uses a teapot under the age of 80 these days?! I love my tea, and drink so much of it, it made sense for me to own one, there's something quite satisfying about using one, I feel like a Desperate Housewife. I found this in Matalan of all the places I could've found one. I wouldn't have bought it if it was a regular Union Jack print, but I loved the checked and floral design that really made it appealing. I couldn't resist it at £10. I also found these wonderful sandals for £5. I needed a new pair after an embarrassing scenario which involved them breaking. Imagine the toe post snapping when you're walking through town! So freaking annoying, luckily though they had support at the back so at least I had something to hold my foot in. I had to walk very slowly and carefully to the nearest shoe shop, which with nothing to support the front of my foot was a bit of a quest. I had to buy literally the closest pair I could find, and they just happened to be god awful patent blue ones, just disgusting really. So anyway, they needed replacing with sandals I actually like, and I found these, I love the fact they're not toe post sandals because they're more comfortable, but still look modern. On the same spree I visited New Look, a shop that goes up and down in my expectations, I used to hate it, but just recently have been finding some real gems in there. The only thing I find consistent about that place is the shoes, they always have something I like, and are so affordable. I found this top, which when I describe as cropped and tie-dyed sounds like an 80s throwback and bloody awful, but for some reason I love it. It looks nothing on the hanger, so I will have to post a picture of an OOTD to convince you otherwise. It's slightly slanted so is slightly shorter on one side than the other and is tied in a knot on one side.
I also found this t-shirt dress with ruched flower detailing on the sleeves. It's available in a few colours, but it's very slim fitting, so not very forgiving I'm afraid, black is the only colour I thought I could pull it off in, the nude pink was gorgeous, but a bit on the revealing side.
It looks kind of boring as it is, but teamed with a contrasting belt and shoes looks pretty nice. The detailing on the sleeves just gives it that delicate edge. I left my umbrella at work and since I've now left for the summer and will be starting somewhere new soon, I won't really be able to go back for it, so I bought a new one. It's a similar style to my old one, except my old had white detailing, so a white frill at the bottom and a white handle and stitching. It was also plain and transparent, whereas this one has a cherry print all over it, it's very cute. I have a feeling it might actually have been from the 915 range as it was all on it's own with more grown up looking ones! Oh well, I like it. The top was £14, the dress £20, and the umbrella £8. Bargainous! So I was very content with my shopping experience, I spent quite little for what I bought which is always a good thing, especially when you get just what you want.

It's not only material things I buy that put a smile on my face, but even smaller things like coming home and making my own capuccino. Yum! A bit of effort but worth it, and tastes great. Another thing that I've come to realise made me happy was my garden at my parent's house. I took it for granted when I lived there because everyone had a garden where I grew up. Living in London, I have a balcony, which I realise even that it somewhat of a luxury in my area. It's not huge but we are making the most of it. I will have to tidy it up a little better and show you pictures. But here is the sunflower I planted a few weeks ago. I can't believe how quick it's grown and it seems like it's reached it's peak now and is ready to flower soon. I was quite surprised how easy it was to grow, I thought I would kill it as I'm not reknown for keeping plantlife alive, but it's thriving really well, and I'm actually quite proud of it!
Anyway, I realise I've gone off at a complete tangent on this post. Well done if you read this far! So I guess I'd like to know...what are the little things that make you smile? They might be beauty related or otherwise, write a comment or your own blog post! xXx

Stereo Rose - How I love thee

I got suckered in to the hype of Stereo Rose after browsing several beauty blogs the day the In The Groove collection was released in the UK. I normally like to wait for swatches and reviews before I buy anything myself. I am quite good and restrained usually, I won't buy something just because everyone says I HAVE to. But honestly when I saw this in the flesh, i HAD to have it! So I went and I bought it the very next day I saw it on beauty blogs. And here is the little beauty. The colour is peachy toned, and not a million miles away from the shade of Too Faced Brightening Blush in Papa Don't Peach. It has that same irridescent quality that I love to a blush, just a slight sheen when the light catches you. I'm not the biggest MSF fan in the world, but I think Stereo Rose is an exception. It doesn't make you look shiny like a lot of MSF's will (I don't actually mind that btw) and the colour pay off is actually very decent. I also own Triple Fusion MSF and the colour pay off was next to non-existant, don't get me wrong I like the colour, but it was more sheen than colour, whereas Stereo Rose is a healthy mix of just the right amount of colour to sheen. This is exactly what I hope and expect from a mineralised or "baked" cosmetic product and it makes me wonder why MAC haven't made them all this consistency.

Here is the sheen I am talking about. I have layered this on more than I probably would to go out in public, but for photographic purposes it really shows how gorgeous the colour is. A perfect peachy pink, with just a dash of bronze which would look stunning if I was a little more tanned! This is a versatile product, MSF's aren't specifically for blusher purposes, there are mineralised blushes also available, but an MSF can be used all over the face in some way. It's easy to achieve a light application with MSF's so if you like to wear blusher as well as bronzer, this would be perfect to dust over your bronzer, just to give you that extra bit of glow.

I know this is now a hard to come by product, but it is the stand out product (by a mile!) of this collection and worth trying to hunt down.

I hope that your shopping experience is more successful than mine...when I bought it, I asked for "a Stereo Rose MSF please", expecting the guy that worked there to know what I was talking about. I felt so geeky afterwards, because apparently he didn't know that MSF was shorthand for mineralise skin finish. I thought "Stereo Rose" would give it away, lol I just expected him to know instantly what I was talking about, because jeez, doesn't everyone know what Stereo Rose is! I guess even the people that work in MAC aren't as obsessed as us beauty junkies!