NOTD Barry M Raspberry

The latest addition to my Barry M nail paint family is the overlooked and undersung hero that is Raspberry. There's so many brighter, more stand out colours in the collection that I never really pick up the "normal" safe shades.
Raspberry is a deep, rich red colour which I have included a couple of pictures in different lighting. It reminds me a lot of Piccadilly Circus by Nails Inc except it is a truer red shade and doesn't look brown in some lights like Piccadilly Circus does. It is almost in that red wine colour family, but again a little more red than wine. It's a classic shade and one that I think everyone needs some equivalent of in their nail polish collection.
I think as this is an older colour, the formulation is not as great as newer shades, this did start to chip on day 2 which is unusual, definitely calls for a topcoat to fix this.

OOTD 13.07

Tube top: H&M - £3.99
Harem pants: New Look - £9.99
Flip Flops: Havaianas
Bag: Primark - £6

I found this top in H&M priced at a bargainous £3.99. I don't have too many of this style of top and I quite like a bare shoulder in the summer time, it tends to be the only time of year you get away with it.

Not sure how everyone feels about harem trousers, I wasn't a huge fan admittedly, but I tried on this pair from New Look and they were so comfortable, they are my equivalent of a lounging around trouser. I quite like the colour of these too, it makes them a bit different.

Primark have some amazing bags in store at the moment, very comparable to the uber stylish ones you see in Topshop but for a snippet of the price. This bag I bought for £6, but it has since been reduced to £3. I love that it's a sturdy little wicker basket bag, very unique looking.

OOTD 12.07

Here is another outfit post, (let me know if you would rather me stick to makeup) showing the rather simple, yet ready for whatever this unpredictable British summer should throw at me.
T-shirt: New Look - £8
Jeans: Primark - £6.50
Flip flops: Havaianas (from Office) around £18
Bag - Luca Bocelli - £29

T-shirt is from New Look, priced around £8. New Look are great for basics like vests and t-shirts as they are inexpensive and wash well (it's important ya know, there's nothing worse than washing something once then it drops to pieces!). I particularly like the little knot tie at the bottom.

The jeans are another pair of Primark's finest, the amazingly comfortable and well fitted skinny jean I have ever come across. Even more amazingly, they were in the sale this time around, £6.50 instead of £8. I bought these in a very pale wash the first time and these are just a darker version, I did however find that there's not much uniformity among sizes, and had to size up in this colour.
The bag was a present from my lovely Mum as she said I needed a bag to start my new work with. I really love satchel bags, but she wanted to get me a briefcase type one, we looked around and I think this is a happy medium. I saw a bag by the same brand that was a hot pink brief case which was tempting, but perhaps a little too legally blonde?! This is fantastic quality soft leather, and was priced at a discount of £29 down from £80. Although I haven't heard of the brand, I trust this Nappa leather to be good quality. I think it's all in the feel and the smell!Looking rather foolish in the above photos, I'm not a comfortable poser, I wore over my t-shirt my Kimono style top from Peacocks. It's a bit too warm for a jacket, but you never know if it's going to suddenly rain or turn to winter here.I have practically lived in my Havaianas since I bought them a few months back. I went for the slim fit ones in metallic blue. Quite expensive for a flip flop at £18 but these are a flip flop like no other, they don't drop apart like others or wear down. I might aswell throw in some make-up shots here. I went for a bright red lip (Sleek OMG, I will post a separate review on the Too True lipsticks) and neutral eyes using the Sleek Oh So Special palette. Bronzer is by MAC, Refined Golden which I bought ages ago and still use religiously.
This is probably one of my favourite make-up looks, it's pretty effortless really but without looking like I made no effort. I like that the red lip does the talking for this look.

I think this photo might be a little deceiving because I don't feel that in person my hair is that shiny! It's not in bad condition for blonde hair, I haven't used any heat, or at least minimal, say a blowdry every 3-4 days or so, but it is still due for a cut and colour. I haven't decided where I'm going to go yet so I'm going to have a browse online and see what I find.

Beauty Product of the Month - July: Redken Extreme Iron Repair

I’m sure I’m not alone in my love for straightening or curling my hair. If I knew I could do it without damaging my hair, I’d use it heat on it every day. Unfortunately that’s not the case and so when I do use heat, whether it be straighteners, or even just a blowdryer, I want to know that my hair is being protected as best as possible. So when it comes to hair care, I’m prepared to splurge a little, especially since my shampoo and regular conditioner is very affordable (I’m a Herbal Essences kinda girl). I decided to buy Redken’s Heat Protective Extreme™ Iron Repair while I was in my salon since as a complimentary, introductory offer, I could receive £5 off hair care products. This was about £15 originally, so it was a good offer. If I was smart I would’ve used it in conjunction with the other offer they had on this product which was buy get one half price, but I didn’t know if I’d like it so just wanted to try it out first.

So this is a heat-activated protector for distressed/dull hair, so the bottle says. You apply it to your hair after washing whilst it’s still damp and it helps to reinforce and restructure your hair when heat is applied. This is a great product because it works not just by protecting your hair, it’s also a treatment so can repair some of the damage already done. This is good for me because I regularly have highlights, and while I don’t use bleach, I’m still stripping my hair of colour so it can be prone to dry bits towards the bottom. Used over time, this really makes a difference to even quite damaged, straw-like hair. I’m not advocating you get your hair in such a state, but if it happens, there is a product that can work wonders! It smells gorgeous too, with a smell that reminds me of a cross between hair salons and holidays, sorry I can’t be more descriptive than that, it just smells really yummy! I need the smallest amount of this product, a pea sized amount will do, even for my long and thick hair.