#NoBareLips30: Vamp It Up

#NoBareLips30: Vamp It Up!!

"The No Bare Lips Challenge was started by blogger Keiki Kaveri to prove that lipstick could be worn everyday without purchasing anything new." It is time to shop your stash ladies, have a scrummage around your makeup bags/drawers and pull out all of your glosses, tint and lipsticks the brighter the better. Check out KeikoKavari's blog here 

                                                     On the lips: Sleek Matte lipstick in Majestic

#NoBareLips30

                        Details, and Challenge Calendar (Daily Themes)  HERE 

#NoBareLips30: Liner Day

#NoBareLips30: Liner Day 

"The No Bare Lips Challenge was started by blogger Keiki Kaveri to prove that lipstick could be worn everyday without purchasing anything new." It is time to shop your stash ladies, have a scrummage around your makeup bags/drawers and pull out all of your glosses, tint and lipsticks the brighter the better. Check out KeikoKavari's blog here 

On the lips: Bourjois Longwear Lip Liner in Rouge #20 (cheap and cheerful, plus when they say longwear it is long wear, about 4-5 hours with 1 full application)

#NoBareLips30

                        Details, and Challenge Calendar (Daily Themes)  HERE 

#NoBareLips30: Kiss Someone You Love

        #NoBareLips30 Lipstick Challenge. Theme of the day is Kiss someone you love. 

"The No Bare Lips Challenge was started by blogger Keiki Kaveri to prove that lipstick could be worn everyday without purchasing anything new." It is time to shop your stash ladies, have a scrummage around your makeup bags/drawers and pull out all of your glosses, tint and lipsticks the brighter the better. Check out KeikoKavari's blog here 

Someone I love = My big little brother aka the #BestBrotherEver (yes he made his own hashtag)

On the lips: Neals Yard Goji Berry Lipgloss

#NoBareLips30

                        Details, and Challenge Calendar (Daily Themes)  HERE

                             Have you hugged or kissed someone you love today?

The best of the after Christmas sales

I like a good bargain like anyone, but I am not one for standing outside a store at dawn or facing the madness of Boxing Day shoppers. These are just a few things I managed to find after the frenzy had died down. 

My lil stahs of goodies 

Kurt Gieger Mabel flats 

Laura Mercier Mini Eyeliners 

        

Soap and glory Eyeliners

Laura Mercier Mini glosses 

I did not get much but I picked up a few good things. 

The Kurt Gieger flats are super comfy,

 the Laura Mercier glosses are moisturizing with 

great colour payoff plus they are travel sized, lol. 

I love coloured eyeliner, that is just my thing. 

This year I did not pick up any of the urban decay eyeliner sets, 

but these two are more than making up for it. 

Have a great day my lovelies.

xx

Birthday Presents - MAC Stuff

I received a MAC makeup lesson as a birthday gift. The lesson was £50 and then afterwards I was allowed to redeem that amount in products. The makeup lesson was an hour and a half long, in the back room with all the bright white lighting that makes your skin look amazing.  The MAC lady went through skincare, prepping skin before makeup, foundation application, highlighting and various other processes with me. She had a look at my skin, and thought that it was a bit dehydrated (which was true) otherwise there were no major concerns. I enjoyed the lesson, and I picked up these products to add to my collection. 

My haul, lol 

Magenta liner, Moisture cover concealer in NC45, Flat out Fabulous - Lipstick , Blucsh - Ambering Rose

This lipstick colour is just tooo gorgeous.

Great blush for summer outings and photos. 

There is a bit of a back story here, this gift was for my 2013 birthday. I got the  voucher in July but the MAC concession in Leicester Highcross where I originally wanted to book in. They could not fit me in unless it was during the day, which was no good for me since I would be at work. Also that MAC concession they do not have any lessons or makeovers on Saturdays because they are too busy. So I booked in at the MAC store in Nottingham, with my weekend schedule and their availability I only had the lesson about 3 weeks ago. (Yup from July to December) another person might think wow that is long for just 1 booking, I like the fact I had time to pop into the store, look at the products, choose my lipstick. Also I was able to look at my current makeup collection and see which items I needed to upgrade / add. 

Something similar happened last year as well. My brother bless his soul gave me  a MAC gift-card as a Christmas present. (MAC gift-cards are quickly becoming his go to gift  for all his sisters I have noticed.) Did I immediately go out and buy the first thing  I saw? No, I waited until I had a MAC item that finished then I replaced it. This time the item that finished (in April) was my MAC Mineralise Skinfinish Natural which you all know i am in very very very deep like with. For me the wait is a bit of a strategy as well as a saving mechanism.

This post is a bit of a ramble but I say all of that to say this. Sometimes it is better to hold out and wait to get those few items that you absolutely love. Even if you have to try them 4 times just to be sure. 

Have a great day my lovelies.

xx

Luxury Christmas Wishlist - Space NK Edit

This is my luxury Christmas wishlist of all the things I lust over. 

These are the things I would buy, if I had £247 of spare cash lying around after all my bills and day to day needs were met. quite a few of them are gift sets and mini collections, which I love. For some reason with the mini gift sets I get more value for money by being able to try different liners, glosses, products, all in all I to sample without the commitment that comes with purchasing a full priced item. Plus minis are GREAT for travelling and tucking into a clutch bag or jacket pocket.  

NUXE - Cocooning Must Haves

Laura Mercier - Line & Define Mini Longwear Creme Eyeliner Collection 

Stila - Colour Me Glossy Lip Glaze Set

Laura Mercier - Bold Brights Mini Lip Glace Collection

Caudalie - Hancream Trio Set 

Laura Mercier - Shimmer Effects Mini Caviar Stick Eye Colour collection

Laura Mercier - Bare Nudes Mini Lip Glace Collection

What is Christmas if not for wishing. 

Magazine Freebies - ELLE UK December 2013

I had seen the ELLE magazine on the shelves but felt meh about it, £4 and the product is not full sized. However last Friday the Metro had a voucher which allowed purchase of the ELLE UK Magazine for the price of £1. I spent £2 saved £6 and received two of the 3 free lip glosses. 

If you can get your hands on the Metro magazine the voucher is still valid until the 30th of November. 

Overall the Benefit lipglosses are a lovely smooth texture

 and they fit in my clutch bag very well. 

Boots Star Gift - SEVENTEEN Complete Collection

            

This is the 3rd week' of the Boots star gifts and this week's gift is definitely aimed at the glamorous girls in all of our lives. A complete go to kit for eyes lips and cheeks (as described by the boots website). If my sisters play their cards right they might all find one of these under the Christmas tree from santa. lol 



The Seventeen Complete Collection comprises of the following:
-12 x SEVENTEEN Eyeshadows 
-5 x SEVENTEEN Lip Glosses in Peachy, Pink Ice, Fuzzy Yellow Petal, Nude and Very Berry
-SEVENTEEN Blusher in Bramble Frost 
-Limited Edition SEVENTEEN Bronzer
-Limited Edition SEVENTEEN Metallic Eye Cream 
-Limited Edition SEVENTEEN Gel Eyeliner
-Limited Edition SEVENTEEN Black Mascara
-SEVENTEEN Black and Coffee Eye Pencils
-SEVENTEEN Photo Flawless Primer 
-5 x Make-up Brushes
-Pencil Sharpener
-Eyelash Curler

 This is definitely a great gift for a uni student it covers all the basics and a few glam looks can also be created from this treasure trove of goodies. From lectures, lunches to Lacrosse socials this kit has everything a girl will need. It is also a  great gift for someone who is just getting into makeup and they are at that stage where they just want to try things. You can grab all of this at the super bargain price of £17 bucks reduced from £35, plus Boots points. I like the fact that this kit includes brushes as well as so many products. 

Remember this kit is not just limited to Christmas this would be a great gift for a birthday or anniversary. 

There you go my lovelies,

 this weeks star gift.

Images courtesy boots.com via google images

Fairypants Cakes & Cocktails Vegan Lipbalms

Fairypants -  I love the name. 

Fairypants is a home business started by Natalie Pierce - Jones. It started as a a dress making enterprise but has since expanded and now includes jewelry, vegan cosmetics and hair accessories. Natalie sent me one of her vegan lipbalms to review. 

     There are 8 scents to choose from in the Fairypants Cakes & Cocktails Vegan lipbalms. These are Strawberry Cheesecake, Key Lime Pie, Sticky Toffee Pudding, Banoffee Pie, Mojito, Raspberry Sambuca, Amaretto & Cola and Ice cream Soda. I am bit a foodie and when presented with the choices, "I had a rumbly in my tumbly" to quote Pooh Bear. lol  The  lipbalm in Mojito was my choice,  what can I say, I am an island girl ----> mint tea and rum all the way. Along with the lipbalms, I received some samples of the new artwork. For a moment (maybe 5 minutes) I thought they were stickers and I "might" have tried to get the stickers off the page.  lol lol lol I quite like the Mojito as a cocktail and especially with the great weather we have been having in the UK, that has been my chosen cocktail this summer. 

Fairypants Cakes & Cocktails Mojito lipbalm

     The Fairypants Cakes & Cocktails Mojito lipbalm comes in a little steel tin, similar to the sample tins at lush, which I twisted apart to reveal the product. When I opened the lipbalm the gorgeous scent was the first thing I noticed. Scented products should smell like what they say they smell like. 

     In terms of texture, the Fairypants Cakes & Cocktails Mojito lipbalm is quite smooth, which surprised me since the main ingredient is Shea butter. Unless Shea Butter is whipped it can be a bit waxy when applied, which has been my experience using other hair/ body products containing pure Shea Butter. When I applied the Fairypants Cakes & Cocktails Mojito lipbalm to my lips, I had moisture as well as shine and there was no waxy feeling on my lips. The Fairypants Cakes & Cocktails Mojito lipbalm goes on quite light unlike other lipbalms which can be heavy. 

   Another thing which I like about the The Fairypants Cakes & Cocktails Mojito lipbalm is the fact that it contains no petroleum. A girlfriend of mine cannot use petroleum based products and as a beauty blogger, it seems to be my job as the designated ingredients checker. lol lol 

lipbalm applied to back of hand.

Packaging - Simple, easy to carry around, does not take up a lot of space in my makeup bag. 
Product - Easy to use, moisturizes my lips well, and layers up under lipsticks.
Price - GREAT price point £3.99 for an handmade lipbalm is excellent. 

Would I recommend? - Yes
Would I purchase? - Yes
Would I buy full priced? - Yes 

Winter Skincare Series - Lip Balms

     Lip balms don't tend to bring the glamour or get as much hype/excitement compared to lipsticks and lip glosses. However lip balms are very important when it comes to keeping lips moisturised. Our lips unlike the rest of our body no not contains any oil producing glands, so all the moisture they receive needs to be applied externally. Our lips need care all year round  especially during the winter months, when the cold air and fake heat can cause chapping. 

Lip balms come in many varieties, some contain colour  shimmer, spf the *moist* important part is that they moisturise the lips!!! 

Nivea lip care essential - Been using this since 2001 and I always will, unless it is discontinued. This lip balm  contains JoJoba oil and moisturises lips very effectively. It is even guy friendly no colour/no scent/ minimum shine/ affordable, so my fellas you can upgrade from those tubs of Vaseline.

Blistex Lip Massage - it works well especially around the end of january/ early february when the snow is in full force. 

Blistex Lip Conditioner -  works the same as the lip Massage but it has more menthol and comes in a little tub. 

MAC Lip Gelee - this product is a thick but ultra moisturising product. It is not quite a lipstick or lip stain not quite a gloss and delivers a wash of colour and it lasts a longggggggggggggggggg time. 

MAC lip Gelee in moistly

There you have it guys and dolls. No reason not to have the perfect pout this season.

xx