Superdrug purchases

I actually brought these a few weeks ago but just never got around to photographing and swatching it for the blog until now.


I've had my eye on the Sleek storm palette for ages after reading all the great reviews on blogs, but kept convincing myself that I didn't need it as I don't wear much eyeshadow, however I kept swatching it in store and eventually decided that all the colours are gorgeous and is the perfect palette for everyday looks and can be mixed with darker colours for going out.


Most of the colours are shimmery although there are a few matte colours, and they are all super blendable.


I've almost finished my Elemis eye absolute eye serum and wanted another anti-ageing eye cream for nighttime, and as this was on half price I thought I might as well give it a go. It claims to tone and firm the under eye area, reducing the appearance of wrinkles, puffiness and dark circles. I've used products from this range before and was impressed so hopefully this won't disappoint either.


Finally I spotted these silver bow studs on the jewellery stand and just had to get them. They are so cute and such a bargain at 99p. I've worn these almost everyday since I brought it. Superdrug has some great jewellery pieces that are definitely worth checking out.

I also managed to get 10% off as my boyfriend needed some razors, making the total over £10 and I had one of those vouchers you get for doing a 5 min survey. If you are planning on buying lots of stuff its worth doing the 5 min survey and then you can get 10% off your next purchase as long as its over £10 and in the next 30 days.

Will do a review on the eye cream soon once I've had a chance to use it properly.

Thank you Missy!

Missy (The Fashion Fusion) recently did a giveaway on her blog, which to my surprise I won ( I hardly ever win anything).

The prize was a Mama Mia dvd, which she posted to me straight away to avoid the postal strikes.


Thank you so much Missy, I can't wait to watch the movie and sing along to all the ABBA songs.

Ins and outs

I've not done one of these for a while, so thought I'd do one for this week.

Ins
Boat party: It was a friends bday on Sunday but he was organizing a boat party on Saturday for a uni society so he decided to have the party on the boat. It was amazing, we were on the Dixie Queen boat for 4 hours whilst it cruised on the Thames from Tower Hill to O2 arean and back. Everyone dressed up and it was so glamourous, plus there was a chocolate fountain, what more could you want?


Seeing friends: 2 of my old housemates had a houseparty this Friday and another one came over today to catch up. I've not seen them for a while so it was lovely to just chill out and catch up on everything.

Westfield: Me and my boyfriend spent Sun afternoon shopping, I brought quite a lot of things so expect a shopping post soon.

Cupcakes and Sunday roast: My lovely flatmate kindly baked some delicious cupcakes for everyone and also we got together and cooked a proper Sunday roast with all the trimmings for dinner today :)



Outs
Bad internet connection: For some reason my computer keeps connecting and disconnecting from the internet, making it impossible to do anything online.

Uni work: I had my deadline for a 2000 word essay plus an abstract writing exam this week, not fun!

Bad skin: Uni stress and lack of time for exercise and healthy cooking has resulted in several spots.

Whats been the highlights and lowlights of your week?

Hope everyone had a good weekend! x

Beautiful and Gorgeous blogger award

Thank you to the lovely Louise (Lou Lou Land!) and Caz (thisiscaz) for giving me these awards.



1. Thank the person who nominated me for this award
2. Copy the award and place it on my blog.
3. Link to the person who nominated me for this award
4. Tell us 7 interesting things about yourself
5. Nominate 7 Bloggers
6. Post links to the 7 blogs I nominate.

So 7 facts about myself, hmm I always these really hard as I never know what to write, hopefully these will be vaguely interesting:

1. I'm paranoid about wrinkles and as soon as I discovered UVA was the biggest cause of aging I stocked up on facial sunscreen.

2. My favourite place to eat out would have to be Chinatown, Dim sum is just so yummy :)

3. I have never dyed my hair, had highlights or had any other sort of colour treatment.

4. I'm still a learner driver, although I've now taken my theory test so hopefully can do the practical test soon.

5. I've always been one of the youngest kids in my year as I'm an August baby.

6. My must have item would have to be moisturizer, theres no worse feeling than tight dry skin.

7. I'm definitely not a morning person, I'm always so sleepy in the mornings and would rather stay up late to work then get up early.

I'm going to pass the award to these gorgeous bloggers:
1. Laura
2. Carla
3. Phoebe
4. Missy
5. Victoria
6. Lauren
7. Kate

Review- The Body Shop coconut body butter

Product: The Body Shop coconut body butter

Price: £4 for 50ml, £10 for 100ml

What they say: An intensive, creamy butter offering up to 24 hours moisturisation. It absorbs into the skin easily, helping to condition, soften and smooth the skin. Once you get over the indulgent tropical scent, slick this on and be transported all over again. Containing Community Trade shea and cocoa butter.



What I think: I think body butter describes it perfectly, its quite hard to scoop up but once I rub it between my hands to warm it up it melts and becomes a lot softer.


This is one of the thicker body butters from The Body Shop and is perfect for moisturizing dry skin. Its a little greasy as its so rich so I wouldn't use this as an everyday moisturizer unless you have very dry skin. I use this every couple of days after showering at night and always wake up with soft smooth skin. It also gives the skin a gorgeous sheen without looking greasy.

Like all the other body butters this one smells amazing and the scent lingers on your skin so you can still smell it hours later. It can be a little overpowering if used all over so I tend to only use this on my legs if I'm going out.

It is a little on the pricey side but you don't need to use much each time so the 200ml tub does lasts for a good few months.

Rating: 7/10

Would I repurchase: Yes, especially since The Body Shop have lowered their prices recently.

Free CID eyeliner

I managed to get hold of 2 copies of Grazia magazine at the Martini event last week ( the promotion must have been in association with Grazia) and in the current issue is a voucher for a free CID eyeliner.


There was a choice of 3 colours-black, brown and white and I decided to get the black and the white one as brown would look too light on me.


I tried it on the back of my hand and they are both very soft and pigmented and the white one definitely helps to brighten up the eye area. I've been meaning to try a white eyeliner for ages but just never got round to buying one so am really pleased I managed to get such a good one for free.

The magazine costs £1.95 but the eyeliners are worth £10.50 so its definitely worth gettingif you want to get a new eyeliner (the voucher runs out on the 19th)

Have you got any good freebies recently?

New obsession- Scented candles

How have I not used them before now?

I was given this candle as a present by my bf a while ago but I put it away in a cupboard and completely forgot about until the other day when my flatmate was burning one in her room.

I've lit it for a couple of hours today and its given my room such a lovely gorgeous warm fragrance of rose and ylang yland and theres just something about candles that makes them very relaxing.

I'm definitely going to buy more once I've finished burning this one so please let me know if you have any recommendations.

Lush Freshers pack

At the weekend I went to Westfield for some retail therapy and whilst I was there I picked up a freshers pack from Lush.

I've never brought anything from Lush before so thought it would be perfect for me to get some products to try. I decided to choose my own products (with a lot of help from the SA) rather than go for one of the other 3. Here's what I got in my pack:

I'll start with the sugar scrub as that is the same in every pack. According to the website it contains fennel and ginger to tackle cellulite and skin lavender for a balancing effect. I think I'll put it into an empty pot before using it in the shower as it looks very fragile and I'd hate for it to break and get washed away before I get a chance to use it.

I was recommended the love lettuce face mask for my combination skin, which is described as 'an effective, exfoliating face mask which gives normal to oily skin a softened, smooth and radiant glow'. This is the only product that I've tried so far out of the entire pack and I have to say I love it. Its got a gorgeous herbal smell and really feels like its working when I apply it to my skin.

Next was the toner tabs which you drop into a bowl of water for a streaming treatment for your face. You can also dissolve it in water and use it like a traditional toner. I choose the T one for when I wanted to deep cleanse and the E one as a treat for my skin.

You also get to choose a moisturizer sample, and I asked for the most moisturizing one to use as a hand cream as I didn't want to risk my skin reacting to a new moisturizer. I was given celestial, which I didn't actually realize is for sensitive skin until I got home, so I'm guessing they ran out of skin drink.

Also included in the pack was a solid shampoo and as I have normal but fine hair the SA recommended seanik, which contains seaweed and sea salt to help volumise the hair.

Finally you can choose two 50 gram soaps and after ages smelling all the different ones and trying to decide between sexy peel and bohemian I went for sea vegetable and sexy peel (sexy peel won because of its stronger scent and the fact that it is slightly more moisturizing).

Will do some reviews once I've tried out the products.

Did anyone else get a freshers pack? What did you get in yours?

Review- L'oreal studio secrets smoothing resurfacing primer

Product: L'oreal studio secrets smoothing resurfacing primer

Price: £12.99

What they say: L'Oréal Paris Studio Secrets Smoothing Resurfacing Primer gives a velvet touch.

The L'Oréal Paris Studio Secrets Smoothing Resurfacing Primer has a beautifully smooth texture and is effective at disguising wrinkles and pores. It gives a matte look and a silky finish.

The L'Oréal Paris Studio Secrets Smoothing Resurfacing Primer is pleasant and easy to apply and it leaves no greasy residue. Used alone or under foundation, this primer is the perfect a base.

What I think: Love, love love this product, I think it does exactly what it claims to do. It makes my skin feel so smooth and really helps to disguise the appearance of any pores I have around my nose. It also helps to smooth out the under eye area and although it doesn't cover dark circles it somehow makes the area look much better. I would describe it as a whipped mousse and I simply dab it onto my skin and blend together. Although its a small pot you only need a small amount each time so it should last for a good few months. The only criticism I have for the product is that its not very hygienic to keep dipping your finger into the pot so washing your hands before use is essential.

Rating: 9/10

Would I repurchase: Of course!

NOTD

I went shopping in Westfield today and Martini were promoting their new drink downstairs in a little chill out area, and as well as trying out some drinks you could get your nails painted or get a make over.
I decided to get my nails done as I was going swimming later so no point getting all made up. When it was my turn I got my nails filed then got to choose a colour from a selection of about 10 Nails Inc varnishes. I forgot to ask what the name of my colour was but as you can see its a gorgeous deep red colour.

I also picked up a handy tip: When going over the colour with a top coat if you run the brush over the tip of your nail it helps 'seal' the ends and prevent chipping.

They are also doing the promotion tomorrow if you live nearby and want to check it out :)

OOTN and The Saturdays

My outfit for The Saturdays gig:





- Lilac chiffon top (Primark),
- Skinny jeans (Primark)
- Long dangly silver and black earrings (New look)
- Brown belt with embellishment (Ebay)
- Black high heels (Faith)

Some photos of The Saturdays performance:

Greeting the crowd

Performing the dance routines

Finale

Flowers from the organisers

It was such a fun night, the atmosphere was really buzzing and the Saturdays were great, they all looked gorgeous and their poppy songs really got the crowds going!

Have you seen any live bands recently? Who are your favourite acts?

Review- Boots amazon forest mango and babassu sugar scrub

Product: Boots amazon forest mango and babassu sugar scrub

Price: Around £7.00 (can't seem to find it on boots.com)

What they say: With softening mango butter, moisturising babassu oil and exfoliating sugar to help leave the skin looking incredibly bright and feeling smooth.


What I think: Have to say I'm not too impressed with this product, I like my body scrubs to be really bitty and exfoliating, however with this one the exfoliating bits disappeared very quickly, before I had a chance to properly massage it into the skin. It confused me for ages and I was like where have they gone until I realized its a sugar scrub so the crystals probably dissolved. On a more positive note it smells really tropical and fruity and leaves a layer of oil on your skin to help moisturize. I would say its better suited for people who want an gentle exfoliator.

Rating: 5/10

Would I repurchase: Probably not, I love trying new products and don't love it enough to rebuy.

Haircare purchases

Nothing too exciting (still waiting for my student loan), but last week I really needed some dry shampoo so popped into Boots, but they had a 3 for 2 offer going on so thought I might as well stock up. I ended up getting 2 bottles of Batiste tropical dry shampoo and Boots expert build up removal shampoo.


The dry shampoo is such a useful product, it freshens and revives hair between washes and helps to give it volume as well, plus it smells lovely.

I don't use any styling products on my hair but I like to give it a deep clean once a week and I've seen this recommended on a few blogs so thought I'd give it a go.

Will do some reviews soon.

NOTD

I'm supposed to be going over some lectures but it's just so boring I decided to paint my nails instead.

I used No 7 colour miracle nail varnish in fuchsia (30).


I'm very impressed with this nail varnish, the colour is really strong so you only need one coat and the brush makes it really easy to apply. I did get some on my fingers but that's more my lack of nail painting skill then the brush.

I've not worn a coloured nail varnish for a few years so it's weird looking down at my hands and seeing brightly coloured nails but I like it and will definitely be buying more nail varnishes.

Hope you're having a good weekend :)