On Sundays

This weekend marks the end of nearly all of my degree! If you follow me on Twitter, you'll have seen that this week I've done two exams, handed in two long essays and my dissertation! With one exam to go the end is nigh! I hope your weeks have been productive and that you've had a relaxing weekend; here are some of the things I've been relaxing with this week. 

I read this article about two buildings in New York having a Post-It War. Some of the creations are amazing!

I bought two new hair masks the other day and cannot wait to try them! I got this Tresemme Oleo Radiance Creamy Moisturiser and the L'Oreal Extraordinary Oil Mask Pot. Both on offer right now!

I watched a whole load of these Nifty videos yesterday; love the Washi Tape Bookmarks!

After finally having the time to paint my nails I am loving Revlon - Fearless.

The boyf and I have been loving watching this guy's videos; he's Italian, called Gennaro, and is just so happy!

We have also been loving the half price frappes at Starbucks this week. The S'mores ones are so good. And today is the last day of half price! 

I really want this Paperchase notebook. (I almost bought it the other day when the boyf made me put it back; I will have it!)

Happy Sunday!

xoxo

Current Obsession: Using Things Up

(Can you believe there is a Czech film called Empties?! This was the first thing that came up when I was perusing potential images for the top of this post; I couldn't not use it.)

Does anyone else sometimes go through this phase? Where you suddenly seem to an have an overwhelming need to try and use up every single product that you have open? Is it normal?
I think for me it began when I was roaming the States before I left. I was extremely concerned about the weight of my lugagge. When I moved out there I only had my hand lugagge and one big case; I left with an overflowing large case and a giant holdall that I had had to buy for the rest of my stuff. (I had a grand total of nearly 60kg; I had nightmares and constant anxiety about carting all of this stuff around).
Thus in attempt to lighten 'my load', I frantically tried to use up everything that I possibly could. Face wash, shower gel, shampoo, nail varnish base coats (Sorry No7, but you had gone gloopy), travel size body lotions (Thanks Ben for inevitably then squeezing out way more than I thought possible from that tube), etcetc. Although this probably all made minimal, if any difference at all, it made me feel a tiny bit more at ease.
And so since coming home it seems as if I have subconciously become obsessed with using up everything that I possibly can. I know we all find it pretty satisfying when we do in fact use up an entire concealer or finally let go of a mascara that we really should have stopped using a long time ago. But I am taking this to a whole new level, and using waaaay more of something than I need to in order to finish it quicker.

Here are then are the products that I have now used up or am in the process of!

Aromatherapy Associates - Rose Collection, Moisturiser, Cleanser, Face Mask

When trying to organise my ridiculous amount of stuff (still a work in progress), I discovered a sample size set of these. I do believe they came free from a magazine. I have since then encorporated the Renewing Rose Cleanser into my evening routine and the Triple Rose Renewing Moisturiser. Am yet to try the Rose Face Mask, but so far the other products aren't too shabby. Only problem for me is that I am not fan of the rose scent. 

Micellar Cleansing Waters

Remeber when these suddenly emerged onto the scene and everyone instantly fell in love with them? Well I am still pretty much on that bandwagon. I took the Garnier one with me...and then brought the rest of it back. Only to then remember that I still have my original L'Oreal Skin Perfection 3 in 1 Purifying Micellar Solution. Awks. 

Soap&Glory Heel Genius Amazing Foot Cream Marvel

The smell of this always reminds me of first year; it was an integral part of my evening routine. Then that particular Heel Genius went a bit odd and only gave out greenish water... But this always comes in the giant Soap&Glory Christmas boxes and so I always have one lurking. This summer I am really trying to use it every night and actually put it to good use. Definitely seems to be keeping my feet looking fairly decent! 

Mascaras

Why is it we always end up with way more mascaras than we are ever going to use? I finally let my Maybelline The Falsies go. Definitely a repurchase needed (when I've used all the others up!) Currently trying to force myself into using the Physicians Formula Organic Wear mascara; you know the one that comes in that green leaf packaging. It's just really, meh. The brush is tiny and the mascara itself just doesn't really do anything. The love, sorry mascara, of my life, my trusty Lancome Hypnose is however on it's last legs. Not to mention Soap&Glory Thick and Fast; one of those is always lurking (see above for why). 

Moisturisers

Preface: I have enough mositurisers to last a bloody lifetime. Currently working through Hollister Crescent Bay (which is in very different packaging to the current one, but the product itself seems to improve with age), Garnier Summer body; I have both light and deep. Deep?! What was I thinking?! And a Boots Natural Collection Vanilla Body Lotion which you can no longer even still get. Don't worry though, other than the really nice smell you're not missing much with that one. 

Believe me, I could carry on here. But I will let you some time to consider the products that you're trying to use up subconsciously!

xoxo

Post Essay Treats! | Oh My Haul

So firstly I must apologise for my lack of blogging of late; The Kazlight Anthem had to take a seat on the back burner for a bit whilst I worked on my four essays. As a student first and foremost I do have to prioritise my work! After finally submitting them last night (there's a 1/4 of my degree gone eeeekk!) I felt today was the perfect time to do absolutely nothing at all except treat myself to some new beauty purchases.3 for 2 offers are both heaven and hell for beauty addicts; I went in to The Body Shop to get one thing and yes, came out with 2 other things...

The Body Shop Honey Bronze Bronzing Powder in 02 fair matte. I saw this bad boy in a recent collaboration with essiebutton and Fleur De Force; Estée said she used this as it was the perfect non brown/orange bronzer which sounded perfect to me! Being from Essex I aim at all costs to avoid any sort of orange or overtly tanned look so this seemed the perfect solution.

As I said 3 for 2 is a dangerous business...

Amelia from Liana Beauty raved about this product (here) and I had been eyeing it up ever since. Despite the fact that I reeeeally didn't need another cleanser...but I am very excited to try this Camomile Silky Cleansing Oil.

                                                  

I gave up trying to align this...

The final product I picked up was the Extra Virgin Minerals Loose Powder Foundation, SPF 25 in shade 102 Natural Ivory. I really liked the sound as this, as I just mentioned, I'm really not a fan of the very foundationed/-orange face and so really fancied trying a powder foundation. You shake the pot and a small amount of the foundation comes into the top section meaning you only ever have out as much as you need.

This eyeshadow just looked such a lovely colour and the formula felt really nice to try and was so pigmented! I got the shade Platinum Beige and this is the L'Oreal Paris Colour Appeal eyeshadow.

Now I already love these; they are the Maybelline 24hr Color Tattoos and these are incredible. The colour is amazing, the formula is great and they last for ages. (The bit I tested on my hand has still not washed off after numerous attempts!) Not to mention, they're only £4.99 so are a complete bargain! This is the colour On and On Bronze and it is the most gorgeous bronze colour.

And finally I picked up on the Rimmel Scandal Eyes Shadow Sticks. Now I don't really know why it took me so long to pick one of these babies up; Fleur De Force talks about them a lot and they always looks so nice! and are again, so cheap! I picked up the shade 011 Bluffing (can you see a colour theme here...) It's another gorgeous taupe-y brown shade.

I hope you enjoyed seeing the few bits that I picked up and once again I apologise for my lack of blogging! Hopefully this will keep you going for a little while whilst I sort my life out!
Also, currently to join the Love Your Body Body Shop Membership thing... it is currently free for students! I'm not sure if this is in all branches or for how long but this means you get 10% off your first purchase and from then on!

Have you been loving the 3 for 2 offers?

xoxo

My Mascara Collection

Now to be perfectly honest, to some this will look like loads, and to others absolutely nothing. In my opinion, it is quite a lot, but what can I say? At the time of writing this, I have also realised that it is in fact missing two from it, so there we go. What girl doesn't need 12 mascaras?

From left to right: Soap&Glory Thick & Fast, Collection Supersize Fat Lash Mascara, Avon Sparkle Lash and Line, Jelly Pong Pong Fairy Lashes Mascara, Avon Mega Effects Mascara,  Rimmel False Lash Affect, L'Orea Paris Miss Manga Mega Volume Mascara, Seventeen doll'd up Mascara, Avon Super Shock Mascara and yes that is another Soap&Glory Thick and Fast Mascara that you can see...
I also own the Clinique High Impact Mascara and No7 Exceptional Definition Mascara. I'd forgotten about these as I wear them together and so they kind of stick together as a pair.

First and foremost, the Avon Mega Effects is the absolute bomb when it comes to mascaras. If you are yet to try this, get your hands on it now. It is a revelation in the mascara world; it looks a little scary in that it does look like a paint brush but it makes your lashes look phenomenal. All the Avon mascaras that I've used have actually been pretty good and I would definitely recommend trying them out!

The No7 Exceptional Definition I find works great as a bottom lash mascara as one side of the wand has smaller bristles (bristles? Is that even right?).

The Soap&Glory, you also cannot go wrong with; the brush is as big as my eyes!

What aren't so great is the Jelly Pong Pong Fairy Lashes Mascara and the Collection Fat lash mascaras. They just do not work for me. The Jelly Pong Pong one I honestly had no words for. The brush is just plain weird; it doesn't make my eyelashes look good at all; and it does not come off. I had to pluck it off. It was horrendous. The Collection one can work well as a base for another mascara, but it just does not live up to it's name for me.

I hope that you found this interesting and that it gave you some ideas as to what mascaras to try! I am definitely eyeing up (see what I did there...) the Maybelline The Falsies; thank you Tanya Burr.

What are your favourite mascaras?

xoxo

Glamour Beauty Edit | 2014

It has to be said. This was a complete impulse purchase after reading about it on Make Up Savvy. And that I was maybe ordering simply because I wanted the Burt's Bees lip balm...but I regret nothing!
The box includes:

• Pack of 3 Invisibobbles
• Burt's Bees Peppermint and Vitamin E
• L'Oreal Paris Miss Manga Mega Volume Mascara
• Cheeky Chat Me Up Nail Paint
• Rituals Zensation Organic Rice Milk and Cherry Blossom Foaming Shower Gel Sensation (bloody hell what a long name)
• Daniel Sandler Long Lasting Waterproof Eyeliner
• Percy & Reed Abundantly Bouncy Volumising Hair Mousse

I had already used the invisibobbles, however not the branded version. These were all the rage as multi-use bracelets-come-hairbands in Hong Kong back in 2012 when I first discovered them. These are actually really great to hold your hair up for the simply fact that they are tight enough to hold it, but not too tight that they damage your hair. Not so sure how these would work on curly hair though...

Burt's Bees. Well, it was everything it has been hyped up to be and was definitely worth ordering the entire box for...

I found, at first, L'Oreal Miss Manga mascara to be a bit of a struggle to use. The very end of the wand bends, which as I had not really looked into anything about it beforehand I really did not get on with. And by 'get on with', I mean I was struggling to use it and just thought 'Why is the wand so god damn wobbly?!!??! It's just not stable!!!!' ... I know. I know. However, after realising that it wasn't 'wobbly' and that it bends to fit perfectly to the shape of your eyelashes and the exact angle needed for amazing application, wow. This mascara is amazing! I won't add anymore as I have probably lost a lot of respect there for my stupidity on this one...

I have not yet sampled the rest of the products in the box; (don't worry, they are all together with numerous other products that I need to sample). Yet I feel that this is definitely something worth investing in, even if it's just to try some new products. 

The box it still, as far as I am aware, available here. It costs only £14.95!! This is great deal when all of the products together are worth £45, so give yourself a Spring treat! 

What would be your favourite products?

xoxo

Seventeen Lip Crayon Kit | Sales Goodies

As Christmas takes over at Boots in the form of 3 for 2 gift sets, I peruse these aisles to spot things which I will then hope to God that they will still be there in the sales afterwards. This year, or in fact, last year now(!), I spotted this little set and thought: you my friends, will be mine in the half price sales.

The lip crayon sensation completely took over last year with all brands jumping on the Clinique Chubby Stick band wagon (which are a particular favourite of mine). Revlon had their Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stains, Bourjois Color Boost, L'OReal the list goes on. As I really enjoy these kinds of products I thought that four of these for a fiver (half price from £10 originally) were a complete steal!

I was sceptical about the more nude-y pink, but really loved the look of the red and the orange; as we all know these are my favourite colours for lips. However I have really enjoyed wearing the nude! Seventeen may have converted me...

From left to right, Nude, Red, Pink and Orange

I really like these; they glide on nicely, they feel nice on your lips and the colours are pigmented. They have nice glossy effect and although do seem slightly washed out than the packaging colour, for such a bargain I can't complain! I don't really have any downsides, just me being slight pedantic over certain aspects in that I really wish they had names! As opposed to just 'that pinky one', however I can't complain! The 'Hints and Tips' are also slightly having delusions of grandeur but here they are:

'How To create the Perfect Lips

1. Use a sharpened lip crayon to contour your lips, following their natural outline.
2. Colour in the whole lip, blending the colour evenly.
for more pout appeal, add a dab of clear gloss to the centre of your top and bottom lips, it cleverly reflects the light to create the optical illusion of fuller lips!'

I hope that you also got your hands on a pack of these babies; they were definitely a good find!

What sales goodies did you find?

xoxo

Box Swap | 2013

That's right, my friend Emily and I went a did a box swap. And it was such a good idea! We both really loved what we got the other and so of course, as it was beauty related, I needed to blog about it. It is also a really good idea for birthdays or even Christmas (that's right, get organised for this year!)

Emily's Box:

For Emily I chose some products that I really love and wanted her to also love! I went with the MUA Undress Me palette, an Essie Mint Candy Apple dupe which was by Sinful Colours, the Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer, Burt's Bees Mango Lip Balm and some of her favourite sweets: Percy Pigs.

I re-used a Glossy Box for Emily's box.
Sorry for the poor lighting here as well!

My Box:

Emily got me some lovely things; I was really pleased! Mine included some thermal socks, a lovely purple throw (so cosy!), a Barry M lipstick in 151; a beautiful red coral shade, a Glitter nail varnish, some earrings from River Island and the AMAZING L'Oreal Skin Perfection Water Cleanser. 

I hope this gives you some ideas for a box swap!

xoxo

Autumn Favourites

This is one of my favourite times of year, (despite the cold dropping to below double digits and it being pitch black dark before half 5). Autumn make up and clothing, I feel, is definitely one of the best. After all the bright and sunny colours of the Summer, everything moves into much more darker, warmer tones.
As I love Autumn, I thought I would share some of my favourite Autumnal products!

Lips
(From left to right) Bellapierre Super Lip gloss in 'Raspberry'. Revlon Lip Butter in 'Peach Parfait', Maybelline Baby Lips in 'Cherry Me', Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in '005 Crush', Sephora Lipstick in 'No.19' and MeMeMe Cherub's Blush Cheek and Lip Tint. 

 Face
Rimmel Stay Blushed in '001 Pop of Pink'

(From left to right) Garnier Moisture Match - Combination to Oily Skin, Benefit Triple Performance Moisturiser, Clinique All About Eyes and Clinique Moisture Surge Extended Thirst Relief

Hair
(From top to bottom) Herbal Essences Beautiful Ends Split End Protection Mask and L'Oreal Elvive Smooth and Polish Mask

 Nails
(From left to right) Leighton Denny 'Nude', Barry M Nail Paints in 'Raspberry' and 'Indigo' and Sinful Colours in 'Winterberry'

And of course cosy clothes!!

 What are your Autumnal favourites? 

  xoxo