Tuesday mani | m&s beauty

I had a nosey around m&s's beauty department in Southampton the other day. There were a few things that caught my eye but what I was really drawn to was the 'Limited collection quick dry nail polish'.

There was a gorgeous bright zingy orange and a lovely pastel blue and I was going to give in and get both. I was very strict though, and plumped for just one and went with the blue which is called 'Ultra Violet' . It's a gorgeous colour and so summery! (Wishful thinking!!)

I was pleased when it applied really well with a great brush and only needed two coats to give a full opaque, even, and glossy finish. They dried quickly and despite smelling pretty vile I was chuffed.

My problem started about two minutes after I started getting on with my life.

Oh. The. Chipping.

Literally ridiculous. I know this varnish wasn't exactly the most expensive but with a topcoat as well and allowing plenty of time to dry I was quite frankly pretty annoyed. All I did was put some folded clothes in a suitcase. I think any varnish that can't handle that is pretty much a fail as far as I'm concerned.

I would say that it would be fine for just one night out rather than varnish that you want for a week, but I bought it because I thought it would be a great summer time everyday staple.

Not impressed. Not impressed at all.

Have you tried any of the limited collection varnishes? Was I just unlucky in the colour that I picked? Do let me know!

Rimmel Scandaleyes Shadow Stick

I was mooching around Debenhams beauty hall the other day and found Dior's new offering, the Cherie Bow Eye Shadow  Pen Twin Set. I really loved it, both in 'Grey sigh', but also 'Beige Ribbon'. These are really quick to apply with a chubby stick like nib, but also have a sponge like applicator at the other end with a more translucent shimmer. They can be used together but both ends can also be used seperately. The girl on counter used the goldy, shimmer of 'Beige Ribbon' on the inside of her lower waterline as well as the inner corners as a sort of highlighter. The effect was beautiful but on top of my other purchases I couldn't justify this little beauty.
 And how glad I am! When helping a friend pick up some make up in Boots, Rimmel's new offering caught my eye. This scandal eyes offers a very similar effect for obviously a much lower price tag. A humble £4.99 in fact. Sadly there is not the same double end application allowing for you to decide how much shimmer you want but instead it's one easy to use crayon-like nib. It's actually quite a similar idea to Clinique's new Chubby sticks for eyes but again obviously much cheaper.




I went for the colour 'Bulletproof Beige' so as to be a dupe for the Dior. It's a beautiful gold with quite a metallic sheen to it. A much darker bronze, imaginatively named 'Bad Bronze', also caught my eye and I may well find myself investing in this little bad boy as well! The colour is gorgeous and pay off is pretty good. It applies easily, can be blended, sticks all day, and is generally a really useful thing to have around! I must say, the texture is lovely and creamy and doesn't snag at all.




This swatch is quite built up and it is possible to sheer the colour out for a more subtle glow. The shimmer is also more apparent in life. It's not crazy shimmer though, more of a metallic, and is just what I want for the inner corner of the eye. Like the girl at the Dior counter, it also looks lovely on the waterline- a little tip that wouldn't really have occurred to me!
All in all I think this is a great little product and I'm particularly keen on this colour which you can get herehere. It's a new release and Boots were already running out when I got there so I'd get my money at the ready ASAP if I were you! At £4.99 I'm not really surprised they're proving to be so popular.

Alpha-H Balancing Cleanser-

So as you may remember I was lucky enough to win about £300 worth of alpha- h products back in December. I've been diligently working my way through them and thought I would start reviewing the products that I was sent. I must say that the whole experience was fabulous. My phone consultation was with just about the nicest human being I've ever spoken to and I received a huge package the next day with all my products in.

My skin is generally pretty balanced and I would describe it as normal. Occasionally I get dehydrated skin in winter from being outside a lot, and sometimes I get a little sheen in between my eyebrows at the top of my nose. My only problem really is that recently I've started getting hormone spots at the corner of my mouth and a few on my chin. I also get a few on my temples when I'm suffering deadline stress.

The first product that I'm going to review is the Alpha-H balancing cleanser with aloe vera. Why? Quite simply it's just a fabulous all rounder and basic. It's the kind of product that just quietly gets on with it's job, no bells and whistles, but is reliably there for you to fall back on.

This little super star easily gets rid of any face make up, and is gentle enough that you can gently smooth it onto the eye area, removing shadows, liners, and mascara in one fell swoop.

I actually already owned this product before my competition win. I bought it around July last year and it has only just started thinking about running out. I do only use it in the evenings though and use something different in the morning. Even so I think that's pretty good going.

It doesn't compete with any other treatments you might want to use such as liquid gold, and is soothing to sensitive skin. It reduces the redness of any occasional spots I may have, and since I have been using my Alpha-H regime the number of spots I get has definitely declined.

Obviously I am using a lot of products in conjunction so I can't pin point this as some sort of holy grail for spot prevention. I can however promise that it has helped my skin, both in its blemishes but also has helped even tone and brighten.

I'm still here!

 I'm sorry that I completely disappeared for so long! As I may have previously mentioned I'm in my final year of university at the moment. I've just had my dissertation draft due in on top of a couple of different essays and grad scheme applications which hasn't left me a lot of time to get much done!

  Either way my most stressful deadline period is over now, so I hope you will be delighted to know that I am now back with a vengeance. Scheduled posts that I have coming up are an update of how my skin is doing with my Alpha-H products (with before and after photos!) and individual reviews of those products, make up reviews, and a couple of film reviews. I've also got graduation balls and ceremonies coming up as well, so I thought I may do a couple of outfit related posts about those.

  Do let me know if any of those sound particularly interesting and should receive priority! Either way posts will now become much more regular once more.

Much love

A bit of a haul

Hey guys!

 So the other day I went for a shop and ended up with rather more than I intended! I personally always like to have a nosey at what other people get on shopping trips, so thought I'd share with you!

I don't normally think to go to Republic but was rather pleased with what I found this time



'Geek' tee, £13

  I'm really pleased with the fit of this T-Shirt. It's fitted in shape, but I bought it a size up. It means it is baggy, but because of the cut it doesn't make me look like I'm wearing a sack. The cotton is a really nice feel and good amount of stretch and it looks great with black jeans.



Cute floral blouse, £20

Again, I really like this, and it is long enough that I can wear it with shorts or leggings. Also it looks really sweet with:

Pontelle jumper, £25

Which is really flattering on, and also super warm! The neckline is really good for having a little buttoned up blouse underneath. They don't seem to have it in my colour online, but they do have it in  khaki or stone.

 While I was at the jumpers I also went for this one as a good all round staple:

I know elbow pads aren't everyone's cup of tea, but I think they're sweet and this sit just in the right place for me. I can't find this one online and my receipt is at home rather than uni, so I'm afraid I can't tell you the price of this one but I reckon it must have been around the same as the other.

Lastly I bought this, which I appreciate the photo does nothing for:

Polar neck dress, £18

 I actually tried this dress on a size smaller, which fitted fine, but I decided I wanted a more relaxed fit so I would be able to wear it day to day as well. So I haven't tried this exact one on, but those arm holes look huge, so it may be winging its way back soon! This is my most risky purchase though, as I don't entirely know what I'm going to wear it with at the moment. But I'm trying to be more adventurous with my outfits this year and for £18 and a student discount on top of that, I thought I'd give it a go!

So there you have it everyone- my random Republic splerge. I was going to have a look at their dupe disco pants after my last post, but they only had them in very exciting colours, and I'm certainly not feeling that brave just yet!!

Wednesday want!

Hi guys!

 I'm probably a bit late to the party with this one, you've seen them all before. But the last week I've found myself reeeeally wanting a pair of American Apparel's Disco Pants in black. I just think they're so cool, and can make an outfit just that bit more exciting. My legs are probably my best asset as well, so maybe this would be playing to my strengths?



Photo from Asos

They've partly come to my attention from seeing an increasing number of dupes appearing on the high street. I can entirely see why, as £20 seems much more sensible than a crazy £74 for what are essentially glorified leggings. However, the more I've researched, the more I've heard about the magical spanxs like qualities... and let's face it, wouldn't every girl like a little bit of help sometimes? Really I'd like to go and try a pair on, but there are no American Apparels around me.

So what do you think? Are they worth it? Have you tried any dupes that are marvelous? Let me know guys, I'd love to hear your thoughts on this one xx

Tuesday nails

I don't really know much about max factor, but at the end of summer I picked up one of their 'max effect mini nail polishes'.

 It was the colour rather than the brand that caught my eye- no.26 Cappuccino. When I saw the price which was only a few pounds I thought I'd give it a go.

I have to say, I'm really pleased with it! I do have a relatively active lifestyle and my nails do chip at the drop of a hat. This has managed to last relativelty well, however, especially considering the price which I thought was pretty good.

So woo, go team max factor! I'll certainly be looking into more of their products in the future. I found mine in boots but they don't have it online. Superdrug do have it online, but I'm sure for more money than I paid. What about you guys? Have you tried any of their varnishes or their other make up?