easter/end of year treats

(L) 'All That Glitters' (R) 'Mystery'

My palette is slowly filling up!

So I was lucky enough to get money for easter so instead of spending it on boring things like food or cleaning products (who needs those anyway right?) I decided to treat myself for easter and because I have officially finished my first year of university! I handed in my last essay on Monday and it was such a relief. This year has flown by, but I'm lucky enough to still be living in my uni city this term, just to enjoy being independent and spending time with my bestest chums!

Of course my first stop was MAC, I simply cannot go into High Cross shopping centre without picking something up in there. I'm slowly but surely filling up my 15 pan palette so picked up two more shades 'All That Glitters' and 'Mystery' which fit with my neutral theme. I was desperate for another lipstick and after seeing someone instagram a photo of 'Crosswires' I kinda wanted it to be mine right away. It's a new formula compared to my other MAC lipsticks as it's a Cremesheen but still doesn't disappoint on pigmentation or moisturisation. Finally a mascara, something I'd never thought to go to MAC for until I received a tester of the 'Zoom Fast Black Lash' through with an online order and within one use I was sold. It wings out my lashes and gives them incredible length and volume. I like that it has a bristle brush which is tapered meaning that each lash is coated evenly with a strong black colour. 

Next was Topshop in search of something to wear tonight for our first night out back at uni, as soon as I walked through the door I spotted the white crop top with lace flower detailing and knew it was coming home with me. It's a fail safe which can be worn with shorts, jeans or patterned trousers and look great. I can tell I'll be wearing this non-stop in the summer.

Then the Body Shop where I picked up the Camomile Silky Cleansing Oil, a Kate from gh0stparties influenced purchase, am yet to try this, but promises great things! It smells wonderful and has a pump which I love for this sort of cleanser, it means you don't waste a single drop! 

And finally Primark, I just picked up a back up blouse for either tonight or another night, but could also be worn in the day time. It's a muted-fluroescent peach and just compliments my skin tone and hair colour well, I love my blouses and for £8 it was a bargain! Then a pair of simple black earrings to wear tonight or whenever, again for a pound, you can't go wrong. 

spot cleaning makeup brushes

We all know how to deep cleaning your brushes with baby shampoo or use a brush cleaner such as the one by MAC to spot clean brushes, but what if you run out of both and your eye brushes are packed with shadow meaning you don't have a clean fluffy brush to blend or a flat shader to apply block colour? Such horror! Well I have the answer.

Most of us now use a miceller water to take our makeup off at night and it does a great job of removing every scrap, so I wondered, why couldn't this be used to clean brushes? Well it most certainly can, and it does an excellent job of doing so. Just drip some onto some kitchen roll or a small cotton pad and then swirl your brush until it is clean, voila! As easy as that. What with miceller waters now being sold in the drug store, and them being so readily available, it is easy to use this product for a multi-functional purpose. I'm not saying to whack out the Bioderma or other more expensive water based cleanser - but sparing a few drops of a cheaper alternative never hurt anyone when you're desperate!

revlon: pink in the afternoon

Whilst browsing in Boots, trying to pick 3 items to make use of the 3 for 2 offer they have on in store, (*queue you all running to boots*) I remembered thinking that I'd been looking for another nude lipstick to add to the one, yes, only one, I have in my collection already. I've never owned a Revlon lipstick so I went straight to their stand and found this little gem called 'Pink in the Afternoon'.

This is definitely an every day, pink toned nude which will go with any makeup look or outfit. The formula is creamy, but rather a sheer coverage, with high pimentation which feels light on the lips, which doesn't cling to any dry or flaky patches, rather than a creamy, heavy formula which requires a lot of blending to get an even coverage and to avoid any dry patches. This lipstick can be washed over the lips at any point during the day for a top up as you wouldn't really need a mirror because it's a 'your lips but better' colour. I'm definitely happy with this purchase and it will be a firm handbag favourite, it'll be getting a lot of use!

one lump or two?

So way back in October last year I was having a browse of 'buyagift.co.uk' for potential christmas presents and came across a voucher which gave two people afternoon tea at Coombe Abbey in Warwickshire, a hotel/restaurant/country park I have been visiting since I was knee high to a grasshopper. It's a beautiful place and I have so many fond memories of walking round there with my family, enjoying a picnic and just spending time together, so I bought the voucher for my Grandma and I to go at a time which suited us. I'd never actually been into the Abbey itself, as general walkers/tourists are not allowed, I'd only walked around the country park so I was excited to see if it was a posh and beautiful as people say. 

It was a wonderful afternoon, the food was delicious, the service was impeccable and the whole atmosphere of the place made you feel as if you were some royal who'd just popped by for a spot of tea. Dreamy. My grandma seemed to really enjoy herself too, I quote "This is one of the nicest and most thoughtful gifts anyone has ever got me", high praise indeed. 

While there I spotted that lovely blossom tree so asked my grandma if she would kindly take a photo so I could do a little OOTD, she said yes so I handed her my Canon 1100d and explained how to take a photo. It was challenging trying to get a good photo, so I resorted to my trusty iPhone and got the snap above - not the best but it does the job!

Wearing:

Topshop Tile Print Tunic dress

Black Tights

Grey Cardigan from H&M last year

Topshop Black MONTH Chelsea Boots

ASOS Scallop Edge Satchel Bag

MAC Vegas Volt lipstick

Had it been warmer, I'd have gone bare legged and worn a pair of heels I have stashed away at home, but c'est la vie! A wonderful afternoon regardless!

who has no self-control? *raises hand*

Once again, whilst browsing the MAC website and putting items into my basket I couldn't help but click "Confirm and Pay". Well who can pass up Free Delivery when is it so easy to spend £30 to qualify? MAC are so diverse in the products they sell, there is something for everyone and your entire makeup bag could be bought from them and you would be as happy as larry.

MAC Pro-Long Wear Paintpot in 'Painterly' (£15) 

MAC Pro-Palette Eyeshadows in 'Vanilla' and 'Mulch' (£10 each) 

MAC Zoom Fast Black Lash Sample (Complementary)

I am a strong lover of the Maybelline Colour Tattoo's and had heard that the MAC alternative was as good, if not better so I decided to take the plunge. As Maybelline do not offer a skin colour/natural base colour, I chose to purchase 'Painterly' which is a pink toned skin coloured cream base which applies like a dream. I simply just use my finger to blend all over my lid up to my brown bone and it leaves a smooth, even surface to apply shadow. On days where I don't want to wear shadow, I will simply use this alone to even out the skin tone on my eyelids. 

I am a big fan of MAC eyeshadows and have a 15 pan palette which I am (although slowly) filling with neutral shades. So far I have Satin Taupe and Charcoal Brown so thought I'd add Vanilla ('a peach ivory with reflects') and Mulch ('a red-brown with bronze peal'). I have a list as long as my arm of MAC eyeshadows to add to my palette and as my birthday is only a month away the names will be passed onto friends and family in the hope of adding to my collection if I am lucky enough! As always, the quality of these eyeshadows are just incredible. They blend well, the pigmentation is insane, the colour range is vast and they last all day - there isn't much more you could ask for! 

I was surprised when opening my black jiffy bag to find a complementary 'Zoom Fast Black Lash' mascara sample which sells for £14 full price. It has a bristel brush which doesn't tug on lashes, but glides through them giving volume and a strong black coating, it can easily be worn with just one coat, or be built up for an even fuller look. From a first try, I am inpressed and am considering buying the full size because £14 is a good price for what you get.

condition then shampoo: what's the hype?

I've been seeing a fair few people talking about this on the bloggersphere so thought I'd do a little testing into whether it works. In laments terms, you condition your hair before you shampoo, which sounds crazy right? I was certainly sceptical. It is meant to give your hair more volume and bounce since many conditioners weigh your hair down and can leave you with limp hair that perhaps is only volumous at the ends and not in the roots.

Did it work?
Yes! My hair is naturally fairly volumous but due to the amount of heat I use, it sometimes lack this and conditioning my hair first gave it such a boot, particularly at my roots. I have also found that my hair doesn't need washing as often as left-over conditioner isn't leaving a greasy residue in my hair. I am finding myself using less styling tools to try and create beachy waves, and just spraying my hair with salt spray and letting it dry naturally, it works a treat.

Not only does this little tip add volume but it is also a great in making sure all your conditioner is washed out, meaning you aren't left with heavy, greasy hair, just a day after washing. I think this is an nifty little trick and I'm so glad I came across it. It sounds strange at first, but give it a try and you won't be disappointed.

rimmel smokey purple quad

Rimmel Smoky Purple Quad (£6.99)

Maybelline 'The Falsies' mascara

I was wandering the makeup aisles of Boots recently (again) and saw this quad at the Rimmel counter and it look intriguing. I have never worn purple shadow before, I have pretty much always stuck to my natural browns, taupes and maybe a tiny bit of a cranberry shade if I've feeling rather adventurous. (that term used lightly...)

This quad is actually quite versatile, you can use all 4 shades to create a purple smoky eye or use either of the 'middle' tones as a wash of colour with a tiny bit of the white in the inner corners as a highlight. I love the colours, but I can't lie and say they are super pigmented because they aren't. Don't get me wrong, they are lovely shadows and for someone on a budget or just trying to branch out into new colours (like me) then they are good for that purpose. I am forever saying to my friends that you get what you pay for with makeup with the odd gem in the budget mix, it is worth paying that little bit extra if you know they product is going to be excellent quality, worth your money and not leave you wondering why you bothered paying.

For the price, this quad is good and I will get use out of it, if not using all 4 shadows together but using them all in different ways and I'm glad I bought it just to experiment with new colours instead of always opting for the brown smoky eye.

Would you ever wear purple eyeshadow? What do you think of the quality of Rimmel eyeshadows?