Nailcare Routine

Hey! Today I want to talk about nails. I paint my nails a heck of a lot, I'm a little bit addicted. So to prevent my nails from getting too weak or brittle, every week (ish) I go through a little routine of re-nourishing my nails so they stay in tip top condition!

I tend to do this on a day where I don't really need to do anything or go anywhere, since I do naat want to be leaving the house with naked nails!

First things first, is removing any nail polish currently on my nails - I like to use an acetone-free polish remover, as it's a bit less drying on the nails. Filing my nails into shape is a given, I tend to go for quite a round shape - squared off nails would just get on my nerves!

Then it's cuticle pamperin' time! I find I don't need to do this every time I manicure, but when I do, I apply a little of Essie's Disappearing Trick cuticle remover to each nail, and then GENTLY push back my cuticles with an orange stick. I have a feeling this has been discontinued, I picked mine up for a steal in TK Maxx.

After that, it's onto nourishment stage: I like to use The Body Shop's Almond Nail & Cuticle Oil, becuase of it's pen/brush form it's super quick and easy to apply. I massage this into my nails, and if I'm just chilling doing uni work, or hanging about the house I'll continue to apply this throughout the day.

When it comes to reapplying nail polish, I've pretty much found a base/top coat combo that's perfect for me. But first, another quick swipe of nail polish remover to clean the nail of excess oil (else nail polish will just chip straight off again). Essie Help Me Grow, is my go-to base, and I never go without base coat - nobody likes stained nails! Then whatever colour/nail art I fancy, and topped off with Essie Good to Go which is really glossy and fast drying. I've repurchased this a number of times; I seem to get through top coat like nobody's business.

And a final (and new) addition to my routine, is this Stop 'n' Grow Stop Biting. Yes, I'm one of those that bites their nails. I have done on and off for years and years, more when I'm stressed, nervous or bored. When I was little, my mum used to help me stop biting my nails by applying aloe vera to my fingers - the principle being it tasted gross so you wouldn't put your fingers in your mouth. I don't have an aloe vera plant, but I spotted this in Boots, and decided to give it a try. The idea is the same; it tastes awful and it's worked so far. The one downside is finger food is now a bit awkward...

How do you take care of your nails?

xxx

Liebster Award Take Two

Hey! Back at the start of January, the lovely Amee tagged me in her Liebster Award, and then at the start of this month Sarah tagged me in hers! I've done one of these before, but since the questions are different I thought I'd do it again.

The basic idea is to help share blogs that have less than 300 followers to get them recognised a bit more!

The Rules: Answer the questions you have been set, then come up with 10 more questions and tag 10 more bloggers to answer them! - I've seen varied versions of the rules, but this is what I'm going with.

Amee's Questions:

What is your favourite make and shade of Lipstick?

I absolutely love the Rimmel Kate Moss Lipsticks, as featured in my 2013 faves!

If you could go anywhere in the world right now, where would you go?

If I could teleport to a Caribbean beach, that would be fantastic.

What is the worst beauty product you have ever tried out?

Benefit foundations - unfortunately they break me out, they must have some ingredient in them that does not agree with my skin!

Who are your favourite bloggers?

Kate from gh0stparties.com, Joy from joythebaker.com, 

What one item of clothing could you never live without?

Leggings! I basically live in leggings, they're just so easy and comfy to wear.

What is your favourite candle scent?

I love vanilla-y scented candles, and especially the sort that smell of cakes or frosting.

Twitter or Instagram?

Twitter, because I'm rubbish at remembering to take pictures and put them on Instagram, my feed usually just ends up being 80% my nails...

What is your all time favourite song?

I don't have an ALL TIME favourite, but my current favourites are 

If you were a superhero what powers would you want?

Ah this is always such a tricky question! Flying would be awesome, but teleportation is faster!

What is your favourite accent?

Australian! They always so so cheery, and I love watching the Australian Masterchef more than the UK version because of the accents.

What shop are the majority of your clothes from?

I like to shop in a variety of clothes shops, but most of my clothes are probably from New Look. They're great for being on trend and affordable, plus their skinny jeans will forever be my holy grail jeans - they make them in longer leg lengths too, which I need!

Sarah's Questions:

What has been your biggest makeup faux pas?

Back when I first started wearing makeup, I would match my eyeshadow to the same colour as what I was wearing that day - cringe!

What's the best makeup tip you've ever been given?

Kate from gh0stparties.com  recently mentioned in a video that it can be better to apply different correcting primers to prep the skin, so you need less foundation. Seems to be working so far!

Do you spend more money on makeup or skincare?

Makeup, because I have a lot more of it!

And do you spend more time on makeup or skincare?

Day to day, probably skincare - but smoky eyes for nights out can't be rushed!

How long does it take you to get ready in the morning?

About 20-30 minutes in total. I prefer to have showers in the evening, so I don't need to include that. My record though, is literally 5 minutes when my alarm failed to go off once. Oops.

Where's your favourite place to shop for makeup?

Boots, because there's loads of brands together - and a mix of high end with drugstore (in my local Boots anyway). I definitely wish we had a Sephora in the UK!

Name your favourite high end and favourite drugstore makeup brands, and why?

High end: Urban Decay, for all their eye products. Drugstore: Rimmel, for their lipsticks and great value!

Three items of makeup that you couldn't be without?

Mascara, foundation and lipstick!

Which brands have you always wanted to try but haven't as yet?

Bourjois, Smashbox and Lord & Berry.

Name the top 3 items on your beauty wishlist?

MAC Club eyeshadow, Nails Inc Baker Street, and a small angled brush.

Why did you decide to start blogging?

After reading and loving so many other blogs, I felt I wanted to be a part of it! And getting really into beauty, for months before I actually began blogging I kept thinking to myself "I could blog about that".

My Questions:

One place in the world you'd really like to visit?

If you had to go without either eye makeup or lip products, which would you choose?

Reason behind your blog name?

What SS14 trends are you looking forward to?

What are your hobbies? (other than blogging of course)

Always overdressed, or always underdressed?

A quote or saying you try and live by?

Your top three skincare products?

Which is worse: too much blusher, or wonky eyeliner?

Favourite bands/artists at the moment?

And I Tag:

Becka - beckasbeautyblog.com
Charlie - charlieandthebeautyfactory.blogspot.co.uk
Leigh - imleighbeauty.com
Frankie - crazyblondegal.com
Ciara - ceeceebeauty.blogspot.co.uk
Dayna - adaynasaur.blogspot.co.uk
Kelsey - kelseydawnblogs.com
Amber - ambersbeautytalk.com
Harriet - harrietmanson.com
Hope - whathopeshearting.com

Congrats on reading through this far, and I look forward to reading the responses to my questions!

xxx

Cheeky Little Update

Hey! I realise I've been a tad MIA lately, posting every day for about a week and then disappearing for a week. Let me explain...

I've just celebrated my 21st birthday (woo!), and part of my birthday present was being whisked away to Paris for the weekend with my lovely mum, for a few days of culture and cake. Then on return, I discovered my SD card reader on my laptop isn't working! So no uploading photos for me till I figure that one out!

Paris was amazing by the way, but I'll tell you all about it properly in another post in the HOPEFULLY near future. I'm sure I'll do a birthday post too, but for now I've only got pre-taken photos to work with.

Ta ta for now.

xxx

Mavalia Style Collection: Review and Swatches

Hey! Today I've a got a review of a collection I'm pretty excited about! Mavala, being my favourite nail polish brand, asked if I'd like to review their latest collection of lipsticks from sister brand Mavalia. Of course I said yes!

I didn't realise until this point that Mavala had a sister brand, but this is information I'm very happy to know now! The Mavalia lipsticks are described as "the perfect addition to your beauty wardrobe, comprising of a capsule collection of staple shades to suit any occasion and any lip." I have to say I completely agree, all of these shades are very wearable in my opinion, and quite appropriate for this time of year, transitioning from winter to spring.

In all above, left to right: 601 Velvet Peach, 602 Rose Vintage, 603 Glam Pink, 604 Mystic Violet, 605 Powder Rose, 606 Poppy Red.

And also some lip swatches, to show just how wearable all of these colours are!

Velvet Peach* (a soft peach) is definitely a true peach colour which will be perfect for spring. I also think it is an ideal shade for pairing with a heavy eye makeup if you still want a bit of lip colour.

Rose Vintage* (a rosy pink) is that stereotypical 'my lips but better' colour - it looks darker in the bullet than it does on the lips.

Glam Pink* (a full-on fuschia) is a colour I feel is going to take pride of place as my new 'going out' lip colour. There's something about it that just yells "party time!"

Mystic Violet* (a deep violet) I would describe as a more wearable version of MAC's Rebel. It looks quite intimidating in the bullet, but looks lovely on!

Powder Rose* (a nude pink) is a true nude which reminds me of Sleek's Barely There.

Poppy Red* (a popping red) as you may have guessed, is the classic red colour. I would say this is a true red, but with the barest hints of blue undertones - helping make your teeth look whiter!

I have raved about the application and lasting power of Mavala polishes, and let me tell you, I'm going to do the same for Mavalia lipsticks! They don't survive eating, (but then I've yet to find a lipstick which does!) but asides from that, they last so well! They have what I would describe as a satin-y velvet-y finish which makes them glide on easily - and there's no bleeding!

"Mavalia lipsticks are infused with the unique moisturising blend of Shea butter, Vitamin E and Aloe to ensure that lips look not only look on-trend but beautifully conditioned." My lips do indeed feel moisturised, it's a nice change from my matte lipsticks and to not have to apply lip scrub several times a day!

All of these have cool undertones, making them perfect for those with pale complexions (although I reckon they'd look great with a tan too!) Overall, I think these are fantastic - especially for those looking to branch into brighter lip colours. It can be daunting sometimes choosing - 'which red is best for my skin tone?' is a question I often ask myself, but this collection seems to have been chosen cleverly to suit pretty much everyone (what a claim right there).

These retail for £11.95, so high-end but still more affordable than MAC (what exactly are MAC playing at?) and available at independent salons and retailers. This would be my one quip, that they're not so easily available online.

What do you think of these?

xxx

Fashion February: Numari Edit

Hey! And today is another fashion post for you! As part of the #FashionFebruary bloggers, our first topic of the month is to style up a Numari dress using just 5 accessories.

I chose this Numari dress, mostly black and I decided to grunge it up a bit! Grunge to me instantly says 'biker jacket' and who could resist this one from Topshop that is on sale for just £20! Keeping with the grunge theme, I've added some ankle boots with cut-outs and buckles - right on trend! And peeping through the sides, will be these cute pug socks - tying in the camel colour in the dress!

To complete the look, I've gone for a statement necklace, something gold like this one would be perfect and another item in the sale; bargain! And if we count makeup as one accessory, I'd go for a smoked out eyeliner and bold red lip!

What do you think of this outfit?

xxx

January Favourites

Hey! It's that time again: monthly favourites! I'm going to try and do these more often, I really enjoy reading them but I think I've only ever done three in total before!

Anyway, shh Charley and tell us what you've been loving.

1. Hask Argan Oil Healing Shine Treatment
I've been using this alongside the Deep Conditioning Treatment (mentioned here), and boy is this stuff good. Like most hair oils, it leaves the hair feeling super soft, shiny and healthy but this one also smells of oranges. And you know I love my hair to smell like fruit.

2. Lush Santa Lip Scrub - £5.50 in other flavours: Bubblegum, Mint Julips, Popcorn
As you can see, I have used this a fair bit! More of a 'winter favourite' than month-specific, I apply this a few times a days to avoid flaky, chapped lips. (Delightful image I know) It's also good for applying just before a matte lipsticks to avoid a patchy application.

3. The Bakewell Soap Co. Luscious Lips in Honey* - £2.95 here
Keeping to the lip theme, this is great to use after a lip scrub (if not applying lipstick) to keep lips in tip-top condition. I did think 'a lip balm is a lip balm' but the honey flavour of this tastes so good, and it's a lovely change from the fruity summery types.

4. Rimmel Scandal Eyes Waterproof Kohl Liner in nude - £3.99 here
Prior to the purchase of this, I liked to use a white eyeliner on my waterline to brighten up the eyes. This has basically the same purpose, but less obvious and harsh than the white.

5. Urban Decay 24/7 Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner in Perversion - £14 here
Another eyeliner I've been loving, and one of my Christmas presents, this has brought back my days of winged eyeliner. I've had so many liquid liners that disappear halfway through the day, leaving you with one eye winged, one eye not. Not ideal. This however, would genuinely live up to it's 24/7 claim I think. At the start of the month, I had a day trip to London which involved getting up at 6am and returning at 11.30pm. Guess who's winged eyeliner was still intact? Yep, this stuff is that good.

What have you been loving in January?

xxx

Campus Style

Hey! Something a bit different today, since I've decided I'd like to do a few more fashion posts! To start off with, I thought I'd share my everyday sort of look, for days when it's cold and I have to walk to lectures and do work and stuff.

While I'm a bit in denial and keep thinking Spring is really soon, it's still so cold outside! However I am useless at layering so this is the sort of thing I like to wear: ankle boots, leggings and a nice cosy jumper (you can never have too many jumpers right?). Then to wrap up I have my big khaki parka (mine was from Asda of all places!) and cosy winter accessories to keep my extremities warm, and so my hands don't fall off.

Short and sweet post today, let me know if there's any other sorts of outfits you'd like to see!

xxx