Valentine's Day Glossybox

Hello!

Hope you're all well :)

I got my Glossybox this morning, and was very excited to see a hot pink box - it looks so lovely!

I love the grey ribbon with the pink contrast, and the little love heart sticker :) I love how much details goes into these boxes. 

Onto the products! 

Eyeko Skinny Eyeliner

Clarins Extra Firming Night Cream

Clarins Extra Firming Day Cream

FAB Body Moisturizer 

Murad skin perfecting primer - Dewy Finish

Yay for Clarins! I love Clarins products, but as they are pretty expensive, I don't get to try them as often as I'd like ;)

Both these samples are 15ml, which is pretty generous. 

A full size 50ml day cream is £46.50, with the night cream being £48.00... 

Going to try these babies out asap!

I hadn't tried any First Aid Beauty before, so I'm pleased about this :) 

Glossybox described this as a body wash, but the product itself calls it a moisturiser... bit confused! 

It says it's good for sensitive skin though, which I like. My skin is crazily sensitive. 

A girl can never have too many eyeliners? I love the packaging on this, it's so stylish. It has a long silver handle which is meant to let you have a better grip, for a tidier look :) I got mine in the shade Midnight Blue. 

Really excited by this primer! It claims to give you a glowy complexion whilst minimising pores. Win win? 

And the best of the box(!) a glossybox sweet :D SO cute!

I'm going to start getting ready for tonight's ZOMGbloggersbash soon, I'm so excited! Can't wait to meet loads of fellow bloggers !! 

Lots of love,

Laura xx

Versatile & Cute Blogger Award(s) :D

Hiya,

Three people nominated me for the Versatile blogger award - lots of love!
A huge thank you to 


Lucy at luceeloves
Little Pink ponie
Rhico at The Look
 for giving me this :)

Check out their blogs! 

7 facts about me.. 

I'm 6"2

I'm scared of badgers

I love history (yay for being a student)

*Were these facts meant to be interesting? Hmm...*

I have 2 tattoos and 13 piercings

I like to draw and paint

I wear contacts

I like frogs

I'm awarding this to my favourite blogs at the moment :) 

Jennifer at Inordinately Plush

Nicki at Non Optional 

Dani at Polkadani 

Mollie at Mollie muses 

Amy at Paperbacks and postcards 

Maria at Maria sparkle  

Jade at Beauty Butterfly 

Lots of love to Rhico for giving me this :) 

1. What is your ‘go to’ make up product?

Foundation! Love foundation. Too much. 

2. What was your favourite fashion trend of 2011?

Denim! 

3. What is your favourite dessert?

I don't like desserts that much, but probably mint ice cream..

4. Favourite colour?

Purple 

5. What is your middle name?

Rhiannon and Patricia 

6. What was the last song you listened to?

Emmy the Great - Dylan 

7.  Cats or dogs?

Cats, always. 

5 of my current favourite blogs are (apart from Rhico!)

Jennifer at Inordinately Plush

Nicki at Non Optional 

Dani at Polka Dani 

Mollie at Mollie Muses  

Amy at Paperbacks and Postcards 

Laura xx

MishMash of things I picked up today..

Hello!

Hope you're all well, haven't posted in what seems like ages! Addicted to blogging ;) 

I've been pretty busy the last couple of days, handing in essays and getting essays back and other such student-y stuff!

I did pretty well in a philosophy essay, super proud of myself ;)

Little post to show you a few things I picked up today in town..

Mac Fix+, Sleek Brow kit, Denman Tangle Tamer, QVS hair band things

How cute is the writing? Love it! I saw this on a blog (can't remember which - give me a shout if it was you!) a little while ago, and I'd been looking out for once since... Heard it's amazing on tangles (obviously haha) I've used it once so far, and my hair is feeling pretty smooth and sleek :D

The Sleek brow kit... I'd seen this around, and finally got round to picking one up today. It's so cute and tiny! It has two little brushes and some teeny little tweezers for on the go, so practical! It comes with a waxy colour (on the right) which you apply first, and then a setting powder. I got mine in the shade dark, as my brows are pretty dark, almost blackish naturally. 

**Don't forget, 7 more days to enter my giveaway :D**

Laura xx

Lancome Teint Miracle review

Hello :)

So a couple of weeks agoish I got a 7-Day sample of Lancome's Teint Miracle review, and I've been trying it out for a review.. 

My shade is 01, incase anyone wondered... seems a pretty good match to my skin. 

Here's what Lancome says about the foundation... 

"24h long-wear for endless perfection... Teint Idole Ultra 24H remains retouch-free, providing a flawless looking, even complexion with a velvety-smooth, shine-free finish....In perfect affinity with the skin, Teint Idole Ultra 24h is irresistibly comfortable. Its new, blendable and fresh texture is divine and leaves the complexion feeling smooth, velvety and matte with no powdery effect."



- Lancome website

Unblended. It's quite watery.. fairly true to life photo. 

Pros

Wide shade range - 18 in total

Relatively long lasting

Feels light on the skin

Easy to blend 

Gives skin a nice glow

Good for normal to dry skin

Cons

Slightly tacky feeling after application

Expensive - £26 for 30ml

Does not last all day, let alone 24h as it claims. 

Doesn't work as well on oilier skin

I would recommend this foundation to someone who likes light-medium coverage and a dewy finish... I prefer more coverage, but I do like this.

I personally wouldn't purchase a full size, but I do think this foundation does do what it advertises.

Have any of you tried it? Or, have recommendations for fuller coverage foundations? 

Laura xx 

Operation sort my nails out..

Hiya :)

So recently, my nails have been super flaky and gross... they're really weak and break easily..

Sadness.

My normal base coat in Sally Hansen's Maximum Growth, but lately it hasn't been working for me. 

Anywaaaaay, I'd been reading loads of reviews online and decided that Opi Nail Envy was the best bet. The price did put me off (£18) but I found it in John Lewis, with the offer of a free Rapidry topcoat, also priced at £18. Seemed legit to me!

I'll let you know how I get on with it, I'm hoping soon I'll have super talons once more! 

Laura xx

Chelsea Doll haul..

Hello :D

Hope you're all having a lovely Wednesday!

This morning I had two parcels - one with books for my history essay and one with some lovely jewellery from a lovely website called Chelsea Doll :) Link here! 

Guess which one I was more excited about...

Here's a little bio about Chelsea Doll from their website ...

Chelsea Doll is an independent fashion accessory emporium, founded with love in 2009. 

We love fashion and the inspiration it breeds, and our influence comes from a passion for on-the-pulse and individual styles. We source beautiful, exciting, unusual designs, all hand-picked to make you stand-out from the crowd. 

We include free delivery on all our orders because we don't see why you, our customers, should be pushed into buying your accessories from the store where you bought your to-die-for outfit, in order to avoid paying two sets of delivery costs. You can buy 'til your heart's content from Chelsea Doll, without paying a single penny for postage!

- Chelsea doll website 

Wrapped so nicely :) 

I'd been looking for a statement necklace, and absolutely fell in love with this Octopus necklace... I love it! 

I haven't seen anything really similar to it before, and I love how the tentacles swirl over each other. It's an antique-y, burnish kind of finsh, with loads of little detailing.  I also love octopuses (The plural of Octopus always confuses me!) 

When I ordered Mr. Octopus I had a cheeky look at the Chelsea Doll sale, which is still on, and picked up these two pieces. 

I love this one, it looks quite Medieval-ish to me. The top looks like a crown, and it just looks quite unusual to me :) 

I got this one because it seemed like a nice Art deco piece, and quite dramatic ;) 

Going to wear this bad boy on nights out with a LBD.. 

Really recommend checking out Chelsea Doll, they have so much lovely, unique stuff, (have a longgggg wish list) they're a cute little indie company, they do super speedy and free delivery... 

Here's the link again :)

I also need advice, I'm loving rings at the moment, any other stores you guys would recommend checking out? 

Laura xx

Face and Outfit of the night

Hello, lovelies..

Hope you're all well :) 

Went out last night with my housemates, so I thought I'd do an OOTN, I never do them!

I've been feeling fairly delicate all day but had an urge to blog, so I ended up writing this at half eleven... Success. 

Face

No7 Colour calming primer

Vichy Dermablend corrective foundation in 15 Opal

Clinique Blended face powder in 20 Invisible Blend 

Collection 2000 lasting perfection concealer in 2 Light 

Benefit Erase paste in 1 Fair 

Sleek face contour kit in Light 

Mac blush in Melba 

Mac MSF in Soft and Gentle 

Benefit High Beam 

Eyes

Naked2, 

Half Baked all over lid

Snakebite over edges of eyes

Busted in crease 

Vivo liquid eyeliner in Black (such good staying power)

Mac technakohl liner in Photogravure 

L'oreal volume million lashes in Extra-Black

MUA clear mascara as brow gel

Hd Brow kit in Carbon

Lips

MUA lipstick in Shade 3 

Dress - Topshop... love a cheeky bit of leopard print ;)

Belt - Urban Outfitters

Bolero top thingggg - New look

Bag - House of Fraser

Excuse the drunken posing and the malfunctioning fringe ... thought this showed my makeup quite nicely :)

*If you haven't already, enter my Mac giveaway here!!*

Laura xx

Review: Urban Decay Anniversary Palette

Hello :D

Today I thought I'd do swatches and a review of the Urban Decay 15th anniversary palette that I picked up recently... I've been playing around with it for a little while now. 

The anniversary palette has 15 brand-new shades, yayay (Blackout has been repeated in Naked2)

It's so pretty! The packaging is amazing... Metallic purple and silver, I love it. 

Inside the lid is a full size mirror as well, handy :)

Top row L-R Midnight Rodeo, Tainted, Deeper

Second row L-R Midnight 15, Junkshow, M.I.A

Third row L-R Vanilla, Omen, Ace

Fourth row L-R Flow, Evidence, Blackout

Bottom row L-R Chase, Deep End, Half Truth 

L-R 

Midnight Rodeo - Super, super glittery! The fall out is not too bad though,

Midnight 15 - Cool silvery toned shade. Very creamy. 

Vanilla - Pale, pale gold colour. Excellent for a highlight. 

Flow - Shimmey champagne peach colour with some pinky tones. Unusual, love it.

Chase - My favourite kind of shade, a bronzy/goldy/browny colour... very buttery. Also super pigmented, one swipe and you're good to go! 

L-R 

Tainted - Pale pinky-purple with a frosty finish. Has gold sparkles, very pretty! 

Junkshow - Bright, bright fuchsia. Camera's not picking up how bright it is. Very in yer face ;)

 Omen - SUCH AN AMAZING COLOUR. It's so beautiful it was totally justified to use capitals. Irredescent purple with a kind of duochrome-y purple/blue finish. So lovely! 

Evidence - Metallic royal blue, very pigmented. 

Deep End - Beautiful Aqua-y colour, again duochrome-y.. It's coming up greener in the picture than it is in real life. 

L-R

 Deeper - This is the colour which initially made me want/need/love the palette. Dirty brown with bronze and gold tones? Was always going to be a winner with me. Buttery consistency, applies like a dream. Favourite shadow of the moment!

M.I.A. - Nice warm, rich brown shade. Not as dark as most dark browns... Does that make sense?

Ace - Sparkly cool toned silver. Would look amazing with green eyes I think! 

Blackout - Matte black. Little powdery, but less so than most matte shades. 

Half Truth - Love! Purpley silver colour. Looks awesome with Omen. 

Everyday eye - Flow in inner corner of eyes, Chase all over lid, M.I.A & Half Truth in crease

Deep End all over lid, Evidence in crease and as liner on bottom lashes 

Overall, I think is a great palette! It has a great variety of shades, and while I won't reach for the bright pinks and blues as often as the browns and bronzes, they are surprisingly wearable.

The formula is what you'd expect from Urban Decay - very pigmented, blend able, long lasting etc... 

Also, big love for the packaging! It looks so pretty on my makeup area, too pretty to put away :D 

£39 

Laura xx

Mac Haul :)

Hello, lovelies :)

This is a little haul in two bits... 

I ordered the cream colour base online a while ago (you may have seen my anger for Yodel through twitter) and it finally arrived on Thursday morning :)

I got the Cream Colour Base in Shell. 

Haven't seen too many reviews of the CCD's, but I like it so far :) They're fairly versatile, you can use them as highlighters, cream eyeshadows/blush, lip sticks... I got the shade Shell which is quite peachy-goldy, so I've been using mine as a cheek highlight so far. Fun to play around with though!

Today I also B2Med, which I think is my favourite ever thing to do.. I picked up Vegas Volt, which I'd been lusting over for a while. It's an amplified finish, so it is pretty bright! On me it comes out more red tones than in the bullet though, love it. I'm also very sorry to my best friend who I dragged along with me to the Mac counter, and made her wait as I swatched loads of different shades.. Oops. 

This morning I had been watching some of Anna's videos, where she mentions the Mac blush Melba a lot... Cut back to me buying it... Hmm. Am such a fan girl! I do love this blush though, it's very peachy, and brightens up your face. I don't have that many peach toned blushes, so am super happy with this purchase. It's a matte finish, which I like as it means I can wear highlighter without looking like a crazy disco Queen of the night. It's also nicely pigmented :) 

L-R Vegas Volt, Shell, Melba 

I also got some more muslin cloths from Liz Earle today... I morally object to doing laundry more than once a week (I'm a lazy student!) and I didn't want to use a dirty cloth to take my makeup off ;)

Here are some pictures with me trying out my new Mac stuff :)

Heavily applied blush so it would show up with my flash - I was too keen to blog to wait until tomorrow to take pictures ;)

(Wearing Suspect and Snakebite from Naked2 on my eyes)

& my awesome new earrings, little ankhs from Topshop. £3.60, thank you student discount <3

Lots of love,

Laura xx

FOTD and more Naked2 rambles...

Hello :)

I haven't done a proper FOTD in a while, so I figured I'd combine a look with Naked2 and other face makeup and stufffffs... Standard.

No7 Colour Calming Primer

Vichy Dermablend Corrective Foundation in 15 Opal

Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection concealer in 2 Light

Benefit Erase Paste in No1 Fair

Vivo compact powder in Soft Vanilla 

Sleek Face Contour Kit in Light 

Mac Blush in Mocha 

Mac MSF in Soft and Gentle 

L'oreal Volume Million Lashes in Extra Black 

Mac lipstick in Speed dial

Urban decay gloss (the one that came with Naked2)

Using my new love, Naked2, I used Chopper all over my lid, Snakebite in the crease & Busted on the edges of my eyes. Also used Snakebite as liner on my bottom lashes. Oooh, and Bootycall in my tear duct area :)

I got back to Uni today, so I could compare my Naked with its sexy sister, Naked2. 

Comparing them side by side, they do look similar. There are some big differences though.

 I'd say Naked has some pinkier shades. Sin, Virgin and Toasted are all very pinky. I do love pinky shades, and it's something Naked2 is missing maybe? 

Naked's Hustle and Naked2's Busted are almost identical, which is a bit annoying.

Half Baked is in both palettes. 

Smog and Snakebite also seem very similar, although Smog is golder.

Sidecar in Naked is such a glittery mess. Lovely, lovely colour, but the fallout is ridiculous! Chopper in Naked2 is nowhere near as bad in regards to glitter fallout...

If you were only to chose one, I'd say it depends on what tones of neutrals you prefer... I'd say Naked has a few more warm toned colours. Naked2 has some cooler tones mixed in, as well as more matte finishes. 

I think overall though, Naked2 has a better range of colours - has greys, browns, highlight colours, a matte black, taupes and bronzes. 

I do completely love the original, but I think Naked2 is slightly in the lead... Ssh, I don't want the original to hear me..

If you have the original and are wondering, I'd say 2 is different enough to warrant having both.. Although that might be the makeup addict in me talking! 

Let me know what you think! 

Laura xx