Face of the Day #3

This is look consists of 100% MUA products. Can you tell I'm a fan?


Eyes

The eyeshadow I have used here is a lovely shimmery yellow colour. It's from the Dusk til Dawn palette, which is currently sold out on MUA's website. I don't tend to use this palette an awful lot, as most of the colours are too dark for work. But this yellow colour gets used quite a lot, as you can probably tell from the picture!

The shade I used is the closest shadow, in the bottom row.

The mascara is one of MUA's latest products, Lash Boom. This is a total bargain at £3. I find that it does curl my lashes, but I also find it to be quite clumpy. I have to be very careful how I use the brush. I would say it's probably a medium mascara, in terms of lash curl and lengthening.

 Face


For my cheeks I used another £1 MUA powder blusher, this shade is Bon Bon. Again, as I've previously said, you don't need to use a large amount of product. I just use one finger swipe for each cheek. I love these, when I get paid I'm totally buying some more!

Thanks for reading :) xxx

Weekly Book Round Up #3

Last week I didn't read as much as I wanted to, partly because I was pretty busy both at work and at home, and partly because I was attempting to read this beast of a book, which has taken me AGES.

This the last book in a trilogy, and it is 920 pages long. I've read longer books, but seriously. It's pretty fat. Citadel is set during WWII, and focuses on the struggle of the resistance in France during the occupation. It's different from the other books in the trilogy, as those were set both in the present, and in the past. I think I probably preferred that format, and so it took me quite a while to get into this one. I also personally really struggle to read about WWII. I just find it quite upsetting, so all in all, this book was never going to be really enjoyable for me! I do think the trilogy is worth a read if historical fiction is your thing, but I'm not entirely sure I'll be reading anything else by this author.

Nicola's rating: 2/5

This is a series that I really, really love. It's the basis for the television series 'Bones', which I have never watched. I really need to get round to that at some point! The books follow a forensic anthropologist and her various antics. She inevitably ends up being abducted/kidnapped at the ending of every book, but even if they are predictable, they're really entertaining. I would definitely recommend them to people who are into the thriller/crime genre. They can get quite in depth with the science and technology used, but it's not something to worry about if that kind of thing goes right over your head.

Nicola's rating: 4/5

 And that's it for this week, it's been a  bit of a slow one again reading-wise! Hopefully I'll be able to get some more done next week, but I'm not counting on it.

Thanks for reading :) xxx 





Benefit BADgal Waterproof Mascara

I was going to do this as a Face of the Day post, but decided that as I'd mainly focused on my eyes, I would just review the mascara.

This is the only waterproof mascara I own, and I love it. It really makes my lashes stand out, and it is definitely waterproof! I tend to wear this on wet days, and I have never had any problems with it running or smudging. I purchased mine from Feelunique for £17.50. I do think its pricey, but as its such a stand out mascara, its definitely worth it! The eyeshadow I have used here is from my MUA Top Model palette.

I used the pink shade in the centre.

 

Thanks for reading :) xxx

Librarian Work Wear #3

So this is another heavily biased Modcloth outfit! You'll recognise the Orchid cardigan from my first Librarian Work Wear entry.

The Dress

 This dress is seriously beautiful! I originally purchased this as my "going away" outfit for after the wedding, but I ended up putting it on after all of my guests had left as well, because I needed to be comfy. Seriously, wedding dresses are heavy. This dress is a gorgeous minty shade, and the biggest bonus is that it has POCKETS! Unfortunately, this dress is no longer available at Modcloth, but the brand is Mink Pink, so you might be able to find it somewhere by searching for the brand.

The Shoes

I got these awesome brogues from Clarks for £54.99. I think that's a bargain, as these shoes will definitely last. They are super comfy, with padding inside to cushion your feet. They also come in less snazzy colours, but I have got my eye on the new Wine Red shade! Perfect for autumn.

I've included some bonus dress shots that I took a few days after writing this, as the weather was really nice!

Cute puppy sold seperately. Bernie says Hi!

POCKETSES. This is my enthusiastic face.

Much more normal.

Thanks for reading :) xxx

Face of the Day #2

This look is a bit of cheat, because I don't usually wear lipstick/pigmented lip products to work, I find them a bit of a hassle to maintain throughout the day.


Eyes

For my eyeshadow, I used a colour from MUA's Top Model palette. This palette is absolutely jam packed with 28 beautiful eye shadows, a blusher, bronzer, and highlighter. I might properly review this palette on its own at some point. I really like the shimmery shadows, especially in the pastel colours, as I feel like I can wear these to work without them being too dramatic. I have to say, I think this palette is a total bargain for
 £7.

This mascara is my absolute favourite mascara of all time. Seriously. It is most definitely, a BIG mascara. It makes my lashes super long and curled, and it never clumps. I got mine in a past Glossybox, and when this runs out I will definitely be repurchasing this, probably from Feel Unique. You can also purchase it with a super jazzy illustrated outer casing for an extra £1.

Lips

For my lip colour I used a Revlon ColorBurst Lip Butter. This shade is Raspberry Pie. It's a much brighter shade than I would usually go for, but I think it suits me. As I mentioned previously, I don't tend to wear lip colour to work, so this was removed shortly after I took these pictures, and it came off really easily, with no staining at all. I purchased my lip butters from Boots for £7.99.

Face

I used a MUA blusher on my cheeks, this shade is called Candyfloss. These blushers are extremely pigmented, I only use one swipe with my finger for each cheek. These are an absolute bargain for £1 each. You can purchase them from MUA's website or from Superdrug stores.

Thanks for reading :) xxx

Weekly Book Round Up #2

This book is the fourth in a series that I am really enjoying. I love the humour, the magical elements, and the fact that it's centered around the London police force. This book didn't really get going until the end, and then absolutely loads happened. Its finished on a pretty big cliff-hanger, so I'm quite bummed about having to wait a whole year for the next one! The story follows Peter Grant, a police officer who gets sucked into a secret section of the police force that deals with magical crime. Definitely worth a read if urban fantasy is your kind of thing.

Nicola's rating: 4.5/5

After reading Gone Girl, I couldn't resist trying out one of Gillian Flynns other novels. I would say that this one is probably even more messed up than Gone Girl. A female journalist returns to her home town to cover the story of two girls who have been murdered. She stays with her mother, who she has never gotten on with, and shenanigans ensue. This is definitely not one for the faint-hearted, and if you have a teeth phobia, I would steer clear! I did enjoy it, and the novel keeps you on your toes regarding the killer, but it will mess with your brain a bit.

Nicola's rating: 4/5



Overall I haven't read much this week because I've been really busy, and the book that I am currently reading and will (hopefully) be reviewing in next weeks post is MASSIVE. I'm looking forward to finishing it and starting something else!


Thanks for reading :) xxx

July and August 2013 Glossyboxes

So I mentioned the other day that I'd had a Glossybox subscription before the wedding, and then had to cancel it because of saving for wedding favours and shoes and stuff. Well, a few days ago I received an email from them offering me the July and August boxes for the bargain price of £15, with £2.95 postage.

Needless to say, I took them up on the offer, and this is all of the stuff I received.

July Seaside Splash Box

So the items I received in this box are: Bamboo Style Boho Waves Tousled Texture Mist, Coola Mineral Face SPF 20 Moisturiser, Essie Sleek Sticks, Spray Misty For Me Facial Spritz, and two Pout Paints.

Thoughts

The texture mist hair spray stuff is something I am definitely interested to try out, and the moisturiser looks promising as well.

I'm going to have a go with the sleek sticks, but I don't think my nails are really long enough so I can see myself just getting annoyed with them.

The Pout Paints are intriguing, I'm not sure that they'd be something I'll use every day though. Apparently you can mix them together to create different shades, which I'm quite eager to experiment with!

The face spray has already caused some hilarity after I sprayed it in the husband's face to see what he thought, he wasn't really impressed.

Overall, there are some useful things in here, I'll have some fun trying them out!


August Highflyers Box

This box contained: Emite Make up Eyelash Curlers, Urban Veda Radiance Day Cream, Jelly Pong Pong 2 in 1 Shadow/Liner, Tresemme Keratin Smooth Concentrated Treatment Shot, and Oceane Make up Remover Pen.


Thoughts

I already have a pair of eyelash curlers and don't really tend to use them, but I'll certainly give these a go.

 I have used a bit of the Radiance Day Cream this morning and it smells fantastic (although it's quite a strong scent, so it might not be to everyone's tastes), soaked into my skin really quickly, and left it feeling really soft. A good start!

I've been wanting to try Jelly Pong Pong make up for a while, but they always seem to be sold out, or slightly out of my price range, so I'm happy to have received this liner to try out. I received the liner in black, so I might try to practice my eye lining skills!

The make up remover pen will come in handy in the mornings when I slip with the mascara brush, but other than that I probably won't use it much.

I am interested in the Tresemme hair shot, I used this last night when I got back from swimming, and its left my hair feeling really smooth and soft!

This is just a quick round up of my thoughts, I will have some more individual reviews in a couple of days or so once I've properly used some of the products!

Thanks for reading :) xxx

MUA Intense Glosses

Back when I was getting ready for my wedding, I had a make-up trial with the lady that would be doing my bridal make-up on the day. All of the products she used were high end, and she recommended that I purchase some of the products (such as powder and lip gloss) to use on the day for top ups. The products she suggested were MAC products, which I have no doubt are top notch, but I didn't really have enough spare cash at the time to actually spend £40 on one lip gloss and a compact of face powder.

Whilst bumbling about on the internet, I spotted these lip glosses on the MUA website, and decided to give them a go.

The soft pink shade (Sealed With a Kiss) is almost a perfect match for the MAC lipgloss that was suggested to me, and only cost £2. These lip glosses are ideally sized for handbags or clutches, so I was able to give this to my mum for her to carry around for me on the day.

This shade was perfect for the wedding day, it's easy to apply, and wasn't too OTT or understated.


The second shade I bought (on impulse) is called Quick Kiss. This is a much more pigmented shade, and is almost a what I would imagine the Revlon Lip Butters to be like if they were more colourful.

I find this gloss quite tricky to apply as the wand tends to be slightly overloaded, so I end up with an excess of gloss on my lips. Overall, I think for £2 each, I think these glosses are a bargain, but I would recommend going to Superdrug to buy these, as the colours seem to be pictured weirdly on MUA's website. Quick Kiss is pictured as a sort of orangey colour, which it definitely isn't!



Thanks for reading :) xxx

Librarian Work Wear #2

I love this outfit! It's one of my favourites for work!


The Dress

This dress is from White Stuff, which is one of my favourite shops. Unfortunately there is one just down the street from where I work, so I'm always just popping in...just to look! I love the print of this dress, with the typewriters and little letters! Very librarian appropriate. This dress has pockets, which I absolutely love, very handy for work! Unfortunately this dress is sold out now, but White Stuff are currently having a sale online and in store, so there are bargains to be had!

I look seriously awkward here, still not used to having my photo taken!

Cute print!

The Cardigan

This cardigan is one of the Modcloth Charter School Cardigans. I have previously reviewed the Orchid one. This shade is called Honey, and is a beautiful mustard yellow. Again, I would order a size up for these as they do tend to shrink. Mine has also faded slightly which makes me sad, I will probably buy another to replace this one eventually, I love this pop of yellow with the purple dress.

The Shoes

These shoes were an absolute steal from Primark for £4. I also bought them in black. I'm not sure if they are still available. They are quite uncomfortable, in that they don't support your feet very well, but for £4, I'm not expecting magical cushiony shoes! I just think that they probably wouldn't be suitable for a long day on your feet.

Thanks for reading :) xxx