Sleek Blush in Antique

As soon as I spotted the Vintage Romance collection from Sleek, I was hooked. I managed to get my paws on the eyeshadow palette which I freaking love, and I've had the blush for ages and have only just gotten around to reviewing it.

This is a lovely dusky pink colour, with a shimmery mix. I actually find that its slightly too shimmery for me. I tried to use this the other day for a Face of the Day post, but I applied a little bit too much and I felt that it was too glittery for work! I think smaller amounts are key here.



Shimmery Glittery!

The packaging is pretty robust, I dropped the bag with this in on my way back to work and instantly thought that the blush would have cracked and broken, but it was all still intact! I love the little mirror, and the design on the outside of the box looks really high end, even though this was a bit of a bargain at £4.49.

 

I will definitely be keeping my eye out for further new releases from Sleek! Have you tried the Vintage Romance collection from Sleek?

Collection Does it All Mascara

This is the final product from my recent Superdrug haul! I mainly bought this because I really liked the packaging. I love the purple and yellow together, and the funky comic strip font! It kind of reminds me of Watchmen.

I wasn't really expecting much from this mascara, as it was kind of a grab and run purchase, but I've been really pleasantly surprised by it. It really defines and lifts my eyelashes, and the wand is great for grabbing those pesky small lashes at the corner of your eye.

I find that this dries really quickly, which is a must for me because otherwise it would smear all over my glasses, and is pretty easy to remove. This was £3.99 from Superdrug.

Dolly eyes!

Thanks for reading :) xxx

Chapstick Lipsations Berry Shimmer

I've recently had a cold, and the weather hasn't been very kind, so my lips have been really chapped and sore recently. So when I was hanging around my local Superdrug (which I do a lot, I know) and spotted this new Chapstick, I had to grab it.

This is probably one of the tastiest lip balms I've ever owned. I think the flavour is a mix of raspberry and red currants and it smells almost like Ribena! It applies with a really lovely shimmer, nothing too glittery and mental, just enough to look pretty.

After using this, my lips felt much smoother and nowhere near as sore. The Chapstick has also got really good staying power. It managed to cling on for a good 4 hours before it needed reapplying.

I think this cost me £1.99, and it was on offer. I can't seem to find it on the Superdrug website though!

On a side note, I hope you all like the blogs new layout! I'm pretty much in love with it :)

Thanks for reading :) xxx

Nails of the Day #1 Essie Sleek Sticks

 So this is my first Nails of the Day post! I don't tend to paint my nails very often as they chip really easily at work. I really need a better topcoat. However, the product I'm reviewing today isn't nail polish! It's the super snazzy Essie Sleek Sticks which I received in my July Glossybox. I was a bit sceptical about these initially, as I've tried to use a similar product before and found myself flailing about all over the place. 

 

I have to say, I found these much easier to use than I thought they would be. Clearly, my application is not fantastic, as demonstrated by the above picture, but this is definitely something that you would get better at with practise. The stickers come in many different sizes, so you pick the size that most closely matches your nail, and then stick it down. Using the file provided, you file the extra sticker off, leaving a nicely finished manicure style nail design. I did find that it was particularly tricky to file around the bubbly bits, as those didn't really want to separate.

 

 These would be ideal for a night out, but I can't say I could see them lasting much longer than that.They seemed to peel off quite easily, but maybe if you used a topcoat it might help to keep them a bit longer.

I really loved the little sparkly bubble details on these, and would probably purchase them for a night out! You can purchase the Sleek Sticks here for $10.25.

Thanks for reading :) xxx

Sleek Pout Paints

Today's review is a product I received in the July Glossybox. The Pout Paints are designed to be used both individually, mixed together, or mixed with other lip products to create new colours. Here I have only used them as individual colours, I haven't gotten round to testing them with other lip products!

Pictured below is the pink coloured Pout Paint. As you can see, it's not seriously pigmented, but I only applied a small amount, as directed by the packaging. I think you could definitely apply more and build up the colour. The paint applies with a similar texture to lipgloss, but doesn't feel as sticky.

This is the white coloured paint, which I was a bit nervous about! I thought it would come out the same colour as it appears in the tube, but it's actually a really nice clear gloss. I'm not sure whether these would be particularly nourishing, or about their longevity, but I think they're quite fun.

The Pout Paints are available to purchase here for £4.99 each.

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