Boots Beaty Haul & First Impressions

It's pretty much a guarantee that I'll be making a big splurge in Boots around this time of year. The Sun comes out, blossoms are on the trees and drugstore brands start dropping their Spring releases which never fail to catch my eye. Cue a haul! This one comes with a bit of twist as I throw just about everything I bought straight onto my face and share my first impressions with you, including a new foundation love, a mascara that I was less than impressed with and a few interesting dupes for some higher end favourites!

February Favourites

I get tired of saying this nearly every month, but February really has flown by. Spring is definitely in the air and I'm finally starting to shake that Winter feeling that's been with me since Christmas. The (ever so slightly) warmer weather is not only brightening my mood, but it's also increased my productivity levels - hopefully you should be seeing at least two videos a week from me in March, woo!

November Favourites

The second to last edition of this year's favourites videos - my how time flies when you're hoarding lipsticks. I've found an unexpected nail polish love, a body butter that will make you want to eat your own arm it smells so good and a handful of new make up items that I haven't been able to say no to all month!

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Barry M Does Pastels

I've been a big fan of the 'barely there' nail so far this year and haven't really been fussed with any new shades making their way into my collection unless hailing somewhere from the beige or neutral family. I've been enjoying the simple approach and a manicure that lasts twice as long - fellow lazy nail painters out there, aren't nudes just the best for disguising chips?

That being said however, as soon as March rolled around a subconscious part of my brain started chanting the word 'pastels' over and over again. They're unavoidable for Spring and among quite a few new launches from various brands this month it's the Barry M Gelly Shine range* that caught my eye.

I've talked about this line quite a bit before and hands down think it's one of the best formulas on the nail polish market. Opaque in two coats, glossy like no other and some serious durability all bundled up in one little bottle that will cost you no more than £3.99. Unsurprisingly their pastel offerings have fast become some of my favourites ever with three shades in the range - Sugar Apple, a perfect mint green that in my opinion gives the great Essie Mint Candy Apple a run for it's money, Rose Hip - a sweet and subtel baby pink and Huckleberry which currently sits on the top spot as my favourite of the three - I'm a sucker for anything powder blue at the moment, hello next Zara purchase, and this works perfectly with the monochrome outfits I've been wearing recently (my wardrobe could really do with a Spring update too). If only there were more shades!

* Gifted PR Samples

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March Favourites

It's time for another round of beauty favourites and coming to you today are my pick of the best products from the month of March. See what made it into the edit from my latest Drugstore Haul, a blogger influenced Shampoo & Conditioner combo and few other new discoveries that have been repeatedly reached for over the last four weeks.

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All About Pink

Pink is something I usually avoid when it comes to make up. I'm a big fan of coral hued variations of the shade, maybe even a pale pastel, but when it comes to full blown pink I tend to shy away. Recently though I've been reaching for this stand out colour over and over again.

It all started with a purchase of Sleek's Candy Collection Sweet Cheeks Blush By Three, an ingenious little palette that contains a cream blush and two powder shades all in the same colour family, this one being a delectable candy pink. As with all Sleek blushes the pigmentation is brilliant requiring only a light sweep across the apples of the cheeks to create bold colour. For times when I've wanted something a little more subtle I've been reaching for the Dainty Doll blush in My Girl. Designed for pales skins, this one can be layered and blended without fear of the dreaded 'over-blush' and gives a natural soft flush.

I've even been teaming pink cheeks with pink lips and both MAC's Girl About Town and Revlon's Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Lovesick have been serving me well. The former I like to pair with a simple base and just mascara on the eyes so the lips have all the attention and the latter has become a handbag staple, coming with me wherever I go for a quick top up of a moisture enriched fuchsia hue.

I've also been drawn to pink for nails, Rimmel's Rose Libertine being one of my current favourites, but it's Barry M's Bright Pink that takes the ticket for the perfect dolly shade which not only oozes Summery fun but when teamed with some gold midi rings looks quite sophisticated in my eyes.

Will you be breaking out the Pink this Summer?


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The Spring Edit Part 1: Nails

After nearly a week of consecutive sun (touch wood) I think we can safely say Spring has arrived! The beauty wardrobe deserves a seasonal revamp and the first port of call for me is always nails. Ten little fragments of colour that give noting but hope for warmer weather. The big dilemma however is pastels or brights? I've picked five of my favourites in each category that will definitely be adorning my nails over the coming weeks.

Pastels have always been good to me. Their soft hues are flattering and pretty and suit almost every skin tone. First up we have Essie's Fiji, the palest of all the pinks, think ballerina. The formula is opaque which creates a subtle statement on the nails. Another nude that I can't seem to talk about enough is Lychee from the Barry M Gelly Collection. Easy to apply and super glossy this is the ultimate 'mannequin nail' colour for me, and they don't half last long! Topshop's Parma Violets has been in my collection for a long, long time but what's not to love about the perfect pastel lavender? This one take a good few coats but with all Topshop nail polishes it's definitely worth it. Essie makes an appearance again with Bikini So Teeny which although hailing from last years Summer line, is still a firm favourite for a soft touch of blue. Finally the newbie of the bunch from B. Cosmetics is a serious contender for the mint green of the year. Sea Foam is my first purchase from their nail polishes but the formula and wear time have definitely impressed me.

As for the brights, I like to keep them pure and simple but very intense! Barry M's Blueberry is an amazing stand out, creamy blue without a hint of lilac in it. Similarly Green Room from Topshop has an intense colour but with an edgier forest green tone. If you're one for sticking to the typical spring/summer colours then Cute As A Button*, a bright pink-toned coral and Fear and Desire, a fierce orange from Essie are the ones for you. These two look amazing on both toes and fingers! Last up possibly one of my favourite polishes of all time, Ciaté's Yellow Taxi, the perfect loud nail colour that's just on the right side of neon before we start talking fluorescents.

What are your favourite Spring colours?

* Gifted PR Samples

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The Haul: Drugstore Makeup

It's becoming clear these days that I can't say no to an offer, so when recently pursuing the shelves of Boots and stumbling across that oh so beautiful sight of a 'three for two' sign hovering above the cosmetics, all else left my mind and I headed straight for it.

I do like a bit of luxury when it comes to makeup and don't think I'd ever desert the premium brands (sorry bank balance) but there's something fun and exciting about the lesser expensive 'drugstore' brands, always full of bright colours, regularly updated lines and of course, much more reasonable prices.




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Barry M Gelly High Shine Nail Paint

I'm always a fan of a seriously good nail varnish formula. Glossy, fast drying, well pigmented and long lasting are all traits that I look for when finding that perfect little bottle of colour. After slowly building up a collection over the last few months (and loving them even more with every new purchase) Barry M's new Gelly Nail Paint might just be the polish that takes the title.

The formula is supposed to emulate a gel manicure without the commitment of having the same colour talons for an entire two weeks. Personally I'd say they look just as glossy, even without a top coat, and although they last no more than three or four days before starting to look a little worse for wear, that's quite an achievement for a nail polish that costs just £3.99.

The three colours I have here are Papaya, which sits beautifully inbetween bright orange coral, Blueberry, a soft blue which got this whole craze going and Lychee, a light pastel beige newly crowned as my favourite polish of possibly the whole year so far. These all scream spring/summer to me and will more than likely be adorning my nails over the coming warmer months, but the range also consist of some good deep shades to keep us happy all year round!

What do you think of the Gelly Nail Paints? Whats your favourite colour?


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Currently Wearing: Nails

I like to keep all the nail varnishes I use most on my dressing table where I can see them, so I thought I'd show you all what's made it to the cake stand this month. I'm sort of in between Summer and Autumn with these colours, still not quite ready to let go of my brights but starting to embrace the deeper tones of the colder months!

Models Own x Hed Kandi Beach Party: I'm a little late on the Models Own Hed Kandi bandwagon, but strangely this florescent neon colour has only just appealed to me as we're coming into Autumn. You might need to wear sunglasses when looking at this on your nails, but the colour is amazing.

Barry M Red Black: An old timer in my nail polish collection, Barry M was my go to nail brand in my teens and I think I own about 99% of their range. These deep burgundy red colours will always be my favourite and considering the price, I really think the formula of Barry M varnishes is one of the best.

Nails Inc Baker Street: The brightest blue nail varnish you'll ever find. Everything about this colour is so vivid I can't help but keep looking at my nails when I'm wearing it.

Models Own Pink Punch: I love the way neon colours look with darker clothes, and similar to Beach Party, I've been wearing this one a lot recently. Love this on the toes too!

Models Own In The Navy: A dark navy blue is another one of those colours that I'll never get tired of wearing. I especially love how this looks with big chunky Autumn knits and nude colours.

Essie Bikini So Teeny: I think this colour was the new Mint Candy Apple for Essie this summer, just about everyone had it. It's the perfect pastel shade and I'm going to cling on to wearing this one for as long as I can this year.

Louise Gray for Topshop Junkyard: My most recent acquisition. I thought all the Louise Gray make up was amazing when I saw it in Topshop, so many beautiful bright colours and the clothing collection is just as good. I love a good chunky glitter polish, and the bright blue of this one stood out to me right away.

Minty

Eyeko Vintage Polish, Essie Mint Candy Apple, OPI Mermaid's Tears, Model's Own Pro Jade-Anna, Barry M Mint Green, George Streamer
I was sorting through my ridiculous sized nail varnish collection today and noticed one particular colour kept cropping up more than others. Ever since seeing Fade To Black's signature minty green nails a few years ago I've been searching for the perfect green of my own. I think my all time favoutire has to be Essie's Mint Candy Apple, although I've got quite a few to pick and choose from! Barry M's Mint Green is another that's been well loved along with it's perfect dupe Eyeko's Vintage Polish (which I still can't believe they've discontinued!). I should probably throw a few of these away instead of gravitating towards the exact same colour every time I go near a nail varnish stand, but I don't think I can help myself! What's your go to colour?

Barry M Instant Effects Foil

Barry M Instant Nail Effects Foil - Silver & Gold
Since releasing their Instant Effects Crackle Varnish and taking the world of nails by storm I've always wondered if Barry M were going to extend this line and come up with any more exciting effects polishes. So when I saw these, on Asos of all places, I got a bit too excited and signed up to a Premier account just so I could get them delivered the next day. Just a little excessive... Getting slightly off topic here but if you're a regular Asos binger like me, I strongly suggest getting a Premier account, unlimited free next day delivery for fourteen something a YEAR, amazing. And no, I wasn't paid to say that.

Sadly though, that's where the excitement ends. When I saw the word 'foil' I immediately thought of the mirror like Minx nails. So when I painted them last night I was beyond disappointed to find that they just looked like standard silver and gold nail varnish, and not particularly nice ones. The brush strokes were impossible to get rid of, no matter how carefully I did it and they were really thick. This is just my opinion and I've seen other people raving about them, but I don't know why Barry M released these nail varnishes in the effects range, when they’re really just metallic colours that could of easily fit in to the core collection. Rage face.

One good point, however, is that the silver makes a great base for Juicy Jules, which I got in the Models Own 50% sale the other day. The photo really doesn't do justice to how sparkly it is. Still lusting after the ridiculously hard to find Gosh holographic nail varnish which is now going for about £30 on eBay (WHY WAS THIS DISCONTINUED?!), but this one’s near enough for now!