The Perfect Stocking Filler!

Hi guys! I went out shopping earlier on today to buy Christmas presents for my boyfriends family. As I had already consciously decided to buy something for both his mum and his sister in Boots, I realised that I would be able to get a third present for free due to Boots' 3 for 2 offer on all Christmas gifts. So, after picking up the bits that I needed, I wandered around the store looking for a third present as a little treat to myself. In the end, I opted for this gorgeous No7 Mini Lip Treats gift set for just £8.00! I personally think that this would be a lovely little stocking filler, therefore, I decided to do a post to show you all how great this duo is just in case you want to purchase it for a loved one.

This adorable gift set contains two mini versions of No7's ever-so-popular High Shine lip crayons. The two shades included in the kit are 'Delicate Pink' (a rosy pink) and 'Daydreamer' (a peachy nude.) I think that both colours would be incredibly flattering on a lot of different skin tones, so this set is very universal in a way. The formulation of these crayons are on point too; they are not at all sticky or drying, in fact they add a fair amount of moisturisation and shine to lips as well as a pop of colour. Although the colours are quite sheer, they can be built up to have a bit more pigmentation if you would like them too.

I honestly cannot decide which shade out of the two is my favourite! Whilst 'Delicate Pink' really brightens up your complexion, 'Daydreamer' is a perfect nude colour that doesn't wash you out which also looks great with a smokey eye. 

The final reason why I think that this gift makes a brilliant stocking filler is its packaging. It's super festive and girly-looking at the same time; I love the pink and gold glittery design. Another thing that I like about the packaging is that there is a little fabric loop hole at the top of the box, which means that you could hang the duo on your Christmas tree instead if you decided not to wrap it up or put it in somebody's stocking. I thought that was a genius idea!

(Top: Delicate Pink - Bottom: Daydreamer)

Overall, I think that this lip crayon duo is a perfect stocking filler for any beauty lover in your life. Not only are the shades extremely wearable and pretty but the dinky packaging is very cute too. After trying the crayons out for myself, I cannot recommend them enough! Do you like the look of this set? Which shade is your favourite? Let me know by leaving a comment below!

Boots 3 for 2 | No7 and Revlon

Hi guys, yesterday I popped into Boots whilst I was in town with my Mum and I just couldn't resist their current 3 for 2 offer on make-up, skincare and haircare. I'm not too sure how long the deal is running for, so I would get in quick if I were you! Knowing that I am pretty set on skincare at the moment and have a solid routine, as well as not being into haircare very much - I decided to head straight for the the make-up aisle. It took me absolutely ages to decide on what to buy because there are some amazing products out right now. However, I finally settled on an old favourite in the form of No7's Extreme Length Mascara and two Revlon lip products that caught my eye. I am extremely happy with my purchases and so, here is a little review of what I think of them so far.

No7 Extreme Length Mascara in Black - £12.50
First up is an old favourite of mine that I discovered near the end of 2012. As I am a girl with very fine, short and sparse lashes, I find it extremely difficult to find a mascara that I like and that actually works well. With that in mind, this mascara does the trick for me even though I had forgotten about it for a long time after discovering Benefit's 'They're Real'. This mascara gives my lashes a lot of length (as the name suggests,) although it does lack on the volume front, so I tend to team it with another mascara to get that perfect lash effect. The small, rubber wand is perfect for making sure that you coat even the smallest of lashes and get right in to those corners. Overall, I highly recommend this product for those with similar lashes to mine. However, I do think I still prefer my Benefit mascara due to it giving that slight bit of volume that the No7 one lacks.

(Top: Kiss Me Coral - Bottom: Whimsical)

Revlon Super Lustrous Lip Gloss in Kiss Me Coral - £6.99
Next up is the product that I was most excited about. I have been hearing great things about this lip gloss range for a while, yet I have never got around to trying it until now. 'Kiss Me Coral' is a beautiful, you guessed it, coral shade which contains lots of tiny glitter particles. I think that this is such a perfect lip colour to wear in spring/summer, which is fast approaching. Not only is the formulation not sticky, the pigmentation of this gloss is great too. I cannot tell you how many times I have bought a coral lip gloss that looks amazing in the packaging, to get home and realise it almost looks transparent on the lips! The only qualm I have with this product is that the doe foot applicator is pretty small and does not hold a lot of product, which means that I have to dip it in a few times to get enough gloss to coat my lips. However, when the colour is this gorgeous, it's a small price to pay!

Revlon ColorBurst Lacquer Balm in Whimsical - £7.99
Last but not least is one of Revlon's recently released lacquer balms. After having bought one of the matte balms in the collection, Standout, which you can read about here - I decided it was only right for me to try out a lacquer as well. 'Whimsical' is a gorgeous berry pink/purple shade with lots of glitter running through it which gives a lovely effect, although it does feel a little grainy on your lips at times. This colour in particular is a little sheer but with a few coats, it can be built up to quite an opaque colour. As with all of the Revlon balms, Whimsical has a subtle peppermint fragrance which in turn does tingle on the lips when first applied. Although the balms are not as long lasting as the matte ones, it does stay on for around 4 hours and leaves your lips with a nice stain once the shininess has worn away. I love this product and I will certainly be buying more in the future! 

I hope you all enjoyed reading about what I purchased as part of Boots' 3 for 2 deal. Have you taken advantage of this deal yet? Have you tried any of these products before? Please let me know in the comments below :)

My Monthly Favourites - October 2013

Hi guys! Surprisingly, even though I have been blogging for roughly seven months now, I have never partaken in the ever-so-popular 'monthly favourites' posts. However, this is all about to change! There are so many products I love to use that I have never mentioned on my blog and I thought that doing a monthly favourites post would enable me to include a lot more of these. Though, with this being said, sometimes I go through a phase where I do not incorporate anything new into my beauty regime and so I may skip a month or two from time to time if I have no products to talk about. Now, let's get on with talking about my favourite products that I have been using throughout October!

No7 Beautiful Skin Foaming Cleanser for Normal/Oily Skin - £9.00
As probably many of you beauty bloggers are aware, Boots more often than not have a deal on No7 skincare where by you get £5 off printed on a receipt when you buy any product in the entire store. So, I bit the bullet and decided to invest in a new cleanser. I have combination skin and get a fair few blemishes and so I wanted a product to control the oiliness of my skin. This product is great and I have been using it every day. It foams up nicely (hence the name of the product) and is gentle on my skin too. I have definitely noticed a difference in my skin as it is far less oily of late. I definitely recommend this product!

Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipstick in Dark Knight Waterl-oops!- £6.49
Whilst preparing for a Halloween night out clubbing with my friend Sarah, we decided we wanted to buy a really dark lipstick to go with our outfits. We browsed every stand in Boots for the darkest lipstick we could find and eventually came across this amazing, rich purple colour from Rimmel. Although this product has been around for years now, Rimmel have recently altered the formula of this lipstick and have added many different shades into the collection. This lipstick has since been advertised so much and it definitely lives up to the hype! The end result gave us extremely dark, vampy-looking lips that were still really moisturised - which is just what we were after. The only bad thing I have to say about this product as that it tends to bleed out of the lip line after a while which can look a little messy.

Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat - £9.00
I am pretty late in terms of jumping onto the Seche Vite bandwagon, which is surprising seeing as I have been a huge nail varnish junkie for as long as I can remember. However, now that I have just completed a intensive three day nail course (as mentioned in my 'The Next Chapter Of My Life' blog post,)  I decided that I has best invest in some higher quality products. Now that I will be working on clients, I wanted a top coat that makes a manicure last as long as possible for optimum results. So far, I am loving using this product as it extremely chip-resistant with a super glossy finish.

Eylure Katy Perry Eyelashes in Cool Kitty - £5.95
Seeing as my natural eyelashes are quite short and sparse, I love to wear fake ones on a night out to really make my eyes stand out. I really like the effect that these particular lashes give, as they fan out at the end into slight points at the end that look gorgeous when applied. The pair I used to use religiously before these were released are the Girls Aloud Nadine lashes, (also made by Eylure,) which are pretty much exactly the same but for some reason I prefer these ones by a mile. I would also recommend the 'Oh Honey' lashes from the Katy Perry Range if you are looking for a slightly more natural finish. (Disclaimer: I am aware that my photo does not show the lashes as mine were a little mangled and I had to throw them out. However, I have put a link above if you wanted to see what they actually look like!)

Nivea Vanilla & Macadamia Nut Lip Butter - £2.25
I am going to keep this review short and sweet as I have recently spoken about this product in my 'Boots 3 For 2 Lipcare' blog post. All I want to say about this product is that I am absolutely addicted to the scent, vanilla and macadamia but is such a great combination! I love slathering this product on before going to bed at night and waking up in the morning with lovely, soft lips as the formulation of this lip butter is really thick and creamy. This is a must-have, affordable product for any girls handbag for keeping your lips hydrated on the go! 

Paul Mitchell Freeze and Shine Super Spray (500ml) - £18.25
Last but not least is this amazing hairspray from Paul Mitchell. For years now, both me and my Mum have been using this product to keep our styled hair in place all day long. This hairspray has an incredibly firm hold without making your hair feel crispy or hard, which the majority of lower-end hairsprays tend to do if you are not careful. As I have fine hair that is prone to dropping, this product is perfect for me as I curl my hair the majority of the time. Although this hairspray is pretty pricey, it lasts for absolutely ages and in my opinion, is definitely worth the money! 

I hope you have all enjoyed reading about my monthly favourites for October. I would love to know what your most-loved products have been this month, so please do not hesitate to leave a comment below :) 

My Favourite Autumn/Winter Nail Varnishes

My taste in nail varnish differs a lot throughout the year depending on what season it is, which I'm sure is the same for many of you too. In spring and summer, I prefer to wear bright and fun colours on my nails. However, during the colder autumn and winter months, I much prefer to wear deeper and more vampy colours on my talons. Today, I thought I would share with you my top five favourite nail varnish shades that I will definitely be reaching for this season.

Jessica Nail Colour in Vamp
I got this varnish free in an issue of Company magazine a few months ago. I really adore this shade as I much prefer deep, wine coloured reds as opposed to the more bright and 'true' red colours. This varnish also has a slight shimmer to it, which I think would look lovely during the Christmas party season too.

No7 Stay Perfect Nail Colour in Totally Teal 
Teal nails are an acquired taste but I think that these deep green colour is really sophisticated and is perfect for winter. The thing I love the most about this varnish is it's consistency. It glides on like a dream and as the colour is so opaque and dark, you need only apply one coat. 

Barry M Gelly Hi Shine Nail Paint in Blackberry 
I have a love/hate relationship with this nail polish but I cannot deny that I absolutely love the shade and the finish of the ever so popular Barry M Gelly Hi Shine formula. The only anything thing about this product is that it can stain your nails a little and tends to chip, so I would recommend that you use a base and top coat just to be safe.

No7 Stay Perfect Nail Colour in Vivid Purple 
Purple is my favourite colour and it is also one of my favourite colours to wear on my fingernails, especially during autumn and winter. As this varnish is the same brand and formulation as the teal shade above, it again has a fantastic consistency. The only difference between the two shades is that the teal is a more solid colour, where as this purple has hints of glitter running through it - which adds a little extra something to this polish.

Barry M Nail Paint in Black 
Lastly, you can never go wrong with a coat of black nail varnish. Obviously, there is not much that you can say about a plain black polish but out of all the drugstore brands, Barry M does the best formula in my opinion. I also own Rimmel's 60 Second varnish in black but it is a lot less chip resistant than Barry M's version. It is a must have staple in any girls nail collection!

If any of you have tried any of the products mentioned above, I would love to know what you think of them. Also, I would love to know all of your favourite nail varnishes for this time of year, so please do not hesitate to leave a comment below!