My Nasty Gal Wish List - Part Two

Hi guys! I thought I would share a few more items from the amazing clothing website 'Nasty Gal.' Back in April, I posted another wish list for this brand that you can read here. Today my wish list is going to be purely focused on the websites dress range because, as mentioned in part one of my wish list, I think that Nasty Gal's dresses are really beautiful and unique. Please bear in mind that the brand is American, however I am from England, so I have converted the prices below from dollars to pounds! 

1. Flower Prism Dress - £30.78
First and foremost, this dress is my favourite of the bunch! Not only is it the most affordable of the three, I am also a huge fan of bodycon dresses as I think that they suit my petite frame best and are not too over-whelming for my shape. Secondly, I am a huge fan of floral prints as they are so girly and feminine. The dress also features black panels that run vertically down the side of the dress, which will consequently be really slimming and give the illusion of an amazing figure. The little added mesh detail on the straps is also really pretty and gives this dress a little something extra, which I personally love. Paired with some heels or wedges, I think that this dress would be perfect for a party or to go clubbing.

2. Azotic Topaz Dress - £212.86
This dress is definitely out of my price range but it was too gorgeous for me not to not feature it in this blog post! I am a big fan of skater dresses as they were accentuate a small waist and give the illusion of a lovely, hourglass-like figure. Obviously, the most stand-out feature of this dress is the cut-out back which I love because I think that sometimes it is nicer to reveal a little bit of flesh there, as opposed to showing your cleavage or other areas. Also, mint has been a very popular colour this year in terms of clothing and teamed with the black & white, the colours all really pop. In addition, the little capped sleeves can be really flattering and cover you up just a little more.

3. Lush Life Dress - £50.01
Last but not least, this dress is extremely daring and I am obsessed with it. Not only is the dress incredibly bright in both colour and pattern, the black piping and straps make this dress utterly unique. I really like the mish-mash of patterns within this dress (such as the leopard print,) as it gives off a bit of a tropical feel to it. The dress is a silky material which I think would hang really nicely on the body, as well as feel really high-end/designer. The only downside to this otherwise amazing dress would be if you had a slightly bigger bust, then the bra situation may be a slight issue because the back of this dress is fully open.

I hope you all enjoyed reading about the pieces that I have selected and I do urge you to check out the website as there are so many beautiful pieces on there! Please feel free to let me know what you think of my choices by leaving me a comment below, I love reading what you guys think! Thank you :)

An Assortment Of High Street Skincare

Hi guys. Over the years I have tried a a wide variety of skincare products, some of which I have loved and some that haven't been so great. It is often the case that I read a few positive reviews about a product and I buy it hoping that it will do wonders for my skin and sometimes it does, but I am often left disappointed and then I end up having a hoard of products in my toiletries cupboard in the bathroom that I never touch again. On the other hand, I have also found quite a few skincare products that I really enjoy using and make such a difference to my skin. Today I have decided to pick five products to review and give my honest opinion about. So, lets get started!

1. Boots Botanics Ultra Calm Gentle Cleansing Cream - £4.49
I absolutely love this cleansing cream! Despite being low in price and Boots own brand, the product feels so luxurious on my skin. I use this product by applying it directly on to a cotton pad and swiping it across my face to remove any make-up and impurities that I have left on my skin. The products is very gentle which great for those with sensitive skin. In addition, I really like the scent of this cleanser as it contains marshmallow. I also find that my skin is super soft after using this cream, which is great if you want to then apply make-up instantly after using the product as your foundation will glide on really easily.

2. Simple Spotless Skin Triple Action Face Wash - £3.99
I only ever use this face wash if I have had a serious spot or blemish breakout. This is because I find the product rather drying on my skin, which is never a good look! The face wash is a gel consistency with a few little beads in it that can help gently exfoliate your skin. The wash claims to 'deeply cleanse, purify and tone' the skin as well as removing hidden dirt and unclogging pores. I would like to say that I enjoy using this product and it works effectively but I have never seen a real improvement in my skin from using it and so, I would say that this face wash is mediocre at best.

3. Clearasil Ultra Blemish + Marks Treatment Cream - £6.79
I bought this product a few months ago because whenever I get blemishes, my skin is always left with dark marks where the blemish once was. I have been using this cream of a night time before I go to sleep, however when I wake up in the mornings, my skin is left with a strange flaky residue on my face which is really drying. I tried to look past this but after a week of using the product and not seeing any noticeable difference in the condition of my skin, I unfortunately gave up on this products as it just had too many cons as opposed to pros. The only positive thing I have to say about this product is that the smell of the cream is really quite lovely! Instead of using this product to eliminate blemish marks, I have now started using Palmer's Skin Therapy Oil (as I recently reviewed here) and so far it is proving much more effective! 

4. Garnier Pure Active Intensive Charcoal Scrub - £4.99
I have already mentioned this product in a previous post, My Recent Beauty Buys, back in May but I had only started to use the product and so I could not give a full and accurate review. Since using the product several times, I have actually been a little disappointed with the results. The scrub claims to help fight spots and fade marks, yet I feel that the product does neither of these things. In addition, the little charcoal beads are very abrasive and rough on my skin and can cause my face to feel very tights and dry afterwards. The only plus side to this product is that when I use it before I go to bed, my skin is noticeably less oily in the mornings - which is great for my annoying, combination skin.

5. Bioré Deep Cleansing Pore Strips - £7.99
Last but not least are the infamous nose strips from Bioré. After hearing great things about these strips from a friend, I decided to give them a go because I am rather prone to blackheads around my nose due to the fact that I have oily, combination skin. The first time I used these strips, I followed the instructions carefully and left the product on for roughly 10-15 minutes. I found removing the strip quite painful as it felt like I was ripping my skin off (ouch!) and much to my dismay, when I looked at the strip after its removal, none of my blackheads had been removed at all. Furthermore, I gave the product one last try a few weeks later to have the same thing happen again. Considering the price of this product is quite steep in my opinion for a mere six strips, I am thoroughly disappointed with this product and I am definitely going to be trying other more effective ways to remove my blackheads from now on.

I hope that these five mini and rather mixed reviews have given all of you an insight into which high street skincare products really work and which ones are a little disappointing. If any of you have tried any of the products that I have mentioned in this post, I would love to know how you go on with them so please do not hesitate to leave a comment below. Thank you :) 

Palmer's Skin Therapy Oil Review

Hi guys, today I thought that I would do a quick review on the Palmer's Skin Therapy Oil. I have been using Bio Oil for many years now and it has always done wonders for my skin in terms of clearing up acne scars and any discolouration/hyper pigmentation I may have. I had been out of Bio Oil for quite a while and whilst I was shopping with my friend in Sainsbury's the other day, I saw that the Palmer's version had a third off and so it was only around £4 which is so much cheaper than Bio Oil. So I thought to myself that I wanted to give this version a whirl as the offer instantly enticed me.

Although I have only been using this product for a couple of days, I can firmly say that it is much better than Bio Oil in my opinion! As shown on the packaging, the product claims to help improve the appearance of scars, stretch marks, dry & damaged skin, uneven skin tone and aging skin. I have always been dubious about using a lot of oil-based products on my skin as I have combination skin which can get very shiny, and sometimes using too much excess oil on your face can clog up your pores and produce even more sebum (oil) than before. However, this has not been the case at all. 

I have been applying this oil to the blemish scars and marks on my face for a few days now and I can already see an improvement, I cannot believe it has started working so quickly! I find that this oil is a little thicker in consistency than Bio Oil and it feels a lot more luxurious and nourishing on my skin. I simply pump a little amount of the product on to my fingertips and massage it into my skin in circular motions to make sure that it is really absorbed well. On the directions of use, it says that you should 'gently massage into affected areas 3 times a day,' moreover, I have just been using this product once a day right before I go to sleep. The scent of this oil is same as all Palmer's products (a lovely, rich cocoa smell) but it is even more potent in oil form as opposed to the Palmer's body butters, which may put some people off as it is a little overpowering at times. Nevertheless, I really like the smell as I am a bit of a chocolate addict! 

Overall, my first impression of this product is excellent! I am really excited to keep on using it as the results I have gotten just by using the oil for a few days are very impressive. It is also an added bonus that Palmer's version of this oil is considerably cheaper than Bio Oil, which is the front runner in the oils department, and in my eyes it does a far better job from what I can tell so far. I highly recommend this product to anybody who wants to get rid of dark spots or blemish marks on their faces! I hope that this review has been useful and thank you for reading :)

5 Things I Have Learnt Since Joining Blogger

Hi guys. Today I was thinking about how much I have learnt since becoming a part of this wonderful Blogger community. My blog is a mere five months old and so I am still relatively new to all of this, but I am really enjoying creating posts for you all to read. It really excites me when people respond well to my content as I put a lot of time and effort into it. Plus, the comments that I receive always put a huge smile on my face. I thought that I would write this post today to help out any other bloggers that are new on to the scene and impart some of my 'newbie' wisdom on to them. So, without any further ado, here are the top five things that I have learnt during my Blogger experience so far!

1. The Diversity of Blogger
I never realised how popular Blogger is. Up until I started this blog, I solely used Tumblr to post all of my thoughts and feelings on to (as well as re-blogging photos of course!) However, I always felt that my Tumblr was very impersonal and so I decided to create my own blog here. I quickly discovered that there are so many different genres of blogs and that the Blogger community is so diverse. However, my favourite blogs are beauty, fashion & lifestyle blogs which are similar to mine. In addition, I never knew that there would be so many beauty blogs around. Of course I knew all of the major female bloggers after discovering them on YouTube - Zoella, Tanya Burr, Fleur De Force and so on, but I never realised that so many beauty bloggers are simply normal girls like me. 

2. Followers Are Just A Number
Although having a lot of followers would be amazing, it is not the be all and end all. If you enjoy blogging and it makes you happy, then that is all that matters! My tiny blog has 29 followers at the moment and although this may sound like a minuscule number to some, I am very proud that I even have that many and that 29 people in this world like my writing enough to follow me! So, never feel defeated by the number next to your Google Friend Connect or Bloglovin' button!

3. Creating High Quality Content Is Hard Work
It is incredibly difficult to come up with new and innovative content for your blog. I find it extremely difficult at times to come up with posts that I feel will interest my followers. There have been times where I have gone for over a week without blogging because I have had a serious case of writers block or I have not been able to focus my thoughts into a post. I find that the way around this problem is to take inspiration from other blogs that are similar to yours and see what you like or dislike about the posts, and then channel that into your own writing. However, remember that you should never copy or steal somebody's content!

4. Building A Rapport With Fellow Bloggers
It is extremely important to build a rapport with other bloggers. Having a relationship with fellow bloggers will always be beneficial and it is a good way to make connections that can be used later down the line. A good way to do this is to comment on other peoples blogs with words of encouragement, telling them what you liked about their posts and so on. For me, receiving nice comments from my followers is one of the things I love most about Blogger because it shows that others appreciate what I write about and can connect to it too.

5. Beauty Tips & Tricks
Finally, number five on my list is purely related to beauty blogs. I have always been a girly girl and I have always loved make-up. Not only does it make me feel confident, I actually consider applying make-up to be an art form and it really fascinates me. Although I do not have lots of money and do not own many high-end products, I am a cosmetics junkie! Since I have been reading everybody else's blogs, I have picked up so many helpful tips and discovered some great products that really work well for me. The biggest tip I have learnt was to invest in some Real Techniques brushes. Before, I never used to use a make-up brush to apply my foundation (shocking, I know!) but now I could never revert back to my old ways. These brushes are an absolute godsend and I will definitely be purchasing more in the future as I only have the Core Collection at the moment.

I hope that you all enjoyed reading about what I have learnt since joining Blogger and I hope that this little post may help any fellow Blogger 'newbies.' Thank you for reading :)

Soap And Glory's 'Thick And Fast Mascara' and 'Glow All Out'

Hi guys! Yet again, I would like to apologise for the fact that I haven't written anything since my Liebster Award post, which was posted just over a week ago now. I have really been struggling inspiration wise to come up with some new and innovative posts for you all to read. Also, my unfortunate lack of funds has prevented me from buying lots of new products to review. However, I have bought two new products today - one of which I am very happy with and one that I am a little disappointed with. Whilst in town today, I thought that I would pop into Boots to see if Maybelline's Baby Lips lip balms were on sale in store yet, seeing as at the moment you can only buy them online. Then, I stumbled upon an amazing deal from Soap & Glory where you can buy two products for just £15. I thought that this was an offer that I could not pass up, seeing as both of the products seen above would have usually come to £21. I have never given Soap & Glory's make-up range a try but I am a huge fan of their bath and body products (the Sugar Crush Scrub being my absolute favourite!) So, without rambling on any further, here are the two products that I purchased and what I thought of them.

Soap & Glory Thick & Fast Falsh Lash Effect Mascara in Superjet Black - £10.00
Being a girl with very thin, straight and sparse lashes, I often struggle to find a mascara that works for me. I have tried so many mascaras on the market that claim to do various things to lashes, yet none of them live up to my expectations and unfortunately, this mascara is no different. I tried this product out as soon as I got home and it did give me a little more volume at the base of my eyelashes but it gave me no added length whatsoever. Maybe if I had layered this on top of another lengthening mascara the end result may have been a lot better, this is something that I will have to experiment with in due course. In conclusion, I am not overly enamoured by this product. I will definitely be sticking to my two favourite mascaras that I find work with my troublesome lashes, which are No7's Extreme Length and Maybelline's The Volum' Express Colossal mascaras. 

Soap & Glory Glow All Out Luminising Face Powder - £11.00
This product has without a doubt lived up to my expectations, it is amazing! For a while now, I have desperately wanted to find a luminising face powder that did not have too much glitter or shimmer in it (which I find is the case with a lot of high street brands.) The powder is extremely pigmented and you only need to lightly sweep your brush across the surface of the powder. A little product will go a long way and so this powder is great value for money in my opinion, as it will last for ages. I can definitely see this becoming one of my every day make-up staples because I have quite a dull complexion and this powder highlights my face really well and gives it a nice, subtle glow. I would absolutely recommend you all to try this product!

I hope that you have enjoyed reading this mini review. Hopefully in the next few weeks I will be posting a lot more regularly than I have been, as I have a few post ideas in the pipeline which are different to what I have done before! Thank you :)

The Liebster Award!

Hi guys! I was very surprised to log in to my Blogger account this morning to find a comment on one of my posts from Emilythinks, a fellow fashion and beauty blogger, saying that she wanted to nominate me for the Liebster Award. This award is being used as a way to introduce new bloggers with under 200 followers on to the blogger scene. The way this works is that bloggers nominate each other and it works a bit like a chain. The rules of the Liebster Award is as follows: you must answer the questions that your nominator asked you, link 10 up and coming bloggers that you would like to nominate in your post and inform the nominees so they can answer your own questions. So, without further ado, here are the questions that Emily wanted to ask me!

1. If you could visit any place in the world, where would it be?

I would love to visit Los Angeles. I think that the atmosphere there would be absolutely amazing, as well as the weather. I would want to visit all of the famous tourist destinations too such as The Hollywood Walk of Fame, Universal Studios and so on. Also, if some of you do not know, I am a huge fan of the TV show 'Friends' and I would love to take a tour of the Central Perk set. And finally, who could resist a bit of American shopping?! I would love to take advantage of the shops that we do not have here in England, such as Brandy Melville.

2. If you could only use 1 brand of beauty for the rest of your life, what would it be?

This is such a tough question. I think I would have to go with Maybelline because it took me so long to find a foundation that worked for me and matched my skin tone well, which is the Dream Satin Liquid Foundation, and I could not give that up.

3. Straighteners or curlers?

Definitely straighteners because I use them to curl my hair anyway, how clever of me ;)

4. Foundation or tinted moisturiser?

Foundation without a doubt. Tinted moisturiser doesn't give me the coverage that I desire. However, I use BB cream if I need to wear make-up in the sun, due to it's SPF and how light it feels on the skin as opposed to sun cream.

5. Favourite high street brand?

Fashion wise, Topshop would definitely be up there in my favourites but I am going to go with New Look because I own a lot more items of New Look clothing. Make-up wise, I would have to say that I love Rimmel.

6. One lipstick you couldn't live without?

This is a balm stain as opposed to a normal lipstick but I couldnt live without Revlon's Just Bitten Kissable Lip Balm in Crush. It is a lovely deep berry colour and it is my go-to product on a night out to amp up my look. Plus, as it is a stain, it lasts for absolutely ages!

7. If you had to describe yourself as an animal, what would you be?
I really struggled with this question as I am not very good at describing myself so I asked my friend Lucy this question. She seemed to think that I most resemble a fennec (desert) fox. These foxes are petite, like me, and it lives in hot conditions and Lucy knows that I love summer and sunbathing. Last but not least, fennec foxes can be timid but are still very sociable - which is exactly like me!

8. Favourite high end make-up brand and why?

I'm not really a high-end girl due to my lack of funds but I do own a MAC lipstick and a few other bits, so I'm going to say MAC. I'd buy so much from them if I could!

9. What is the wackiest hair colour you've ever had?

In 2009 and 2010, I decided to dye my hair red. Before that, I used to have different colours put underneath my blonde hair such as purple.

10. What is your make-up summer staple?

This is so hard to whittle it down to just one product but I am going to be boring and say primer. I have oily/combination skin and my base is prone to coming off very easily, especially in the summer months. 

The 10 bloggers that I have decided to nominate are as follows: 
Coco Mykel, Byootee, Peach Pow, Beyond Imagination, Curls And Pearls, You Me Friday, Tiffany's Beauty Box, Lanie Cakes, Lydia Rose and Call Of Beauty

And the questions that I would like to ask these bloggers are: 

1. What is your favourite item of clothing in your wardrobe?
2. What is one make-up product that you would like to try but haven't got around to yet?
3. Which would you rather go with out; bronzer or blusher?
4. Currently, what is your favourite perfume?
5. Who is your favourite beauty blogger?
6. Over the years, what is the best beauty tip that you have learnt?
7. How much is the most expensive item in your make-up bag worth and what is it?
8. Have you ever made any major beauty mistakes?
9. Fashion wise, who inspires you?
10. What is your favourite thing about blogging?

Once again, I would like to thank Emily for nominating me for this award and I am very much looking forward to reading the responses of those who I have tagged :)