Archive for May 2013

Product Empties



You may remember I did a product empties post a few months ago, but to be honest I wasn't sure how to photograph the products in a pretty way so I thought that it would be the perfect opportunity to do a video! If you give my channel a visit you may see that I used to make quite a few YouTube videos when I was around sixteen. Recently I've been trying to get back into it a bit, so I really hope that you enjoy this!

Products Mentioned


I'm sure that there'll be a few more videos to come, so if you enjoy it please remember to subscribe!

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P.S. If you haven't already I'd love it if you could nominate for me as Best New Beauty Blog (scroll to the bottom of the page and click 'Next Page' to bring up the nominations form) or the Newcomer Blog Award (sponsored by Next) in the Cosmo Blog Awards - only if you enjoy my blog, of course! Nominations end in just a couple of days.

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The Weekend Roundup #8

Playstation vs jewellery and makeup
Phil's "boy things" cramping my style ;)
My boyfriend playing ps3 in bed in his pyjamas
The boyf chilling in his PJs
University Studying Session
And this is my weekend... Italian revision galore.


Phil has a week off of work and has moved into mine for the week - playstation, television and all. As you can see my tiny little uni room is suffering a bit and feeling slightly... de-feminated? Hmm. Moving swiftly on, I've really been revising for most of the weekend.

Fear not though blog friends, I have a little surprise in store for you this week. Just you wait!

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P.S. If you haven't already I'd love it if you could nominate for me as Best New Beauty Blog (scroll to the bottom of the page and click 'Next Page' to bring up the nominations form) or the Newcomer Blog Award (sponsored by Next) in the Cosmo Blog Awards - only if you enjoy my blog, of course! Nominations end in just a couple of days.

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Cosmo Blog Awards


nominate me
Hello everyone, I thought that I'd do a cheeky late night post to ask a favour of you...

I'm sure that you guys have all heard talk of the Cosmo Blog Awards buzzing about, and I've decided (pretty late on) that I fancy giving it a shot. The Cosmo Blog Awards come around once a year and ask you to nominate your favourite blogs for a range of categories. I'm not holding my breath for any results, but I was really hoping that when you guys are voting you would please keep my blog in consideration.

This is the part where I do a little speech about how much my blog has meant to me over the past few months but I really mean it. I don't really have any friends who are that into makeup and being able to share my thoughts on here is something pretty special for me, I have totally fallen in love with it. I have so many ideas for my blog and I find it popping into my head all through my day. It is now a huge part of my life and I'd say that it has started to be (rightly or wrongly) nearly as important to me as my full time studies. Of course I don't blog for awards or prizes, it is my creative outlet, but to be awarded recognition for my hard work would be incredible. If you enjoy my blog then I hope that you will keep it in mind when you're voting for either the Best New Beauty Blog (scroll to the bottom of the page and click 'Next Page' to bring up the nominations form) or the Newcomer Blog Award (sponsored by Next).

It only takes a few seconds to nominate and all you have to provide is your e-mail and a couple of thoughts about my blog - but don't worry, they won't spam you with e-mails! Just remember to uncheck the box.
Thanks for reading this post, I promise there will be more of the regular beauty posts coming soon!

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I Got Business Cards! (My experience & why I got them)





Well folks, if you hadn't already guessed by the abundant photos... Pretty Please Blog now has its very own business cards! This was something that I wanted ready for the summer when I'll be going to a few exciting beauty events and hopefully meeting some exciting new people. When my boyfriend and I decided to take a spontaneous trip to London next week which coincides with Tanya Burr's meetup, then I had to move my plans forward a little.

I was originally going to order these through Moo which I know is a site that a lot of bloggers use for their cards. The site was so user friendly, but unfortunately the price really started to add up when I realised that I'd need to put the cards on rush order so that they'd arrive in time for my London trip. This was when I turned to Vistaprint. Vistaprint was a lot cheaper than Moo for what I wanted. Even on rush order the grand total of my 250 cards (with which I got a swanky business card holder free of charge) was cheaper than the hundred I almost ordered on Moo. I can imagine it'll take me a little while to hand those out, but it was the minimum number you could order and I'm so pleased with them.

The Cards
The process was very simple. On both sites you are able to upload your own images to your business card if you do not want to use one of their templates. As you can see, I uploaded my blog logo to the back of the card and also a small image on the other side (the coloured writing header). You can then add your own text - I'd say that Moo's website made this aspect of the design very simple, but on Vistaprint while I was able to create an almost identical template it did take me a little longer. As you can see both images have come out really well, but you need to make sure you follow the recommended dimensions otherwise the picture could come out fuzzy (I used the Moo recommended dimensions on their template builder). I was very pleased with delivery too. I would definitely recommend ordering business cards well in advance so that you don't have to fork over extra cash for speed printing (I learned that it does not come cheap), but all the same I was very pleased with the service. I ordered these on Tuesday night and despite warning me that they may not arrive until Tuesday 28th, they came in yesterday morning's post (Friday 24th)! The card itself is a standard rectangular 88x55mm card with a matte finish. This was the cheapest option as I didn't want to go for anything too fancy. All I really want is something that's quick and easy to give to people with whom I start discussing my blog. Handing out a business card makes you look a lot more organised and professional than scrabbling about for a pen and piece of scrap paper in my opinion (not that there's anything wrong with the latter!).

Erm, Emily... why do you have business cards?
In case any of you were interested I have a few plans over the summer where I want to make sure that I have a business card so that I can spread the word about my blog. Besides, I would not have started a blog if I did not want to share my thoughts and opinions to others. Please do not think that this is out of arrogance, I put a lot of time and effort into my blog and so I do not see any reason that I should shy away from telling people what I do. Of course I am not going to force my card onto others, only those that I talk to and think may be interested. As I have already mentioned I am attending the Tanya Burr meetup this coming Wednesday and so I will be sure to bring my business card holder along there, just in case I bump into any fellow beauty bloggers. To be honest I'm so proud of my new business card holder I'll probably start carrying it around in my purse (it makes me feel grown up, OK?! haha) but I'll also be sure to take a few cards along to IMATS with me next month. I've also found out about an upcoming lecture being hosted in Bristol by the Society of Cosmetic Scientists which I'm going to pop along to. On top of that I've got a couple of little makeup type jobs planned that I'll be doing for fun, so I'll be sure to have them on me then, too.

I've got to say I feel very grown up and inspired now that these have arrived. Are any of you going to IMATS? Excited doesn't even come close!

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P.S. If you haven't already I'd love it if you could nominate for me as Best New Beauty Blog (scroll to the bottom of the page and click 'Next Page' to bring up the nominations form) or the Newcomer Blog Award (sponsored by Next) in the Cosmo Blog Awards - only if you enjoy my blog, of course! Nominations end in just a couple of days.

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NOTD: "Mini Egg" Nails!

Mini Egg Nails by Pretty Please Blog - Pastel yellow with black and white specks
L'Oreal Nail Polish Topcoat in Confettis. Matte black and white particles for nails by Pretty Please Blog
Model's Own Banana Split Nail Polish Pastel Yellow Colour by Pretty Please Blog
So. I was keen to share with you the nail polish that I was wearing last week. It may not exactly pass off as nail art, but I was a huge fan of it all the same. To achieve the look I used two new nail products: Banana Split by Models Own and the L'Oreal Topcoat in Confettis. One of my flat mates decided that the finished look reminded him of mini eggs which I think is a pretty accurate description to be honest!

Confetti Topcoat
The confetti topcoat has been getting a lot of attention from bloggers recently, and so I decided to spontaneously jump on the band wagon one day in Boots and I have to say that I love it. I was a little put off when the brush seemed to come unglued from the lid the first time that I opened it, but this hasn't happened since and certainly hasn't affected the application of the product. The topcoat consists of small and medium particles of matte glitter in black and white which is what has given my nails the speckled effect in the picture. Although the application isn't too gloopy or uneven, you still want to pay attention as you apply to get an even number of "specks" on each nail. I have used only one coat in the picture above. The other thing that I would comment on is that despite being labelled as a topcoat, the finish is definitely not smooth and feels a little bit rough due to the confetti. If this bothers you then you may need to add a clear coat on top, but I definitely think that the coat fulfills its purpose in prolonging the life expectancy of your manicure. Be warned though - like many glitter polishes this is not easy to get off and so you may want to use some acetone to make your life easier. Overall though it's a huge thumbs up from me. It's so versatile I can't wait to try it over some more colours, or even over a nude nail.

Banana Split
Banana Split by Models Own is another polish which has received a few reviews in the blogging world. I wasn't particularly drawn to it because of the scented aspect (in fact I can't notice much of a scent at all) but what did impress me was the gorgeous colour. I had never worn a yellow polish because I always thought that it wouldn't suit my pale skin tone. This pastel shade, however, is right up my street. Unfortunately it is so light that it can very easily appear patchy, meaning that you will need two to three layers to make it opaque. This can be a problem as I found that even with my instant drying spray (which you can read about here) each layer took a good few minutes to completely dry. I also found that without the top coat it wouldn't last even a day on me without chipping a bit, but with the help of the confetti topcoat this issue was fixed. Having never tried any other Models Own nail polishes I'm not sure whether this is a problem that other shades have or whether it only applies to this shade in particular.

Overall I am very pleased with both products and totally in love with these nails. What do you think? Have you tried either polish?

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P.S. If you haven't already I'd love it if you could nominate for me as Best New Beauty Blog (scroll to the bottom of the page and click 'Next Page' to bring up the nominations form) or the Newcomer Blog Award (sponsored by Next) in the Cosmo Blog Awards - only if you enjoy my blog, of course! Nominations end in just a couple of days.

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What's in my Makeup Bag: Travel Edition

What's in my Makeup Bag: Travel Edition
My makeup bag and my Z palette

 Hello again blog friends!

Have I got a treat in store for you today?! It's no secret that when my boyfriend is not visiting me in Bristol for the weekend I am usually up visiting him which is a whopping five hour journey. The things we do... but he's an alright lad so I suppose it's OK. Anyhow, as you can imagine this does create a bit of a packing palaver, especially when you're as into your makeup as I am! I have, however, over this year learned to condense the amount that I bring to something a little more reasonable (well, by my definition anyway). So my lovelies, I thought that I would give you a sneak peek into what I brought along with me to Edinburgh when we went away the other weekend. Please bear in mind that these are purely the makeup bits and pieces - no haircare, skincare or makeup brushes here. Anyhoo, away we go!

First thing's first, the makeup bag. This was a gift from my parents after my very first few GCSEs four years ago (what??!). In case you hadn't guessed I can be a little ditsy sometimes which is why they picked it for me, but it's my most used makeup bag because it's got a fair old bit of space in there with a couple of pockets for smaller bits and pieces like hair ties. There's also a zip pocket on the side with some slots for brushes which is perfect, but I'm afraid I couldn't tell you where you could buy this as I got it so long ago! The second thing that I tend to take with me on almost every trip is my Z Palette. Z Palettes are really nifty magnetic cases with a clear top that you can use to make your own custom palettes, I love them because you can mix and match any magnetised panned product, be it a blush or an eyeshadow. I picked this one up at IMATs a couple of years ago and plan to give it a post of it's own later this year when I've picked up a few more! As you can see, I had a range of Mac eyeshadows with me and I even popped a cheeky bright blush in there.



I always have to pick my face products very carefully when I travel - I took my two favourite foundations: the Rimmel for daytime and Nars for a special evening out. Both are medium coverage but the perfect glow that Nars Sheer glow gives me means I only really pull it out on special occasions. Cheap it most certainly is not. My blushes/highlighters etc. that I take away with me always depend on what I'm loving at the time. I picked the Maybelline creme blush (full review here) for the lovely sheen and peachy flush of colour that it gives me. It's the perfect minimalist product for daytime. Although both are also gorgeous for daytime too, I only used my Nars Illuminator (full review here) and the Shimmer Brick in the evening time for a candlelight-glow sort of look. I usually reserve my bronzer for night time use too - I don't like to use too much powder on my skin, so I tend to use this just for a bit of contour after slightly setting my makeup with a bit of my Mac powder if I'm going out. I'm sure that my Collection 2000 concealer does not need much introduction - I go on about it enough! It's perfect for blemishes and/or under-eye circles.



As I had a few eyeshadow options in my Z Palette I didn't take too many other eye products. I always take my gel liner in case we go somewhere special in the evening and I fancy doing my makeup nicely, I can hardly ever be bothered to do any liner during the daytime. The only exception to this is my Makeup Forever Aqua Eyes pencil. Mine is in a bronzey/gold colour which really brings out blue eyes, but to be honest would suit any eye colour. It's not too harsh for daytime so I often wear this on my lower lash line, or even in my waterline. It also compliments the sort of smokey gold makeup I like to wear at nighttime and can even be used like a crayon to create a base. It really is a great all-round product and I take it with me almost anywhere I travel. I also took along my Painterly Paint Pot for when I wanted a more natural base, although I've had it for so long that you can see it's starting to dry up a bit. I'm sure that you've all read plenty about the mascara, it was my favourite at the time but it's starting to get clumpy. I hate how quickly you have to change up your mascara!

I brought a few lip products along with me: the Nivea lip balm has a pink tint to it that I really enjoy wearing when I want to feel fresh-faced and as if I'm not wearing any makeup at all. Patisserie by Mac is another great shade for this which you can read more about here. I didn't really wear either lipglosses over the weekend as I'm not often in the mood for them, but I wanted a range of options for colour while I was there. The top lip products of the weekend would have to be my YSL Rouge Volupte and Inglot lipstick both of which I fell back in love with while I was in Edinburgh. I wore the YSL lipstick on a night out and I just love the creamy texture and how it looked on me alongside the rest of my makeup, even in pictures. The Inglot is more of a golden pink than the beigey tone of the YSL and I felt like it really brightened up my makeup. I think the gold in it looked really great with my tan that weekend.

I suppose then, folks, that that's about it. I hope that you have enjoyed this and if you have any questions or want to see more posts like this then leave us a cheeky comment. I love reading them :)

Ciao!


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P.S. If you haven't already I'd love it if you could nominate for me as Best New Beauty Blog (scroll to the bottom of the page and click 'Next Page' to bring up the nominations form) or the Newcomer Blog Award (sponsored by Next) in the Cosmo Blog Awards - only if you enjoy my blog, of course! Nominations end in just a couple of days.

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The Weekend Roundup #7

My Oreo incentive for essay writing
My Oreo incentive for essay writing
My elephant print leggings
My elephant print leggings... yes, there really wasn't much to photograph this weekend but I love them!
Another revision motivated selfie
Another revision motivated selfie, techinically not this weekend but it sums it up pretty well. And yes. I'm wearing glasses.

Hello there!

Exams are nigh... that’s right, I have finished my uni lessons for the year and my first exam is on Wednesday which means that I’m in full-fledged exam mode... I suppose. I am finding a bit of time for bloggy-related stuff, but I have decided (reluctantly ;) ) that uni stuff really should come first, which unfortunately means that my weekend has not been all that interesting.

I spent Friday to Sunday at Phil’s - quelle surprise. These three days have been an essay-writing/grammar-revising sort of three days. The best kind - that there was sarcasm in case you were wandering. Phil and I did come up with a fun little game, though which involved me doing work for ten minutes and then Phil feeding me an oreo. No, I do not recommend this if you are watching your weight and yes, we did use up a whole pack of oreos.

The highlight of the weekend (discounting French relative pronouns of course) was definitely mine and Phil’s date night on Saturday night. We were supposed to go out for a meal with his parents, but unfortunately his dad wasn’t feeling too well and so we decided to hit Pizza Hut and then go to the cinema afterwards. Unfortunately Pizza Hut was extremely busy and so after walking for about twenty minutes through town and arriving at another pizza hut, we just decided to take away a pizza (and a cookie dough dessert!) and make our way back to the cinema. It may not have been one of our best meals to date, but the film more than made up for this. In case you were not already aware The Great Gatsby came to theatres in the UK on May 16th. I read the novel over two years ago, which was around the time that the film was announced. I loved it and have been counting down to the film’s release ever since. It most certainly did not disappoint. My memory was a little rusty on some of the details of the story, but I really feel as though all of the bits that I had hoped would be portrayed in the film were there, not to mention that the cinematography and music was incredible - very Baz Luhrmann, he really did a great job. The acting was also fantastic and I adored it. I’m pretty sure I’m going to try and go to see it again in a few weeks with my mum when my exams are over - if it’s still in cinemas that is.

Even though a lot of it was taken up with boring revision, I really did have a lovely weekend. I apologise for the lack of pictures, hopefully life should get a little more interesting again after not too long!
Hope you've all had lovely weekends too!

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P.S. Phil loved the film too and keeps on trying to impersonate Leanardo Di Caprio's character... "old sport".

P.S. If you haven't already I'd love it if you could nominate for me as Best New Beauty Blog (scroll to the bottom of the page and click 'Next Page' to bring up the nominations form) or the Newcomer Blog Award (sponsored by Next) in the Cosmo Blog Awards - only if you enjoy my blog, of course! Nominations end in just a couple of days.

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Review: Green People Gentle Cleanse & Makeup Remover

Green People Gentle Cleanse and Makeup Remover Review
Green People Gentle Cleanse and Makeup Remover
Info on Green People Gentle Cleanse and Makeup Remover

My skin can be a funny little bunny. One minute it will love a product, then after a few months, or even years, it will change it’s mind and start reacting to it. I don’t think I’m alone in this and quite a few people suffer from the same problem. I’ve used the Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish Cleanser on and off for a number of years, but every so often my skin just decides that it’s had enough. In all honesty, I didn’t really mind too much when this started happening again a couple of months ago, this time I was pretty excited about getting a chance to try some new products! I can be quite fussy - I don’t like to use skincare that looks cheap and a lot of the time I prefer to use something that seems more natural rather than strongly perfumed and artificial. When I was on the hunt for a new cleanser my summer student loan hadn’t yet come through meaning that I was a little pushed for my budget. As you can imagine this made shopping quite difficult, but I felt like I had finally struck gold when I came across the Green People Gentle Cleanse & Makeup Remover on feelunique.com.

I got this 50ml bottle of the Green People Gentle Cleanse & Makeup Remover for £8.95, although 200ml is only double the price. 50ml is not a huge amount of product, but I prefer to try things out before I commit to them anyway. What first attracted me to this cleanser was the fact that 91% of the ingredients are certified organic. It is also alcohol and paraben-free which are two things I always try and avoid. In fact, there is a whole list of ingredients which the brands promises to never include in their products listed on the back of the bottle! On top of this, 10% of the company’s profits are given to charity. If you’re a philanthropic-planet-saving kind of a guy or girl it’s definitely a brand to check out.

The cleanser claims to be suitable for all skin types. The cleanser is so gentle that I can’t think of any obvious reasons that this wouldn't work for all skin types. I have dry/combination skin and after using this my skin feels clean and refreshed, yet still moisturised. I can’t guarantee that this would work for oily skinned girls, but I’d say don’t afraid of using this just because it says that it’s hydrating! Since using this cleanser I’ve noticed that some of my irritated patches of skin have disappeared, but it hasn’t managed to clear up my main problem area which is my chin and usually suffers from dryness and blemishes. I think that this may be down to not having settled into an established exfoliation routine. I’ve also noticed a few bumps across my face, but I am also certain that this is due to diet (if you’ve seen some of my Weekend Roundup posts then you will know what I mean). One aspect of the product that has really impressed me is the product’s ability to take off makeup. I usually use my Bioderma to remove my eye makeup, but when I use this cleanser with hot water on a cotton pad or face cloth this quite literally melts the makeup off of my face. If you do happen to accidentally get some of the product in your eye it’s not going to sting either, which I always think is a sign of a good, gentle cleanser.

The consistency of the product is a white sort of creamy gel which I found a little bizarre to begin with, but now I love it. It feels like a nourishing treat when I put this on, whether I’m quickly slapping it on over the sink before bed or in a nice, hot shower in the morning. The dispenser is a pump and I find that one pump is the perfect amount to lightly cover my face and neck, but I may use a little more if I’m also removing my makeup. There isn’t much of a scent to it either which I’m pretty pleased about. There is a slight fresh smell but it’s very neutral and I don’t think that it would offend anyone. I am also a fan of the packaging - simple yet professional is definitely the way to go, and the sleek plastic bottle is easy to keep clean. This product may not be all round miraculous, but it’s definitely been a lovely refreshing product that has helped to make my face a blank canvas ready for my makeup. I'm definitely thinking about purchasing the 200ml bottle (after using the 50ml one for a month I've just run out!). For now I’m just excited to have found a great new brand that shares some of my values.

Have any of you heard of Green People or tried any of their products?

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P.S. If you haven't already I'd love it if you could nominate for me as Best New Beauty Blog (scroll to the bottom of the page and click 'Next Page' to bring up the nominations form) or the Newcomer Blog Award (sponsored by Next) in the Cosmo Blog Awards - only if you enjoy my blog, of course! Nominations end in just a couple of days.

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Mini Haul

Mini Haul from Edinburgh - makeup and beauty bits and bobs
Nails Polishes: Barry M Greenberry Gelly Range, L'Oreal Confetti Topcoat and Models Own Banana Split. Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer and Maybelline the Falsies Mascara
Sleep-in velcro Hair Rollers
St Tropez Self Tanning Mousse

As you will already know if you read my Weekend Roundup posts I went on a little spending spree the week before last. I was spending the weekend in Edinburgh and so it was the perfect opportunity to pick up some makeupy bits and bobs that needed replacing and ended picking up another couple of little (fairly big) things too. I blame you Harvey Nichols! I won’t really be doing a review of any of them just yet but I have tried all of them now so I’m going to do a bit of an overview. I know that some people enjoy hauls so I thought it was worth sharing this with you anyway!

First up I’ve got the few bits and bobs that I picked up at Boots. The Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer is a long time favourite of mine, and seeing as we are now approaching the summer months and the tanning routine is in full swing I was in need of a darker colour. Yes, it may still be called “Light” but it’s an improvement nevertheless from my regular shade of “Fair”! I’d been wanting to try Model’s Own Banana Split for a while ever since I saw Tanya Burr wearing it on her Twitter. I was really excited to have a yellow that I thought would finally suit me, but I was a little disappointed with the milky sort of formula. Personally I couldn’t notice the banana scent that much when it was on my nails either, but it’s a gorgeous colour nonetheless! The Maybelline Falsies mascara is another repurchase because for a drugstore mascara it’s really good quality. While I was in Boots I just happened to come across the L’Oreal Topcoat in Confetti. I had been lusting after this for ages, and since I was in a pretty spontaneous mood I went and bought it. Crazy old Emily.

There’s actually a little story behind the Barry M Gelly Nail Paint in Greenberry. The Friday before we went to Edinburgh I got a gelish manicure in a mid-toned mint green colour which I fell in love with. After that I was on a mission to find a duplicate shade that I could use at home. Luckily after having seen so many blog posts on the Barry M Gelly range I thought immediately of this shade. Since it’s a gel finish it’s high shine and will also last longer on your nails. So far I’ve been loving it on my toes, one week later and not a chip in sight!

Now onto the big boys. Both the hair rollers and the self tanner were purchases from Harvey Nichols, aka a beauty blogger’s dream. Originally I was just going to pick up the St. Tropez Bronzing Mousse as it’s an old favourite of mine (it was actually the first self tanner that I ever used) and I love it. The Sleep-In Rollers were one of those impulse buys - I’d seen what I’m pretty sure are the same rollers used by the Pixiwoo sisters, and as I’m always looking for new ways to give my fine hair a boost I thought that these would be ideal. I’ve only used these once, and I would like to do a review on these at some point so I won’t give too much more away! The pack came in a little pink drawstring bag with twenty rollers for £18 (I think mine was on offer). Willpower, what willpower?

Hope that you’ve enjoyed this cheeky post - I do love a bit of procrastination from revision!

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P.S. If you haven't already I'd love it if you could nominate for me as Best New Beauty Blog (scroll to the bottom of the page and click 'Next Page' to bring up the nominations form) or the Newcomer Blog Award (sponsored by Next) in the Cosmo Blog Awards - only if you enjoy my blog, of course! Nominations end in just a couple of days.

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Lipstick Chat: Dubonnet by Mac

Lipstick Chat: Dubonnet by Mac
Dubonnet Lipstick by Mac
Dubonnet Lipstick by Mac Swatch on Lips
Dubonnet by Mac Swatched
All swatches (on arm and lips) taken in natural daylight

I purchased Dubonnet by Mac a few months ago for a photoshoot that I did the makeup for (which you can read more about here). I needed a deep red that was still quite bright. This lipstick certainly ticks those boxes.

Finish and Lasting Power
The finish is quite velvety and lasts for a really long time of your lips, especially if you do a second application after blotting your lips on a tissue. I find some of the top layer of the product may work itself off, but your lips will be left with a deeper sort of tint for hours, as if you’ve used a lip stain. The formula isn’t particularly dehydrating so long as you remember to put on a little lip balm a few minutes before application, and it’s not so thin as to over-emphasise any cracks or dry bits on your lips.

Colour
This lipstick is an 'amplified' finish, which means that it’s quite intense. I find that you can reach slightly different levels of intensity depending on whether you apply it straight from the bullet or with a lip brush. I would definitely recommend using a lip brush just because of the incredible payoff of this colour - it is so pigmented! The colour itself is a deep red colour with an orangey undertone, which I think would be perfect for a 1920s look (Gatsby inspired makeup anyone?). I know that some people love this sort of shade year round, but I personally I think that I’d be more likely to wear this in the autumn or winter.

Don’t let that stop you though! As you can see in my post with Stuart when photographed with professional lighting it comes out as more of a true red colour. As it’s wedding season this is something that some of you ladies (or gents!) may want to keep in mind - certain types of lighting can really wash you out on camera, along with the makeup you’re wearing.

What do you think about this shade? Yay or nay?

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P.S. If you haven't already I'd love it if you could nominate for me as Best New Beauty Blog (scroll to the bottom of the page and click 'Next Page' to bring up the nominations form) or the Newcomer Blog Award (sponsored by Next) in the Cosmo Blog Awards - only if you enjoy my blog, of course! Nominations end in just a couple of days.

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The Weekend Roundup #6 and 100 FOLLOWERS!

Brunch with Mummy for Mother's Day!
Brunch with Mummy for Mother's Day!
Coursework and Frappucino
Coursework and a Frappucino
There was a rainbow
There was a rainbow :D
A little peek inside my mum's makeup bag
A little peek inside my mum's makeup bag - pretty eclectic, wouldn't you say? (thanks to me)
Back to coursework in my onesie
I think I'm going to need my onesie to get me through all of my work this week :(

Hello everyone!
I'm afraid today is going to have to be a bit of a short post. I have a very busy week ahead of me with uni deadlines and assessments - I can't believe that my first year of university is nearly over already!

Before I get started properly I also wanted to address the fact that across GFC and Bloglovin I have now reached over 100 followers! I really want to say thank you to everyone that takes the time to read my blog and hello to some of my new followers. I am thinking up some ideas for holding some sort of thank you giveaway soon.

This weekend has been pretty quiet. With university exams coming up soon and deadlines to reach before that, I've been trying hard to keep on top of things. Phil came down to Bristol this weekend and we spent a few hours in Starbucks on Saturday so that I could work on my French essay. The rest of Saturday was fairly quiet but I still managed to find a bit of time to read some blogs and just spend time with Phil - it was actually really lovely.

On Sunday my beautiful mummy came to visit me! On UK Mother's Day (which is in March) she was away on holiday and I was away with Phil's family, so we decided to celebrate American Mother's Day instead. Phil came along for the first few hours of our day which started off with a lovely brunch in a little cafe that my Mum loves near the river in Bristol. Next, the three of us went to Cabot Circus for some browsing - no proper shopping for me after my binge last week! It was really lovely to see my Mum for the first time in a few weeks and give her her belated Mother's Day present (which she actually forgot and managed to leave it behind in my room! Silly billy).

And now everyone's gone home and left me. Back to revision I suppose!

Good luck to anyone in the middle of their exam period!

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P.S. If you haven't already I'd love it if you could nominate for me as Best New Beauty Blog (scroll to the bottom of the page and click 'Next Page' to bring up the nominations form) or the Newcomer Blog Award (sponsored by Next) in the Cosmo Blog Awards - only if you enjoy my blog, of course! Nominations end in just a couple of days.

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Review: Soap & Glory Sugar Crush Body Scrub

Soap and Glory: Sugar Crush Body Scrub Review
Soap and Glory: Sugar Crush Body Scrub Review
Soap and Glory: Sugar Crush Body Scrub Review
Soap and Glory: Sugar Crush Body Scrub Review
A big part of getting myself ready for summer, and actually something that I do year round, is to exfoliate my body. Finding a good body exfoliant is important whether you’re shaving, getting a wax, self tanning or just trying to get soft skin. You can use chemical exfoliants or physical exfoliants but both do the same thing by getting rid of your old skin cells on the surface and reveals the new shiny ones underneath! OK not shiny as such, but certainly softer and more glowing. The product that I will be reviewing today is a physical exfoliant: it is the Soap & Glory Sugar Crush Body Scrub.

I’m quite a big fan of Soap & Glory, you may already know that I am a little bit in love with their packaging, and this product is no exception! The pink, yellow and silver colour scheme will brighten up your shower space beautifully, and the size of the tub is pretty good too. Although if you’re using this all over your body once to twice a week like I do I can’t see the 300ml of product lasting much longer than a month. I always think that these exfoliants might be better off in some kind of squeezey tube too, because if you’re not careful, when you open this in the shower a lot of water often gets inside which just sits in the product and makes it cold and sludgy. The smell, on the other hand, is out of this world! It’s my dream scent for my morning-time shower. It’s smell of the lime that really prevails over anything else and makes you feel really fresh. It definitely wins in the scent category for any Soap & Glory product I’ve used before! One of the ingredients is almond oil to help to give you a little moisture boost - but I’d always recommend giving your body a good slather of moisturiser after exfoliating anyway.

The ingredients that act as exfoliants in this product are both brown sugar and bits of macadamia grains. I’m guessing that the macadamia grains are the little black dots that I can see in the product, which I must admit do make it look more interested, but they also seem to make the exfoliant a little harsher than I would have liked. Soap & Glory are definitely right to warn you not to use this product on damaged skin or if you've just shaved because if you are too rough with this it can break the skin. I was a bit too harsh on my knees one session and was left with a couple of little scratches which were a bit stingy! Not ideal when you’re about to shave or apply self tanner. My top tip with this is to be gentle. If it weren’t for that gorgeous smell I would probably be quite put off of the product by this, and I’ll definitely be switching it up with other body exfoliants in the future so that my skin isn’t too traumatised.

I’m a little disappointed that this scrub won’t last that long, but this is a factor that’s fairly common across Soap & Glory exfoliants, and the sharp bits of macadamia is a bit of a let down too. Although looking at the price of some other body exfoliants today, I suppose for a £8 purchase you could do a lot worse. This product definitely has room for improvement, but I’m so in love with the smell and packaging that I could see myself purchasing this again, but maybe not right away.

Which body exfoliator are you guys using at the moment? Have you tried any from Soap & Glory?

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P.S. If you haven't already I'd love it if you could nominate for me as Best New Beauty Blog (scroll to the bottom of the page and click 'Next Page' to bring up the nominations form) or the Newcomer Blog Award (sponsored by Next) in the Cosmo Blog Awards - only if you enjoy my blog, of course! Nominations end in just a couple of days.

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