Orangeade NOTD

I thought it was about time I painted my nails again. And I tried to use another Models Own shade I hadn't yet tried. I chose "Orangeade". It's much brighter than I thought it would be, and less sheer too which is good. I am really pleased with the colour because it will brighten up the dull days we are having at the moment!

It was a very quick manicure today, using a base coat, 2 coats of Orangeade and a top coat. Overall it probably took about 10-15 minutes, and I was watching TV so time flies.

It shows up almost as bright in the pictures as it is in real life, probably one of the easiest polishes to capture in a photo, most look very different! The picture below shows just how glittery it is, which I love because obviuosly the bubbles in orangeade sparkle a lot!

What do you think?

Christmas FOTD

Today I had lunch with the girlies, and was going straight to my mum's and sisters so wanted to do a makeup look before I went. I didn't have time to take the pictures until I got in - just now! So bare that in mind! Hopefully it still looks ok :)

I used:

FACE

L'oreal True Match Liquid Foundation in (W3) Golden Beige
No.7 Perfect Light Loose Powder in Medium
No.7 Cheek Tint in Maple Silk
Rimmel Blush in Santa Rose

EYES

Front Cover Sizzle/Freeze Palette in Magic Banana - eyelid
Front Cover Sizzle/Freeze Palette in Ginger Spice - crease and outer corner
Front Cover Sizzle/Freeze Palette in China Cup - highlight
L'oreal Telescopic Mascara in black
Rimmel Kohl Eye Pencil in black

LIPS

No.7 Stay Perfect Lipstick in Plum Rebellion
Gosh On Stage Cool Lip Jam in 102

I wanted something fun but not too dramatic - I think I achieved that. What kind of look would you do to be different but not dramatic?

More Christmas Treats

Hey again, are you all getting back to normal yet or still eating lots over the festive period? Today I'll show you the treats my partner got me in the sales :) I am one lucky lady!

Dave was looking online for a new laptop in the sales - he didn't really need one but he is always on the lookout for bargains! Two peas in a pod we are! So anyway, we saw little netbooks on the Argos website and decided to go and take a peek at them in store, they were so cute! Then we went to Boots and had a look at the gift sets which were all half price! I got Dave an FCUK travel bag which he will use for work (he's a personal trainer) and it included some body wash bits, then I got him a Ted Baker set as well because I know he likes the smell.

He got me a Front Cover eyeshadow set, which I may try out today, the colours are fab. The front of the box is also very clever - it changes from sizzling orange eyes to closed cool blue eyes. I will do a review at some point in the near future. I also got a Ruby & Millie brush set - I've never really had a decent set of brushes...and this featured a foundation, cheek, eye, eye definer and lip brush so great to get me started.

This picture shows just how small the netbook is, I'm very happy that it fits in my handbag :)

What are your xmas treats?

Christmas Stocking

Hi my lovelies, hope you all had a great Christmas!
My partner and I decided we wouldn't spend too much on each other this year as we are saving for our wedding. We therefore agreed to a £20 stocking budget, here's what I got:

I'm really excited to start reading Eat, Pray, Love and want to finish it before I see the film. I say this quite often when novels are turned into films, but it doesn't normally happen - I think it's only the Shopaholic series and  Harry Potter that I've read first...I even caved and watched Lovely Bones before reading the book. I used the hair glitter spray on Christmas day to give my hair a little bit more oompf, it was much better than I thought it would be - I thought it would look a bit tacky, but the glitter and sparkle was great!

I have tried the new MUA blush and my first impressions are good, I will do an MUA review series at some point because I have a variety of different products and shades. I also am intrigued to try the blue Collection 2000 mascara - I've wanted one for a while...it's a bit more daring than the usual black/brown shades I usually wear.

Anyway I'm really happy with my little gifts. Then I was pleasantly surprised when I got more :) I will tell you more tomorrow as it's quite late at the moment. What did you get for Christmas??

Giveaway Winner

Once again, I have been lucky enough to win something! Big thanks go to Lady M - view her popular fashion blog here. I'm so grateful!

I've won an eye kit by Kitten Vixen. I want to share it with you because it is something slightly different and I haven't heard anyone raving about it...

I'm quite excited about this, for many reasons - most of which are on the above website - but again because I've not tried anything like this yet. I can't wait for it to arrive!

They use the below pictures on the website for the three different colours they have.

Bewitching Burghandy

Magnetic Moss

Naughty Girl Navy

What do you think?

Models Own NOTD

I still haven't got round to trying all my Models Own nail polishes I bought this year! I suppose that just shows how many colours I actually have! I should have used each one on one finger when I first got them hehe.

Anyway - here I have used Deep Purple. I think it's a really rich colour - great for winter. In the light you get a lovely flash of purple which I love - the second picture shows this quite well.

I cut all of my nails so I apologise for them looking stumpy! But one broke and I hate having them different lengths!! I have to say though it does look lovely and tidy on short nails. It's a brilliant colour - certainly one I would recommend. I have searched for a while to find a perfect purple, I find quite a few are too pale or dull.

What do you think of the colour? Which polishes are you recommending this Winter?

Vampy Inspired FOTD

Hey everyone, if you saw yesterday's post you would have seen I had fun on www.taaz.com. I was then in the mood to try and do a quick recreation of the look this morning. I didn't have long, but I think I will spend longer on this one day and perhaps do a YouTube tutorial as it's a look that anyone can pull off.

I'm thinking that perhaps I shouldn't have gone for a shimmery colour - but I do love it anyway!

I thought I'd do an evil vampire stare too! :D

I used:

FACE

L'oreal True Match Liquid Foundation in (W3) Golden Beige

New ID I-Bronze in Rio
New ID I-Glow in Ice Pop

EYES

Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion

Urban Decay NYC BoS in Suspect - all over eyelid

Urban Decay NYC BoS in Maui Wowie - inner half

Urban Decay NYC BoS in Smog - outer corner

Urban Decay NYC BoS in Perversion - crease

Rimmel Kohl Eye Pencil in black - lower/upper waterline

No.7 Amazing Eyes Liner in black - upper lashline

L'oreal Telescopic Mascara in black

LIPS

Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipstick in Electric Plum (300)

Gosh Light n Shine Lip Glaze in 02

What do you think? Next time I might try a grey/black combo for a more dramatic look - would you be interested in a YouTube video?

Virtual Makeover

I have been contemplating dying my hair recently - I tend to do this before Christmas every year for some reason - and I came across this website. It enables you to create looks that actually look quite realistic, which could save you from making a big mistake!

What do you think of my slightly darker hair? I thought I'd try a vampy make up look too.

I also created a celebrity makeover look - Keri Hilson:

It's so much fun! To try it out yourself, go to: http://www.taaz.com/

Another Quick & Easy FOTD

OMG, sorry for my lack of posting lately fellow bloggers. I have been extremely busy with Christmas just around the corner. Which might explain my recent quick/simple FOTD's. Here's another one for you :D

I was off out to a gig in London (a band called You Me At Six) and wanted to look nice but was running late and couldn't miss the train! So I grabbed a few products and quickly applied them. I like using pencil/cream/glitter eyeshadows when I haven't got much time, then you generally don't need to use more than one colour.

I used:

FACE

L'oreal True Match Liquid Foundation in (W3) Golden Beige
New ID I-Bronze in Rio
New ID I-Glow in Ice Pop

EYES

Avon Arabian Glow Sparkling Eye Pencil in Shimmering Bronze
Rimmel Kohl Eye Pencil in black - lower waterline
L'oreal Telescopic Mascara in black

LIPS

The Body Shop Lip Butter in Sweet Lemon

I think my skin still looks ok even though I only used 3 products. And I didn't  have time to grab my primer potion from my Urban Decay palette hence why I went without, but my eyeshadow didn't budge ALL night!!

Simple & Colourful FOTD

I went for the minimalistic look today. Being that I would rather spend longer in bed! I'm so lazy. But seriously sometimes it's so cold out you just want to spend a little bit longer snuggling under the duvet. SO here's a look that will allow you extra time in bed - it only takes a few minutes!

I used:

FACE

L'oreal True Match Liquid Foundation in (W3) Golden Beige
New ID I-Bronze in Rio
New ID I-Glow in Ice Pop

EYES

No.7 Amazing Eyes Liquid Eyeliner in black - upper lashline
Rimmel Kohl Eye Pencil in black - upper waterline
Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Eye Pencil in Electric - lower waterline
Wet n Wild Mega Length Double Action Mascara in black

LIPS

The Body Shop Lip Butter in Sweet Lemon

What does your 2 minute make up face look like?

Rimmel vs MAC Cream Eyeshadow

I was going through my cream eyeshadow collection and came across these. Would you ever compromise on quality in order to spend less?

They are slightly different colours but from afar they are very similar. They are in very similar shaped pots, similar colours and that made me think. Do they also apply the same? So I investigated - The picture below shows the colours and textures.

I found the Rimmel cream eyeshadow on the left was slightly thicker and applied a little blobby at times. Whereas the MAC eyeshadow was so smooth and I didn't need to use as much to bring out the true colour. Now I know the MAC shadows cost about 3 times as much as the Rimmel eyeshadows, but for one of the first times I'm saying that I would go for MAC over anything else. This product is perfect - it has a subtle shimmer, whereas I think the Rimmel one is a bit too shiny...

Which do you prefer? Do you own any of these?

The Body Shop Lip Butter

"This is wonderful stuff" is the first thing I thought when I was bought a lip butter for my birthday a few years back. They are more expensive than normal lip balms but they are sooooo worth it. They smell divine and moisturise my lips more than anything I've tried before - even vaseline!

Last month I used my Love Body membership card to get a lip butter as my "birthday gift". There were about 5 or 6 flavours and I chose Sweet Lemon. The little pots hold 8.5g which isn't actually too bad for £4.

Another great thing about these lip butters is that the scent can be smelt from a short distance away - my boyfriend quite likes that my lips smell of lemons! I definitely want more of these in the future! They are perfect to be taken anywhere - fit right in your handbag. I also like the fact they are in pots rather than tubes, you can use every last little bit!

Do you own any of these?

Work Christmas Meal FOTD

I wanted to do a vibrant look for my work xmas meal, I was wearing pretty neutral clothing so thought it was the obvious option.

I used:

FACE

No.7 Mineral Perfection Foundation in Almond
No.7 Cheek Tint in Maple Silk
No.7 Mineral Perfection Blusher in Soft Damson

EYES

Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy

Sleek Acid Palette - 1. inner corner,  2. eyelid
Sleek Storm Palette - 3. outer corner, 4. highlight
Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Eye Pencil in Electric - lower waterline
Rimmel Kohl Eye Pencil in black - upper waterline
No.7 Amazing Eyes Liner in black - upper lashline
Wet n Wild Mega Length Double Action Mascara in black

LIPS

No.7 Stay Perfect Lipstick in Nude Rebellion
Skittles lip balm in Strawberry Starfruit

What do you think? Have you got any requests - let me know, email me: samwells87@hotmail.com

No.7 Christmas NOTD

I got a few more birthday presents today - I will show you them properly when I have more time to blog over the weekend. But today's NOTD used 2 of the nail varnishes I got! I also think it turned out quite Christmassy which is good because it's my work Christmas meal tomorrow.

I used No.7 - Milan and Rose Truffle for the tip. Then No.7 Matte top coat. I love how shimmery Milan is!!

What do you think guys?

Sleek Storm FOTD

After yesterday's review of the Sleek Storm palette, I thought I would use it for a natural look that was a bit more exciting than normal. It didn't take long to do this as I only used a few products, and I think it looks great considering.

I used:

FACE

No.7 Mineral Perfection Foundation in Almond
No.7 Mineral Perfection Blusher in Soft Damson

EYES

Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy

Sleek Storm Palette:-

1. all over eye - upper & lower

2. upper eyelid

3. crease

4. lower eyelid

Barry M Shimmering Eye & Lip Crayon in Gold - highlight

Rimmel Kohl Eye Pencil in black

No.7 Lash 360° Mascara in black

LIPS

No.7 Pink Crush Moisture Drench Lipstick

What do you think? Have you created any FOTD's from the Storm palette??

Sleek Storm Palette Review

Some people may look at this palette with an "untrained" eye and think the colours are boring. This review is going to prove otherwise.

Here is a picture of the palette:

Here are my swatches of the colours over the top of Pixie Epoxy:

With flash

Without flash

I popped in two pictures because one shows the shimmer more and one shows how pigmented the colours are. I absolutely love them. For the price of £5.99 for 12 eyeshadows they are very high quality. Much better than I thought they would be.

I did notice that the black is a bit harder than the other shadows, it takes more pressing to actually apply. But this is probably a good thing as I don't tend to use black much and when I do I use it cautiously. The fact that it's slightly harder to apply means I'm less likely to apply too much.

The variety of shades in this palette coordinate perfectly. You can pretty mcuh match any of these shades with another and still make it work. I love every single shade and will be using this plenty. If I wake up early enough tomorrow I fancy doing a bronze look...


What do you think?

Sleek FOTD 2

This is a quick blog post because I have been up since 8am and I didn't get in til 3am last night so I need to go to bed early tonight!! Just a quick one to show you my make up from last night. My friend's mum turned 60, so we celebrated in style! I had an excuse to use my new Sleek palettes, however I ran out of time very quicly and found myself with only 5 minutes to do my make up!!

I used:

FACE

L'oreal True Match Liquid Foundation in (W3) Golden Beige
New ID I-Bronze in Rio
No.7 Cheek Tint in Maple Silk
New ID I-Glow in Ice Pop

EYES

Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion
Sleek Original Palette in shimmer olive - eyelid
Sleek Original Palette in shimmer cream - highlight
Sleek Storm Palette in matte dark brown - outer eyelid
Rimmel Kohl Eye Pencil in black
No.7 Lash 360° Mascara in black

LIPS

No.7 Wild Volume Lipstick in Toffee Apple
Cherry Carmex

Quite a quick and simple look to do in the end I think it took 7 minutes, hehe.

Green Glitter Gradient Manicure

I decided I would try the sponge effect manicure - also known as a gradient manicure. I used 4 colours and thought a little bit of glitter on the tip would look pretty. It turned out ok, however if I do it again I must remember to dab a bit more than swipe, as I seemed to just try to paint it on almost as normal. It is weird to get the hang of I suppose after you've been swiping/painting nails for over a decade!

Anyway, a partial success. Sorry the pictures have been taken pre clean up, I was a little bit excited about getting this up and will probably do the clean up when I'm having a lovely soak in the bath tomorrow morning to warm me up as there is still masses of show outside!

First I added a base coat - No.7 So Smooth, then I added 2 coats of No.7 60's Mini Skirt. Next came the first sponging colour - Barry M in Mint Green (as pictured below).

Then came the second sponging colour, what I liked is that you didn't have to leave the sponging coats long until they had dried. The second colour was Barry M in Spring Green.

After that I added a little bit of Models Own in Peacock Green to the tips and then coated that in a purple/blue/silver flecked glitter and left it to dry. And that was it! Quite simple really, but as mentioned earlier it does show in the pictures that I need to get used to the sponging method a bit more as some of the colour changes just look like bold lines, rather than a complete gradient look.

Better luck next time :D

Have you tried this before? Have you got any tips for me? Thanks!! xx

November Favourites

I haven't bought much this month - I'm not including my Sleek palettes as I haven't had enough time to give them a proper play yet! But these items I have used a lot in the past month.

This liquid foundation surprised me because it actually feels as though it sets on your face, kinda between the texture of a liquid and a powder. It actually dries really nicely rather than your skin feeling heavy and oily. I generally don't have oily skin but this is how some foundations can make me feel - I get a bit paranoid about it sometimes! Yesterday I even tried applying 3 times as much as I normally wear and it still felt soft, a mixture of the powder/liquid setting and stayed that way all day.

The pump is easy to use, it provides you with the perfect amount from one squeeze. It's really easy to blend around your face either with a brush, sponge or fingers. I find there are plenty of shades in the range with specific colours for warm and cool skin tones. This is fantastic for a great priced drugstore brand.

This is how I looked last night after using 3 pumps. You'll probably agree it looks lke quite a heavy coverage, but not fake in any way and sometimes i find when foundation is "caked" on it can look really bad. This doesn't. Even if I just want a little bit of foundation to even out my skin tone it doesn't take much, so this product is perfect for any coverage.


My second favourite for this month is a lipstick I purchased just before Halloween and I realised it had been named with that seasonal holiday in mind. For me, it's a great alternative to a nude lipstick. It's not quite nude - but also not too bright and daring to take all the attention away from the eyes (or anywhere else you may want to enhance).

I really like the fact that this lipstick is not drying at all and actually feels really nice on my lips, it feels soft. It doesn't flake at all and in fact I only have one bad thing to say about it. It doesn't rub off too easily so when brushing my teeth at night it sometimes gets onto my toothbrush. Bu then this just confirms how well it will stay on throughout the day.

I really like how it shows up on my lips. I suppose it's a kinda peachy colour, but I like the way it seems so glossy, without actually using lipgloss. It also has a few specks of gold shimmer to it which I really like, so that when you're caught in the right light it can look quite glamourous.

Do you own any of these items - what do you think??