New White ICE Watch

I wanted to do a post on my brand new watch basically because I love it. My little brother was feeling very generous and bought it as a leaving university, graduating kind of present. I've always wanted to wear a watch as I have always been that annoying person asking what the time is but I've never really found one that I've wanted to wear a lot. 

I love this because its so chunky, white (looks fab with a tan) and is just quite fun. I love the rubber strap as it is just so comfy to wear and I just all round love it. It costs £85 and is available here if anyone wants to look at the spec for it - the company literally make these watches in every single colour - so you can really have some fun with it. 

Natural Collection Waterguard Mascara

I took this product on both my holiday's and used it everyday by the pool in my first. I really wanted a waterproof mascara but I've never really gotten on with them and I didn't have much money so thought I'd go for this one. It costs just £1.99 in Boots here and they often have a three items for a fiver offer so its a complete bargain. 

I'm not a great fan of waterproof mascara's and don't really have a great need for them in my life. I don't cry all that often and if I do it's in private where mascara running isn't something I would worry about. I also don't really swim with make-up on all that often either. For me waterproof mascara just doesn't give you the luscious finish you get with standard mascara's. Something in it just stops it from giving the same coverage in my opinion I've tried very expensive versions and inexpensive and they just don't match up coverage wise. 

This product was no different, it did make lashes blacker but it didn't really add anything else. For £1.99 thought unlike some other far more expensive versions it did not budge in the pool. I wasn't expecting  a complete waterproof finish from this cheap little thing but I had no problem with any smudging or anything from it. So from that point of you it is so waterproof does exactly what is says and is completely worth the money. 

I actually went make-up free in my second holiday around the pool because my skin got a lot better and I just couldn't be bothered to be honest so I didn't use this then. I would however always go to this mascara when looking for a waterproof version. It's never going to be a product I use a lot of but if you want a bit of face on around the pool without the fear of black smudges underneath your eyes this is definitely the mascara for you as it is only £1.99.

LA Candy Novels, Lauren Conrad

I'm a big fan of Lauren Conrad, mostly a fan of her amazing hair and make-up but also the way she somehow managed to come out of the first round of reality TV stars with a full career. She somehow managed to keep her image in tact after many seasons of reality TV - and when you look at her co-star Heidi Montag you have to admit her career is definitely something to be admired. 

These books are actually really well written and I read each of them in only a few days. They are not challenging or dynamic in any way but they are well put together and they give you insights into the real characters behind the show if you ever watched Laguna Beach or The Hills they keep you gripped and that's obviously her market. 

If I'm honest I think I preferred the first two of this little trilogy, mainly because they are filled with much more scandal than the final book. The stories centre around the character 'Jane' who is pretty much Lauren Conrad despite a little tweeking. At first when you read these books you spend so long trying to work out who is Heidi and who is Audrina but she has quite cleverly mixed some of their personality traits and downfalls between them so as to probably not offend too many people whilst also making it more of a fictional story rather than a biography. 

I would so recommend these books if you watched the hills or have any kind of love for reality TV Miss Conrad writes well and the books get you hooked. 

FOTD - Tangerine Lips

Base: L'Oreal Revitalift Repair 10 BB Cream in Medium (review) Foundation: Rimmel Wake Me Up Shade 200 Soft Beige (review) Concealer: Benefit Erase Paste No. 2 Medium (review) Bronzer: Clinique True Bronze Powder in Sunkissed Blusher: Vivo Peaches and Cream (review)  Eyeliner: MUA 3 in 1 contour pen black (review) Mascara: L'Oreal Million Lashes Brows: ELF Brow Kit (review) & HD Brow Beater Lipstick: Marks and Spencer Perfection in Tangerine


Trying out new lip shades and can't get enough of coral tones and I'm currently loving this Tangerine lipstick I picked up in my recent Marks and Spencer lipstick haul.

An eBay Bag Wishlist

1. Oversized Envelope Clutch £12 incl delivery
2. Satchel Shoulder Bag £21 incl delivery
3. Satchel Shoulder Messenger Handbag £14.50 incl delivery
4.  Oversized Envelope Purse £14.90 
5.  Dual-Use Shoulder Bag £19.99 incl delivery
6. Leather Style Vintage Satchel Tote £19.90 incl delivery


I've spent lots of time recently on eBay trying to find the cheapest and hottest yellow ribbon money can buy for the charity event and in doing so have racked up quite an impressive eBay basket. I'm currently wishing all 6 of these were in my bag collection. With less than one month until my birthday expect many more wish lists :)

Marks and Spencer Lipstick Haul

Left to Right - Tangerine, Gold Shimmer, Hot Pink, Bright Rose

I was in in the Southampton Marks and Spencer and there was a make-up sale on. Which resulted in my little brother (who owns a discount card - win win) waiting whilst I swatched a whole host of foundations, blushers and eyeshadows. The sale had been on for a while so the majority of things left were dark foundations and concealers as well as some very bright eye shadows. The sale is basically the end of the Marks and Spencer 'Perfection' range so if you make it to a store with stands full you will be in for a treat as foundations are about £4 and lipsticks £2. 

As a bit of a lipstick fiend I bought four. 

Perfection Super Gloss Lipstick - Gold Shimmer 

Perfection Super Gloss Lipstick - Hot Pink 

Perfection Super Gloss Lipstick - Bright Rose

Colour Rich Anti-Feathering Lipstick - Tangerine 

All are SPF20 which is handy over the summer months. The Tangerine Colour Rich lipstick in the larger tube is much more pigmented than the others, its a very right orange with coral tones coming through making is super wearable. I love the three perfection super gloss I bought though as they are not so pigmented you can build up the colour really well. For me the Bright Rose which is more of a red is a perfect red to buy as being a bit shy of this shade I can ease myself in gently. 

They are all really wearable and soft with decent staying power. If you are near a Marks and Spencer I do recommend a look to see if your stand has much left as if you use a darker foundation there will definitely be a bargain to be found, my store had stacks of liquid foundations, powders, blushers, and creme foundations all for around £4. The range has been taken off of their website now but there was lots of goodies to sift through in store. 

I really like the quality of these lipsticks overall they originally retailed for either £7.50 or £9.50 which I don't think I would have paid as I have brands I'd much rather opt for but it has made me realise Marks and Spencer isn't to be completely dismissed when it comes to beauty. They were adding a new stand with lower price points whilst I was there so I definitely want to check that out when its fully stocked. Has anyone else tried any MnS beauty products? 

Kleenex Facial Cleansing Wipes

So alongside the Kleenex Shine Sheets I posted whilst away I also bought these Kleenex Facial Cleaning Wipes. They normally retail for £2.99 but are on offer here in Superdrug for £1.99 and I've seen them in most places for this price too. I used them a lot during my holiday as when it is that hot I really didn't have the patience for my full skin care routine.

I think make-up wipes are quite standard across the board and I've never been particularly in love or really hated them. However these ones do tick all the boxes. They are super wet - which I know sounds odd but they really do hold a lot of moisture in them so they make taking your make up off really easy and you don't need to rub too hard. They don't have any scent and didn't break me out at all which I loved. They even removed stubborn waterproof mascara well.

If I'm honest I think I will continue to just buy what make-up wipes are on offer because I'm quite fickle - but the price point of these are spot on and I think I will keep them in my drawer for getting in a little tipsy and those nights when you really just can not be bothered. If you are looking for some make-up wipes I would recommend these they are some of the best I've ever used.

The Carrie Diaries - Book Review

I can't believe June is nearly over - where has 2012 gone? I made a vow at the beginning of the year to read more. And for the first 5 months of the year I read so much, all of it based around word of mouth communications and none of it would have ever made it on to here. Now however I am getting my life back slowly and I'm making sure I stick to that resolution. I tend to read so much on holiday but never when I'm at home so I've ordered a few books and I'm going to do a few posts on here about them. As much as I love beauty products and making my hair super soft it is not my life and I'm hoping to make this blog a bit more of a place about my life and loves rather than just beauty loves so I'll see how it goes and try and post after I've finished every book. 

I actually pre-ordered this book back in 2010 so had it in hard back, however I started reading it then and never seemed to get into it. I decided to take it on holiday as this is a sure way to get into a book. I love Sex and the City I have every single episode on DVD and regularly watch them. I love all four girls and when I was younger always used to decipher who was  who out of me and my other three best friends.

It did take me a little while to get into this book even this time around as I have so many images of Carrie in my head and all of her adult story lines make it quite hard to get your head around when your a die hard fan but I stuck it out and I loved this book. Its weird reading about Carrie having friends who aren't Samantha, Charlotte or Miranda but the writing is so good you get to know the new characters quickly and you begin reading it like its a brand new book without constantly thinking forward to the show. 

After lots of teenage trials and tribulations and many of those poignant lines that makes you stop and think 'yes that is so true' you are drawn in to Carrie's final year at school almost forgetting the face of Sarah Jessica Parker and creating your own characters in your head. It's only right at the end when Carrie makes it to New York and meets Samantha Jones that I genuinely laughed out loud knowing all the adventures they were about to embark on. 

It is such a good read and a mean feat to make you enjoy it without thinking of the actresses we are so familiar with. I love Candace Bushnells writing style and reading this has made me want a Kindle to buy entire shelves of her other books and many others I've been meaning to read before bed. 

I think its time I stop watching re-runs of Family Guy of episodes I've seen 10 times over on BBC3 and start reading again. If you love Sex and the City you will love this book as long as you keep an open mind because without one your left confused and constantly wondering if the back story makes sense to future scenes. 

I can't wait to see this young Carrie make it to my screen. 

Glossybox, June 2012.

It's Glossybox time again, getting this little box of treats has made coming back to England not so heartbreaking. I've decided to just do a little first thoughts posts on this one as I just felt like I already had a lot to say about it. 

Glossybox - Serie Exclusiv Pro Beauty Brush 

RRP £15 

I liked the little black branded mirror in last months box and I like this little brush too. It's a cute little size and it quite a bit shorter than my other brushes so I think this would be ideal for taking out and about. The bristles are really soft and densely packed in so I think it definitely has lasting ability. I was quite surprised to see an RRP next to this item as I thought the branded beauty bits were kind of zero value but fit nicely in the box - maybe a brand extension into beauty extra's is coming - if it is I think it would be a brilliant idea for them to go into their ranges of brushes and other little bits. 

Yves Rocher France - Mini Mascara ultra-volume sexy pulp 

RRP Full Size £16.90 Sample Worth £4.69

I've never heard of the brand before and I'm pretty loyal to L'Oreal Million Lashes but I do love little mini mascara's for night out top ups. I don't like the name at all 'ultra volume sexy pulp' the word pulp just makes me think of the gross fruit that's left after you've made a smoothie. It's a good mascara and offers good coverage to my lashes, I've just stocked up on Benefit Bad Gal Mini Mascara's from Glamour Magazine so I have a lot of mini mascara's right now but this is definitely a cute little addition. 

BM Beauty - Summer Warmth Bronzer 

RRP Full Size £8 Sample Worth £2 

This is a lovely shade and a soft product - I just can't use loose bronzer, I get it everywhere and the tiny sample pot means I can't really get coverage on a brush without it going everywhere and losing all of the product. For me it's a little pointless sample I'm thinking I can use it as an eye base though as it's a lovely brown for that too if its built up. 

Clean Start by Dermalogica - Day/Night 3-Step Kit 

Full Size £12 Kit 

I so wish I'd received this before going on holiday as it is perfect for travelling. Dermalogica is always a brand that's on my wish list that I can't afford to buy so I'm so looking forward to trying this little set out. It all smells gorgeous and I love that the toner is a spray dispenser and the moisturier is Matte SPF 15 it is literally perfect for a holiday. 

Vichy - Dermablend Ultra Corrective Foundation Cream Stick 

Full Size £19 Sample Worth £8 

This in my view is the perfect kind of sample for a skin product. Featuring 6 different shades allows you to try the product whilst also working out what's right for you if you want to purchase it. I have a few horrible marks on my cheek from spots previously so I am looking forward to trying it out on them although I won't need the full size product as it's not an area that bothers me hugely. I love that this has been featured though and I hope more brands offer little samples like this - it would be brilliant to get foundation samples like this so you can really work out which shade to buy from the comfort of your home and in all different lights. 

Overall I really like this box my favourite item by far was the Dermalogica kit and I think its going to make me want to buy the whole full size kit after using it up. I'm a bit skin care mad at the moment, so expect a lot of it other the next few weeks :) 

Cyprus, 2012.

I'm now back from the blue skies and blue sea's of the beautiful Cyprus. I can't say I'm happy to be back at all - Cyprus is one of my favourite places in the world the people are so amazingly happy and polite and interesting that waking up to a grey sky and a suitcase full of washing hasn't been the happiest. I thought I'd share some of my holiday snaps to make it a little better. 

We went to a lovely place called Protaras which is on the Ayia Napa side of the island but not actually near Ayia Napa. We stayed in Fig Tree Bay which was idyllic - it really was such a beautiful place and we wished we booked two weeks there was still so much to see and do when we returned. 

I am now back and have no other holidays planned :( this has led me to thinking a cheeky one in September/October might be in order but we'll see how money goes for this trip. However this does mean my blog will be looked after much more. I have lots of exciting posts lined up and am looking forward to getting back in the swing of it all. 

Kleenex Shine Absorbing Sheets

I recently bought nearly all of the Kleenex skin/beauty products that have come out - I think Kleenex's brand extension into skin care is a brilliant idea and it felt completely natural to see their name within the skin care isle. In fact I was surprised these were new products as it makes that much sense for them to be there. So after my love for this particular brand extension the product - shine absorbing sheets.

You get 50 sheets  in the back which are all a cute lilac colour - they retail for £2.99 but are on offer in most places at the moment for £1.99 like here in Superdrug. I don't have awful shine on a daily basis and normally use a translucent powder if I'm out and about however I was attending a wedding a few weeks ago and it was going to be a 12 hour event with little room in my clutch for much make-up so I thought these would be perfect.

You simply need to blot the plain side of the sheet onto any area's of shine and the sheet clears any shine away. I was quite surprised at how well they actually worked - you can see the 'shine' come off onto the sheet and I liked how no make-up came off with it. I'd super recommend these for long events like the wedding I went too. In my opinion they are really good value and I'll be keeping them for future nights out when your whole facial make-up won't fit into the tiny little bag that goes with your outfit but its highly unsuitable to fit much in at all.

Garnier Pure Active Moisturiser

I mostly only use this product when I have a particularly bad hormonal breakout. I've been switching up my skincare routine a lot recently and haven't had to use this much, however during dissertation time this was my go to moisturiser. It has Salicylic Acid in it which is something I always look for when trying to control my skin during a bad patch as it is the only active spot fighting ingredient I find actually works.

It claims to help protect against the appearance of spots before they appear, hydrates skin and visibly reducing skin. I agree that it does all these things and also helps remove redness from spots that are already there. One of my favourite things about this moisturiser is that it mattify's the skin - which the blurb says protects against spots - but it also makes my skin a brilliant base during break outs when my skin is at its most greasy.

It costs £4.99 for a 50ml pump bottle here  from Boots and is in a rather bright turquoise bottle - which I have to admit I really don't like. However the product itself I love. My skin is normally pretty normal but when I break out it goes really oily and I find this moisturiser calms down both my spots and mattes down my shine to give a more even base to my everyday make-up routine.

Has anyone tried any other Garnier Pure Active products?