A few favourites and recent purchases

As promised, I'm back on the blogging wagon and I thought the best way to ease back into things would be to do a little (or not so little) review of my recent loan weekend purchases.

The main products I've been buying have been from Boots. Boots is quite possibly one of my biggest vices, it's honestly quite dangerous for me to go in there, and you're about to see why.

Firstly, let's talk about nail polishes, because I seem to have bought loads. The first one I purchased was this one from No7's Gel Look Shine Range. No7 is a brand I usually stay away from, mainly because I don't usually have any money, but if I did, I'd definitely splash out more. This brand is great, its like a rival to Barry M's Gelly Hi-Shine range, but both do the job equally in my opinion. It glides on nicely and doesn't lose its sheen and pearlescence once it's on. This is the shade, Galaxy and I think it's around £7, but there was a 3 for 2 offer on when I bought this one.

No7 Gel Look Shine in Galaxy

Keeping with No7, I also bought another of their polishes a few weeks ago, from the same Gel Look Shine range. This one is a top coat but is something I've been looking for, for a while. I wanted a top coat that left me with a high shine, no matter what colour was underneath. I was longing for Barry M to bring out a top coat in their Gelly Hi-Shine range, but then I came across No7's own version and was extremely pleased. It does exactly what I wanted and since using it, I've had lots of comments on the shininess of my nails. Again, I think this one was also around £7.

No7 Gel Look Shine top coat

Whilst in Boots, it occurred to me that although I have an abundance of nail polishes in all different shades and colours, I didn't actually possess an electric blue colour. Naturally, I rectified this, in the form of Barry M's Blue Grape, from their Gelly Hi-Shine range. I was dubious about trying the colour because I tend to stay within my comfort zone of dark colours such as blacks, reds, burgundys and purples, but I went for it regardless. The colour is beautiful and I'm glad I bought it, I also had compliments wearing this shade. I think these are the usual £3.99 to £4 in Boots.

Barry M Gelly Hi Shine Nail Paint in Blue Grape

Another brand I've been buying a lot of lately is Sally Hansen. The nail range is brilliant, for anyone who is obsessed with nail painting. I bought two nail polishes from her range, the first being the Hard as Nails polish, which is a strengthener that I generally use under polishes, but have also used it on top for extra strength too. The second Sally Hansen polish I bought was the Insta-Dri. I wasn't sure if this polish would work, or whether it would just leave my nails feeling tacky but I was pleasantly surprised. Both these polishes are ones that I highly recommend to keep nails as strong as possible and also just to save time for those that are impatient like me when it comes to waiting for nails to dry.

Moving out of the nail polish area, I also bought two lipsticks from Boots. The first of these was the Maybelline Colour Sensational lipstick in 547 Pleasure Me Red. I could've squealed with excitement when I found this because I've been looking for a deep, dark red shade for ages and this was exactly the shade I wanted. I love the colour of this lipstick and the texture, but the only thing I would say is that I found it didn't stay on as long as I'd like. Luckily I use Lipcote, so I can rectify this somewhat, but that would be my only flaw with it. I believe this was around £7.99 in Boots.

The second polish I bought was Revlon Super Lustrous in 663 Va Va Violet. This is beautiful dark purple shade, which I love. I'm a fan of purple lipsticks anyway, but this one is a deep, rich shade and is possibly my new favourite lipstick. Like the last lipstick mentioned, this one also didn't appear to stay on for a long time, but again, this is easily fixed by a coat of Lipcote. This was £7.49 in Boots.

The last two things I want to mention aren't beauty products but are two things I'm in love with. Firstly, a pair of flatform open toe wedges from Primark. I just can't walk in high-heeled shoes and for that reason try to stick to wedges for nights out so these are perfect for me. I already have a pair of flatfoms from Primark, but they're slightly different and have a closed toe as opposed to these ones. Of course it means I'll have to shun the tights and brave getting my pins out but I can live with that because I adore these shoes. They were £10 in Primark and look beautiful with freshly painted nails.

The final thing is a dress I recently purchased from Ebay. Its a River Island dress and the RRP was £35 but I bagged it, brand new with tags on Ebay for £16 (not including postage). I was over the moon when I won this because I'd seen it a while ago, only with tartan instead of leopard print. I love the fact that its a midi dress, meaning I don't feel too uncomfortable going tight-less and the black panels down the side are incredibly slimming. I strutted around the flat feeling fabulous when it arrived and I can't wait to wear it on a night out with the shoes as well!

If anyone else has been taking advantage of loan day, I'd love to read a haul/review of some of the things you've been buying, so feel free to leave me your links :)

Recent Cosmetics Haul and Review! Barry M, Rimmel, Revlon & Lime Crime

I've been somewhat AWOL for the last couple of months in terms of blogging. This is down to a number of reasons such as university assignments, my job, enjoying time with friends and a simple lack of anything interesting to write about!

However, once again its Summer, which means my flatmates have deserted me for a few months and in between working and spending time with my boyfriend, I find myself EXTREMELY bored. Therefore, I have vowed to try and keep up with this and write a few blogs over the next few weeks/months. At least then I will have spent my time off doing something slightly productive and also when I go back to uni in September, I won't be a complete writing spazz because I haven't entertained a keyboard in months.

So here goes!

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Small Cosmetics Haul and Review:

Me and Boots haven't been the best of friends lately as I stupidly lost my Advantage Card a few months ago and therefore stopped going in on a daily basis (probably for the best!). However, I have been in on a few occasions accompanying friends and instead of walking out with a basket-full of cosmetics each time, I have just bought the odd item here and there, so I thought I would start my new blogging lease of life with a review of the products I've purchased!

The few cosmetics I have recently purchased

First up - nail polishes:

The first polish I bought was Rimmel Lasting Finish in 700 (Block Your Green). It is a vibrant greeny blue colour, perfect for Summer nails, and as part of Rimmel's Lasting Finish collection, it glides on easy enough and takes no more than two coats to achieve a good, solid colour coating. The picture below doesn't really do the colour justice (I really need to invest in a camera!), it isn't as teal as the image makes out. It is impossible to capture the exact colour but it has more of a green undertone and just screams Summertime.

Rimmel Lasting Finish in 700 (Block Your Green)

The nail polish is a great consistency and goes on your nails in the exact same colour you see in the bottle (unlike many!). As a lover of black and red nails, it is unusual for me to wear bright colourful shades but this is one that I definitely don't mind wearing. However if I had to say one bad thing about this particular polish, it would be that it is a nightmare for staining, so you really need a base coat underneath. I was channeling The Hulk for a few days after removing the polish, as it stained the tops of my fingers really bad and wouldn't come out of my nails for a while either. All in all a great purchase at the measly price of £2.99, and I will continue to wear it over the Summer months regardless!

The second polish I purchased has fast become my absolute favourite. I was already smitten with Barry M's Gelly Hi-Shine Nail Paints, as you can tell from my earlier posts, but after buying another in the shade Blood

Orange, I am truly, madly in love.

Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine Nail Paint in Blood Orange

Even though the name suggests it is an orange shade, it is actually a really vampish deep but bright red. And I adore the colour so much, it is now my go-to red nail polish. Like all the other Gelly Hi-Shine polishes, this is good to go in two coats and I personally don't even bother with a base or top coat as it doesn't stain and the finish you get with these polishes is phenomenally shiny. I can see this polish being used up very soon and I will most definitely be re-purchasing it, as they are only £3.99 yet leave you with a perfect salon finish.

Onto the lipsticks:

As well as nail varnishes, I have recently become a bit obsessed with lipsticks too. The first two I picked up were from the new Revlon ColorStay Ultimate Suede range. I bought two shades, Backstage and Trendsetter.

Revlon ColorStay Ultimate Suede - L: Backstage, R: Trendsetter

Backstage is very much my colour, as I am really into dark lipsticks and this is a mahogany/plum shade. Trendsetter on the otherhand is quite girly for me, as it is a red shade with pinkish undertones, however I also really like this shade on myself. 

Revlon ColorStay Ultimate Suede swatched on the back of my hand, L: Trendsetter, R: Backstage

As someone who accidently rubs off her lipstick all the time, I actually found that both lipsticks stayed on for quite a long time, even in the sun and whilst eating and drinking. Not only this but they were quite moisturising, and had a nice feel, in that they weren't too dry or too wet but you could tell that they were still on your lips, which is good for me, because it indicates whether or not I need to reapply. Which in this case I didn't. I got both these products when they very first burst into Boots and I think (but I could be wrong) that they were on offer for £6.99 but recently are around £8, which is a little pricey for a lipstick but I personally love them and think its worth it.

Last but not least, I watched a few Youtube videos about the Lime Crime Velvetines lip glosses and was intrigued to try one of them out for myself. I purchased Lime Crime Velvetines in Red Velvet from an online seller, as I think it is an American brand (?), for around £15, which is a lot, but I felt the need to invest.

Lime Crime Velvetines in Red Velvet

Before even opening the product, I fell in love with the packaging, because it was so girly and pretty, so major kudos for that one, Lime Crime. Now, I'm not a fan of lip glosses as they tend to be a bit girly for me and I don't like the stickiness of them, however this one is extremely different to any other. The promise of Lime Crime Velvetines is that while they are technically a lip gloss as they come in the form of a wand and are shiny and extremely pigmented, once they have actually dried to your lips, they are completely matte.

Has all the traits of a lip gloss but actually dry on completely matte

I had been trying to find a specific deep vivid red for quite some time in Boots and Superdrug but can never come across one that suits my skin tone, so thats why, I opted to try out this offering from Lime Crime.

Beautiful red shade

I love the colour, it is exactly what I'd been looking for, however I personally couldn't get to grips with the consistency and application of this product. Because initially it goes on very shiny and extremely pigmented, you have to take great care applying it, and for someone with really small lips, this proved quite a task and it didn't suit me personally at all, which is a massive shame. If you have fuller lips and don't have any difficulty applying lipsticks/glosses with care then this would probably be a great investment, however if you're like me, unfortunately this one can afford to be overlooked.

And there you have it, my recent cosmetics purchases.

I did not expect this to be so long, but I hope I have given any cosmetics lovers out there a fair and decent review of each product.

I have also just finished uploading a few bits and bats to ebay (everything from games, dvds to clothes) so take a look at my items and see if anything takes your fancy: ebay: terri-leigh123

And I hereby pledge to do some more posts in the coming weeks and not leave my blog unattended for too long this time!

Adios! :)

Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine Nail Paint

As a self confessed nail geek, its virtually impossible for me to go in Boots or Superdrug without coming out with at least one new nail varnish. I am by no means a great nail artist, in fact I'm quite the opposite - where others spend their time carefully painting on their polish, I tend to whack it on in any which way and spend the time neatening them up with a cotton bud instead. For this reason I like polishes with a thick consistency and quick drying time. Collection 2000 Hot Looks are my usual favourites due to their cheap price and fantastic quality, and therefore I generally buy them in bulk!

However, I'm quite partial to a Barry M Nail Paint every now and then, and their new Gelly Hi-Shine range caught my eye. There are a range of colours, and they promise to be thick and shiny - which is why I like the Hot Look range, because they are exactly that. I think this range is supposed to give the same finish as you would expect from a Shellac manicure so, at £3.99, you can't really go wrong. With this in mind, I decided to try them out and picked up a few different colours.

The three shades I bought from L-R: Plum, Prickly Pear and Pomegranate

The one I tried first was Pomegranate, I started out with a Natural Collection clear coat to make sure my nails didn't stain, as its quite a bright vibrant shade. After one coat, my nails were covered, the polish is nice and thick so I knew it wouldn't take many coats, however I applied a second just to complete the look. I finished with another coat of my Natural Collection clear polish, which was just force of habit, but I probably didn't need it. The hi-shine finish was fantastic and visibly more glossy than a regular polish, giving the illusion of a Shellac nail. The shade was beautiful, a really deep pink, but not too tacky, and the polish its-self dried in seconds. To add to this, I found that the polish was a lot more resistant to chipping than others, and therefore lasted longer, even with work and uni everyday, any chips were barely noticeable.

I can't wait to try the other colours in the range and would definitely recommend them to others. A bargain at £3.99 and a fantastic cheaper alternative to Shellac. Definite must-have for nail geeks like me!