Spring Has Sprung

So as daffodils start sprouting and the sun is finally shining, it's really beginning to feel as if spring has finally sprung. With spring I feel the need for brighter, lighter, fresher products are in much need.

Introducing new patterns and colours into my wardrobe slowly to lighten it up in transition for summer. But beauty wise it's a chance to wipe the dust of the pale nail polishes, pull out the pink lipsticks and pull out the florals print clothing.

Something I've been thoroughly enjoying lately is expressing my mood and self with my scent. May sound weird, but a scent can bring amount memories, feelings and emotions attached to them. It's too easy to get stuck in rut, keep going for the scent that you've had for years or the same kind of smell. If you're a musk kinda gal sticking to heavy scents, or if you're used to light floral smells sticking to much of a muchness. But I've tried to expand my collection of perfumes in order to be able to wear different scents with my mood, season, outfit, moment, or occasion.

So here is an insight into a few perfumes I have in my little collection.





Gucci, Bamboo - Quite a heavy musky scent. Definitely a less is more kinda job. With floral tones I like to wear this when I'm feeling 'grown up'. I imagine women who are jet setters, business women, fashion forward trendsetter women smelling like this. As a more expensive brand I tend to save this for special occasions when I'm feeling a little fancy. It lingers so nicely, so no need to splash it on, just a little will go a long way.

Moschino, Pink Bouquet - This perfume is definitely a does what it says on the tin product. Smells so sweet light and packed full of floral scents. It's youthful, fun, fresh, great for the spring and summer and perfect for those who don't like anything heavy. Lasts okay throughout the day, would probably need topping up in all honesty. This is what I imagine Disney Princesses to wear.










Christian Lacroix, Ambre - Fragrant, rich, sultry. This scent reminds me of romantic dinners out, middle eastern vibes in the fragrant undertones. Confident women, beauty and grace. I get an awful lot of comments on this whenever I wear it, whenever I wear this other women comment on how nice it smells. Lasts very well too.











Avon, Luck (for her) - Perfect perfume for those of you who don't like florals and don't like anything too heavy. Still fresh in smell, it has a fun elegance about it. Great for everyday, youthful yet sophisticated. A recommendation by a friend, lovely everyday smell.







If you would like to see anymore of my fragrances from my collection let me know! Until next time, take care.

Health Tips // 1 - Lemons.

Thought I would start a new series called 'Health Tips'. All beauty related - of course. 

My first Health Tip is super easy to incorporate into your week. All you need is LEMONS. 

Lemons you say? Yes Lemons, they have so many benefits health and beauty wise. So if you have a couple lying around you might be inspired to try something new. I did some research and wanted to share it with you. 

LEMONS ARE A NATURAL DIURETIC.

• Lemons have properties that make them a natural diuretic. Which basically means it will flush your body of excess water, and toxins. If you suffer from bloating and are struggling to shift that excess water. Squeeze a little lemon juice into your fruit juice in the morning. If you're feeling extra zesty pop a slice of lemon as well into your glass. Because it helps shift the water, you may find yourself making a few extra stops to the bathroom, but that just means that its working. I find that doing this a couple of times a week, especially around weigh day can help shift that water!

ACNE NO MORE.

• Lemons packed full of citric acid, which has been shown to help with Acne. Vitamin C within Lemons helps to create a glowing healthy complexion, and the Alkaline within the lemons helps to beat the bacteria found within Acne. 
• You can either drink your lemon juice like suggested above, or make some homemade skin products to help your Acne. Make a gentle exfoliant by using lemon juice and putting some soft sugar (soft brown is best). The lemon juice on the Acne may create a burning sensation slightly, but it won't last long and the soft sugar will gently exfoliate the skin. Do stray away from coarse sugar as it may irritate the skin. 
• If you want an even simpler solution - simply apply a little lemon juice directly onto your Acne and allow to soak in over night. Just like the toothpaste theory, it'll help dry out the spots and as mentioned before the Alkaline within the lemons will help eliminate the bacteria and help to stop the Acne from developing. 

RELIEVE YOUR STRESS.

• As says beliefnet.com Lemons have the power to help sooth stress, anxiety, fatigue, and just generally help you feel fresh and powered up. So buy in those lemon scented candles, those lemon essential oils, and fill your house and living space with lemon scents and see if you feel more up beat! 

COLD SORE, NO MORE. 

• Suffer from Cold Sores? Well mix together some warm water and lemon juice and swirl in your mouth, like the Acne solution it may create a slight burning sensation upon contact but it shouldn't last. Repeat twice a day. 

SO LONG STING. 

• This point is perfect for Summer, if you get insect bites simply apply some drops of lemon juice to said bite and it should help reduce redness and soreness. Also the scent of lemons will help to keep other niggling insects away. 

I hope this helps! And you learnt something new

so start raiding your fridge and reap the benefits

of this powerful fruit! 

Purple Passion

So purple and I have had a long standing love affair. Its so beautiful and its been my favourite colour since I can remember!

So as and ode to this love, I decided to pull out my Purple Polishes and play around.

Using a mixture of Barry M and L'Oreal shades, I layered Purples, Fushcias and Blues to create this look.

Here's how :

Simply grab the darkest shade, here I use Barry M Nail Paint in Indigo, apply two coats as your base. Wait till completely dry. For the design on the top you'll need a scrap piece of paper to hand. Grab the next lightest tone - we're working from dark to light with our colours. Take out the brush, brush off the majority of the polish onto the scrap piece of paper, and then brush what little is left onto the nail, being artistic in your placement.

Continue this process until you have used all the colours you wish, and apply a protective top coat to seal it all in.

The colours I used are:
Barry M Nail Paint in - Indigo 312, Fuchsia 302, Pure Turquoise 295, and Gelly Hi Shine in Prickly Pear 311
L'Oreal in Nouvelle / Vague 851

This design would look awesome in O.P.I's new Brazilian collection which is perfect for Summer!

Hope you have fun re-creating this look, and re-creating it in different colour schemes.

Barry M - Lip Paint Review

Barry M are known for their bold colour choices, and their range of Paint - whether it be for your lips or nails. They have great colours at great prices.

I found these few Barry M Lip Paints via my Ebay expeditions and paid a pound or so less than you would in store, but only because I'm a cheap skate and if I can avoid paying full price I will find a way! 

The colours I went for are very bold and I realise not everyone's taste but I think there is at least one shade here that will catch each of your eyes. They are £4.49 from Superdrug and Boots that carry Barry M in store. There is usually a lovely selection of various colours. I like these as they are great for spring and summer and perfect for those who dare to wear a bright lip. 

Unfortunately I do not have the shade names, neither do I have the numbers as mine have worn with wear and tear. But I do believe the bright pink and the orange are still carried in store, but I'm not too certain on the berry shade and the glitter pink. 

As you can see from the swatches the colour pigmentation carries well from Lipstick to skin, and hold for hours well without need for re-application. 

The berry is a rich tone plumy-red, its perfect for a bold daytime and an easy going nighttime wear lipstick. I think this would carry well across skin tones and would suit most people as its an easy to wear colour. Its bold without being too far gone that it would be too bright for some people to carry off. 

The bright pink isn't shown justice in the swatch, it is NEON its perfect for rocking with a tan in Summer and bringing those beach vibes to your makeup look. I am obsessed with this shade but struggle to find occasions at the moment with the weather as it is to wear it, but can't wait for the sun to come and for me to start rocking this bad boy of a Pink again. 

The glitter pink is a more subtle shade, the actual pigmentation isn't that powerful, it is mostly a clear lipstick with a slight sheen of colour and then glitter. It's perfect to add a sparkle for that party do you're attending at work, or if you're into fun makeup! Its very light on the lips and the glitter doesn't get everywhere either! 

And lastly the orange! This is also a bright colour, but less in your face than the pink,  a much more wearable alternative I think. It is easy to wear, although I wouldn't suggest that people with paler complexion that myself try it as I think it might make you look a little paler/ill. I struggle to wear it unless I have some colour as it can wash me out a little, and I consider myself to have fair/porcelain type tone to my complexion. But all the same it is a gorgeous shade and I think those with darker, more tan complexions would look stunning in this! 

So next time you are in the Barry M section of your drugstore make sure you check out the pigments of the Lip Paints as they are beautiful. 

Doodles on Pink

Playing around I was trying out various ideas and doodles ontop of pink and peach toned polish. I particulalry enjoyed doing the clash of Barry M Bright Pink with Greenberry spots on top. Yet again being inspired by Wah Nails I tried a diamond design which is really cute for maybe a ring finger design.

These are all super easy to create with a dotting tool and a nail art pen.

3D Deco Pastel Nails

Following up from the previous post on pastel nails, I decided to work on that same nail art wheel and go down the 3D deco style nail. After all everyone likes a little sparkle and bling in their lives. I buy the gems, bows and pearls off of eBay. The bows and gems come in dosset boxes separated by colour which is super handy, there are plenty of options to find on eBay if you type in 3D nail accessories, you can buy all kinds sof bling to sparkle up any nail design. I did an array of design from really blingy to more subtle to suit all preferences. Whilst keeping it pastel and pretty.

Pretty Pastels

I decided since now I have nail art wheels to swatch all my pastel polish. The subtle colours are perfect if you're not feeling quite daring enough to try brights. They are perfect to add a hint of colour to your outfit or even the office as they're not too "in your face".
I love pastel colours for spring and now its nearly over I'm going to get my wears worth!

Nail Polishes from left to right:
Barry M Nail Paint 306 Peach Melba
E.L.F (eyes lips face) Polish Mint Cream
17 Lasting Fix Nail Polish Sherbert Lemon
17 Lasting Fix Nail Polish Mint Choc Chip
17 Lasting Fix Nail Polish Sweet Kisses
17 Lasting Fix Nail Polish Parma Violet
Barry M Nail Paint 308 Berry I/C

Ombre Nails

Instead of using a sponge I used a brush to create an almost flamed ombre look. It was super easy to do, paint the lighter colour as a base, apply a couple of coats let it dry completely. Then on the tips of your nails apply your darker shade then grabbing a thin brush drag the colour up toward the cutical thus creating the flame look.

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April Favourites - Nail Products

As you can tell from my posts, I have been loving Barry M Nail Paints. I've been loving how the colours reflect the season.  They are releasing new Gelly Hi-Shine colours for summer and I cannot wait to try out the colours! I particularly have been enjoying the fact that superdrug have been doing 3 for 2 on Barry M Nail Paint. So I have to admit I did splurge a little.

My favourite nail polishes this month:
Barry M - Bright Pink, Indigo, Prickly Pear, Greenberry, Pomegranate and Peach Melba.
17 - Peacock and Potion
Mabelline Colour Show - Charged and Ready
Rimmel London - Grey Matter

April Favourites - Beauty Products

So in this post I will go through all the beauty products that I have been really enjoying throughout April.

Starting with skin care, some products I've been really loving this month, is Garnier Skin Naturals Youthful Raidience night cream. I'm a great beleiver in good creams for your skin early on. I may only be 20 years old but its important to look after my skin now so that it remains youthful for longer. I love the garnier cream, I use it after a shower and a little at night, its great at driving moisture into the skin and soaks in quickly. It also smells amazing! The only downside to this I find, is it opens up my pores so found I'm having to use a blackhead scrub along side this as it makes me more subseptable to blackheads, althought its great for my dry skin.
Next for skin care I have Emma Hardie's 'amazing face' cleansing balm. I use this in the shower, wet my face and gently rub this into my face in circular motions, and its just a great   gentle cleanser. My skin feels amazingly fresh and clean prior to use.
A great cheap tinted moisturizer I've been loving is the E.L.F. tinted moisturizer SPF 15. Its very lightweight not the best moisturizer but its great at a very light all over tint for those mornings that you don't fancy bothering with foundation. The best thing about this product has to be the price, the small but mighty tube is £1.50!

Onto makeup products, having been trying to follow the runway trend of using blue and green eyeliners in creative ways I've been attempting to create my own runway inspired looks with Urban Decay's 24/7 Glide on Eye Pencil in Junkie. I got it off eBay for a few pounds, I got the smaller size. It's a great emerald green with a gold glitter to it. I'm really loving this for the product and for the great price I got it for on eBay.
Next is the previously mentioned Along Came Betty All Concealed concealer kit, for a more indepth description check out my previous post.
Another thing I've been loving makeup wise in April is lipgloss, I recently re-discovered a Rimmel London Vinyl Gloss that I purchased in Poundland, I don't know why they come up in Poundland, whether they are un-used testers or a discontinued colour but I'm not complaining, its the real deal and I am loving it.
In terms of makeup brushes I am adoring my new E.L.F small angled brush its amazing for using to fill out your brows or for eyeliner. The next brush is a Real Techniques dupe to their contouring brush, bought on eBay from China, its Joursna Professional Brush, the bristles are super soft and its so much like the Real Techniques and more than half the price.

Finally, body spray or as the americans say body splash from French Connection. I've had it for quite a while now so am unsure as to whether it is still available, however I've been using it more and more lately and love it its a florally musky scent perfect for day and night as its a body spray its lighter than a perfume. The scent is pure and described as a soft oriental scent built around a delicious fusion of violet, pepper, and vanilla notes.

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Polka Please!

Having fun with polka dots. Inspired by Stella McCartney a few seasons ago when she had plenty if spots in her collection. Decided to change it up a bit with following the ring finger trend.
Dots were created using the end of a paint brush. So no need to splurge on special tools.

Nail Polish:
BarryM Nail Paint in 279 Bright Pink - £2.99
Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine in Greenberry - £2.99
French White from a mani kit.

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Loving Lilac

Purple obsession you say? Why not enjoy all your favourite purple tones at once? After all its better to be eclectic!

Nail Polish:
BarryM Nail Paint in Berry I/C - £2.99
BarryM Gelly Hi-Shine Nail Paint in Prickly Pear - £2.99
BarryM Nail Paint in Bright Purple - £2.99
BarryM Hi-Shine Nail Paint in Pomegranate -£2.99
BarryM Nail Paint in Pink Sapphire Glitter - £2.99
MaXfactor MAX Effect Mini Nail Polish in Diva Violet - £2.99
17 Lasting Fix Nail Polish in Sweet Kisses - £2.99
White generic nail art pen.