Tag: Blogging Love

Image: We heart it (Edited by me) - Please feel free to use this image in your post!

Hey Beauties. I'm sorry for my lack of posts over the past few days but I have been so busy working for my dad that I just haven't had the time to post as often as I'd like. With that being said, I thought I would write a chatty, 'I heart blogging' sort of ramble. I have wanted to do this post for quite some time about why I love blogging and the reasons I would recommend it to anyone who might be too scared to take the plunge. I decided that to make things more interesting for myself and you lovely people reading, I would create a tag. Now I'm not sure if you can just go around creating tags but they have to come from somewhere right? I don't see why I can't so what the heck and here we have it. I have decided to create a tag where we all have to share the reasons we love blogging with the readers of our blog. I think it will be a great way to feel inspired about our own blogs and perhaps help someone out there who might be thinking of starting their own blog. I have kept things pretty straight forward and if you would like to do this on your own blog, all you need to do is give 5 reasons you love blogging, your blogging aim, your top blogging tip and the name of one blogger who has inspired you along the way. So without anymore unnecessary rambles from me, here are the reasons I love blog land so bloomin much. 

In no particular order -

1. Passion - Even as a little girl I always loved makeup. There was something about it that intrigued me, and I would secretly steal my mums when she wasn't looking. (I still do that now actually, whoops!) I absolutely love sharing my passion for beauty products with likeminded people and having somewhere I can ramble away to my hearts content. (Much like I'm doing now!)

2. Creativity - I absolutely love how my creative juices have been flowing since starting my blog. I know some people might think anyone with half a brain could write about beauty products but writing a blog isn't as easy as it looks. For starters you need to come up with the content for every post, take detailed pictures of the product you are discussing and write an informed review covering all aspects. For me, I feel very satisfied seeing the end result of a blog post I have been planning for a while. 

3. Other Bloggers - This has to be one of the main reasons I love blogging. I have seriously met some lovely girls through doing this blog and I couldn't be happier. It is so lovely to receive an email saying someone has commented on my latest post and reading the lovely feedback really inspires me to continue what I'm doing. I also love the social aspect of blogging wether it be commenting on each others posts or sending tweets back and forth. It really is such a lovely community of people and very rarely is anyone a b*tch! Maybe some large social networking sites known for their drama filled atmosphere should take note. ;)

4. Inspiration - This might be a funny one to include but one thing I love about blogging is how it opens my eyes to so many new and interesting products I wouldn't of heard of otherwise. Yes, it isn't great for my bank balance but I love hearing about the latest 'bloggers hype' such as the Revlon Lip Butters. Without blogging I wouldn't of discovered half of the amazing brands I use and love now.

5. My Own Space - In a way I see my blog as my space on the internet to write whatever the heck I want. Obviously nothing outrageous but if I want to discuss a lipstick I am currently loving or have a massive rant about something more serious, I can and I will. At the end of the day, its my blog therefore I decide the content that goes on it. I also really enjoy that feeling of not being judged because lets face it if someone doesn't like my blog, they don't need to read it. Its nice to know that the people who do read what I have to say are more than likely genuinely interested and not being judgemental. 

Blogging Aim - When I say blogging aim what I mean is a goal you have in mind for you and your blog. It can be anything you want from posting more frequently, interacting with more bloggers or even hitting a certain number of followers. For me personally my aim is to continue enjoying what I am doing, to continue interacting and getting to know other bloggers, to attend an event and eventually make a Youtube video. (Eek, that thought scares me)! However, its all part of the blogging experience and I can't wait to see whats around the corner for me and my little blog. I feel like its my baby sometimes that I'm watching grow and develop. Is that sad?! haha!

Blogging Tip - My top blogging tip would be INTERACTION! I can't emphasise enough how important it is to follow other blogs, leave comments to let them know you enjoyed their post and interact with fellow bloggers on Twitter. Not only does it help people see your blog but it is also a great way of establishing relationships with likeminded people who you might even become friends with. In my opinion, there is nothing worse than an blogger who doesn't appreciate their readers and it instantly puts me off reading their blog. So next time you sign in to Blogger go and make someones day by following them, commenting on their post and letting them know how much you love their blog. Chances are they will appreciate your comment and have a read of your blog.

Blogger who has inspired me - To be honest, although I love so many blogs, I didn't have to think long about who this person would be. The blogger who inspired me is Laura from Belles Boutique. I remember reading her blog for months before I started my own and it was the first insight I had into blog land. Before I read her blog, I had no clue all these amazing blogs were out there. I kept checking her blog most days and would admire her photography and writing style. I still love her blog to this day and she is a lovely girl too! She is always polite on Twitter and responds to tweets which I love to see bloggers do. So thank you very much Laura for opening my eyes to this wonderful blogging world!

So if you hadn't already guessed, I officially love blogging. I never thought I would enjoy it as much as I do and I couldn't be happier. 

With that being said, I really hope you can take part in this tag and share the blogging love. I would absolutely love to read your posts and the reasons you love blogging. You can write anything you like, no matter how stupid it may sound. All I ask you to do is link back to this post and leave a comment below with the link to your post so I can have a read.

Lots of Love,

OOTD | Crochet Colbat

I managed to get this snap outside before it started raining, yey!

Playsuit - ASOS

Belt - Missguided

Wedges - Matalan

Bangles - Matalan/Primark

Hello lovely ladies! In my most recent outfit post I promised I would get outside and get some shnazzy OOTD photos. However, mother nature decided to be a nuisance and the weather has been absolutely awful. Seriously, you would think I was back home in the UK at the moment and not in Australia. With that being said, getting outside in the natural sunlight has been somewhat impossible meaning yet again these outfit pictures aren't the best. They were taken inside using a flash but I hope you can still get the jist. I mentioned in my 'Pocahontas Playsuit' post here that I had recently bought a couple of playsuits from ASOS. Well, this beautiful crochet number was one of them. I can't tell you how much I love this playsuit. The first thing I love is the colour as it is very bright and perfect for summer. This was also available in yellow on the ASOS website but I personally loved this colbat blue shade as I thought it would work better with my blonde hair and blue eyes. I also love the crochet detailing along the bust and the open back. The only thing I dislike about this playsuit is how easily it creases. It is made from a silk type material and although it feels lovely on the skin and is very comfortable, it creases at the slightest movement. Oh well, I guess it's just something I'll have to deal with and hope people don't think I've lost my iron. haha! I decided to pair it with a thin tan waist belt and tan wedges in the above pictures as I think anything tan works well with blue. The wedges were an absolute bargain of around £12.00 and I wear them all the time. Good old Matalan providing me with another gem. As you can see from the photos, I just shoved my hair on top of my head and left it. Sometimes I like that messy look as it helps give the outfit a more casual feel. Although I would definitely wear this on a night out as well with huge heels and big backcombed hair. I couldn't find this exact playsuit on the ASOS website but they are currently having a huge sale with upto 50% off some items so if you want to have a look at that you can do so here.

What do you think of playsuits? Do you love them as much as me?

Lots of Love,

Xen-Tan Mousse Intense

Me straight after application of the Xen-Tan

Hey Lovelies! I have been meaning to review this tan for a while now but I have had the most difficult time ever taking pictures of this stuff. The brown box this tan comes in has a weird fuzzy print on it that makes it look blurry in almost every picture. The gold lighting on the main bottle also kept reflecting the light so no matter how many times I tried, the pictures looked poop. Anyway, apologies for the rubbish pictures but I have worked with the best I had.

I recently picked up the Xen-Tan Mousse Intense weekly tanner as I had heard so many great things about it on blogs and in magazines. Like most girls, I love to have a bronzed look and false tan is one of those miracle products that can help all us pale Janes to achieve it. Don't get me wrong, I love to embrace my fair skin but when I'm going out somewhere nice, I like to have a touch of colour. I ordered this from Feel Unique here and couldn't wait for it to arrive. In true beauty blogger style, as soon as I got my hands on it, I slapped it on and got my camera out for some before and after shots. Now I don't really have a strict routine with tanning, if anything I am very lazy and will rarely exfoliate/moisturise before applying it. I realise all of you tanaholics out there will be tutting at me right now but I can't be bothered faffing around with extra steps when I don't see a difference. So with that being said, I had my usual night time shower, dried myself and then lathered this on with a tanning mitt. 
The first things I noticed about this product was the scent and the colour. It has a lovely vanilla scent unlike most tans that have a scent often compared to biscuits. Also, unlike my usual favourite tan St.Moritz, I noticed the mousse had a strong green undertone compared to the usual orange undertone found in fake tans (see photos above). Although slightly alarmed I was going to end up looking ill, I carried on regardless and applied it from head to toe. The application was very easy and the mousse glided onto my skin with ease. In my opinion, I much prefer mousse tan as it is easier to work with and makes the whole tanning process a lot quicker. However, if you don't favour a mousse tan, Xen-Tan also offers a lotion version. 
After leaving the tan to sink into my skin for around five minutes, I was pleased to see that the green was gone and I was left with a natural bronzed look. I would say this tan provides a medium tan which I like as the colour can be enhanced by adding another layer. It is classed as an 'instant' tan as it applies colour directly to the skin. I personally love this as you can see where you are applying it meaning you are left with an even, streak-free colour. However, I would say that the colour develops and gets darker over a few hours. It says on the back of the bottle to leave it for three hours before showering but I always apply tan before I go to bed then wash it off the next day. The pictures I have included above are straight after application but I did find it was darker when I woke up the next morning.

This tan claims to be a weekly tanner meaning it will last a week before it needs re-applying. I personally don't agree with this and would say it lasted around 4 days on me. I was still happy with this length of time though and everyone is different so it may last longer on you. I didn't experience any flaking or patchiness when it was fading though, which I was very pleased about. There is nothing worse than seeing girls with snake-skin scaly tan. Yack.
Overall, I love this tan and it is one of my new favourites. In the photo above, I had just finished applying the tan and had zero makeup on and wet hair. For me to feel confident enough to take a bare faced photo is a big thing so it goes to show how much confidence this tan gave me. The only bad thing I can say about it is the price. I'm afraid this is a pricey one at £18.00 for 118ml. Ouch. I guess you get what you pay for though and in my opinion, a natural looking olive tan is certainly worth the money.

Have you ever tried Xen-Tan? What do you think? I'd be interested to see how the lotion compares.

Lots of Love,

OOTD | Nautical Neon

Top - H&M

Skirt - River Island

Necklace - An Aussie Jewellery Shop

Watch - DKNY

Bracelet - Pandora

Lipstick - MAC Morange

Okay, first let me please apologise for these shoddy outfit pictures. I really wanted to get outside in the natural light and take some decent pictures but unfortunately I just haven't had the chance. Instead of doing no outfit posts I decided I would just quickly take some pictures and show you this outfit I put together. I recently got this bright neon orange top from H&M and I have been umming and ahhing about what to wear it with. After having a rummage through my things I decided to pair it with this stripy navy and white skater skirt from River Island. I thought the contrast between the stripes and bold top was a nice summery combo. You can't see my shoes on the pictures above but if I were to wear this on a night out I would pair it with my tan Kurt Geiger platforms or bright orange New Look heels.    I also decided to stick with the neon theme by applying a touch of MAC Morange lipstick to my lips. I absolutely love this shade and it instantly brightens up my face. Again, I apologise for the shoddy pictures, it was the best I could get with poopy artificial lighting. I promise I will get outside tomorrow and get some outfit pictures taken.

Also, I am wanting to do a 'Ask me Anything' type post on my blog. Basically, what I would like you to do is ask me any questions that you might be interested in knowing the answer to. Your questions can be about anything beauty/hair/skincare related, my blogging experience or even personal. (Not that my life will interest any of you!) You can ask me your question in the comments below this post or on Twitter here. I have decided to do this as I think it is a great way to interact with you all, maybe help newbie bloggers out with some tips and also so you can get to know me a bit better. After all, surely a part of blogging is knowing the girl behind the blog. With that being said I really hope you can participate and I can't wait to answer your questions.

I hope you are all having a fab week so far.

Lots of Love,

Maybelline Colorama Nail Polishes | Urban Coral & Party Blue

Party Blue/Urban Coral

Hey beauties! So following on from my most recent post about my love of 'mini' things, I thought I would show you these super cute mini nail polishes I picked up recently. These caught my eye every time I have been out shopping so in the end I just had to have them. To be honest, I probably only wanted them because they are mini (weirdo) but I am very glad I decided to give them a try. Apart from being super cute minis, these nail polishes come in a lovely array of colours and are very well priced. They cost me $5.00 here in Oz which works out at around £3.00 each. I picked up the shades 'Urban Coral' and 'Party Blue' as I thought they were perfect summer colours. There was also a deep turquoise green I wanted but that will have to wait for another time. In the photos above I have applied two coats of each colour to my step-mums nails and Sally Hansen Insta-Dri top coat on top. I had to use my step-mums nails for the swatches as mine are so awful at the minute without acrylics. Some of us just aren't blessed with nice natural nails unfortunately. Boo. Anyway, when applying these nail polishes the colours are very opaque and with only one coat the colour looks just like it does in the bottle. I did find that 'Party Blue' had a thicker consistency and without two coats it appeared slightly streaky. However, as you can see from the pictures above, with two coats and a top coat, the colour is very opaque and there isn't a streak in sight. As for 'Urban Coral', this colour applied like a dream. Again it is very opaque with only one coat but unlike 'Party Blue', the consistency of the polish was slightly wetter and applied to the nail effortlessly. I'm not quite sure why the consistency of these polishes are different but the overall effect was the same regardless. The only thing I would say is that Urban Coral is slightly shinier than Party Blue but I guess thats to be expected when using pale, pastel colours. I personally prefer Party Blue as I am very into pastel nails at the moment although I do think Urban Coral is a beautiful colour and would look amazing on toes. As well as having a great colour pay off and formula, these minis are perfect for travelling. If any of you are jetting off on holiday, these would be the perfect size to pop in your suitcase. Plus, I don't know if its just me but I never seem to finish a whole nail polish before it goes gloopy and horrible? At least with something this size you know you will get full use out of it. Now moving on to the bad part, I have searched high and low on the tinterweb for these and can't seem to find anywhere in the UK that sells them. Surely with Maybelline being a worldwide brand they are available to buy in the UK? I would expect that these can be found in places such as Superdrug and Boots. If any of you have seen them around, please do let me know as if they aren't available in the UK I might feature a couple in my next giveaway.

I'm sorry I can't be more useful and provide you with a link to buy these polishes but I am pretty sure the UK will sell them. As I said, do let me know if you spot them when you are next in Boots or Superdrug. I hope they do sell them as they are great nail polishes and definitely worth a try!

Lots of Love,

Possibly the cutest lipgloss ever?

Lipgloss - H&M

Hey Ladies. I hope you are all well. Today I would like to share with you this amazingly cool lipgloss from H&M. Now I don't know if its just me but I am a complete sucker for anything mini. Wether it be mini perfumes, mini toiletries or in this case teeny tiny cute cherry shaped lip glosses. Yes I realise I might sound weird but I have always had a love of mini objects, I think they are cute. With that being said, when I got this mini lipgloss bought for me as a gift, I couldn't of been happier. This product is shaped like a cherry and has a screw off lid that holds a pink lipgloss inside. To be honest, I wouldn't really class this as a lipgloss due to the fact it doesn't have any colour and it isn't sticky or glossy like most lip glosses. I would definitely class this as a lip balm as it goes onto the lips clear with a very subtle sheen. It also tastes amazing and definitely lives unto its 'Sweet Cherry' name. It feels lovely and moisturisng when applied but I haven't been using it long enough yet to see a difference in the condition of my lips. As well as being awfully cute, very tasty and moisturising, this lipgloss is super cheap. I'm not sure on the exact price as it was a gift but I've done a bit of research and I'm pretty sure these only cost £1.99. Bargain or what? I'm not sure if H&M do other fruits and flavours as I haven't been in the store since I came to Australia but my Step Mum seems to think there were a couple more fruity options when she bought me this one. If I spot any when I return to the UK I will be getting one in every flavour going. For me, this is the perfect little lip product to pop in my bag for touch ups. It is very small and compact meaning it won't take up much room in my handbag, it works great on its own for a 'au natural' look or it can be applied over lipstick to add a slight sheen. I also think something like this would make a cute little novelty gift. I realise it might not be to everyones taste but I personally love it and would encourage you to pick one up when you are next in H&M. Who doesn't want cherry tasting, moisturised lips for a bargain price?

I hope you are all having a lovely weekend and a fab fathers day! It isn't fathers day here in Australia but it is my little brothers birthday. He turned nine today and we have had a lovely day. Don't you just love birthdays?

Lots of Love,

Joico Moisture Recovery Leave-In Moisturizer

Hey Lovelies! If you read my Feel Unique treats post here, you will know that I recently picked up the 'Moisture Recovery Leave-In Moisturizer' by Joico. Now Joico isn't a brand I'm overly familiar with and if I'm being honest, this was a bit of an impulse buy. However, I am so glad I did purchase this as it has now opened my eyes to the wonders of Joico. As I said, it isn't a brand I am overly familiar with but after doing a bit of research I discovered it is the brand behind 'K-PAK' products which I have seen in salons and heard rave reviews about. I would class Joico as a high-end brand but their prices aren't stupidly ridiculous like some other brands I have come across. I also loved this little quote in the 'about' section of their website,

We eat, sleep and breathe beauty. Why? Because beauty isn't our job - it's our passion. 

(I'm sure all us beauty obsessed ladies can relate to this?)

So as I was trawling through the bazillion haircare products Feel Unique have to offer, this hair 'moisturiser' caught my eye. I'm not sure if its just me but I have never seen another hair product called a moisturizer before? I have had every other product going from oils, treatments to leave-in conditioners but never a moisturiser. I was instantly intrigued by the name and absolutely loved the sleek and simple packaging. I then went on to read the description and it won me over. This product claims to revitalise dry/coarse hair and give it some much needed moisture. As I have bleached blonde hair I decided this product would be perfect for my dry, colour-treated hair and popped it in my basket. When this arrived in the post I was completely shocked at how big the bottle is, it is huge (300ml to be precise). The next thing I did was give it a spray so I could have a smell of it. For me, hair products have got to smell nice. Who wants stinky hair? No thanks. Luckily for Joico, I fell in love at first sniff. (Okay that sounds wrong!) Seriously though, this spray smells just like those luxury products they use in hair salons. I always leave the hair salon with wonderful smelling hair and this has that same 'hairdresser' type scent. If that makes any sense? It smells so good I haven't stopped spraying it from the moment I got it. When it comes to applying this product, I don't stick to a certain routine. On the back of the bottle it says to use this on damp, towel dried hair but I have been spraying it liberally whenever I feel like it. Oohh, how rebellious of me? ha! The reason for this is because when sprayed it is a light mist, meaning it doesn't weigh my hair down or make it look greasy, even when its dry. I find myself applying this spray morning and night to give my hair that added moisture it might be lacking as well as straight after a shower along with my Babyliss Pro Argan Oil. I have also noticed that it helps detangle my hair due to its conditioning formula. As well as this, the description on the Feel Unique website says this product can also be used as a facial spray for instant rehydration, a body moisturiser and to set make-up in place. Multi-tasker? Even better. Now I can't say I have seen a difference in my hair due to this product alone because I have been using it along with other products. However, what I will say is that my hair has never as soft, shiny and nourished as it is currently. With that being said, I will continue to use this gigantic bottle till every last bit is gone. Even if its just so I can have lovely salon smelling hair every day of the week. 

This product can be found on the Feel Unique website here for £12.95 which is fairly reasonable due to the huge amount of product you get. If you have dry hair and are in need of a moisture boost, I would highly recommend this spray.

Have you ever tried anything from Joico?

Lots of Love,

MAC Mineralize Skinfinish | Gold Deposit

Wearing Gold Deposit on my cheeks 

Hello lovely ladies! Today I would like to review one of my favourite highlighters, MAC Mineralized Skinfinish in the shade 'Gold Deposit'. I used to use the Soft and Gentle MSF which was one of my first purchases from MAC and I absolutely love it. However, as I was almost hitting pan (two years later by the way), I decided to give Gold Deposit a whirl instead. I got this as a christmas present from my lovely boyfriend last year after months of eyeing it up and have been loving it ever since. Aside from limited edition collections, Gold Deposit and Soft and Gentle are the only two permanent MSFs that MAC have to to offer. I personally think they need to expand their range as they are definitely one of my favourite products from the brand. If you don't know what a mineralise skin finish is, it is basically a multi-purpose product that is mainly used for highlighting. However, they can also be used as a blush or eyeshadow depending on the colour you get. So why do I love them so much? Well firstly I have to mention how pretty they are, I mean who couldn't love them? Just look how beautiful it looks in the pan. All of the MSFs have a beautiful veining effect through them meaning they are all unique and not one looks exactly the same as another. Pretty cool ey? As well as them looking pretty, they are amazingly soft and insanely pigmented. As you can see in the photo above, with one swipe of my finger I get an incredible colour pay-off. Gold Deposit is a gorgeous bronze colour whereas Soft and Gentle is a golden champagne shade. Depending on your skin type, you can pick the one to suit you. I personally love a bronzed look and always apply bronzer all over my face when doing my makeup. I find Golden Deposit works really well over bronzer to give my skin that healthy glow. I only need to lightly dab my brush in this and sweep it across the top of my cheekbones to get the desired 'glowy' effect. If you don't like the bronzed look, I would 100% recommend Soft and Gentle as it will look amazing with fair, 'English Rose' type skin. Moving on to the bad part, the price. As with anything from MAC, it isn't going to be cheap. These cost £21.50 and can be found here on the MAC website. Although this is a lot of money for a highlighter, I really believe you get what you pay for. For me, this price is justified because I know how amazing the quality is and how long it will last. As I said earlier, my Soft and Gentle version lasted me 2 years with regular use before I completely hit pan. You get a large 10g of product in the pan and as they are so pigmented, you only need the slightest amount each time you use it. Overall, I couldn't recommend these more if you are looking for the perfect highlighter. I am wearing it in the pictures above and think it adds a lovely polished finish to the rest of my makeup. 

Have you tried the MAC Mineralize Skinfinishes? Whats your favourite highlighter?

I'd also like to quickly say hello to my new followers. It only seems five minutes ago I hit a thousand so I just want to let you all know I really appreciate all of your lovely comments and support. Its very endearing and uplifting.

Lots of Love,

Battle of the Urban Decay Neutrals | Naked 1 vs Naked 2

Original Naked Palette (Well used as you can see)

Naked Palette 2

Top - Naked 2 | Bottom - Naked 1

Naked 1 Swatches - Virgin, Sin, Naked, Sidecar, Buck, Half Baked, Smog, Darkhorse, Toasted, Hustle, Creep, Gunmetal

Naked 2 Swatches - Foxy, Half Baked, Bootycall, Chopper, Tease, Snakebite, Suspect, Pistol, Verve, YDK, Busted, Blackout

How Cute?!

Hey Ladies! If you follow me on Twitter here, you will know that my lovely boyfriend recently surprised me with the Urban Decay Naked 2 palette. This had been on my wish list for quite some time after loving the first palette so when a package arrived in the post for me containing this, I couldn't of been happier. My boyfriend attached a little note with the palette saying '1000 blog followers deserves a beauty treat to blog about!! You've done brill!' I thought this was so thoughtful and cute so thank you very much Matt. If you are a regular reader of my blog, you will know that I recently hit the big 1000 followers milestone and I was over the moon.  My boyfriend knows how much I love blogging and the fact he supports me makes me a very happy girl indeed. Moving on from my soppy thank you, I have decided to do a bit of a comparison review between this palette and the original Naked palette. If you are a makeup fanatic like me (which I guess most of you are) then you may like to have both palettes in your collection. Alternatively, you might not own either of the palettes and would like to see comparison photos before deciding which one you'd prefer.

I thought I would start my comparison by talking about the packaging. For me, packaging is a huge factor when it comes to makeup. I realise it doesn't effect the actual product but having something pretty to look at when applying it makes it all the more pleasurable. When I first got the original palette last year, I adored the packaging. I loved the huge gold letters, the velvet texture and the sleek, clearly named shadows. The second palette comes in a gold metal tin, again with large letters, clearly named shadows and this time a humongous mirror. I think I prefer the outer appearance of this packaging because it looks very sleek and sturdy but for me, the original palettes inner appearance is more appealing. Although the new palette has a larger mirror, I love the eye-catching gold letters on the inside of the original palette. However, as you can see from the pictures above, my original palette is not looking great. The mirror has cracked, the velvet has gone fluffy and the letters are slowly but surely fading away. Due to the more durable packaging of the second palette, I can't imagine it becoming as tatty looking as the original. I'd also like to mention that the first palette came with a mini Urban Decay primer potion (which I didn't like) and an eyeshadow brush. Some of the original palettes came with a double ended eye pencil which I would have preferred as the brush isn't great. The second palette also came with a brush but this time a double ended version. Again, I'm not a huge fan of the brushes as they are very stiff and hard to work with. The second palette also comes with a mini lip junkie lipgloss which I really like. It is a lovely berry pink shade and makes my lips feel plump and tingly. Overall, I think the second palette slightly beats the first based on the practicality of a hard-wearing case and a larger mirror.

Moving on to the most important part of this comparison, the colour range. Both of these palettes have a selection of 12 gorgeous neutral shades that can be used to create a whole array of eye looks. I have included swatches in the photos above and as you can see, the shades are very similar. However, the only shade that is actually featured in both of the palettes is 'Half Baked'. Half Baked is definitely one of my favourites from the original palette and as you can see I have hit pan on it so I was very happy to see this shade again in the second palette. Apart from that, there is a range of newly named shades. To be honest, I could't really pick a favourite palette in terms of colour range. The only things I prefer about the second palette is the fact it has a matte black and a larger selection of cooler toners than the original palette. If you are looking for a mixture of matte and shimmer shadows, the second palette has four opposed to two in the original. That being said, I do love a good shimmery eyeshadow so the shades provided in the original palette don't offend me in the slightest. 

The original palette cost me £27.00 but after the huge hype and success surrounding it, the pesky people at Urban Decay decided to up the price to £36.00. Then again, who can blame them? In my opinion, £36.00 is still remarkably cheap for 12 high quality, highly pigmented eyeshadows. I have had the original palette for well over a year now and apart from Half Baked, it looks as though it has barely been touched. These eyeshadows will last such a long time and are a staple for so many looks that I think the price is completely justified. If you do a little bit of maths, it works out at £3.00 an eyeshadow which is pretty blooming reasonable.

Overall, I love both of these palettes and know I will get good use from them both but do I think you need both? No. I think these palettes are far too similar to justify buying both but  I 100% recommend trying one of them if you don't have either. Unless your a makeup collector like me, you really won't need both to create a perfect neutral eye. I have been fortunate enough to have the luxury of trying both but in reality, I wouldn't have bought  them both myself after seeing how similar they are. The only difference between these palettes aside from packaging is the original has warm shades and the second palette has cool shades so if you are unsure of which to go for, you can pick the palette most suited to your skin tone. 

I hope this review helped some of you in one way or another and I hope I haven't missed any important information out. If you have anymore questions about either of these palettes, please feel free to ask

Also, if any of you are on Twitter, I'd love to chat with you so send me a tweet!

Lots of Love,

A New Favourite | Revlon 'Lollipop' Lip Butter

Hey Lovelies! I recently tweeted about how much I am loving 'Lollipop' Lip Butter by Revlon. It has quickly become my go-to lip product and has found a comfortable position among my favourites. For me, its all about the lips. If you are a regular reader of myy blog, I'm sure you will know by now how much I love lip products. I actually worked out the other day I have around 40 lipsticks. I was quite shocked at myself when I worked it out, obsessed much? Anyway, I realise I have blogged about the lip butters in a previous post here but I wanted to dedicate one just to the shade Lollipop. I've said it all before but I'll say it again. I love the packaging, the formula, the pigmentation and most of all I love the colour. I am a huge fan of a deep pink lip and have quite the collection. From MAC 'Girl About Town' to my most recent Inglot purchase, its clear to see this is one of my favourite lip colours. However, there is just something extra special about this lip butter that makes me reach for it over all my other berry pink shades. I think the formula of this product makes it exceptionally wearable. I have worn this during the day and also on a night out which is something I haven't done with my MAC or Inglot lipsticks. I think the glossy finish these lip butters provide makes them very versatile as I can add a hint of colour or build it up so it is bright and bold. As you can see from the picture above, when paired with a fairly neutral eye it really brightens up my face and gives my makeup a more polished look. I also own Strawberry Shortcake, Peach Parfait and Tutti Frutti lip butters but 'Lollipop' is my favourite by far. I bought mine from Boots on the 3 for 2 offer so I'd highly recommend holding out for that and giving these a try. They are a much cheaper than high-end lipsticks at only £7.99 each and in my opinion they are just as lovely. 

Do you love the Revlon Lip Butters as much as I do? Whats your favourite shade?

I hope you have all had a lovely weekend!

Lots of Love,

Miracle Nail Product | Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Top Coat

Hey Ladies! Today I would like to share with you an amazing nail product I have discovered recently. To be honest, I'm not a huge nail person due to the fact my natural nails are naff and I am absolutely pants at painting them. They always end up looking a total mess as I am too impatient to wait for them to dry meaning I end up with smudges, chips and generally messy looking nails. I usually don't bother painting them unless I have acrylics but lets face it, they are expensive and I definitely can't afford to have them done all the time. Anyway, I decided I needed to get my act together and start making my natural nails look a little more acceptable when I am giving them a break from falsies. So when I was browsing the Feel Unique website and spotted this product, I thought it looked amazing. I wasn't convinced it would work but for £5.05 I couldn't pass up the opportunity to try it. When this arrived in the post I wasn't too excited to try it as I just thought, 'oh, it will be another one of those products that doesn't live up to its claims'. Let me tell you, I was so wrong. This product is amazing. I tried it for the first time a few days ago after painting my nails with Barry M 'Mint Green'. On the box, it says to wait 2 minutes after painting nails and then apply. As I said, I'm impatient so I whacked this on straight after I'd applied a second coat. I was expecting the brush to be covered in mint green after applying it to wet nails but there was absolutely no transfer. The product glided onto my nails with ease and almost felt more like a liquid than a nail polish. It was quite runny but not in a bad way as this just meant it wasn't tacky and didn't pull any polish off my nails like a lot of top coats do. I left my nails for the recommended 30 seconds and then touched them to see if they would be dry like the bottle claimed. To my surprise, my nails were dry. When I say dry, I mean completely dry. Usually when I paint my nails, I wait for them to dry and even though they feel dry, they still smudge at the slightest touch. I decided to truly put this to the test and I carried on with my day as if I didn't have anything on my nails. This meant picking things up, using my phone and so on. When I checked my nails ten minutes later, there was not one chip in sight. Also, my nails have never been shinier. They looked so glossy and even my terrible nails looked half decent. I then put this to the test even more and tried purposely chipping my nail. When I applied force, my nails still didn't chip due to the hard protective layer this top coat provides. For me, this product is a miracle worker and makes painting my nails a million times easier. I am no longer worried about painting my nails and them looking disastrous and it is also perfect if I'm in a rush and haven't got time to wait around for them to dry. Overall, this is an amazing product and I would 100% recommend it to anyone.

I purchased mine here on the Feel Unique website here but it is widely available on the hight street as well.

I hope you are all having a lovely day!

Lots of Love,