NOTD: Berry Ice Cream

Tuesday 31 August 2010

2 coats of Barry M Nail Paint in 'Berry Ice Cream'

The colour is a gorgeous lilac colour, which I think would be perfect for any skin tone. I found it really easy to apply and that it dried pretty quickly. I personally thought the formula was a little thick, so more care is needed than usual, but that didn't really bother me. With 2 coats, you get a lovely opaque colour. I've had it on for about 4 days now and I have no major chips, just a little tipwear on my index fingers.

xoxo, Joy

Review: Kiss Nails

Friday 27 August 2010

After winning Faye's Kiss Nails giveaway back in June (Thank you, again!), I decided that the perfect time to try out the Everlasting French Nails (Petite) would be when I went on holiday.


What they say: (From KissUSA.com) Smaller nails for smaller hands. Patented Technology - creates the ultimate French nail that won't chip - Guaranteed! Looks like a professional Salon Acylic application. Easy Application Clean Break Tabs make nails easier to apply. Can also be shaped and filed to your personal style without chips or tip wear. Available in two nail shapes - Flat or Regular. 24 nails in 12 different sizes - a perfect fitting manicure for everyone

Price: £8.49

What I think:
I put the false nails on 2 days before I set off on holiday. In the box, you get a tube of glue, an orange stick, a nail file and 28 nails (in 14 different sizes, so there will definitely be a size for everyone). I have never used false nails before, so I spent a couple of minutes studying the instructions on the back of the box, which are very clear and have little diagrams to help you.

Although it only took me approximately 15-20 minutes to do, I found the whole process a little stressful, especially picking out which size nails to use. I'm sure that if you're used to this process, it will be easy as 1, 2, 3 but for first time users, like myself, it is slightly more stressful and takes a little more time. I messed up the first few nails, since you could see bubbles/streakiness under the false nail (due to the pink part of the nail being translucent) where the glue hadn't been evenly distributed, but as I went on I gradually improved. Even though I'm right handed, I still found it easy using my left hand to apply the nails onto my right hand - Those little tabs are lifesavers!

The petite size was a perfect fit for my finger nails and I really liked the length of them. I generally keep my nails short, so although it took a little while to adjust to having longer nails, I found that they felt very natural, lightweight and comfortable. I have a touchscreen phone and I had no difficulty using it.

A couple of the nails fell off during the course of the week, which I just restuck on again. I think the most likely reason that they fell off was due to user error, since I was a newbie at applying the false nails. Resticking the nails back on was a bit of a pain, since there was no tab and it got a little messy. At one point I managed to glue a couple of fingers together. :/

I decided to take the nails off after a week, although I think that they would probably have lasted a few more days. Although Faye had sent me some information about the correct way of taking the false nails off, I wasn't all that willing to go out and buy some special false nail remover and since I was on holiday, I didn't have Boots or Superdrug to hand. In the end, I took the nails off by starting to push the false nail off my own nail on one side near the cuticle and then 'pop' the nail off. My nails are looking a little worse for wear at the moment, but with a little TLC, I'm sure they'll be fine in no time

Overall, I was impressed with the false nails. I'm still a lover of having short nails, but I would definitely use these again. For me, I think that they'd be great for special occasions if I want to glam my nails up a bit. If you regularly use false nails, then I would definitely recommend them to you.

Have you ever used Kiss Nails before? What did you think of them?

Thank you for reading. xoxo, Joy

Picture Tuesday

Tuesday 24 August 2010

Photo: Ennil (Here)

Home Sweet Home! (+Holiday OOTDs)

Monday 23 August 2010

Hi everyone! How have you been over the past week? I got home from my cruise on Saturday night and I had the most amazing time on holiday. I'm officially a cruise convert and would definitely recommend it to everyone. I wish I was still on holiday!

Image Source: Google Images

My family and I went on the Thomson Destiny and went around the Mediterranean. We got on the boat in Palma (Mallora) and the ports we stopped off at were in Villefranche (France), Livorno (Italy), Civitavecchia (Italy), Propriano (Corsica), Palamos (Spain) and then back to Palma. Everywhere was so packed, due to it being the height of tourist season. The pictures are only a couple of highlights from our trip, because if I included everything we did, I would probably bore you all to death! Also, you may think this is silly, but I don't feel too comfortable sharing pictures of the rest of my family here, so the pictures will only be of the places we went and/or me.

Saturday - Palma, Mallorca - Flew to Palma from Gatwick and got on the boat :)

Sunday - At sea

Monday - Villefranche, France - Visited Monaco

In front of the Monte Carlo Casino
Top: H&M
Shorts: Primark
Flip flops: Havaiana
Sunglasses: New Look
Bag: Cath Kidston

Tuesday - Livorno, Italy - Visited Florence and Pisa

Top: Urban Outfitters
Jeggings (Not in picture): Topshop
Gladiator sandals (Not in picture): New Look
Sunglasses: New Look
Bag: Cath Kidston

Wednesday - Civitavecchia, Italy - Visited Rome

The ice cream was so nom nom. The flavours I had were watermelon and Baci kiss - Random but both so good!
Dress: Asda
Flip flops (Not in picture): Havaiana
Sunglasses: Primark
Bag: Cath Kidston

Thursday - Propriano, Corsica - Stayed on the boat

Friday - Palamos, Spain - Visited Barcelona


Saturday - Palma, Mallorca - Waited on the boat until our departure time and then flew home.


I didn't realise how long this post had gotten with all the pictures. Thank goodness I didn't do too much of a running commentary, otherwise we would have been here forever! I hope I didn't bore you all too much. Thank you for reading. xoxo, Joy

Recent Purchases

Friday 13 August 2010

Since I came home from uni, I've managed to buy a rather ridiculous amount of things. I haven't bought much makeup recently, because I've put myself on a make-up buying ban.


AldoKnuckle Ring (Silver) - £6.98 [BOGOF]
Knuckle Ring (Gold) - £6.98 [BOGOF]

Topshop
Gogo Philip Bangle (Gold) - £4.50
Gogo Philip Bangle (Pewter) - £3.50


Marc by Marc Jacobs'I Love You' Necklace - £3
Keyring - £3
Wishbone Necklace - £5
Are you as amazed at the prices of these items as I was? Last year, when my friend, Abi, and I chanced upon this store, we were amazed and thought either everything in there was fake (lol) or that it was a pop up store. Needless to say, we stocked up and bought lots! Now, I try to go there as often as I can, because they change the stock quite frequently. If you live in/around London, then I highly highly highly recommend you pay a visit to the Marc by Marc Jacobs store on Mount Street (Mayfair). They have all the range of Marc by Marc Jacobs, plus 'special items' (like the ones I purchased), which are at affordable prices.

Boots/SuperdrugGarnier Youthful Radiance Night Moisturiser - £5.45
Olay Complete Care Daily UV Fluid - £2.79
Garnier Fresh Essentials Eye Make-Up Remover - £3.15 [2 for £4]
Garnier Soft Essentials Complete Cleansing Milk - £3.09 [2 for £4]
Max Factor False Lash Effect Mascara (Waterproof) - £10.99



Asian Supermarket
Likas Papaya Skin Whitening Herbal Soap - £2.50

I will do proper reviews for all of these products once I've had the opportunity to use them for a longer period of time and experiment with them. If there's anything you specifically want to see a review on, let me know :)

Long post is long, sorry! Thank you for reading. xoxo, Joy

Picture Tuesday

Tuesday 10 August 2010

Holiday

Sunday 8 August 2010

Photo: Sarah Hermans

Hi, I just wanted to write a quick post to let you all know that I'm will be on holiday from Aug 14 - Aug 21, so I won't be able to blog during that time.

I was going to do some scheduled posts for you while I'm away, but I decided against it. I thought you could all do with a break from my rambling! :)

Hope you're all enjoying your summer! :D

xoxo, Joy

Review: Superdrug Vitamin E Gentle Eye Cream

Friday 6 August 2010

I just wanted to quickly share with you a product that I won't be repurchasing.

Superdrug Vitamin E Gentle Eye Cream with SPF 15

What they say: (From the back of the tube) This light, non-greasy formulation containing naturally sourced Vitamin E will help deliver essential moisture to the delicate eye area, whilst the additional protection of SPF helps combat harmful and skin ageing UVA and UVB Rays.

Price: £2.49

What I think: This eye cream is incredibly cheap and doesn't seem to have much of a scent. The eye cream claims to help reduce the appearance of fine lines, puffiness and dark circles, I found it worked a little on the puffiness, but had no effect on my dark circles. I can't really comment on whether or not it reduced the appearance of fine lines. It had quite a thick consistency, which I occasionally found difficult to blend in, especially if you applied too much product to the area. Another major dislike is that it contained a lot of glitter, which is really strange and a completely undesired effect.

Have you ever tried this product? What did you think of it?

Thank you for reading. xoxo, Joy

In Style Magazine

Monday 2 August 2010

I popped into the local Co-op today to buy some bread (My life is so glamourous!) and as I was perusing the aisles, I spied that there was a free Body Shop Lip and Cheek stain, worth £9.50, with the September issue of In Style magazine. There are two colours to select from: Bronze Glimmer and Rose Pink - I chose the latter, because I thought that this colour would be more versatile and it kind of reminded me of the colour of Benefit's Benetint.

In Style Magazine: September

Doe foot applicator

Swatch:
With flash - Left: Slightly blended, Right: Unblended

Have any of you picked up a copy of this month's In Style magazine? Or have any of you ever tried the Body Shop's Lip and Cheek stain before?

Thank you for reading. xoxo, Joy

Wardrobe Envy: Olivia Palermo

Sunday 1 August 2010


All images are from tfs

Every time I see a picture of Olivia Palermo (Whether it's a candid, a screencap or at an event) I always think she looks flawless - her hair and make-up are always perfect and her outfits are always put together so well, with a lovely array of statement accessories and gorgeous bags. I threw in a picture of her and her model boyfriend, Johannes Huebl, for good measure, since he's awfully good looking. ;)

Who are your style crushes? Keep an eye out for more of mine!

xoxo, Joy