Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipsticks

From L-R: Sloane's Plum, Berry Queen, Nude Delight, Notting Hill Nude, Aubrun Breeze

Rimmel's Moisture Renew Lipstick in Nude Delight lipstick is one of my favourite nude lipsticks and I have repurchased it twice already. As I love Nude Delight so much, I decided to buy up a few more of the Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipsticks on Fragrance Direct as they were a bargainous 99p!

I really like the formula of these lipsticks. They are easy to apply and are not drying on the lips. I find that they're not the most long lasting lipsticks, but I don't mind too much as I usually expect moisturising formulas to last a shorter time on the lips. The lipsticks have a strange smell. It's not that unpleasant, but it definitely isn't as nice as the vanilla-y MAC Lipstick scents. I am not a big fan of the packaging... While purple is my favourite colour, I find the packaging to be a little garish and quite bulky. That being said, the bright packaging does make it easier to find the lipsticks once they've been thrown into the abyss that is my handbag.

When I first opened Sloane's Plum, I was thinking that it would be a shade that would be relegated to the back of my makeup drawers as the purple hue of the bullet scared me! But on the lips, it becomes a really pretty plum colour. If you want to see what it looks like on the lips, I'm wearing it in my latest Youtube video. Berry Queen is your typical blue toned red. It's a lovely shade, which I think would suit all skin types and it also makes your teeth look super white! As I mentioned before, Nude Delight is a gorgeous peachy nude, which I looove. While I don't usually like pink toned nudes, as they make me look a little dead, Notting Hill Nude has the right amount of pink and brown mixed in to create this gorgeous 'my-lips-but-nuder' colour. It's fast becoming a contender for my favourite nude lipstick. Auburn Breeze looks different on the lips to the bullet. It's a nice 'my-lips-but-better' colour,  but isn't my favourite as it has a bit of a glittery sheen to it.

Have you ever tried any Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipsticks?

Thank you for reading. xoxo, Joy

Casual Weekend FOTD

Yesterday my family and I ventured to a number of furniture stores to try and buy some new furniture for our house. In the end, we traipsed to at least 5 versions of what felt like the same shop but came home empty handed. Better luck next time, eh?

At the weekend, I like to keep my makeup light and simple and try to use as few products as possible. If I could, I would go out without any makeup on, but instead I opt for a 'no-makeup-makeup' type look.

I decided to use Revlon Photoready in Shell as my base, as it gives a subtle glow to my complexion. I used my Maybelline Pure Cover Mineral Concealer in Natural Beige under my eyes and over any redness or blemishes. I gave my skin a light dusting of Collection 2000 Sheer Loose Powder to set my base and then used Benefit Dallas on the apples of my cheeks, as I think it gives a nice, healthy glow. Although I wanted to keep my makeup simple, I still did my staple winged eyeliner using the Collection 2000 Extreme 24hr Felt Tip Liner and used my current favourite mascara - Rimmel Lash Accelerator. I filled in my eyebrows using my MAC 266 angled brush, which I am in love with, and a cool toned brown from my NYX Nude on Nude Natural Look Kit palette. To finish everything off, I used a little Eve Lom Kiss Mix lip balm to keep my lips soft and moisturised, while adding a little glossiness.

What does your weekend FOTD consist of?

Thank you for reading. xoxo, Joy

Autumn Face and Outfit

After my last FOTD, I decided to try to post them more so you can see what products I am using frequently, as I review products that I try but there are some staples that I have never actually reviewed that are part of my everyday arsenal. This FOTD also leads into my next post, which will be a review of the foundation I am wearing.

Face:

YSL Le Teint Touche Eclat Foundation

Benefit It Stick

Benefit Dallas

Eyes and eyebrows:

Urban Decay Halfbaked (all over the lid)

Collection 2000 Extreme 24hr Felt Tip Liner

Soap and Glory Thick & Fast Mascara

Rimmel Professional Eyebrow Pencil in Black/Brown

Lips:

MUA Lipstick Shade 1

I also wore black tights (Primark), black ballet pumps (Topshop), my trench coat (Michael Kors) and a big woolly scarf (Zara) - not pictured, sorry.

This kind of outfit has become one of my Autumn wardrobe staples. It's very simple, but super comfortable and it means I can transition some of my summery bottoms into the Autumn/Winter months. I have at least 4 floral skirts that I wear to death during the summer months, but I feel they go to waste a little during the colder months, so I have been pairing them with a cozy knit, a pair of opaque black tights and a chunky scarf and I really like the way it looks.

What has been your Autumn/Winter staple?

Thank you for reading. xoxo, Joy

Project Empties #17

Every month I manage to finish a fair amount of products as I have a tonne of half full products hanging around, waiting to be used. However, my skincare and beauty drawers never seem to get any emptier! One day I will have a normal amount of products... One day...

Nivea Anti Cellulite
Review: Long story short... This made no difference what so ever.
Would I repurchase? NO

Garnier Body Tonic Sugar Scrub
Review: Here
Would I repurchase? Yes

Aussie Aussome Volume Shampoo
Review: I absolutely love this shampoo. It gives a nice amount of bounce to the hair and leaves my hair looking especially voluminous if I blow dry my hair. It never left it feeling dried out and smells gorgeous.
Would I repurchase? Yes

Batiste Dry Shampoo (Original)
Review: This had a lemony smell, which wasn't particularly pleasant, however it did leave my hair smelling clean. This definitely helped to revive my second day hair and added a nice amount of volume and texture when required. This would occasionally leave my hair looking a little grey if I didn't brush it all away, however I think it is just this version as I have since started using the tropical one and I don't have this problem.
Would I repurchase? Not this version

Soap & Glory Hand Food
Review: I love this hand cream. It smells gorgeous and isn't greasy on the hands. Also the packaging it adorable and easy to spot in your handbag.
Would I repurchase? Yes

Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish
Review: Here
Would I repurchase? Yes

Superdrug Rehydrating Cleansing Gel
Review: Here
Would I repurchase? Maybe

I seem to hoard foundation samples as I want to try the foundations, but the samples are always too dark for me. Recently I've been fake tanning more frequently, so even though they weren't perfect matches, they worked a little bit better with my skintone. All three foundations were quite light coverage, which is something that I don't usually opt for but I've been wanting to venture that way for a while. I really liked the Rimmel Wake Me Up on the first application as it left my skin looking glowy, but when I used the sample again, it didn't sit right... I have been lusting after the Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua for ages and I think I will have to bite the bullet and purchase the full size sometime soon. The Liz Earle foundation sample was lovely too. It looked really nice on the skin, however it didn't last too well.

What have you finished this month?

By the way, I recently found out about this 'Pin it to Win it' competition open to London ladies where you can win laser hair removal at EF Medispa. I know there's a few of you out there that are from London and use Pinterest, so I thought it would be interesting to share this competition with you! The pin and instructions can be found at EF Medispa's Pinterest here. All words and opinions are my own. I am not being compensated for this post.

Thank you for reading. xoxo, Joy

Everyday Makeup

I don't often post FOTDs on here... In fact, I've only ever posted one before this! But I've recently been liking my everyday makeup so I thought I'd share it with you.

Face:

Benefit Porefessional Primer

Natural Collection Green Concealer

Paul & Joe Light Cream Foundation

Bourjois Healthy Mix Concealer

MAC Studio Finish Concealer

L'Oreal True Match Powder

Cheeks:

Revlon Matte Blush in 'Perfectly Peach'

Benefit Hoola

Eyes:

Estee Lauder Eyeshadow in 'Sun'

Collection 2000 Extreme 24 Hour Felt Tip Liner

Max Factor Masterpiece Max Mascara

Eyebrows:

Rimmel Professional Eyebrow Pencil in 004 Black-Brown

Lips:

Benefit Her Glossiness in 'Didn't Hear it from Me'

If you would like to see me applying this, then check out my Youtube video here.

What makeup have you been using daily?

Thank you for reading. xoxo, Joy

Sales Haul

I don't usually share all my Youtube videos here on my blog, but I recently uploaded a small sale haul to my Youtube channel and thought I'd share it here too as I picked up some great bargains:




Have you picked up any goodies in the summer sales?

Thank you for watching. xoxo, Joy

Blog Birthday and May Favourites 2012

Hi! Today's post is primarily about my May Favourites, however before we jump into that, I wanted to make a quick announcement...

Image: Google

My little blog turned two earlier this month and I sincerely cannot believe how fast the past two years have flown by! Thank you to all the old and new readers for your continued support. I truly appreciate all of your comments and thank you to those who take the time to read my little blog. To celebrate my blog turning two, I have given the design an overhaul. What do you guys think? For some reason, I couldn't sleep last night and ended up working through the night to make the design perfect and personally, I am rather proud of it :)

Moving onto my May favourites. This month I have been loving a variety of things, ranging from make-up to nail varnish to skincare. I have also included a 'random' favourite of the month too. 

From left to right: American Apparel Nail Lacquer in 'Office' - Rimmel 60 Seconds Nail Polish in 'In Style Coral' - La Roche Posay Effaclar K & Solait Mattifying Face Sun Fluid - H&M gold hair cuff - Garnier Body Tonic Sugar Scrub - NARS Laguna

Sleek Life's a Peach

What products were you loving this month?

Thank you for reading. xoxo, Joy

NOTD: In Style Coral

2 coats of Rimmel 60 Seconds Nail Polish in 'In Style Coral'

I first saw this on Lydia's blog and thought it was the perfect coral nail polish! It leans more towards an orangey-coral, but still has an element of pink. It is however a lot less pink than some other coral nail polishes in the market. This shade has fast become one of my favourite shades for Spring/Summer! It dried super quick and only needed 2 coats. If you were in a rush, you could probably get away with just 1 coat as it was semi-opaque and only needed a thin layer on top to ensure full opacity. The wide brush is so handy, I can paint most of my nails with just 1 stroke, which is great for lazy people like me!

I'm definitely going to be trying more of this Rimmel 60 Seconds range. I already have Rose Libertine, but do any of you have any recommendations for other colours to try? I think there's a lovely bright blue in the range?

xoxo, Joy

April Favourites 2012

Today's post is for my April favourites. I hope you enjoy the video :)

Thank you for watching. xoxo, Joy

Project Empties #10

This month has been quite successful on the skincare/body and make-up usage. I'm slowly, but surely working my way through everything. Although it doesn't help that I recently bought some new La Roche Posay items!

Clarisonic Nourishing Care Cleanser
Review: This is designed for dry skin, so it was nice and rich without being too heavy. It had a sort of artificial sherbert orange scent, which I initially liked but eventually grew sick of! The cleanser worked well with the Clarisonic, and worked just as well on it's own.
Would I repurchase? Maybe

Neutrogena Multi Defence Daily Moisturiser
Review: Here
Would I repurchase? Already have

Soap & Glory Clean, Girls Body Wash
Review: This is a lovely body wash. It smells amazing and leaves your skin feeling soft and clean. The smell lingers a little on the skin, which is lovely. I did find that sometimes this didn't foam well and I would need 4-5 pumps to make it lather up nicely. However the bottle lasted me ages, but annoyingly I couldn't get the last dregs from the bottom as the pump didn't reach it and I couldn't tip it out easily due to the bottle shape.
Would I repurchase? Yes

The Body Shop Vitamin E Sink In Moisture Mask
Review: Here
Would I repurchase? Yes

Estee Lauder Double Wear Zero-Smudge Lengthening Mascara

Review: This mascara is brilliant! It's super lengthening and adds a little volume as well. It layers brilliantly with other mascaras - I have layered it with Max Factor False Lash Effect and Rimmel Lash Accelerator and it worked a treat. The formula does not smudge at all, so you get a nice long wearing formula without having to buy a waterproof mascara. I did find it difficult to remove the last few traces of mascara at night, so that goes to show that it really hangs around.

Would I repurchase? Yes

Rimmel Lash Accelerator Mascara

Review: Here

Would I repurchase? Yes

Collection 2000 Extreme 24hr Felt Tip Liner

Review: This is a fantastic, pigmented felt tip eyeliner for a great price. It's so easy to use and would be great for anyone that is a little shaky when applying liquid eyeliner. The nib is quite big, so it may be difficult to get a thin and precise line, but it's perfect for cat eye/winged liner. I thought it dried up quite quickly, however if you press the nib onto the back of your hand, it would bring more fluid to the nib and it would work again. I never found this smudged on me, however it was easy to remove.

Would I repurchase? Yes

These are just a few mini samples that I received from a magazine (I think). The shampoo and conditioner were nice and left my hair feeling clean and soft. However the winner was the deep conditioner/mask. It left my hair feeling so soft and shiny, without making it weighed down.

What have you finished this month?

Thank you for reading. xoxo, Joy

January Favourites

Today's post is for my January favourites. I apologise in advance for repeating myself a million times!


By the way, I'm wearing my new glasses I mentioned here, so you can now see what they look like on :)
Thank you for watching. xoxo, Joy

Review: Rimmel Lash Accelerator

Left: Naked lashes, Right: Curled and 1 coat of Lash Accelerator
I really like this mascara. It's great for lengthening, but does not thicken a great deal. This mascara can be layered up, which adds to the volume or it can be paired with a volumising mascara, which looks amazing. It especially looks lovely when the lashes are curled.

The brush is quite unique. I like how it widens in the middle and tapers at the end, as I find it catches every single lash. The tapered end is great for getting right into the corner of the eye.

The formula of this mascara is quite wet, without being too wet, so it allows you to do a tonne of layers and it doesn't go clumpy. I've never found this mascara to smudge on me, which is great! I've had this for a while and I'm glad to say, it hasn't dried out yet.

I will definitely repurchase this mascara. It's a perfect lengthening mascara, which works well by itself or paired with another one.

Have you ever tried this mascara?

Thank you for reading. xoxo, Joy

Top 5 Nail Polishes for S/S

I forgot to take a picture of all the nail polish bottles lined up, but I'm sure you know what they all look like!

I was painting my nails last night and decided to share the 5 nail polishes that I will be wearing a lot over the spring/summer months. They may not be the on-trend colours of the season, but these are my personal preferences :) I'm sorry to say that while these polishes are widely available in the UK, they may be harder to come by in other countries.

I have NOTDs with mini reviews posted for the majority of these polishes, so I will link those below.

Thumb: H&M 'Sunset Dreams' - 1 coat
Pointer: Mavala 'Samoa' - 2 coats
Middle: Rimmel 60 Seconds 'Rose Libertine' - 2 coats
Ring: Barry M 'Berry Ice Cream' - 2 coats
Pinkie: 17 Fast Finish 'Peacock' - 2 coats

What are your favourite nail polishes for Spring/Summer?

I just wanted to add in a MASSIVE THANK YOU to Jennie for including me in her latest "Blogs I Love Friday". It was such a sweet thing to do and made my day :) If you don't already follow her blog, why not? It's amazing, go do it!! SailorJennie.com

Thank you for reading. xoxo, Joy

Review: Rimmel Matte Topcoat (+NOTD)

3 coats of NYC Long-Wearing Nail Enamel in 'Purple Pizzazz Frost'

Please excuse the messy paint job, the photo was taken pre-cleanup!

I picked this nail polish up in Superdrug recently for a bargainous 99p! I thought it was such a unique colour that it was too good to miss and this is the second thing I've bought with my February Project Empties allowance. The colour is a super pretty purple/blue colour with a slight iridescent/shimmery finish. It looks different colours in different lights, which I think is super cool. The first two coats were really streaky and I wasn't expecting much with the third coat, but upon applying the third coat, it became this opaque lovely colour.

'Purple Pizzazz Frost' with 1 coat of Rimmel Matte Topcoat (£4.59)

I've had this topcoat for a while now, but hadn't gotten round to writing a review on it. This polish turns nails matte pretty much instantly. By the time I'd finished my right hand, the topcoat on my left hand had already turned matte and dried. I was really impressed by this and I've decided that I really like the look of matte nails. Unfortunately, I found that this topcoat chipped ridiculously quickly! If you're looking for a long lasting matte topcoat, then this isn't it - I don't know if it's just this brand or matte topcoats in general that don't prolong the longevity of the polish beneath it. Although it's quite an expensive topcoat, it is worthwhile because it pretty much doubles your nail polish collection and is good for a quick fix for a unique nail.

What do you think of matte nails?

Thank you for reading. xoxo, Joy

Save A Tree, Hug A Bear

I discovered earlier this week that my old can of hairspray had started dribbling the hairspray down the side of the bottle, instead of spraying it onto my hair. I can't live without hairspray, soyes off I plodded to Boots yesterday before I went to the gym and somehow managed to not only buy more than I needed, but I also ended up in Primarni as it was on my walk home. Oops.


BootsWitch Hazel - £2.39
Got 2b 2 SEXY Collagen Lift Effect Hairspray - £3.99 [2 for £4! What a bargain, I got the second item for 1p!]
Got 2b Guardian Angel - £3.99 [2 for £4]
Rimmel Pro Matte Finish - £4.59
Collection 2000 Sheer Loose Powder - £2.99



Primark
Camel wedges - £4 [Reduced from £15]

Approximately 2 weeks ago, I won a David and Goliath Twitter giveaway by Glamour Magazine's Twitter. I won an invite to a launch party (which I was unable to attend, since it was in London and I'm currently studying in Birmingham) and 2 David and Goliath/Hauser Bears t-shirts. I'd never heard of Hauser Bears before, so I had a quick look into the organisation and found that it is a charity for the welfare of bears worldwide. They work to target the issues of bear bile farming in Asia, poaching and bears trapped in the entertainment trade. (More information can be found here) I chose these two cute tees from the range that they have on the David and Goliath site and I was excited to see that they'd arrived today :) I love David and Goliath t-shirts, because the material is so soft and comfortable to wear.


What have you all bought recently? Do you have anything from David and Goliath? Hope you all have a lovely weekend!

Thanks for reading. xoxo, Joy

NOTD: Rose Libertine

3 coats of Rimmel 60 Seconds Nail Polish in 'Rose Libertine'

I really love this colour - It's such a gorgeous corally-pink. It's ideal for hands and feet. I was impressed at how quickly this nail polish dried. I didn't time how long it took to dry, but it was generally pretty speedy. But on some nails where I had applied thick layers, it took a longer time. Upon applying the first coat, I was just thinking that it was a little streaky, but after applying another coat, it started to look better. The third coat made the colour look really opaque and gorgeous. I think it depends how thick each coat is. If you do thicker coats for your first/second one, then you'll probably need to do fewer coats. The brush is really big and I found that I was able to paint each nail in one - two strokes, which is good since I'm rather impatient.

xoxo, Joy

Recent Purchases

I had a half day at uni earlier this week, so I decided to do some exercise by walking around the Bullring. Obviously, you can't walk around a shopping centre without going into the shops and buying things!

Miss Selfridge
Studded clutch - £15.00 (Well, £13.50 with student discount) - I bought a clutch like this from Topshop for £45 a while back, but returned it because I didn't think it was really worth the price. When I saw this in the Miss Selfridge sale for only £15, I immediately snapped it up. I love how huge it is and I think it's cool that there is an assortment of different studs on it.

MujiNotebook - 60p - I like having a little notebook to carry around in my bag and I thought this was ideal. It was so cheap (I don't know if you agree, but nowadays it's hard to find things for less than £1!) and I love that it will fit easily into any size of bag.

Boots
Barry M Nail Polish 3 In 1 Basecoat, Topcoat and Nail Hardener - £2.95 [2 for £5]
Barry M Nail Polish in 308 (Berry Ice Cream) - £2.95 [2 for £5]
Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipstick in Nude Delight - £5.99
Natural Collection Moisture Shine Lipstick in Apple Blossom - £1.99 [I managed to break this within a few hours of buying this... What a doofus! After attempting to 'stick' it back together and failing, I decided to just melt it completely using Sabrina's method. You can see my end result in the photo above]
Neutrogena Visibly Clear 2-in-1 Wash & Mask - £3.59 [2 for £5]
Neutrogena Visibly Clear Pink Grapefruit Facial Wash - £4.49 [2 for £5]
Expert Build Up Removal Shampoo - £2.99

What have you bought recently?

xoxo, Joy

Glamour Magazine and Rimmel

I was so excited after reading this post at Make-up Savvy and found out that the July issue of Glamour magazine had Benefit freebies with it. It came out today, so I quickly popped into town after uni and bought up 3 copies of Glamour. I was lucky that there were quite a lot in the WHSmith I went to.

At £2 per magazine, £6 for 3 full size products is ridiculouly cheap in comparison to buying Benefit in a drugstore (The RRP of Eye Bright and Bad Gal are £14 and the RRP of It Stick is £17). I'm even considering stocking up and buying more if I like the products once I start using them.

When I was buying my magazines, I had a little chuckle to myself, since the two women in front of me were also buying mutiple issues of Glamour! It looked like we were panic buying!



Did any of you pick up any copies of Glamour today? Which freebie(s) did you pick?

I also popped into Superdrug to buy some Lemsip, since I have an awful cold at the moment. :( While I was there I picked up a Rimmel 60 Second Nail Varnish in 'Rose Libertine' for £2.49 (£1 off its RRP). The colour is a really pretty pinky coral, and I'm really excited to try it.

(It's a little darker in real life than in the photo.)

Thanks for reading. xoxo, Joy