Picture Tuesday

Photo: Wailintse

NOTD: Lauren

1 coat of ASOS Nail Paints by Ciaté in 'Lauren'

After using the free Ciaté nail polish free with the November issue of Marie Claire and really liking it, I had a looksy on ASOS and found that their nail paints were reduced to £1 from £6!

The colour is a gorgeous, bright blue which I thought might have been a little too bright at first. But upon applying it, the colour spoke for itself and I really like it. The formula is easy to work with. The colour pay-off is brilliant, acheiving an opaque finish after one coat. I found that with a topcoat, the nail polish remained chip free for a couple of days, before chipping quite a lot as the week drew on.

Have any of you ever tried any Ciaté or ASOS Nail Paints by Ciaté before? What did you think of them?

xoxo, Joy

Review: Pixi Energy Blush

Pixi Energy Blush in No.1 Pretty Petal

What they say: (From PixiBeauty.co.uk) Cheek colour and glow highlighter in pick-me-up colours. These pick-me-up colours are designed to transform you from tired to on-top. Nothing brightens and awakens the face like a flattering blush and highlighter in the right place.


Price: £2.99 from TK Maxx (RRP: £14.00)

Swatches:

With flash - From L-R: Blush, Highlighter, Blush+Highlighter

What I think:

• I really like the packaging of this product. Although it is a little bulky, I love the green casing. There is a generously sized mirror and a compartment for the brush that is provided with it.
• I don't use the brush that was included, but it is extremely soft and would be ideal for travel.
• 3/4s of the pan is a baby pink blush with slight shimmers and 1/4 is a white highlighter with silver glitter running through it.
• The product is a little powdery. There is a lot of fall out around the pan when your swirl a brush on the product. This can get a little messy, but it's tolerable.
• The blush is very very sheer. It barely shows up on my skin (I am an NC15 in MAC), so I do not think this product would be suitable for people with darker skintones.
• The highlighter is very pretty, but must be used with a light hand, because otherwise the shimmer will go everywhere and make you look like a disco ball.
• The blush and highlighter mixed together gives a pretty pale pink (It has been washed out on the swatch). Although this product has been sat a little unloved in my make-up collection, whenever I dig it out, I use the two colours combined as a highlighter.

I personally would not have bought this product at £14. The blush portion is disappointing as it is so sheer and unpigmented to be worn alone. I do, however, like the white highlighter portion and the colour given by the blush and highlighter combined. If you like the look of this product, I would recommend looking into one of the darker, more intense colour combinations instead of this one. I didn't see this colour on the Pixi website when I went on it earlier, so I have a feeling they may have stopped producing it anyway.

Have any of you tried this blush? Are there any blushes that you've come across that were disappointing?

Thank you for reading. xoxo, Joy

P.S. You may have noticed that the review was written in bullet points instead of paragraphs today. (I don't think I am awake enough at the moment to write in coherent paragraphs.) I was wondering if you like it in this format

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

Picture Tuesday

Photo: Fake is the new real (Here)

NOTD: Tropical Storm

1 coat of L.A. Colors Nail Polish in 'Tropical Storm'

The colour is a gorgeous, opaque dark silver colour (Wow, I am awful at describing colours...). I think that I'll be wearing this nail polish a lot throughout the autumn/winter time. I found the formula was very easy to work with and was opaque with only one coat. I also found that it was pretty quick drying. I was a little disappointed by how long lasting the nail polish was. It chipped quite quickly and I removed it after only 3 days.

xoxo, Joy

Review: Skin Doctors Vein Away

What they say: (From the back of the box) Reduce the appearance of spide veins, broken capillaries and burst blood vessels in just weeks! This potent formulation is jamp packed with the latest skincare breakthroughs to help diminish the appearance of spider veins, broken capillaries and burst blood vessels. Formulated to contain a high dose of Vitamin K for an incredible effect, Vein Away Plus also contains Vitamin A to hasten delivery of these vital ingredients for faster, more dramatic results.

Price: £7.99 from TK Maxx (RRP £19.99)

What I think: I have been using Vein Away Plus every morning and evening for just over a month now. The product is recommended to be applied after a warm shower or bath when the pores are open for absorption.

Vein Away Plus can be used all over the body and the face. I've been using it around my nose and on my chin, because I have some mild broken capillaries in those areas. Due to only using it on those localised areas, I'm sure the 100ml in the tub will last me absolutely ages! The product has a nice consistency and massages well into the skin leaving little residue. It has a sort-of fresh, almost lemony scent to it, which is pleasant and not overpowering.

So far, I really can't say that I've seen much of an improvement of the areas I've been using it on. For now, I would not have recommended this product, because it has done nothing for me. However, I will persevere with the product for a longer period of time and update you about the progress and whether or not my opinion of this product has changed. I can however, definitely say that this product isn't for someone that wants to see quick results, it takes time and patience, remembering to apply it religiously.

Do any of you have broken capillaries/spider veins? Have you found any good products that help them?

Thank you for reading. xoxo, Joy

Tattoos

Photo: Tattoologist (Credit to the original photographer)

I've wanted a tattoo for a while now, but I have never been able to decide on the design since I constantly to change my mind about what I want. First I wanted a 4 leafed clover, then I decided that I liked the idea of having swallows/love birds, before changing my mind again to having the star arrangement from the Chinese flag, but decided against that idea due to everyone having star tattoos, and so the design battle continues (Wow, that was possibly the longest sentence ever...).

One night last week, I came across Tattoologist's blog. It's packed with photographs of different types of tattoos ranging from small and dainty birds to text to large animal tattoos. I thoroughly enjoyed looking at all the photos and continually felt compelled to click the "Older Posts" button until I reached the end. I highly recommend taking a look at her blog, especially if you want tattoo ideas. I just thought I'd share a couple of tattoos from the blog that I liked:

Photos: Tattoologist (Credit to the original photographers)

What are your opinions of tattoos - Yay or nay? I'd also love to know if any of you have tattoos :)

Hopefully I didn't bore you too much! Thanks for reading. xoxo, Joy

P.S. I like The Twilight Saga, as I'm sure many other people do. But I didn't think anyone could like it THIS much:

Image Source: Google Images

Saturday Quote

Photo: Amanda Gilligan (Here)

"Believe in yourself and all that you are. Know that there is something inside you that is greater than any obstacle." - Christian D. Larson

Recent Purchases

Since I've been back from Canada, I've tried to resist going shopping. But I had to return a dress to Topshop, which only resulted in me buying more...

BootsExpert Dry Scalp Treatment Shampoo - £2.99
Vitamin Water Lip Balm - Free [After buying 2 Vitamin Waters at £1.75 each]
No. 7 Eyeshadow Blend & Contour Brush - £1.50 [With the £5 off voucher]

MAC
Face and Body Foundation - £23.00
Accessorize
'Hand of Fatima' bracelet - £7.00

Orelia at Topshop
Bow necklace - £5
Leaf bracelets - £7

What have you bought recently?

Thanks for reading. xoxo, Joy

Picture Tuesday

Photo: Amaia (Here)