Beauty treats from Asda

I popped into Asda the other day for my grocery shopping and was sidetracked by some beauty related goodies as usual.
Asda had a special offer on Revlon's false eyelash range where you could get two sets of lashes for £10. I opted for getting the 2 pairs pack; hence 4 pairs of eyelashes for a tenner.
I haven't tried Revlon's falsies yet but they do look quite promising -

I got the Intensifying set:

and the Defining one:

Have you tried these? Any thoughts?

I also popped this rather intriguing looking scrub from n-spa into my trolley:

By no means was I in need of yet another scrub - I just simply took a sniff and there was no way I was putting it back on the shelf - into my trolley it went.
This scrub is sure to delight the senses of all fudge and caramel lovers. I know that I probably could have made it myself by mixing a couple of ingredients found within my kitchen cupboards but you know how it is...
Hot Butter Fudge Sugar Polish gently buffs away dull looking skin while leaving it feeling moisturised at the same time due to the added honey extract.
It's great as it's gentle (though not gentle enough to be used on the face) but gets the job done and indulges your senses at the same time - you'll be tempted to eat it. Another plus is that it rinses off easily so no irritating granules get left behind to make moisturising a pain.

Did you pick up any beauty treats during your last grocery shopping trip?

P.S. Happy Halloween to you all!!!

Cha Cha Lip Tar

OCC's (Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics) Lip Tar in Cha Cha is a gorgeous pastel peach shade and thus a winner in my books. This shade is probably more suited to being worn in the spring and summer but I'm all ready to break the rules and wear Cha Cha as often as I can.
It's not the easiest shade to wear, mind you - lip tars need to be applied with caution as they're saturated in colour and SUPER pigmented. You've probably heard this before but I'll say it again - the tiniest bit goes a very long long way! - wise words those:)

I like to wear Cha Cha in a very toned down and sheer manner:

What a perfect nude, don't you think?

...and on the lips -

The formulation is long lasting on the lips and feels very refreshing with a peppermint scent to it. I have also found that the lips need to be well moisturised before applying the lip tar as any dryness or cracks will be accentuated.
Due to the product being so saturated and pigmented, I'd advise to refrain from applying straight from the tube as you'll end up looking like you've just smacked on a whole lot of paint on your lips.
Using a brush is essential for having control of the product and being able to apply it evenly.

My very first lip tar and I'm blown away...there might be more purchases in the future...

Not another lipstick!:)

The other day while looking through my make-up stash I made a promise to myself not to purchase any more lipsticks. It didn't take me long to break that promise as a couple of hours later I walked into Boots and saw a new addition to Revlon's Matte Lipsticks collection. The shade was called Smoked Peach. Sold.
I had to have it. I might have been tougher and resisted had it not been a peach shade.

and on the lips-

I adore Revlon's Matte Lipsticks and own three other shades: Nude Attitude, Pink Pout and Mauve it Over.

The lipsticks come in a range of beautiful colours (not enough for my liking), sleek packaging and a reasonable price tag. They are very pigmented and although matte, they don't feel drying on the lips. I have found though that they can really emphasise dry or chapped lips and settle into the lines of the lips so whenever I wear one of these I tend to make sure that my lips have been exfoliated and moisturised beforehand. Applying them with a brush instead of from the bullet also works better with this texture and tends to go on more even and looks smoother.

Overall I'm ecstatic about the peachy addition to this collection of matte lipsticks which I adore especially now when I'm mad about anything peachy and apricot coloured...as you'll probably learn in upcoming posts. ..

Do you own any lipsticks from Revlon's Matte Collection?

A bit of a hair ramble...

I placed another order with Lush a couple of weeks ago as I had run out of my absolute favourite shampoo - Big - HERE's a review in case you're not familiar with it.

Big is also a favourite of my partner's and if it's not around he'll moan and groan about having to use other shampoos, pointing out how nothing else seems to lather up just as well. How very true - Big lathers up like no other shampoo I've tried and smells incredibly refreshing.
Being so impressed with Big, I also purchased Curly Wurly which contains coconut and vanilla and is meant to tame tangles and make curly hair more manageable. Although my hair is straight/wavy I figured that it would do no harm to give it a go.

Curly Wurly's consistency is a thick pink paste and contains real coconut pieces.

It also smells good enough to eat. The best way to use it is to rinse the hair properly after washing and to have a brush or comb at hand for brushing out the coconut pieces which still remain in your hair after rinsing. The
first time I used it I just simply rinsed for a long time without brushing and when I went to dry my hair all the remaining coconut pieces started falling out and I had to vacuum my carpet as well. Curly Wurly is definitely not for time conscious individuals.
I do like Curly Wurly but don't think that I will repurchase again as Big just seems to be ticking all the boxes for me and is less time consuming.

...and onto a winner...this one could be for keeps...- 

I think that I have finally found my perfect hair dye.
My natural hair colour is brown/medium brown and I do not like being experimental when it comes to dyeing my hair, thus I always tend to stick to shades of brown - either light, natural or medium brown - I just don't want to have to worry about the roots being a different colour. 
I remember the utter face of confusion that one of my male work colleagues once pulled when I told him that I was going to dye my hair brown. He couldn't comprehend why someone with brown hair was planning on dyeing it brown...rightly so I guess but us girls do understand this concept - it's all about adding life, shine and a bit of gloss to the hair...and still being able to see a change even though none has been made:)

So my favourite dye of the moment is Clairol's Nice 'n Easy Non-permanent dye in Medium Ash Brown.

It's easy to use, doesn't stink and provides natural looking results. The colour comes out a true brown and what I mean by this is that my hair doesn't come out dark looking, almost black or dark brown as can all too often happen with some dyes which claim to be a brown shade. Neither does it have any red tones to it as the ash tones minimize any red or orange undertones.
One thing I have noticed is that after rinsing out this dye, my hair feels incredibly stiff and straw like but the moisture rich conditioner which comes in the pack is incredible and turns my hair incredibly soft - and smells fabulous as well. I wonder if it can be purchased separately?

Here's a picture of my hair - not the best but it's damn hard taking a picture of your hair by yourself:

Do you tend to stick to one hair dye or do you prefer being experimental?

More photoshoot fun!

Last week I had a blast yet again when I did the make-up for stunning Joyce and took her out for a photo shoot in order to practise taking shots. The location was stunning, we drove up to our local hills but looked less than glamorous getting around in our wellies to find the perfect spot for our shoot.
Here's just some of the pictures - 

Some Essie...

First of all, many apologies for being a terrible blogger but things have been pretty hectic lately and I'm really hoping to improve on the blogging front...

To help me get back into the swing of things, I thought that I'd share with you two Essie nail polishes that I bought last week - Velvet Voyeur (left)  & Haute As Hello (right).

Essie describes Velvet Voyeur as an "intense chocolate amethyst". In the bottle it looks like a dark purple shade but on the nails it comes out very dark, almost black. Definitely a "vampy" sort of shade that is going to be perfect for Autumn/Winter.
Haute As Hello might not be the colour of the moment but I picked it up anyway and will surely not be waiting for Spring/Summer to wear it as it's a very bright coral shade which is definitely going to help brighten up any gloomy autumn days.

(Please pardon the very rushed paint job but I just wanted to get both colours on for the purpose of this post.)
I find that you need to be rather careful with the application of these as they're quite runny and it's best to apply two very thin coats and be diligent with removing excess polish off the brush before application. 

What polish are you currently wearing?

A little picture heavy...

I've decided to get to grips with my camera in a "hands on" manner as it's probably the best way to learn. Initially I just sat around reading the instructions manual but found it to be a little more than tedious. My new method of learning is a lot more fun and involves combining make-up with photography. I had a blast last Sunday doing the make-up for my friend Sara and organizing a mini fashion shoot...:)
Here's just a couple of pics...- oh and by the way, I think that this might just turn into a hobby of mine so hopefully I'll be posting more pics in the future.

Any constructive criticism, tips or advice on what I'm doing right or wrong will be greatly appreciated as I'm currently at a stage of experimentation and don't really have a clue as to what I'm doing - but it's great fun nonetheless!