London IMATS Haul!

*Incase you're confused I had already posted this before but being a ditzy idiot I accidently deleted it so I've had to rewrite it*

Last weekend I made a trip to London to go to Imats. It was the first time I'd ever been to it and I bought the tickets way back in January so you can imagine how excited I was. On the day I met up with the lovely Alberteen from the blog Dippy Writes and it was so good to be with someone as mad about make up as I am! Just as a little disclaimer, I did spend a lot of money considering it's just make up but I've been saving up for it for months now and  it was my end of exam treat.

L-R: Sweet Prawn Lipstick, Princess Lipstick, Dolly Pink Liner, Desert Rose Blush, Bourgeois Pig Blush

Cork Eyeshadow, Light Brown Pencil, Sparkly Lepoard Jumbo Eye Pencil, Yogurt Eye Pencil, Eyebrow Kit

 The first stall I bought from was NYX. There was a ridiculous queue that we must have been in for at least twenty minutes and it was still heaving around all the make up. So I did go a little crazy and bought lots of things to make it worth the wait. I had wanted to get the matte bronzer but I couldn't get near it and the swatches pictured was the first time I had swatched most things.

The first things I picked up were two lipsticks in Sweet Prawn and Princess. I wasn't sure about the colours but as they were only £2 each it was a good chance to try them out. I've not worn them out yet but I'm so impressed with the creamy texture when I tried them on. I also picked up a lip liner in Dolly Pink but I don't know what lipstick I was thinking for it to go with. I can't see myself getting much use of it! For blush I picked up Desert Rose with is a dark purple pink and Bourgeois Pig which is a bright pink. I love the pigmentation and texture of NYX blushes so I would've picked up more but there were hardly any left. Eye wise I picked up two of the famous jumbo eye pencils in Yogurt, a gorgeous shimmery beige, and Sparkly Leopard which is a beautiful bronze colour. I also got a pretty gold eye shadow called Cork and an eye pencil in Light Brown. Finally I got an Eyebrow Palette in Light but I'm not sure why as I already have a few eyebrow palettes so I might end up giving this one away.

The next stall we went to was Crown Brushes. I'd already planned my purchases because I'd been wanting to try the brand for ages. I got an angled contour brush for £12 as an alternative to the real techniques contour brush. I got a couple of blending brushes for eyeshadow. The pure white one is supposed to be a dupe for the Mac 217 which I already own so it'll be interesting to compare the two. I think these brushes were about £4 each which is pretty good. I also got a new eyeliner brush for the same price because I've been needing a new one for ages. Being ditzy I forgot to photography a fan brush that I got, mainly because of the cute pink handle. Lastly I got a daily brush cleanser for £8, which is a bit of a steep price in comparison, and I'm so annoyed with it. The spray cap is awful so the cleaner sort of spills out making it really difficult to use and the bottles already lost it's shape. I like the brushes but the cleanser has left a bitter taste about the brand in my mouth!

Next I popped over to Inglot for one of their freedom palettes. I got two matte shade, 329 and 3  because I feel like the Naked 2 palette is missing some more mattes for the crease. I do love some shimmer on the lid though so I got the colour 4  which is a beautiful bronze with gold shimmer. Can you geuss I like my golds and bronze colours?

I wasn't planning on buying a Mac lipstick because the discount wasn't great and the stall was manic but when Alberteen was getting one I noticed this gorgeous coral lippy aptly named Coral Bliss. It's such a gorgeous colour and in my favourite formulation- cremesheen.

Nars had the best discount by far- 60%! As it was the last stall and I'd already spent a lot of money I only got a couple of things. I got a Matte Lip Pencil in Never Say Never for the bargain price of £7. The purple colour isn't something I'd usually go for but its gorgeous and I'm glad to get out my comfort zone. Next I got a cream duo with the famous Orgasm and South Beach in it for £12.50. The colours are quite subtle but they will give a beautiful summer glow. While we were in the queue we saw Sammi from Beauty Crush and Patricia from Brit Pop Princess. They were both so lovely and just as gorgeous in the flesh.

That's everything I got! I had a fantastic time and I'm really happy with all my purchases.

Updated Blog Sale

 

 This is just a really quick post to let you know that I've finally gotten around to updating the blog sale! If you want to have a nosy then just click on the tab just below the header. Hopefully there will be a bargain there that you like!

Real Techniques Customer Service Rave

When a company has rubbish customer service people are quick to write a rant post and warn people away so I thought that I'd share the amazing customer service I had from Real Techniques. I'm actually shocked at how good it was!

Not too long after Real Techniques came to Boots I bought the stippling brush and was left unimpressed (although I love the core collection). Other bloggers raved about how soft it is but mine was stiff and horrible to use. Despite regular washes the bottom of the brush was matted and clogged with product so I couldn't use it for cream blush let alone foundation. 

A couple of  weeks ago I saw someone post about a problem they had on twitter with Real Technique brushes so I replied letting them know I got a bad brush too. The next day Real Techniques tweeted me with a contact email to send a complaint to. I'm not sure why I didn't complain sooner as I usually don't hesitate to! So I sent an email explaining my problem with the brush and with in a matter of hours I got a reply. That's pretty good right?! Sometimes companies take weeks or even months to reply. They asked me to said pictures of the stippling brush and an address to send out a replacement. I replied with the details on Saturday and the next Monday a replacement arrived! Talk about speedy.

Anyway it gets better. Not only had they sent me a replacement for the stippling brush they also sent a kabuki brush too! I was over the moon with this as I'd been after a new brush for bronzer for ages and the angled shape of this will be perfect. They didn't have to include the extra brush but the fact they did left a sweet taste in my mouth.

All in all the customer service really couldn't have been any better! It's refreshing for a brand to value customers and treat them so well. I'll definitely buy from Real Techniques in the future - infact I've got my eye on the powder brush at the moment.

What's  the best customer service experience you've had? What's the worst?

May Favourites

The first thing I've been loving is the Seche Vite Top Coat. I've been using this for about 7 months now and theres no way I'd use anything else. It's a really thick formula so by applying a generous amount to each nail and forms a barrier to the nail colour below making it last much longer. The finish is super glossy and it hides hides imperfections of the nail colour which is a bonus for a messy painter like me. The only thing I don't like is after about 6 months the last bottle went all stringy and useless. 

Next is the L'oreal Micellar Water which my Mum actually bought for herself but I've permanently borrowed off her. It feels so light when taking make up off and unlike creams it doesn't leave a heavy residue. It takes of a good amount of makeup, more than wipes or other cleanser I've tried, but I do still use a hot cloth cleanser afterwards to get every scrap off. It can sting a little on the eyes if too much is on the
cotton wool but other than that I love it.

Another skincare favourite is the Soap And Glory Bright Here Bright Now (full review here). I've used this almost everyday this month either on top of my moisturizer or mixed in with foundation. It instantly makes my skin look much healthier and brighter which I really need so it's become an essential in my routine now.

My foundation of choice for most of this month has been the Revlon Colour Stay for normal to dry skin in buff. I used to use this all the time in high school but I fell out of love with it because it's a little too dark. Luckily it isn't orange so with some serious blending I think I can get away with it. I love how this looks like second skin on rather than being to cakey and it doesn't settle into my blackheads or massive pores.

Finaly there is the Catlyin 2in1 Conditioning Mascara* which is another product from the North Meet Up goody bag. It's got a thin plastic wand which is great for grabbing all the lashes and giving them a good coating. It adds lots of length in one coat which I love because I'm normally a volume kinda gal. To be honest I can't say I've noticed a big difference in the condition of my eyelashes though.

What have you been loving in May?

FaceB4 After Cleansing Serum Review

 Today I'm going to be reviewing one of the products I received in the North Meet Up goody bag  (full post here). FaceB4 isn't a brand I had heard of previously but I was excited to see their  after cleansing serum* in the bag because I am on a mission to improve my skin. To be honest I was a little put off by the packaging at first because I love pretty packaging and this looks too clinical for my liking. Still its what's on the inside that counts!

 Every night after I have cleansed and toned and before moisturizing I have applied one pump of the serum. As instructed I rubbed it all over in gentle upwards motion until it completely sunk in. The texture is very silky smooth so application was really nice and I actually enjoyed putting it on. It does seem to be running down very quickly as I've only been using it month and I've used almost half so that's a little off putting.  Since using this I've noticed my skin feel plumper and more hydrated. My skin is so much softer so make up applies a lot better than before. I can't say I noticed a difference with it preventing spots but to be fair I'm stressed with exams at the moment so spots are coming thick and fast.

Whilst this has been a nice addition to my skincare routine it hasn't made a massive difference especially considering the  price tag.

The Serum costs £15 and at Boots.

Lush Twighlight Bath Bomb

At the moment it's exam season so lots of us bloggers are feeling the stress of it. I'm not afraid to admit that when it comes to exams I'm not good at deal with stress. So as a treat yesterday my lovely Mum bought me home my favourite Thornton's chocolates and the Lush Twighlight bath bomb.

You might have worked out already that it's a bath bomb designed to help before bed as it contains lavender oil which is known to help sleep. I'm not the biggest lavender fan but the smell is subtle enough and mixed with that typical Lush smell so I liked it. Unlike some other Lush products the smell wasn't too strong or overly artificial so it felt like a mature relaxing experience. When I put the bath bomb in the bath it turned the bath pink but of colour but of course there had to be a surprise that came in the form of the blue center  At first the bath was a beautiful Lavender colour but then it turned darker over time which is to create the illusion of sunset and there was some silver glitter as stars. The only bad thing about a glittery bath bomb is having to scrub it out of the tub afterwards.

After my bath I felt so much more relaxed and sleepy. It's an amazing how much difference an hour long soak in the bath with a magazine, chocolates and lavender bath bomb can make. It was like a weight after my shoulders! If you are currently feeling the pressure it is so worth putting an hour a side for the Lush Twighlight bath bomb. They can be purchased on line here or in store for £3.20. I'm going to buy a couple more tomorrow!

What's your favourite Lush bath bomb? How do you like to relax?

A Weekend In London

This post is way over due but it seems that whenever I feel I need to write a post I can't do it! Way back in Febuary  me and my Mum went for a weekend away in London. The main reason we went was to see the play Turn Of The Screw but we got up to lots of other things too. London is one of my favourite places and I can't wait to live there one day.

So we got on a train bright and early and did our usual thing of Marks and Spencers breakfast on the train. My Mum hasn't used fake eyelashes before so I put some on for her and she was fluttering away all day. The first thing we did when we arrived in London was go to the Lights show. It was a gallery of all different art using light and I normally hate galleries but this one was amazing. All the dry ice made me want to have a Miranda Hart moment and burst into Westlife songs!

After the gallery we wandered down  street and enjoyed the hilarious street acts. We stood talking to the cat lady and I nearly wee'd laughing. It was like being in an epoisode of Mighty Boosh! After some exploring and stopping by David's house we found a lovely food market to indulge in some hog roast sandwiches and churros. Delicious.  It was pretty cold though so as soon as we finished we hopped onto the underground to Islington where the theater for Turn Of The Screw was. We ended up going into H&M and getting me a whole new outfit to wear because it was soo cold. Bloody Britain!

It was time to eat again so we strolled to a lovely French Bistro. As we were deciding menu what to get I noticed burning smell. Me and my Mum couldn't figure out where it was coming from and why no one was doing something about it. It wasn't until my Mum lifted up her menu we saw she had set it on fire. Literally flames coming of it! She had lent it on the tea light and singed half of it. She apologised to the waiter but funnily enough he didn't trust us enough to relight the candle. Honestly I can't take that woman anywhere! We made ourselves cry from laughing at that an even now it makes us laugh.  Anyway after the little incident we went to the theatre. The play was really well acted and I did jump out of my skin a couple of times because it's a gothic ghost story. Afterwards we got the tube to our hotel and got some beauty sleep.

The next day we got up bright and early and I wore my new warmer outfit because we were heading to Camden for the day.  Unfortunately it was not only freezing cold it was pissing it down too. We stayed to the inside parts of the market and had some lovely herbal tea and cake. Due to the weather we decided to go to try and find Liberties department store because I was desperate for a look around the famous beauty part. We eventually arrived at it ready for some warm, dry luxury shopping but due to an electricity problem it was shut. Talk about bad luck! Every cloud has a silver lining though because we went for a shop on Caranby Street which I really liked. I bought a new shirt from Monki which we don't have in Manchester and an eyebrow brush from the cute Pixi store.

Then it was time to get the train home. I had a fantastic weekend and I'm so excited to go back to London for Imats this Summer.

300 Follower Thank You & A Make Over

A few days I go I hit 300 GFC followers which is absolutely crazy! Thank you so much to everyone. I really cannot believe it. It means the world that people actually want to read what I have to say. As tempting as it is to spew out cheesy lines about how much it means to me and how amazing blogging is I won't.

Over half of GFC followers are missing on bloglovin'. With GFC coming to an end soon please follow be on bloglovin' too. I'd hate to loose you all!

So when people hit a milestone it's pretty much expected for them to have a giveaway. As much as I love giveaways I really don't want to feel pressurized into having one. Keep an eye out for one after Imats though! I'll be sure to get some presents to giveaway there.

Hopefully you'll have noticed my blog has gone through a bit of a makeover. Now there are 300 followers it needed a little spruce! I've been making an effort to improve the photos on here to but there's no point in good pictures on a rubbish background.The amazing header was done by Imogen from missimogensmith.blogspot.co.uk/. I saw that Gemma from missmakeupmagpie.com/ (one of my favourite blogs!)  has a gorgeous header and when I asked her who design it she sent me over to Imogen. Imogen was really friendly and put up with me being really fussy so I enjoyed the process of getting the header designed. It costs £15 which seems like a lot for a virtual thing but it's an investment. Finally I am completely proud of my blog, appearance and all. If you're wanting a new header then definitely get in touch with Imogen. 

Sorry for the sparatic ( that word always makes me think of Clueless) posts recently  I've got exams coming up so I've been working my arse off to revise for them. The plan is to work really hard in the next month and a bit then enjoy the summer holidays. Come July you will be sick of me posting all the time!

Thank you again!