Collection 2000 Cream Puff in Cotton Candy and Lasting Perfection Concealer in Medium

I haven't bought anything from Collection 2000 for ages - I used to always buy their stick concealer and powder but I guess I just moved on to higher end stuff.  I needed some concealer for my under eyes (I'm getting dark bags!) and after seeing some positive reviews of the Lasting Perfection Concealer I decided to go for it, as it's only £4.19 from Boots so I thought if it doesn't turn out to be that great it doesn't really matter.  While I was there I also picked up Cream Puff in Cotton Candy and a pressed powder as it was on 3 for 2.  Apologies again for the slightly naff pics but as I said in my earlier post I'm relying on my Blackberry for pics at the moment!

First up:  Lasting Perfection Concealer - this really did cover my eyebags and I tried it on a spot that had appeared on my chin too and it covered both really well. It was easy to blend in and didn't glow through my foundation or anything weird like that.  While it doesn't last 16 hours really, it definately would last say, a day at work or a night out.  I'd definately recommend trying this, it's really good - my only criticism is that there isn't a huge range of shades, like if I had a tan, I don't think there would be a colour in the range for me and let's face it, my skin really isn't dark at all.  Another point is make sure you blend it properly, if you just dab it on and go you might look patchy later, but I'd expect that if I didn't blend any concealer.

Now on to Cream Puff.  I was really pleasantly surprised by this.  This sort of creamy matte finish seems to be really popular at the moment and the finish and colour on this was lovely.  The pink is actually quite similar to Topshop Lipstick in Brighton Rock that I showed you in November - I've actually put one on my top lip and one on my bottom and you can hardly tell the different apart from Cream Puff maybe has a slightly more matte finish.  It lasts quite well and leaves a powdery matte finish on the lips.  It also is heavily scented with synthetic vanilla, which I like, but if you're not a vanilla/sugar fan you might not (it wears off pretty quickly either way).  This was £2.99 and I'd definately buy again, and maybe try the other pink in the range.  Again, there's limited colours but I think there's only certain colours that would look good/stay in place nicely with this finish.

The powder I bought was the same as ever, just a standard pressed powder for finishing my make up through the day if I start to look a bit shiny.  I'd recommend trying all three of these products from Collection 2000, I was really pleased with them all.

Hope you have a great time whatever you're doing tomorrow night and happy new year!!

What I'm wearing on my nails at the moment....

Firstly, hope you all had a lovely Christmas - mine was really busy as usual but I got loads of amazing bits and pieces (people know that if they buy me beauty stuff/perfume etc they're onto a winner) that I'll probably be blogging about in due course.

Just thought I'd show you what I'm wearing on my nails at the moment.  It's not a nail polish, or a gel polish or acrylics or anything, it's....

Yep, some red stick on nails by Nailene that I bought from Asda!  I ripped a lot of one of my nails off peeling potatoes on Christmas day (I'm an oaf) and to stop me biting it (I'm also an ex-nail biter that sometimes has a relapse) and cover it up whilst it was sore I decided to get some stick on nails.  I didn't really want French tip ones so other than that I was left with the red and I have to say I'm really pleased with them.

They're quite short but not so short that I've had to cut my own nails down and very thin, they go slightly over my free edge.  They also have a good range of sizes and application was really easy.  I love the red as well, my Mam was really impressed and didn't belive they were falsies!  Only problem is, they didn't come with glue included - luckily I checked this beforehand so I bought some brush-on glue at the same time, I prefer this to the squeezy bottles as I find it easier to apply and useful for applying diamantes etc for nail art.  As with any kind of stick on nail (or false lashes) I recommend that you carry the glue with yout just in case you ping any off.  I'd definately buyt these again as they're a relatively cheap and easy way of getting perfect nails.

Joico K-Pak Deep Penetrating Reconstructor Treatment for Damaged Hair

Another hair product review here!  I've blogged previously about Joico K-Pak Intense Hydrator for dry, damaged hair here but I decided to go a step up and go for the Joico K-Pak Deep Penetrating Reconstructor Treatment for Damaged Hair as my hair is wrecked through having highlights, hardly ever getting it cut and heat styling a few times a week (I am trying to cut down on this, honest!).

First impressions is that packaging looks nice but is a bit boring. The product however, smells just like Calpol, you know the lurid pink medicine you used to take when you were a kid? It took me a sec to work it out but that's definately what it is! The product is white, a looks rich and thick - you don't need a lot of it. It turns much more runny on the hair and straight away you can feel it working, making your hair feel much smoother and less tangled. The instructions say to leave it on for 5 minutes and then rinse which is what I did.

My hair was really easy to brush through after washing, even when it was still quite wet which is really unusual for my somewhat dry, overprocessed hair. I left my hair to dry naturally and it definately wasn't quite as fuzzy the next day - after a bit of straightening my hair was left smooth and sleek without looking dry at the ends as it normally does. My hair tends to unstraighten itself throughout the day but really pleased to see that it didn't with this one.

It is quite rich so I wouldn't recommend using it every time you wash your hair, maybe once a week but I'd definately recommend this product as a nice hair treat, especially if you're a bit cruel to your hair like I am (hello backcombing, straightening and curling!)

I bought this from feelunique.com for £12.75, including delivery.

A little Illamasqua haul...

When I bought Illamasqua Powder Blusher in Ambition, I had a little swatch of a few products and decided I wanted/had to have them so when there was an ASOS 25% code going, I snapped them up!

I bought:

• Sheer lipgloss in Divine (pink)
• Sheer lipgloss in Torture (orange)
• Nail Varnish in Raindrops
• False Eye Lashes in 17

First up is the Nail Varnish in Raindrops - this is quite an unusual colour, a light milky grey that I think almost borders on being a very pale blue as it's quite cool-toned.  It also has little splashes of subtle glitter in it that really does give it a raindrop type look.  I love grey polishes and I really like the slightly unusual quasi-glitter finish.  In terms of application and wear, it's great (as I've found with other Illamasqua polishes I've tried), the formula and brush in particular are great.

The sheer lipglosses are great too - just the right mix of sheerness and colour, really glossy, fairly long lasting for a gloss and nice taste/smell (always important to me!).  I'm definately going to buy more of these, even though I'm more of a lipstick girl than lipgloss.  Divine is a really pretty bright baby pink - it reminds me of a Sephora gloss I bought when I was in New York that I loved and pined for desperately when I'd used it up!  Torture is a fairly easy to wear orange, more on the neutral side than acid side of orange, which is what I wanted - think I need a bit more of a tan to wear this regularly though!

Now, onto the eyelashes - I actually first bought these a couple of years ago and wrote about them when I first started blogging here (there are some pics of me wearing them on there too!) - I wasn't enamoured with them at the time, finding them quite heavy to wear, not being overly impressed wtih the glue and difficult to apply because of how stiff the lash band was.  However, I've since come across a tip about "snapping" the lash band by winding them backwards around a pencil or similar so I'm going to try them again.  I absolutely loved the way they looked one me so I'm giving them another chance!

I've been really pleased with every Illamasqua product I've tried so far, and as I've mentioned before there's a really helpful sales assistant who works at the Selfridges Manchester Exchange Square counter, think I'll definately be buying more things from Illamasqua in future, got my beady eyes on the Chased poweder blusher (another pink blusher, quelle suprise!).

OPI Louvre Me, Louvre Me Not Nail Polish

I recently had a makeup and nail drawer clear out and it turned out all my dark purples were too far gone, so I had to throw them away.  Dark purple is one of my favourite nail colours (along with black, red and pink) so I knew I'd had to invest in another.  I had a salon pedicure done a while ago and got my toes painted with this, I loved the colour so much I went and bought it.

Louvre me, Louvre Me Not is a dark purple that borders towards plum.  It's quite tricky to pick up in pictures!  It had the standard OPI brush, which I like but I'm aware that some people don't.  The formula was good, it didn't drag or anything but I was concerned that it still looked a bit patchy and sheer after two coats, a third coat and some Seche Vite sorted this pretty quickly though.  The wear on this wasn't that great but not sure if that was down to the Seche Vite or the polish.

Just realised this is the first nail swatch in ages that I've actually done on the nail because I keep getting gel polish on!  As I said in a previous post, hopefully buying some Shellac in the new year so I'll be able to swatch those soon.  Can't believe it's 6 days until Christmas and less than 2 weeks to New Year!

New year, new start (workwear and trying out Pinterest)...

I'm starting a new (and exciting) job in January and I've decided  that I need to update my working wardrobe - I've been doing this slowly and steadily for the past few months, just because some of my work clothes have seen better days but now I'm moving somewhere new, much more of an overhaul is required (any excuse)!

I tend to wear more dresses and skirts than trousers at work, partly because I'm a weird shape with long legs and find trouser shopping a chore and partly because I like to mix up my footwear - sometimes I like killer heels, sometimes I just want to mill around in ballet pumps and trouser length interferes with this.  I tend to wear knee-length or midi dresses as because I'm a bit blonde and curvy, I can look a bit tarty in anything shorter, and I just don't feel comfortable/professional at work dressed like that.

I've been trying out Pinterest lately and I like it, it definately appeals to my hoarding and list making tendencies (I'm not a weirdo, honest) so I thought I'd make a little collage/pin board of workwear that I want to buy - particularly as we have the sales coming up!  You can find my Workwear board here.  If you'd like an invitation to Pinterest, just let me know.

Just as a little taster, here are a couple of things you'll find on my Workwear board:

Samu Orchid Dress - Coast

Gilda Fluid Trousers - Reissonline.com

Boyfriend Blazer  - ASOS

Midi Dress with Pleat Waist Detail - ASOS

Tigi Bedhead Colour Combat Dumb Blonde Shampoo & Conditioner

Firstly, I love the packaging on these, they're bright, gorgeous and look fancy on the bathroom shelf.  Secondly, these sizes are huge - 750ml - so will last for ages.  I bought these for £21.50 in total from feelunique.com and I think they're great for the price.  As with most Bedhead products, these smell amazing, quite sweet and fruity though so if that's not your thing you might want to look elsewhere.  The smell also really lingers on your hair and I keep catching a whiff of it when I swish my hair, which I personally like.

The products are great too, they feel really moisturising, the shampoo foams really well and the conditioner has more of a serumy consistency rather than a creamy one which is a bit odd but feels better on my hair.  I do find that I need to be careful to make sure that I rinse my hair thoroughly after use or  it can still feel a bit like I've still got some product in my hair.  My hairdresser uses these products so they can't be bad!  The shampoo is a light pink and the conditioner is white so I feel like these don't mess with my hair colour.  I'm still using Pro:Voke purple shampoo once a week as a toner as well.

Overall I would recommend these, they keep my hair moisturised, smell gorgeous and look nice on display (something which is important to me!) - these would actually make a really good Christmas present as well, especially as you'd expect them to be more expensive than they actually are.

Boots Pharmaceuticals Avert Electronic Cold Sore Machine

Ok, this isn't a sexy or glamourous  - or festive, sorry! - post but if you're unfortunate enough to get coldsores (like I sometimes do - thankfully pretty infrequently, only when I'm really run down about every 18 months or so now) you might be interested to read this.

I spotted it in Boots a while ago and after a bit of research I decided to buy it for the occasional coldsore I get, as I can get through 2 or 3 tubes of Zovirax a time which is about £12-15.  It has really positive reviews on the Boots website with some people saying that they haven't had a coldsore in that particular place again after they'd used this even thought it's normally a regular occurrence for them.  Now, I can't vouch for that but it's definately interesting.

This product uses an invisible, narrow waveband of light to enhance the local immune response to the coldsore virus which is meant to reduce the duration of the attack and speed up healing time. I find it a bit weird that light can treat it as I know sometimes sunlight can cause coldsores too. I can't say I particularly understand the science behind it, but if it works, I don't care!

You're meant to use this when you first feel the tingle of a coldsore and 12 hours after that, but you can use it more frequently without any adverse effects.  You basically hold it over the coldsore, press the button and hold it in position until it beeps after 3 minutes.  I did feel a bit daft holding it on my face, and it's surprisingly restrictive as to what you can do in that time - the 3 minutes you hold it in place for seems like absolutely ages!  I used it at least twice a day even though my coldsore wasn't that bad. It comes with instructions and a battery and is really easy to use actually.

So, did it work?  I think it did, usually it takes about a week for me to get rid of a coldsore when I get one.  This one had died down after 3 days (just in time for the weekend, woohoo!), which I was quite impressed with. I wasn't convinced at first as it was really sore and felt weird not having anything covering it like I normally would but I persevered and I'm glad I did.  I've already recommended it to a couple of my friends who I know suffer with coldsores much more than me and would say if you get them to give it a go.  Especially if you get them regularly, it will work out much more cost effective in the long run.

The Boots Pharmaceutical Avert Electronic Coldsore Machine is available from Boots.com for £35.99

Give the gift of pampering this Christmas with Wahanda

People who know me well (or maybe even not so well as in my work Secret Santa I got given perfume) know that if you're getting me a present then make up, skincare, perfume or spa days will always go down well.  Shoes, bags and earrings are usually a pretty good option too, but I can be a bit picky about these things...y'know, just saying in case any of you feel the urge to buy me a gift!

In terms of buying gifts (either for yourself or others) I've used Wahanda quite a few times now, I've had bargainous lash extensions, a fish pedicure, my first ever set of Shellac nails and a fab pamper package but I've also booked a gorgeous spa day a while ago too through Wahanda.  I could do with a spa day I think, I look and feel very wintery at the moment!

Wahanda is a daily deals site with a difference - they mainly deal in spa and beauty treatment offers, they were actually voted Best Online Beauty Website by Elle magazine, which is an amazing accolade. They're currently offering all sorts of fabulous Christmas deals for a range of prices as well as Wahanda Spa Vouchers that can be used in over 900 spas and salons worldwide.  They offer local and national deals which I personally think is better for presents too, it gives more choice, and is good if your family don't just live up the road (like my lot!).  Best of all the vouchers for a deal come through instantly, which is ideal if you've left it too late to go shopping or have something delivered as you can just print out and wrap, or put it in a card. 

So, if you're struggling for a bit of inspiration, or you just want to give yourself a treat to book in January and make a bleak month more bearable, why not have a look at Wahanda and see if there's anything you fancy?  I've currently got my eyes open for a nice spa day, tooth whitening, a Brazilian Blow Dry or tattoo removal...Shellac nails or lash extensions would be great too.  I'm nothing if not diverse in my tastes!

UK Free Delivery day is today - over 250 retailers taking part

If, like me, you don't like paying delivery costs (I know delivery has to be paid for somewhere but I hate it, especially when it's expensive) but much prefer buying things online to sharpening your elbows and hitting the high street, you'll be pleased to know that over 250 UK retailers are taking place in Free Delivery today including:

• Radley
• Benefit
• Bliss
• The White Company
• Oasis
• Lipsy
• Miss Selfridge
• Uniqlo
• StylistPick
• Monsoon
• Elemis
• Links of London
• Boots
• Cult Beauty
• Molton Brown
• All Saints
• Avon
• Ralph Lauren
• Apple
• Accesorize
• Schuh
• Bertie
• Diesel
• Reiss
• Dorothy Perkins
• Bumble & Bumble
• Warehouse
• Wallis
• Agent Provocateur

So rather than just adding pointless things to your basket to make up the minimum amount for free delivery or hanging on for a free delivery code, why not take advantage of UK Free Delivery Day today, just in time for Christmas.  For more information and a full list of the retailers taking part, please visit http://www.freedeliveryday.com/

Grooming Gifts for the man in your life....

With Christmas around the corner, I've decided to give some inspiration for gifts to buy for that special fella, whether it's your boyfriend, brother, dad or just your mate.

Perfect Shave Gift Set from The Gentry Grooming Co

My boyfriend absolutely loves stuff from The Gentry (he swears by the shave cream and styling cream for his hair).  They also do gift vouchers as well in case you're wanting to treat him to something like a cut-throat shave if there's a branch near you.  £24.99 for all these products is great as usually one product is over £10.

Aftershave

A trusty gift received by men all over the country at Christmas, I've always found that aftershave is a winner whoever you're buying for.  I've pictured two of my favourites:  Paco Rabanne 1 Million and Marc Jacobs Bang...mmmm!

Glossybox for Men

This is probably one for the really image-concious male - a Glossybox for men!  It provides 7 samples quarterly from various ranges, high end, trendy and specialist niche brands for £15 per box.

Clinique Maximum Hydrator

This is another one that I've found to generally be a winner, whatever male you get it for, it's a rich moisturiser; perfect for winter months.

I hope I've given you a few ideas here for what to buy him, happy shopping!  There might be a couple of things on here I've bought myself for people this year but I won't say who for just in case they happen to see this...

Jewellery for your shoes? Blingback shoe accessories from ASOS

What do you think of these? They're effectively clip on jewellery for your shoes  I quite like them but I don't think I'd bother with them - I prefer shoes that make a statement on their own rather than taking a plain pair and jazzing them up.  At £14.99 I think they're a bit expensive for something which I would consider a bit of a frippery, saying that I'd spend that on earrings though so why not shoe jewellery?  They attach onto the show with a silicon backing that adheres to the inside of your shoe and can be added or removed "without causing any damage" apparently.

They come in a few other designs too (I've just shown the ones I like best here) and are available from

ASOS for £14.99.

For Sale - NARS Arabian Nights Eyeshadow Trio (UK Only)

I bought this on a whim online after seeing how beautiful it looked and I've now had second thoughts and can't see that I'm actually going to wear it. It is absolutely gorgeous though, particularly the middle colour with the purple in it.  Think I've just got carried away/caught up in the hype for this one, I hardly ever wear eyeshadow!

Each colour has been swatched once, it still has all the original packaging and is in perfect condition.  I'm selling it for £26 including postage - sorry, UK only, payment by Paypal.  If you'd like to buy this, comment below with your email address and I'll be in touch.  First come first served!

Batiste Dry Shampoo - Wild

I love Batiste Dry Shampoo and I love leopard print.  This also smells really nice, probably one of the nicest Batiste scents I've smelled so far - it's a move away from perfumey and onto a more vanilla, sweet scent, which I prefer.   I think this actually might take over as my favourite Batiste because of the packaging and scent!

I probably use Batiste at least a few times a week as I've got a bit of an aversion to a hint of grease on my hair, it's also quite good for hiding roots that are a bit darker than the rest of my hair (ahem) and sometimes for adding a bit of volume when you want a bit more oomph in your hair.

I'd definately recommend checking this out, especially if you're not mad on the floral/fruity scents of some of the other Batistes or you like leopard print/vanilla flavours.

Hotel Chocolat Christmas Chocolate Goody Bag

As I've mentioned before, I love Hotel Chocolat and I tend to pop in for a browse (and linger for samples) whenever I see one.  The chocolate is absolutely gorgeous; my personal favourites are the caramel chocolate and the ones that have bits of cookie in like Rocky Road or Cool Penguin.  The salted caramel and pralines are up there too.

The box I received for review contained:

• 6 Billionaire Shortbread chocolates
• Christmas Gift Slab with milk chocolate and dark cookie pieces
• Milk Chocolate Pocket Reindeer
• Mini Festive Wreath

Let me start with the Mini Festive Wreath, as this was my favourite.  It's a mix of milk and dark chocolate and contains caramelised hazelnuts, bits of cookie and pieces of cranberry - basically all the good stuff!  There's a serious amount of chocolate here, it's really thick and though it doesn't look that big initially, it took me a few goes to finish it off.  The cranberry is a really nice contrast with the chocolate and crunchy pieces of nut and cookie.  I'm generally not a dark chocolate fan but this dark chocolate was really smooth and more than edible. I actually want to buy another one of these and might do so in the run up to the festive season.

My boyfriend ate the Milk Chocolate Pocket Reindeer (after a bit of hovering around looking longingly at the chocolate, and me being a bit territorial about it all) and his verdict was that it was really nice - I turned my back for 5 seconds and it was gone, make of that what you will.  I had a nibble and it's the typical lovely Hotel Chocolat milk chocolate that I like with a cute reindeer design.  Not too cute to eat though...oh no!

The Christmas Gift Slab is really pretty, I love the little perfectly formed caramel bow on the front.  And I'm not ashamed to admit that I ate the milk chocolate around it first and saved the bow until last.  Again, this doesn't look like that much really but the chocolate is really really thick but the dark chocolate cookie pieces stop it from being too sickly.

The Billionaire Shortbread pieces are something I've had before, I do like them, they're crunchy and caramely but I do find them quite rich so I can only eat one at a time (which is probably a good thing), it does taste very much like millionaires shortbread, which you'd expect but obviously that's really rich as well.

This would be an absolutely fab gift for someone for Christmas and is available from the Hotel Chocolat christmas gifts sections, there are more luxury gift bags too which you can see here.

Entity One Colour Couture Gel Enamel "Fashionista"

I showed this in a different shade a few months ago but just thought I'd show you the latest colour I've had on.  This shade is Fashionista and is a dark glossy purple that when you look closely at it has fine bits of red and blue shimmer in it.  It's really similar to an OPI shade I have, and love.  This is a gel polish, a bit like Shellac but different in that your nails are buffed before use and it's a bit thicker and probably removed differently in the salon

Last time I had this on in a different colour it lasted really well, no chips at all, but in the end I was a bit naughty and peeled/picked it off when it started to grow out quite a lot/I got bored - I wouldn't recommend this and would say to get it removed properly.  This time I soaked it off properly with acetone using the tinfoil method and it worked a treat.  It looked fine apart from a bit of regrowth at the cuticle, still chip free and glossy before I removed it.  My nails were really long after using this as obviously it protects them more than polish does, and were also undamaged.

I am thinking more and more about investing in a Shellac kit and doing this stuff myself though, it costs around £20 a time to have this done and I could really do it myself as apart from it being sealed under UV light it's not that different to polishing nails, which I feel I'm quite good at - as I've mentioned before, I'm a qualified beauty therapist so I could actually get all the stuff I need direct from the supplier/distributor with my manicure qualifications.  Something to think about I think!

Viva La Nails 25% off code

Wow, there's a lot of discount codes floating about at the minute isn't there (not that I'm complaining!)?    Just thought I'd let you know that Viva La Nails are offering 25% off all purchases on their website until Sunday  using the code BLACK at checkout.

They do all sorts of nail art and technician supplies, I've used them quite a few times and always been really impressed with the service, speed of delivery and the items I received.  Quite a few of my nail art posts have been done using things I've bought from Viva La Nails - got my eye on some rhinestones, a rhinestone picker upper and some neon glitter amongst some other things!  Happy shopping!

Montagne Jeunesse Very Berry Masque

I like to have a day every now and again where I really pamper myself - have a long bath with a nice bathbomb, deep condition my hair, paint my fingers and toes, slap on loads of body lotion, use a facemask etc.  It's usually a Saturday or a Sunday morning and this is generally the only time I use a facemask.

Well, not this time!  This time, I was getting so stressed out whilst trying to book a holiday for next summer (where should we go, that's too expensive, can you get that date off work, are we going to miss your friends/my friends wedding if we go then, I don't like the look of the beach there, oh the price has gone up now, Tripadvisor says that hotel is manky....argh!) that I just felt the need to put a facemask on and try to chill out whilst I browsed millions of hotels in Cancun, and tried to avoid booking any swingers hotels like I nearly did last time (seriously, google Temptations Resort).

It worked!  This face mask was really lovely, it smells just as you'd expect - like a mixture of yummy berries -  and is a cute light purple colour which looks almost pearlescent when it dries.  My skin felt lovely afterwards as well, really soft and smooth.  this contains blueberry juice, crushed cranberries, peach kernel oil and aloe so the likelihood is that one or all of these ingredients were responsible for my soft skin.  Best part is these are only around a pound each and they come in a wide range of gorgeous flavours (Cream and Honey, Strawberry Souffle, Fruit Smoothie and Fudge are my favourites).  Once I'd chilled out a bit too, I actually managed to get a gorgeous holiday booked - thank you Very Berry Masque!

So, whilst I can't promise it'll lead to a holiday, I can promise a rather lovely and reasonably priced treat. Very Berry Face Masque is available from the Montagne Jeunesse website or Boots, Superdrug, Asda, Claires, Morrisons, Sainsburys, Tesco and Wilkinsons....to name a few.

I need a reason to get my hair put up....

Mainly so I can get my hair done like this, I think it's absolutely gorgeous and effortlessly elegant. I also wish I was better at doing hair, even though I have nowhere to wear this kind of fancy updo!

Illamasqua Ambition Powder Blusher

This is really pretty, it's quite a neutral colour - probably a bit more peachy than my camera is showing actually - but is very pigmented so apply sparingly rather than liberally. Be warned, it does contain quite a bit of glitter and I'd probably only use this for nights out rather than everyday for work.  Saying that, the glitter isn't ridiculously chunky stuff and actually gives more of a shimmer than a sparkle, I think this would be nice for summer too.  It has good staying power too and I don't need to reapply during the day.  The packaging looks good too quite mysterious and sleek, and very Illamasqua!

I would definately buy another powder blusher from Illamasqua, I had a browse around their counter a few weeks ago and there is definately a lot of stuff I could buy from there!!

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Topshop Makeup - Lips in Brighton Rock and Nails in Indian Summer

Lips in Brighton Rock

I quite like the packaging, though because it's white it does have a tendency to get a bit grubby in my make up bag. It's a really nice pink, not quite as bright as MAC Chatterbox but not muted either. I love the finish on this too, it's neither matte or glossy (maybe a satin finish?). In terms of staying power, this is ok, it's no different really to any other normal lipstick - it won't necessarily last through a meal or a cup of tea but you'll get a good few hours wear out of it. Overall, I'm really pleased with this and would definately repurchase this or another colour from the same collection.

Nails in Indian Summer

I loved this too! I would call it a bright baby pink (if such a thing exists). Application was fine, finish was glossy (with Seche Vite) however on the downside was that I only got a days wear out of this before it chipped on my index finger. Also, the Topshop bottles are quite small which when you think about it makes them seem a little bit less bargainous, even with my student discount. It's still a nice little item to pop in with the rest of your shopping though.

There are some really nice colours in the Topshop collection. I've been really pleased with everything I've tried from Topshop in terms of makeup, which is weird because I didn't go into the brand at first with particularly high expectations at all - the metallic polishes that I've reviewed previously are absolutely fantastic for the price and I spotted some new metallic ones when I picked these up.

A round up of more things I want to purchase...

...I seem to have caught the shopping bug ridiculously of late. There's so much stuff I want/need and usually I go through phases where it's all about shoes or jackets or make up but at the moment it's about everything. Sorry for using my blog as a shopping list!

ASOS Bandeau Dress with Embellished Bust and Feather Skirt - £250

River Island Raglan Owl Sweater - £20

Miss Selfridge Leopard Print Chiffon Playsuit - £40
Topshop Faux Fur Collar Wool Skirt Coat - £110

River Island Jacket in Floral Print - £55

Miss Selfridge Black Feather Cuff Heel - £70

ASOS Midi Dress with Pussybow - £45

Illustrated People Big Lips Raglan Sweater - £40

Dorothy Perkins Almond Toe Shoes - £25

The feather dress really wouldn't suit me and is way out of my price range but I'm tempted to see if some of the more expensive stuff on my list ends up going in the January sales - yes, this is how much I plan ahead!!!