My Top Five Lipsticks // BLOGMAS DAY NINE

I was reminded how much I love actually using my camera when I took these photos, I always forget how beautiful my 50mm lens is. Today I thought I would do a little write up of my top five lipsticks that are wearable throughout the festive season, although I have to admit I wear these all year round. They are all pretty budget friendly except for the Nars Lip Pencil and even that isn't too bad price wise! 

First up is Nars Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in the shade Cruella. This is just gorgeous! Lip pencil's are my favourite type of lip product as they are fool proof and so easy to apply. This pencil lasts really well without the need to reapply. I haven't tested it whilst eating though so I'm not too sure how it would hold up against that. It isn't drying on the lips which is a worry with some matte shades however for £19 I wouldn't expect it to dry my lips. 

Next is a blogger favourite, Rimmel Kate Moss 107. Again it is another matte shade which I think has got to be my favourite finish. I just love this lipstick, it is probably my go-to shade for any occasion! I probably need to repurchase it again soon as it is nearly at the end which just goes to show how much I really love it. For £5.49 this really is a great lipstick and one I think everyone should own! This is a really similar colour to Cruella so if you are looking for a dupe this is a pretty good match, Cruella is slightly more red and the 107 a bit more pink. This is how I justify having both!

Third is Maybelline Colour Drama in the shade Light It Up which only costs £4.99 and is frequently on a 3 for 2 deal in Boots! I love this colour so much that I actually wore it on my graduation day. It is a true red shade and again in the lip pencil format so great for easy application. As it is a pencil you just need to sharpen it to get more product when it runs down. This is one of my most reached for colours for a night out as it is quite small and easy to throw in a clutch bag without worrying about the lid popping off. 

The next two are Collection offerings. I've found that Collection is such a cheap brand but is really surprising with the quality of their products. The Lip Butter is actually my most recent purchase and was only £2.99 which is why I felt no guilt in picking it up! I bought the shade Perfect Plum, which again is similar to other products that I have however this is not matte. As it is a butter it is moisturising on the lips however it does mean that it wears away quite quickly and I need to reapply more often that other products. I wouldn't recommend wearing this out to eat as you will probably end up with lipstick all over your face which is not a good look. However I still do really love the colour of this and for less than £3 you can't really go wrong. 

Last of all is actually a lipstick I won in a huge twitter giveaway a couple of years ago. It is the Collection Volume Sensation lipstick in the shade Cherry Pop which again is £2.99. It is sold in black packaging now though not the bright pink. This is a really lovely shade which isn't drying on the lips. It is almost matte which as I have said is my favourite finish so is a winner in my books. It is easy to apply and really affordable. Some of the other shades in the line were discontinued so I'm really glad they kept this one as when I run out I will be sure to repurchase!

So there you have it, my top five lipsticks for the festive season. Do you own any of the ones I have mentioned? What is your favourite lipstick, let me know in the comments section!

My Perfume Collection

Today’s post is one I have been looking forward to writing since I took the photos a couple of weeks ago. This is a post about my perfume collection and although it is only a small collection, I fear that if I allow it to grow anymore my life will be taken over by pretty bottles of perfume on every surface!

My favourite perfume of the bunch has to be Juicy Couture Viva La Juicy Noir! I first received a sample of this in a Glossybox and fell in love straight away but at the time the price tag put me off purchasing it, however in a moment of weakness last September I marched into the Fragrance Shop in Milton Keynes and bought the biggest bottle available. However, since I used it every single day the bottle ran out in about 6/7 weeks so I was without it until I purchased a new bottle just last week. This time I am going to be using it a little more sparingly so it lasts a little longer!

My second favourite is Dot by Marc Jacobs. I received my first small bottle of this for Christmas in 2013 but I didn’t open it and use it until last summer. I fell in love with the bottle and didn’t want to have to throw it away if I used it all so I rarely used this, but when I did I loved it! However, since then the small bottle ran out and I was very lucky to receive a large bottle for Christmas 2014 off my boyfriend! I can’t wait until I have a proper dressing table so I can display the pretty bottles, at the minute they are all stored in their boxes so they don’t get damaged.

Next up with have my least used perfume, Daisy Dream by Marc Jacobs. My mum bought this for me for Christmas 2014 and it is only a small bottle so I don’t want to use it all up too quickly. I was so surprised to open this on Christmas day as I have never mentioned wanting it to my mum but I suppose she knows me better than I thought! I love the design of the bottle and I do like the smell although it is not my favourite of the bunch, I will still use it!

Last of all is the first ‘expensive’ perfume I ever bought myself! I bought it as a treat for my birthday in 2013 and it is Vivienne Westwood Flirty Alice. I do love this perfume, it smells gorgeous and lasts well but it has taken a back seat in my perfume drawer since Juicy Couture and Marc Jacobs entered my life. I don’t think I will use this bottle up for a very long time but it is nice to have it there if I ever fancy a change!

I was going to post about what each perfume smells like but as I was writing I discovered I am useless at describing scents so it is better that I not try in case I get it terribly wrong! I just love the look of all of these bottles and I’m sure I will buy so many more when I have my own space! Let me know which is your favourite in the comments section below, also give me recommendations for my next perfume purchase!

The Body Shop Raspberry Body Butter

I’m just going to come straight out and say it, I am body butter OBSESSED. I have a drawer full of tubs and tubes of body butters and I always find myself buying more. The one I am here to talk about today is one of my favourites, the Body Shop Body Butter in Raspberry. I adore this! The formula is thick and creamy and feels just lovely on the skin. I usually use this (or one of the other many body butters I own) after I’ve had a shower to add some moisture back into my skin but I also use it before bed if my skin feels particularly dry. These tubs last ages so are well worth the £13 price tag in my opinion! They smell gorgeous and the scent does linger a while after use which I love. I have already used up a full tub of the Mango Body Butter and over Christmas I had my eye on the Apple scented one but I think I am a little too late to pick that up now!

As you can see from the photo's above, not much has been used because I find that once you warm it up a little in your hands you get a lot of use out of a small amount of product. However I do find that I use more than is really needed purely because I love it that much! I bought this tub last summer some time and still have practically the whole tub left so they do last a really long time.

I can’t find this scent on the website anymore which is a shame as I would love to pick up more! Have you tried this body butter before? What is your favourite scent? Let me know in the comments section below!

NYC Gramercy Park Plum

I’m back today with a post about my new favourite lip crayon – NYC Gramercy Park Plum £2.49. Lip crayons are my favourite kind of lip product as they are fool proof and super easy to apply. I only own one other, a Rimmel offering that I can’t remember the name of as it has rubbed off the packaging. Since I bought the first one I’ve wanted to buy more but I can never find a colour I wanted enough to spend the money. However, I have been looking through Boots and Superdrug for weeks now lusting after all the berry coloured lip products and I finally gave in. With this lip crayon only costing £2.49 I knew I had to have it! I swatched it on my hand and fell in love straight away.

As soon as I got home I tried it on my lips and loved it so much I posted a photo to twitter! I wore this on a night out and I did re-apply every time I went near a mirror as although the colour was still very much there on my lips, it did fade slightly which is to be expected. Partly I think that is just me enjoying applying the product rather than the colour coming off. I was a little worried that the lid would come off in my bag as it doesn’t appear to be all that sturdy but I am happy to say it stayed on tight all night whilst being bashed around in my bag. I will definitely be wearing this more often, although I have since added the Rimmel Kate Moss lipstick in shade 107 to my collection which may be my favourite lipstick ever!

Have you tried any lip crayons by NYC? What shades do I need to pick up? Let me know in the comments section below!

p.s sorry for how small the swatch is! I didn't realise till it came to editing the photos.

Look Fantastic January Beauty Box

I received this box at the start of the month and was actually really pleased with the contents. I’m sure by now you have seen plenty of posts on what is inside but I thought I would share my thoughts too. This is the first time I have ever ordered a box from Look Fantastic and I think I will definitely order another one in the future as I was really impressed!

The first thing I saw when I opened the box were the MyVitamins Vitamin C Tablets, which I was surprised to see. I don’t think I have ever received a beauty box with vitamins in before but they are definitely something I need more of in my diet so I will be using these up. You just pop the tablet in a glass of water, let it dissolve and then drink.

The next thing I saw was the Nuxe Crème Fraiche de Beaute Mask. This for me was the most exciting product as I love a good face mask! I thought I recognised it and it wasn’t until I was sorting through all my old glossyboxes/ Glamour beauty boxes that I found I already had one! I can’t wait to give this a try as I find there I nothing more relaxing than a face mask, especially if I know it will moisturise my skin as this is something I often forget to do!

Next up is the Philip Kingsley Daily Damage Defence. I have more hair products than I know what to do with but this is a welcome addition to my hair care drawer (yes, drawer) as I often find my hair is quite damaged due to dying and stripping and dying and stripping my hair multiple times in the past. Anything that promises damage defence is good for me.

Keeping on the hair side of things the Goldwell Dualsenses Color 60Sec Treatment is another welcome addition to my hair care collection. Although this states it is for thicker hair and my hair is quite thin, I will use it anyway because my hair feels quite damaged on the ends so anything promising intensive treatment is welcome.

Molton Brown Eucalyptus Body Wash was the next thing I spotted inside the box. I love the smell of eucalyptus so I was happy to receive this. I am currently using a foaming shower gel which feels a little like rubbing shaving foam all over my body so I will be switching it up and using this Molton Brown offering instead. I have heard nothing but good things about this product so I am excited to get using it!

Last of all is the Gatineau Strategie Jeunesse Eye Pads. The pack I received was a sample pack and I am not really all that interested in these. They contain anti-ageing collagen for the eyes and I’m not sure if anti-ageing is what I need at 21.  I could be wrong but as I often get mistaken for a school child I do not think I will need anti-ageing products for a long time! Throw some ageing products my way though and I may finally manage to look my age.

Overall I was extremely pleased with this box as almost all of the products will be used. I am most excited about the face mask and the hair care but I will try the other items too! Did you receive this box? Let me know your thoughts on the products in the comments section below!

What I Got For Christmas - Soap and Glory Edition!

Now I was going to do a full ‘what I got for christmas’ post to show you all my lovely things but I feel like I may be a little late so instead I am just going to show you all the Soap and Glory bits I received instead!

I was lucky enough to receive not just one but two of the The Next Big Thing gift sets! One of my mum and one off my boyfriend. I had no idea about either of them and I was so happy to receive them. Unfortunately since my parents live 120 miles away, it wasn’t possible to bring the box home on the train so I only have one of the boxes but luckily that is just the right size to store all the bits from both boxes plus the extra gift set I received! Within this box you get 10 full sized items (or in my case twenty).

These are:

• HAND DREAM Super Cream 100ml
• ORANGEASM Body Wash 500ml
• BUTTER YOURSELF Moisture Lotion 500ml
• HEEL GENIUS Foot Cream 125ml
• SUGAR CRUSH Body Scrub 300ml
• WHIPPED CLEAN Shower Butter 250ml
• THE RIGHTEOUS BUTTER Body Butter 300ml
• OFF YOUR FACE 3 in 1 Daily Purifying Cloths (25 cloths)
• SEXY MOTHER PUCKER Lip Lacquer in Charm Offensive 7ml
• THICK & FAST Super Volume Mascara 10ml

I’m yet to try the mascara as I am currently using Benefit’s They’re Real but I have tried the lipgloss and found it is not quite to my taste. The colour looks a little strange on me and I’m not particularly a lipgloss kinda girl. However I’m sure someone I know would love it so I will pass both of mine onto someone else!

Two of my best friends clubbed together to buy me a present this year and what I received was The Soapremes gift set. Apparently everyone knows for my love of all things Soap and Glory and all bought me gifts I love!

This set includes:

• CLEAN ON ME Creamy Moisture Shower Gel 500ml
• THE RIGHTEOUS BUTTER Body Butter 200ml
• THE SCRUB OF YOUR LIFE Body Scrub 200ml
• HAND FOOD Hand Cream 50ml
• HEEL GENIUS Foot Cream 50ml
• A pair of cosy socks
• A suds-boosting BODY POLISHER

I’m always in need of more fluffy socks and I’ve just thrown away my scrubby shower thing so I was very happy to receive another one! I am so in love with both sets and these new products along with the 10 other Soap and Glory products I already own are going to be well loved, I just know it.

Did you receive any gift sets for Christmas? What is your favourite Soap and Glory product? Mine has to be The Righteous Butter! 

OPI Miss You-niverse NOTD

As I stated in my October Blogging Goals post, I want to start posting NOTD (nails of the day) post's every Monday. Today I am wearing Miss You-niverse by OPI which is a lovely deep purple colour, The photo's above show one coat and no top coat. This polish is super shiny and very opaque! The colour went on very smooth with a slight dragging at the cuticles (please ignore how messy they are, I need to work on clean up). This is a lovely colour for Autumn and one I think will get a lot of use!

What's on your nail's today? Do you like OPI? Which colours should I buy next?