Birthday baby!

It's my birthday today (yipee) and I just wanted to share the birthday present I'm looking forward to the most!

I have been coveting this beautiful military wool coat from French Connection since last year and this winter it is mine thanks to my lovely boyfriend :)

Bargain: Vitamin E range at Tesco

I'm not sure if this is a completely new range or an existing one that has been rebranded but I noticed these in Tesco yesterday and here's what it claims to do:

"This range has been enriched with vitamin E for its natural anti-oxidant, protecting and conditioning properties to care for your skin".

Not only are they really cheap (70p) but they are also paraben free!

Parabens are used in many cosmetics, shampoos, deodorants and skincare products and they effectively work as a preservative. There has been a bit of controversy surrounding their use and they have been questioned on their toxicity and general side effects.

They can be quite hard to avoid but there are brands out there that do not use parabens - namely Lush and the relatively new Naked Bodycare. Their prices range from £4 onwards so it was surprising to find  paraben free products for less than a quid!

I didn't purchase the toner nor the cleanser but instead the pack of 25 facial wipes for 27p. Yes, that's right. 27p.

"Dermatologically Tested .Paraben Free. pH Balanced. Alcohol free. These wipes have been specially formulated to remove make up , cleanse, tone and moisturise your skin, leaving it soft and smooth."

And I can tell you that it did just that. I wasn't expecting much for something so cheap but I prefer them to my Simple ones which I found to be too dry. They removed my heavy eye makeup without the need for the scrubbing and left my skin feeling soft. The scent is pretty inoffensive too. They also have a "sensitive" version of these wipes priced at 77p but I'm more than happy to stick with these.

Will be repurchasing once I run out!

Sleek I-Divine Palettes: Original and Storm

As per usual I am a tad late on the bandwagon....

I have seen and read so many reviews on these palettes but opinions were divided therefore I was unsure whether to purchase or not. Some loved them whilst others thought they were overrated and  the quality inconsistent. However I really wanted some new eyeshadow to play with and 12 colours for £4.88 is fantastic value.

Original

This is the first and my absolute favourite. All the colours are shimmery/metallic with the exception of the black. Sadly the gold colour broke but I have many gold eyeshadows so no biggie!

I love the row of greens, blues and the solo purple especially. My swatches didn't really come out properly but I assure you that they are very very pigmented. You get a better idea of the colour payoff in this photo.

Storm

This palette has three matte shadows - brown, beige and the black. I have yet to use this but my favourite colour is the pink in the top row.

I was unable to get a good photo of the swatches. The mattes didn't come out too great for me but nothing that a bit of primer won't solve.

To conclude, I freaking love these! They work great with my skintone, blend easy and best of all, are so highly pigmented they feel creamy to touch. I couldn't reccommend these enough. Next up on my list is the Chaos palette. I'm just gutted that I missed out on the LE Safari palette!

London Fashion Week: Emma Watson at Burberry

I know she has a stylist but I think Emma Watson always looks fabulous. These photos were taken from the Burberry Prorsum Spring/Summer 2010 show earlier today. Major shoe envy!!

Images: getty

Apologies and a quick haul

Just wanted to apologise for my absence but it's for a good reason. I finally have a job! It was my first week and it's been very hectic. I've never had to wake up at 7am on a daily basis, in my entire life (secondary school was 5mins down the road and I never had 9am lectures at university) and I'm still getting used to it. I've been too tired to do anything other than veg out on the sofa after work. On Friday I got the chance to explore my new surroundings. I'm working between Chalk Farm and Swiss Cottage, just off of Primrose Hill Road. The good news and bad news is that there is a Boots and Superdrug opposite the tube station so a good portion of my wages will be spent there. Will do my very best to resist......

Anyway onto the latest haul! These are some of the things I've bought over the past 2 weeks.

Boots have an amazing offer on most of their skincare, haircare and makeup lines at the moment. Buy 3 and get the cheapest one free. I took advantage of this and stocked up on my usual Neutrogena products. I shall do a post on my skincare routine soon.

From Superdrug I purchased 2 Sleek palettes (Storm and Original) and the latest product from Gosh's range - their eyeshadow primer. I also snapped up a beautyuk neutral palette after reading/watching all the rave reviews. The Gosh eyeshadow trio was from ebay.

Lastly, I finally ordered some well needed brushes from E.L.F - a blending brush and a powder brush from their studio line. Absolutely love these!

I know I haven't gone into detail on my purchases but will be reviewing these (with swatches and looks) over the coming week .

P.S I am loving the new Barry M blushers!

NOTD: Nails Inc Marylebone High St

I love light pink polishes and this is a gorgeous one. I only wish the consistency wasn't so poor! I wore a clear base coat plus 2 coats of this, and it was still streaky. The most annoying thing is that it's already gone gloopy. I only used it once! This one may have to live in the fridge forever. Are all Nails Inc polishes like this? They need to sort it out!

Primark A/W 2009

Images: Marie Claire

This photoshoot looks really good but something tells me that the quality won't translate to the actual garments...but I really like the blouse and dress with the exaggerated shoulder detail.

However my favourite item has to be these suede hidden platform boots on the left. They're an exact copy of the YSL ones but are only £25 as opposed to £580! I only wish the heel wasn't so high :(

Maybelline Lash Stiletto

I know this has been reviewed to death but I wanted to give my own two cents (or pennies?) and I'm going to keep it short and sweet. As I've mentioned before I'm not a fan of drugstore mascara, with Max Factor being the exception as I find they clump easily. I hated Great Lash but people were very positive about this one so I thought I would try it out.

I love the packaging and the brush. The formulation is really good, doesn't clump or flake and it really lengthens my lashes. I didn't notice any of the "black patent shine" it claims to have?

My main gripe with this is the smell. It's like they mixed together cheap perfume and a vat of chemicals and fermented it. I honestly have to hold my breath when I apply this because it makes me gag. I doubt this is true of all of them and I couldn't check in Boots as there were no testers! The lesson to be learnt here is don't buy off eBay kids, especially if it's only £4.

Bargain: Simple at Tesco

Just a quick heads up that Tesco are doing 3 for £5 on the following products from the Simple range:

- Cleansing Wipes Oil Control
- Kind To Skin Hydrating Moisturiser
- Kind To Skin Replenishing Moisturiser
- Kind To Skin Cleansing Facial wipes
- Kind To Skin Exfoliating Facial wipes
- Kind To Eyes Make-Up Remover Pads
- Kind To Skin Purifying Cleansing Lotion
- Kind To Skin Soothing Toner
- Kind To Skin Refreshing Wash Gel
- Kind To Skin Moisturising Face Wash
- Kind To Eyes Make-Up Remover

I picked up the MU remover, replenishing moisturiser and wash gel. They usually retail at £2.91 each (the MU remover pads are £3.47) so it's a saving of £3.70! The offer is on until Tuesday the 8th of September, so don't miss out!

Blog Award

Image: Flickr

Yay my first blog award! Awarded by the lovely InnerBelle

Here are the rules:
1. Accept the award, post it on your blog along with the name of the person who tagged you.
2. Pass the award to others!

Share the love :)

I'm going to pass it on to:

Face Improvement
In the name of Makeup
GoldBeauty88
Lipglossiping

xx

Leighton Meester and Ed Westwick photoshoot in Elle Korea

Following on from my last post....and I swear this is my last Gossip Girl related post!

Images: ed-westwick.org, l-meester.org

Blair Waldorf

I know Blair Waldorf is a fictional tv character but she deserves a post dedicated to her because she is fabulous. I've been watching Gossip Girl non-stop over the past few days and I have fallen in love with her style. It is chic, tailored, sometimes preppy but utterly feminine.

Detailing: Ruffles, lace, bows, sequins, pearls
Colours: Mostly neutral: nude, grey, navy, white, brown, black but with pops of colour such as red, mustard yellow, green etc.
Patterns: Floral, plaid, tartan, missoni stripes
Signature pieces: Blouses (often pussy bow), capes, pencil skirts, blazers, wool coats, coloured tights.
Fabrics: Silk, chiffon, cashmere, satin, wool, tweed
Accessories: quaint necklaces, those hairbands, corsages, pearls, her designer bags, ties/scarves.
Shoes: Ballet flats, brogues, courts
Hair: Generally soft waves and always polished.
Makeup: Very neutral. Soft browns, topliner and sometimes blush. Bright/dark lips at times.

I NEED that sailor dress in my life.