Beauty. Fashion. Lifestyle.
Archive for March, 2012
Quick Update
1
6 years
by Naomi in General
Hi everyone!
I realise I’ve been quite elusive lately so this is just a quick update from me. As I keep saying, I’ve had a lot going on but now that university is over for Easter I will have a bit more time to blog!
I was recently tagged in an ‘About Me’ type of post so I will be posting my answers to that tomorrow and then I’ll be tagging a few of you, so keep an eye out for that. I also have a few reviews lined up, and a little haul post!
One last thing… Today I swatched the purple shade in the new Nails Inc. neon range whilst in Debenhams, and I have to say I’m not impressed!! The varnish was very watery, the coverage was streaky and it lay disappointingly between shiny and matte. You’d need a good 4 or 5 coats I should think for it to look passable. Not good for £11 per bottle!
See you tomorrow lovelies,
Naomi x
Sport Relief Mile Update: I DID IT!
3
6 years
by Naomi in Health and Fitness
After weeks of waiting, training and getting sponsorship, yesterday the Sport Relief Mile finally came around! All over the country people were running a mile in order to raise money for those in need, and after beating my fundraising target by £7, I couldn’t wait to get running. I won’t lie, I was a little bit nervous as I’d never actually ran a full mile before, but there’s a first time for everything.
At 10am, my family and I headed down to Leicester Race Course and were met with an exciting atmosphere of sun, music and happy people. After a bit of a warm up, the runners had to follow a marching band down to the race track for the run to begin. I was running on my own, and was slightly daunted by the size of the track, but when the horn sounded off I went…
(I’m the one in the red trousers with the silly face).
Despite it being the warmest day of the year so far, I managed to run the mile without any issues! I had to stop twice to tie my trousers tighter, but other than that I hardly walked any of the mile at all and ran all the way. It took me about ten minutes to run the mile and I was presented with a lovely medal at the end.
I’m very proud of myself for doing this and I’m so happy that the money I have raised will be going to an excellent cause. I’m already looking forward to my next run in July – the 5k Race For Life for Cancer Research UK. I better get training!
Thank you to everyone who sponsored me and showed me support, I am forever grateful.
Naomi x
Sample: ‘L.I.L.Y’ by Stella McCartney
1
As you may have gathered by now, I am a sucker when it comes to freebies, so when I saw this fragrance sample advertised on the Boots Samples website, I just had to send away for it. I was expecting a tiny little vial or one of those scented sheets you get in magazines, so I was pleasantly surprised when I received a generous 1.5ml glass spray bottle of Stella McCartney’s new fragrance, L.I.L.Y.
The card which came with the sample says:
L.I.L.Y is a journey through the senses.
It begins with the smell of a spring
morning, dappled sunlight through the
trees, a vision of delicate lily of the
valley. It is the passage of time
across a forest floor.
From this description, I was expecting floral and fresh, and quite rightly this is what I got. The perfume has an initial heady aroma of lily of the valley, which over time fades to a more delicate and light flowery scent – L.I.L.Y obviously has a sophisticated set of notes to it. I was quite impressed with how long the perfume actually lasted too. I applied it in the morning and could still smell it on my skin in the evening.
I don’t usually wear floral perfumes as I prefer ambery scents, but L.I.L.Y. is definitely quite pleasant. I can’t say I’ll be rushing out to buy a full size bottle of this, but I’ll be keeping the sample in my handbag for spring/summer evenings out. For those of you that like floral fragrances though, this is for you, and I think this will become a key scent this year.
Naomi x
MUA Pressed Powder – Shade 1
2
6 years
by Naomi in Face
I recently decided to add to my ever expanding MUA collection and buy MUA’s Pressed Powder instead of the one I usually use, just to give it a try, as I was fed up of overly orange powders. At just £1 for a good sized product you can’t really go wrong! When trying out new foundations and powders I always feel a little bit nervous at first about getting the colour right, but this actually turned out to be the perfect shade for me.
I apply pressed powder over liquid foundation and concealer, as I have dry areas on my face so powder doesn’t sit smoothly on my skin if I don’t. So, this morning, once I’d moisturised and put on my base make up, I applied MUA’s Pressed Powder using a large clean brush. I found that the brush picked up quite a lot of product in just one or two dabs, so there was no need to load up the brush too heavily or too often (I’m REALLY not one for the orange look)!
This powder is very light and has a fine consistency so you can hardly tell that you’re wearing it, which leaves you feeling wonderfully comfortable! I was slightly dubious at first as I thought this meant it wouldn’t give me very good coverage, but it was actually spot on. As I said before, Shade 1 is perfect for my light skin tone and merged with my foundation to create an even, extremely natural looking finish.
In terms of lasting power, this is definitely better than the one I was using previously. The old one would rub off at the slightest sign of sweat or oil, but this one stays put, and since it suits my skin colour, any slight rubs don’t show much at all.
Overall, I am more than happy with this product. MUA continue to amaze me with their products as you don’t expect cheap products to be very good quality, but MUA really are top notch. So much so that the items in my make up bag are gradually being replaced with MUA make up!
Would you try MUA’s Pressed Powder?
Naomi x
Avon Brochure 9!
0
6 years
by Naomi in Order Avon
Hello all!
Apologies for my absence recently – a few unexpected events have happened this week and they’ve been keeping me busy, but I’m now back with more exciting beauty blog posts 
After a successful Brochure 8, it is now time for me to reveal Avon’s NEW Brochure 9, which is packed full of special Jubilee offers, to coincide with the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee! If you would like to view it online, just click here. There are also links to the brochure in my right sidebar and on my ‘Order Avon From Me’ page.
Don’t forget, if you live in the UK, USA or Europe, you can now order your Avon products directly from. Postage will be charged at standard Royal Mail postage rates so you won’t be overcharged.
If you would like to place an order, please email your order to by Wednesday 11th April. Your order will be posted the following Tuesday. For more information please visit the ‘Order Avon From Me’ page.
That’s all for now folks, but check back later for a review of MUA’s Pressed Powder!
Naomi x
Avon – Only a few days left to order!
0
6 years
by Naomi in Order Avon
That’s right, you only have a few more days left to order the latest Avon products from me for this campaign! To view Brochure 8, visit the ‘Order Avon From Me’ page above, or the ‘Latest Avon Brochure’ tab to the right, and click on the link. If the link isn’t clickable, just copy and paste it into your browser.
When you’ve decided what you want, just drop me an email at and I will place your order for you I take delivery on March 27th and will post your order the very same day! Postage will be charged at standard second class Royal Mail prices within the UK, and standard airmail if posting overseas.
I take payment via PayPal!
I look forward to hearing from you
Naomi x
Friday Favourite: Avon Peeling and Brittleness Solver
4Hello all!
It’s been a few days since I last posted here – I’ve been very busy with my Postgraduate studies, and yesterday I had a day full of fun, eating pizza and going to see one of my favourite comedians. But it’s Friday, so I’ve made time for my Friday Favourite, and I have a few posts planned for this weekend too.
Today’s offering is Avon’s Peeling and Brittleness Solver.
I’ve found that over the last year or so, since I started painting my nails a lot more often, my nails have weakened and started peeling and chipping a little. In my hunt for something to make them stronger, I obviously had a look through the Avon brochure, and I came across their Peeling and Brittleness Solver.
I’ve been using this for about a year now and have got through several bottles of it already as I use it all the time. I usually apply one or two coats, which provides excellent and long-lasting protection for your nails. The solver is quite flexible so it bends with your nails and doesn’t chip at all. Trust me when I say that this actually works! My nails have felt so much healthier and stronger since I started using this. It really does stop them from peeling by forming a shield-like layer. My nails still peel every now and then if I forget to use the solver, but as soon as I apply it they feel smooth again, and the damaged layers of nail grow back quickly.
Avon’s Peeling and Brittleness Solver is also really versatile. I use it as a top coat AND a base coat for nail varnish. It therefore not only stops your nails from peeling, but stops the nail varnish from chipping and prevents staining.
Naomi x
NOTD: Orly Chocolate Martini
3
7 years
by Naomi in Nails
My latest Nail of the Day is this mini 5.3ml bottle of Orly’s Chocolate Martini.
I’d never tried any Orly nail varnishes before this one, and I have to say it is quite nice. The brush is soft and good quality, so the varnish applies evenly without making much mess. Two coats was enough to give even coverage and it dried very quickly. (Although I was in a bit of a rush so the application wasn’t the neatest).
As you can see, the varnish is a bronze shade of orange with metallic gold micro glitter running through it. I’m actually not that keen on the shade as I’m not a fan of orange, but that’s just personal preference. The swatches were photographed in natural light so you get a good idea of how nicely this shimmers in daylight.
My final thought? Great quality, but unfortunately not my colour. I have a pink Orly varnish to try though which is far more my colour!
Naomi x
Max Factor Lipfinity Lasting Lip Tint in ’06 – Royal Plum’
2
7 years
by Naomi in Lips
A few weeks ago I found this Max Factor Lipfinity Lip Tint on eBay for just £2.99! I know it’s bad practice to buy make up from eBay, but I thought I’d take the risk and it paid off. I’ve done my research by comparing everything about this lip tint with the ones in Boots, and this is 100% real, meaning I’ve saved about a fiver as they usually retail for £7.99.
Max Factor Lipfinity Lip Tints come in ten different shades, ranging from nudes and browns, to purples, pinks and reds, and look fabulously classy in their black packaging, which features the famous Max Factor X. The tint itself consists of a heavily pigmented liquid, contained within a pen.
The tint applies with a marker pen-like nib, which is easy to control – you literally just colour in your lips. I found it left an even coat of vibrant colour on my lips, which dried quickly, but it bled slightly around the edges. I’ve never experienced bleeding with any lip products before, so I’m either suddenly getting wrinkles or it was because of the runny nature of the tint (I’m hoping it’s the latter)! The tint also smells and tastes delicately fruity, which is lovely.
’06 Royal Plum’ looks more of a pinky red in the photograph, yet I’d say it actually has more of a purple hue in reality. There are definitely no royal plums in sight though! Still, it’s a lovely, deep shade which I can see myself wearing quite often.
The only major issue I have with this lip tint is the claim that it is ‘Lasting’. I have only been wearing it for a few hours and already it has almost completely rubbed off my lips (and I’ve only had one drink in that time). It is still quite a strong colour around the edges so it looks a bit like I’m just wearing lip liner! It did stay feeling smooth and moist all the time I was wearing it though, with no dryness, I’ll give it that.
Overall, I quite like this lip tint. It’s a nice colour, applies well, smells great, looks great, but it just doesn’t last as long as I expected it to, which is slightly disappointing.
Have you tried Max Factor’s Lipfinity Lasting Lip Tint yet?
Naomi x
NOTD: Andrea Fulerton Nail Boutique Colour in ‘Joanna’
2
7 years
by Naomi in Nails
Hello everyone!
I hope you’re all having a great Monday. I’ve been having a busy one, but I finally have 5 minutes to myself so I think it’s time for another NOTD. This time, because I didn’t want to remove the Models Own ‘Pearly Queen’ so soon, my NOTD is actually a TNOTD, as I have painted my toenails bright pink for you!
My varnish of choice is Andrea Fulerton’s Nail Boutique Colour in ‘Joanna’. Andrea Fulerton is a renowned creative nail technician and this varnish comes from her fabulous range of nail products.
‘Joanna’, described as ‘pink glitz’, is a vibrant shade of fuschia with a slight silvery gold and pink glittery undertone. The picture below was taken in natural light and gives quite a good idea of what the polish really looks like.
The varnish comes in a little 5.5ml bottle and has a recommended retail price of £4.99. The brush is a good size and great quality which makes for easy, smooth application. I initially thought the varnish would be gloopy as it is quite thick, but it actually applies neatly and evenly with no sticky mess. The bottle recommends one or two coats, and surprisingly I found that one coat was enough, which is fantastic, and it dried extremely quickly! Having said that, I would probably apply an extra coat if I was using it on my fingernails, but I always put on more than necessary, ‘just in case’.
‘Joanna’ is very pretty indeed. I think some ‘glitzy’ polishes can look fairly cheap but this one is a little bit more classy in my eyes.
Andrea Fulerton varnishes are said to be ‘durable’ and ‘long-lasting’ and allow nails to ‘flex without chipping’, impressive!
Have you tried any of Andrea Fulerton’s products yet? I definitely rate this varnish and I would like to try more soon.
Naomi x
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