Archive for June, 2012

Summer Sale Clothes Shopping Haul

5
6 years
by Naomi in Fashion, Hauls

Hi all!

Today I decided to go clothes shopping for the first time in a long time.  The summer sales have been on for a while now so I wasn’t expecting to find anything amazing, but I did manage to get a few pieces that I really love!  I didn’t come home with a lot, but that just means I can buy more next time 😉  In fact, despite going in quite a few shops, I only bought things from two (H&M and Primark).  Anyway, here is what I bought – apologies for the rubbish pictures…

Strawberry Print Dress from H&M.  Was £12.99, bought for £5.

Floral Bodycon Dress from H&M.  Was £12.99, bought for £7.

Purple and Mustard Boob Tube from Primark.  Was £3, bought for £1.

Dark Purple Skinny Jeans with Silver Belt from Primark.  £11.

Turquoise Skinny Jeans with Gold Belt from Primark.  £11.

In total, this haul cost £35, saving me about £16 which isn’t bad.  Hopefully I’ll be going back for more in the week when the shops are less busy.  What have you bought in the summer sales so far?

Naomi x

Reminder: Sinfused Clothing Giveaway!

0
6 years
by Naomi in General, Giveaways

Hi everyone,

My giveaway post is gradually being buried and forgotten about within all my other posts, so this is just a quick reminder that you can WIN a rhinestone tee of your choice from Sinfused Clothing if you enter my giveaway, which can be found here :)  There will be TWO winners, chosen at random, and anybody from the UK and the USA can enter.  The giveaway ends in less than two weeks, so get entering!  You must be a follower/subscriber to enter, so don’t forget to hit the ‘Follow’ button.

Good luck!

Naomi xx

NOTD: No7 Stay Perfect Nail Colour in ‘Totally Teal 330′

1
6 years
by Naomi in Nails

As my regular readers will know, earlier this week I reviewed No7 Stay Perfect Nail Colour in ‘Violetta’.  Since I had another £5 No7 voucher to spend, and I was fairly impressed with ‘Violetta’, I decided to add yet another nail varnish to my collection and went back to Boots to pick up ‘Totally Teal’ for £2 (rather than the usual £7).

Since I’ve recently reviewed Stay Perfect Nail Colour, I won’t go into too much detail about this one, as the consistency, drying time etc are the same as ‘Violetta’.  What I will say though is this…  I know I moaned about the flimsy brush last time, but now I’m used to it I found the application of this a lot easier as I now know how to control the brush properly.  Because of this, the application was quick and neat – the brush is wide so you can apply an even coat in one stroke, which results in very little mess!

‘Totally Teal’ is a very pretty shade, sort of a deep bluey green that reminds me of the sea and mermaids.  I have to say though, it goes on a lot darker than it looks in the bottle, which is slightly disappointing as it isn’t as bright as I had hoped.  I still have a soft spot for it though, and I think it would like great as a pedi.  It is definitely one of the more conservative nail shades that I own, but I’m looking forward to incorporating it into some aquatic nail art designs!

I took my own advice and did my mani a long time before bed this time, and it stopped the fabric imprints appearing on my nails.  The varnish hasn’t stayed looking neat for long though…  The picture above was taken this morning, and you can already see wear on the tip of my little finger nail.  Since then, six more of my nails have chipped or scuffed, and I’ve been wearing it for less than a day!  Not good.

Though I like the shades in the Stay Perfect range, I wouldn’t pay the full £7 for them.  I’d rather spend a fiver on a Models Own polish as I know they’re great quality and good value for money as they last a long time.  If I get any more £5 No7 vouchers though, they’ll probably go on more nail colours.

Naomi x

Nail Colour No7 Stay Perfect

Avon Glow Lip Gloss in ‘Ultra Violet’

2
6 years
by Naomi in Lips

For a while now I have been looking for a decent but affordable summer gloss, and whilst browsing the last Avon brochure I came across this one – Avon Glow.  The gloss comes in four shades; Pink Sunset, Ultra Violet (the one I went for), Coral Oasis and Sunskissed Nude, and has an SPF of 15 to give protection from the sun.

As you can see, the packaging is very basic, but sometimes simple is better and I think the gold detail and little sun logo are quite nice and summery.  In the tube and on the brush, the gloss looks quite highly pigmented in a bold pink with purple undertones, but this doesn’t translate onto the lips!

The picture above shows two layers of gloss.  The colour isn’t very strong at all, but it does have a delicate tint to it and a lot of shine, which gives it the ‘glow’ that the name suggests.  I think it’s quite pretty, really.  The Avon brochure says that this gloss ‘gives lips luscious moisture without the stickiness’, but I found it to be quite a bit stickier than a lot of other Avon glosses.  It felt quite thick after two coats, but with one it was just about bearable.  Having said that, it is definitely moisturising and the moisture lasts a long time.

I really like how subtle this gloss is…  It may not be bold, but it is perfect if you want to create a fresh, girly, neutral look.  I wore it on saturday to my friend’s wedding.  If you want to see the look I went for, I posted it about it here.  Though I wouldn’t say this is my ultimate summer gloss, I am very happy with it and would probably repurchase.  All four shades are currently on offer for just £2.99 – turn to page 12 of my personal online brochure to see the offer!

Naomi x

PS. Here is a bonus photo of my kitty, Moth!  She was being nosy whilst I was taking the above photos so I took some of her too :)  She looks a bit bedraggled because we had storms all day and she was prancing about in the rain haha.

Glow Kitty

NOTD: Models Own ‘Disco Mix’

15
6 years
by Naomi in Nails

I have been lusting after this Models Own nail polish shade since my birthday in February, and yesterday (after a very busy day) I decided that I deserved a treat, so I nipped into Boots and bought ‘Disco Mix’ for £5!  I was so excited that I finally had it that I applied it as soon as I got home, and I wasn’t disappointed.

I have many Models Own nail polishes, but this is my first glitter polish by the brand.  I have lots of glitter polishes by other brands though and, to be honest, most of them don’t give great coverage and are best layered over coloured polish.  However, I applied ‘Disco Mix’ over a clear base coat and after three layers the coverage was surprisingly opaque!  It has a nice consistency and applies smoothly like most Models Own polishes, despite the glitter.  I added a single layer of Models Own top coat on top and it seemed to sink in between the glitter, making the coverage sturdier, but also leaving the nail surface feeling slightly gritty rather than smooth, but that’s to be expected with glitter.

The absolute best thing about this nail polish is the colour.  My favourite colours are purple, turquoise and pink, and ‘Disco Mix’ combines turquoise and pink glitter to create a polish which looks purple at a distance.  The glitter colours are SO bright and bold – I’ve already had several comments on how good my nails look and I’ve only been wearing it for a day!  I can’t get enough of how pretty this is – I keep staring at my nails from all different angles haha.

I can’t really comment on the lasting power as I’ve not had it on for long enough, but there is already a little bit of wear at the tips – it’s hardly noticeable though, and other than that there has been no chipping or peeling so far.  Looks promising!  If other Models Own nail polishes are anything to go by, I imagine this will stay on for a good while (I’ll let you know!)

What do you think?  Isn’t it pretty?  I am very glad I finally invested in this and it is worth the fiver I paid.  A definite repurchase once it runs out!

Naomi x

Disco Mix

NOTD: No7 Stay Perfect Nail Colour in ‘Violetta 70′

11
6 years
by Naomi in Nails

As I’m sure my fellow UK beauty fans will know, Boots are currently giving out £5 No7 vouchers.  I’m not sure how much you have to spend to get one, but I received mine on a less than £10 spend.  I’d never tried anything from the No7 range before, so after spending quite a while browsing the full range, I decided to use my voucher to get this Stay Perfect Nail Colour in ‘Violetta’ for £2, instead of £7.  The bottle boasts that the nail varnish has ‘Pigment Rich Colour’, so obviously I had to put this to the test!

I first used Violetta late last week on top of Avon’s Mineral Fix, which I’ve been using lately as a base coat (I’ll review that at a later date).  The brush is soft and wide which made application smooth and barely streaky, and the handle is a good size to hold which should give you more control over it.   However, the stem of the brush is quite flimsy so it was actually fairly difficult to control at first.  Also, the neck of the bottle is long so by the time you pull the brush out most of the varnish has dripped off, so don’t be shy about loading it up!

I really love the colour of this nail varnish.  It looks like quite a deep blue at first glance, but you soon notice that it has a gorgeous undertone of pinky purple, which looks really luxurious.  You also get completely opaque coverage in two coats, and to be honest one thick coat would probably have been enough, so it definitely lives up to the ‘Pigment Rich Colour’ claim!

The nail colour seemed to dry quickly, but the tackiness lasted a lot longer than I expected it to.  I applied this an hour or two before I went to bed, which I thought would be okay, but when I woke up the next morning I noticed that my nails had fabric imprints on them from my sheets!  Not impressed.  Having said that, it did have lasting power.  I removed this a few hours ago after three days of wear and it had only chipped a little bit, despite the fact that I spent all of today cleaning and gardening.

My overall thoughts on this Stay Perfect Nail Colour are mixed.  The shade is beautiful, and the pigmentation is fantastic, as is the lasting power, but the fact that I was left with imprints on my nails is slightly disappointing!  The brush could also be improved.  I won’t let those things put me off though… I’m already planning on buying ‘Totally Teal’ tomorrow with my other £5 voucher :)  I probably wouldn’t pay the full £7, but for £2 you’re definitely getting a bargain.  I guess I’ll just have to get used to the brush and apply the varnish earlier in the day so it dries properly!

Which No7 Nail Colour shades do you own?  What do you think of them?

Naomi x

£7 70 No7 Stay Perfect Violetta

What I Wore to my Friend’s Wedding

9
6 years
by Naomi in Eyes, Face, Fashion, Make Up Looks

Hi everyone,

This weekend has been yet another busy one for me.  Today is my mum’s birthday, and tomorrow will be her husband’s birthday as well as their 1st wedding anniversary, but perhaps the most exciting event of the last few days was my close friend’s wedding yesterday!  I’ve known Kat for 11 years, since seconday school, and she is the first out of our group of friends to get married, so it was a very special day :)  The bride looked absolutely beautiful and I was so proud of her – it was wonderful to see her so happy and I wish her and her lovely husband the very best for their future together.

You may remember that a few weeks ago I posted about What I Wore to my Step Brother’s Wedding, so I thought I’d do a similar post about what I wore yesterday.  The colour scheme of the wedding was powder blue and baby pink, so I thought I’d go all girly and incorporate some pink shades into my look.  As you can see, I kept it simple and went for a far less dramatic make up look than last time…

Make Up used:

  • Benefit Porefessional.
  • Colortrend Fresh Face Oil-Free Foundation in ‘Ivory Beige’.
  • Colortrend Perfect and Hide Concealer in ‘Light’.
  • MUA Pressed Powder in ‘Shade 1′.
  • The Body Shop Lip & Cheek Stain (used on cheeks) in ‘Rose Pink’.
  • MUA Pretty Pastels Eyeshadow Palette – Shades 4 and 11.
  • MUA Immaculate Collection Eyeshadow Palette – Shades 8 and 9.
  • Avon Glimmerstick Eye Liner in ‘Blackest Black’.
  • Bellápierre Lash Building Mascara in ‘Black’.
  • Avon Glow Lip Gloss in ‘Ultra Violet’.

  • Dress from Chiara Fashion.
  • Shoes from Primark.
  • Necklace from Avon
  • Bag (not pictured) from eBay, originally from M&S.

I hope you’ve all had a fun weekend too!

Naomi x

Bellapierre English Rose Roses

Freebie Alert! Avon ANEW Clinical 28 Day Trial

3
6 years
by Naomi in Face, Freebies, Giveaways, Samples, Skincare

Hello everyone!

Just a quick post from me today, but if you love a freebie then it’s a good one!  Avon have developed a new facial treatment for their ANEW Clinical range, which will (hopefully) reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles after just two weeks of use.  The product is called ‘Pro Line Corrector Treatment with A-F33′, and is not yet available to purchase.  However, Avon have created a 28 day VIP trial pack, which 10,000 lucky entrants will receive.

If you want to apply for a VIP pack and be in with the chance of becoming one of the lucky 10,000, then you can visit the Only From Avon website here to apply.  The trial will be divided between four randomly selected focus groups, and those picked will be notified just before the start of each trial, which will be running in August and September this year.

Good luck!  Let me know if you receive a pack :)

Naomi x

Clinical Sample.Giveaway

Tried and Tested: Avon’s NEW Colortrend Range

6
6 years
by Naomi in Beauty Battles, General, Hauls, Lips, Nails, Order Avon

After years of sticking with simple black and pink packaging, Avon have just had a complete overhaul of their Colortrend range.  The old lipsticks, glosses, eyeshadows and nail enamels have been scrapped and replaced with a bigger and brighter selection of shades, and everything else has also been spruced up with a fresh look.  I received a few items from the new range with my last Avon order, and this is what they look like…

Pictured above, in no particular order, you can see:

  • Color Me Pretty Suede Effect Nail Enamel in ‘Soft Violet’
  • Color Me Pretty Nail Enamel in ‘Velour’
  • Pencil Play Eyeliner in ‘Turquoise’
  • Plump Out Mascara in ‘Black’
  • Read My Lips Lip Gloss in ‘Clear’
  • Read My Lips Lip Gloss in ‘Fluorescent Pink’
  • Kiss ‘n’ Go Lipstick in ‘Doll Pink’

Now, I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not a fan of white plastic products.  White iPhones, white Wii consoles, white kitchen equipment all look slightly tacky in my eyes, so at first I wasn’t best pleased to see that Avon had replaced the traditional Colortrend black with white.  However, when I saw the boxes and wrappers that everything came in, I changed my mind slightly.  I love the colours, shapes and fonts that have been used, and I think they offset the white nicely so you hardly even notice it in the end.  The Colortrend range is aimed at younger Avon users, and I definitely think the new look gives the products a more young, lighthearted and fun image than they had before, so in that respect the overhaul has been successful!

But what about the products themselves?  Have they been improved?  Well, I haven’t yet tried a lot of them (some of the items pictured above were for my customers) so I can’t comment on everything, but I have tried the Suede Effect Nail Enamel and Read My Lips Lip Gloss, so I will now give my thoughts on those…

Color Me Pretty Suede Effect Nail Enamel in ‘Soft Violet’ (RRP £3)

‘Soft Violet’ is a rich purple with a silver shimmer running through it.  It is also matte, which combined with the shimmer gives it that ‘suede’ look, as does the fact that it feels almost soft to the touch!  I really like the colour and it is very different to Avon’s other purple matte varnish, which is good as I find it quite annoying when a company have two very similar shades!

The consistency of the varnish is excellent, and a definite improvement on the old, runny Colortrend varnishes.  It sits comfortably in the middle of thick and thin so it applies smoothly, with no streaks, and you can achieve an opaque look in just two coats, instead of the three or four it took before.

The only thing I was disappointed with was how long the varnish lasts.  Because it is matte, I couldn’t apply a top coat as all of my top coats are glossy, so it chipped within a day on several nails, and the ends showed wear very quickly.

Despite the chipping, I am in love with this nail varnish.  It’s a breath of fresh air within the previously rather basic Colortrend nail enamel collection, and it is much better quality than I was expecting too.  There are two other suede nail enamels available (a blue and a pink), and twelve other glossy nail enamels, including two ‘morph’ colours which look a bit like Models Own Beetljuice range.  Now I know how good the formula is, I will definitely be getting some more!  Starting with ‘Fuschia Feel’ and ‘Vixen’.

Read My Lips Lip Gloss in ‘Clear’ (RRP £3.75)

On its own.

Over lipstick.

Whilst browsing the last Avon brochure I realised that (shock horror) I didn’t actually own a clear lip gloss!  That needed fixing pronto, so I ordered this one as it was on offer for only 99p.  When I first opened the tube I thought the gloss smelt a bit funny and it put me off a little.  I made my mum sniff it and she liked the smell, so I guess that one’s just down to personal taste.  The gloss applies quite thickly, but it isn’t too sticky which makes up for it, and gives a nice shine to naked lips.  As you can see, I also applied it over matte lipstick and it really made my lips stand out.  It made the lipstick stay on a LOT longer than it does without gloss, which I wasn’t expecting so was an added bonus!

Overall, despite my initial reservations with the change of packaging, I am glad that Avon have given the Colortrend range a new lease of life.  I was getting a bit bored of seeing the same few shades over and over again, so the new products have come as a breath of fresh air for me.  The shades are bold and exciting and I can’t wait to see and try more of them!

Will you be trying any of the new Colortrend products?  If you fancy a browse of the new range, you can visit my Personal Online Brochure here.  You can even place an order with me if you feel inclined to do so!  Colortrend products are currently 2 for £4, so you can really grab a bargain right now :)

Naomi x

13 Clear Color Me Pretty Glossy Packaging Range Read My Lips Soft Violet Suede Effect US
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