Maybelline Baby Lips - Pink Punch, Peach Kiss, Cherry Me

Who doesn't love a lip balm? I know I'm a bit late to put up this post but it just seemed that this was the product everyone was reviewing and I just wanted it to die down a little before I put mine up! Now if you've been hiding under a rock for the past, god knows how long, then you will not know about the infamous Maybelline Baby Lips. But honestly even if you have been hiding then you probably still would have heard about them, that's how insane the launch in the UK was. Personally I was very excited for these to arrive in the UK and took to the Boots website the day they launched and ordered myself three as they were on a 3 for 2 offer. Also because I ordered before a 2pm that day it meant I was able to collect the very next day which I thought was very impressive delivery.

There are six in total, 3 of which I ordered as I said. The three I purchased were; Pink Punch, Peach Kiss and Cherry Me. First off the packaging, to be honest I know it's nothing special but I rather like it. It's a plastic, brightly coloured tube and the lid again has brightly coloured wording which really stands out. One of which, either the writing or tube colour, match the actual colour of the product inside (on the tinted balms anyway) which is a small but nice concept.

I picked up the three which are meant to be the tinted ones which is definitely what I was most excited about. They are only tinted lip balms so they're not going to give you a full coverage on the lips but they definitely do leave a lovely sheer colour to the lips. I definitely prefer Cherry Me and Pink Punch for the best colour pay off and I personally don't feel that Peach Kiss leaves me with any colour on the lips. You can see from the swatches on my hand that they are not fully pigmented but absolutely do have some colour pay off to them. This seems to come off more so on the hand than the lips but saying that I do love the colour left on the lips. I also apologise for the fact that I have no pictures of me wearing any of these products, I honestly did try but none of the pictures came out at all home I wanted them and I didn't think they did this product any justice so unfortunately I didn't include them.

I believe these claim 8 hours of hydration on the lips which I definitely don't agree with but they are very moisturising and do leave my lips feeling really soft. But they honestly do not last that long. They really are a great lip balm and lots of fun but aren't lips balms one of those products that so many people are addicted to buying and barely ever finish one? Well I am anyway, ha ha, so I don't feel like I'll ever actually finish one but let's hope. Another fun thing about these lip balms is the scent, the Cherry Me one smells lovely! Since purchasing one of these is always in my handbag for simple and quick application with a slick of colour.

Maybelline products are still 3 for 2 at Boots so if you are still yet to try these then I definitely recommend them and I would love to try the non tinted hydrate ones from Baby Lips. I'd love to know your thoughts on these and what you think of the Hydrate balms if you've tried them! :-)

Fragrance Direct Haul #2

Here I am again with another Fragrance Direct haul, but if you have shopped with them before then you'll know it's hard not to keep going back with such cheap and affordable prices! If you've never shopped with Fragrance Direct before then it's a site which sells make up, skin care, hair care, perfume and lots of other cosmetic bits & bobs at cheap prices. It's very hard to go onto the website and leave without buying anything or at least wanting to.

So I was on their website the other week and just couldn't resist. They have recently introduced OPI to their website so I was really keen to get my hands on a couple. The other item that everyone seems to head to Fragrance Direct for is Essie nail polishes and that's the first item I picked. This time I headed onto look at Essie they actually had so many shades to choose from. I restricted myself to one and picked up the shade 'Madison Ave-Hue'. It's a gorgeous pink/purple shade and a colour which I don't (think) I have in my collection. For only £1.99 compared to the retail at £7.99 it's such an amazing price and the item that I would always purchase on their website.

Next I picked up two OPI nail polishes, the first called 'Nothin' Mousie 'Bout It' which is a glitter with small heart confetti in from the Minnie Mouse collection. I wanted this nail polish as soon as this collection was released but resisted due to the price tag of £13 so when I saw this for £3.99 I couldn't resist. It's such a cute nail polish and think it could be paired with pretty much any colour polish. The second I picked up is called 'Pedal Faster Suzi!' which is a lovely baby pink with a shimmer in it. Again I've seen this polish before so couldn't leave it there once I'd seen it.

I then got two Revlon nail polishes, I've always tried make up bits from Revlon but have never tried one of their normal nail polishes. The price tag totally swayed me, are you ready for this? They were 99p! Yes under £1 for a nail polish. I picked up the two glitter ones which were available called 'Popular' which is a baby pink polish with silver speckles of glitter and 'Stunning' which is a plain silver glitter with different sized flecks. I'm excited to try these, as I said I've never tried Revlon polishes before, due to loving their other products and obviously the price.

After that I got two lipsticks the first being from Rimmel. Now the other week I picked up the exact same lipstick (in a different shade) from Boots for just over £5 I believe, then on Fragrance Direct they were on there for, yes you guessed it, 99p!I was gutted, ha ha! But on a brighter note I picked a new shade up as I love my other one, this time I got 'Sweetheart Tulips' which is such a pretty deep pink. Next I got a Maybelline Color Sensational Popstick (and breathe) again something I've always wanted to try so for £1.99 I had to try one. I picked up the shade 'Tropical Pink' which looks very vibrant but is actually quite sheer and very wearable which I love.

I then got some non-make up bits. I picked up two bits from the T Zone range which I've been enjoying using lately. I've already got one of their face scrubs which I like so thought I would try another which is the 'Dual Action Power Scrub', I then got the 'Skin Clearing Face Moisturiser'. This range is aimed at that troublesome skin for example blemish prone, blackheads and uneven tone. I suffer from those pesky spots so am always intrigued to find new products to help me out! They are cheap again, the scrub being 99p and moisturiser £1.99 so fingers crossed they produce good results. Finally I picked up a new angled brush. I want this for two things; my eyebrows and also eyeshadow when I want to push it close to my lash line as eyeliner. This was only 99p so I'm excited to try it and see the softness etc.

I hope you enjoyed this haul and if you haven't checked out Fragrance Direct then I definitely recommend it :-) I'll definitely be heading back soon. I also hope you've noticed the use of my new nail wheels which I think I got a bit over-excited about but I love them! He he, happy Tuesday xo

Dainty Doll Cream Blush in 001 Paper Roses

In my last Fragrance Direct haul, which now seems like forever ago, I purchased this Dainty Doll blush. I'd heard rather a lot about this brand just floating around the blogger-sphere. So when I saw them on Fragrance Direct for £1.99 I thought I couldn't not try one. The other thing that intrigued me was that I had never tried a cream blusher before so didn't really know what to expect from it. This Dainty Doll range by Nicola Roberts is aimed at the paler skin ladies out there and during the colder months I definitely fall under that category.

First things first, the packaging. It's really sleek and compact which I really like. It also comes with a mirror so it's perfect for on the go when re-application is needed.These blushers are so creamy and actually quite pigmented. Not having tried one before I didn't know what the pigmentation would be like but as you can see from the picture above it really is pigmented and this shows up on the cheeks too. Although the product is really creamy once I applied this to my cheeks I did find it to feel a bit waxy on the skin, considering I have nothing to compare this too I'm not sure if that's a 'normal' thing. It wasn't a horrible feeling as once I working the product into my skin a bit more it seemed to wear off and left a nice pink glow.

I've been applying this product to my face with my fingers, as I don't own a stippling brush which I seem to think would be the best brush for this product. On the plus side this product applies really well with my fingers, I know exactly where I'm putting it and how much product I'm putting on my cheeks. The blush is really buildable, with one application, if you will, it gives a tinted pink glow to my cheeks, then with a little more product I find this is when the colour of the blush really appears. It creates such a natural looking pink glow on the cheeks. This blush has no shimmer in it which is something I like in this cream blush. It also leaves quite a nice dewy finish too which I like considering I have rather oily skin so am normally prone to a matte finish on my face.

I find this blusher doesn't last all day, whether that's due to it being a cream blush and me having oily skin I don't know but it does last a fairly long time. The colour intensity of the blush does just start to fade after a good few hours of wear. I would definitely like to try a brush to apply this and see if that makes any difference to the lasting power and colour intensity.

Overall I have enjoyed using this blusher, I love the colour pay off and the creamy texture. But I'm not sure that I'm a convert and still very much prefer my powder blushers although this is a nice change every now and then. I'd love to try a powder blush from this Dainty Doll range to compare the two.

Have you tried any products from the Dainty Doll range? Whats your favourite cream blush? I'd love to know your favourites :-)

Bourjois Laser Toppings in Aqua Purple

After having 10 days off from work going back to it has certainly been difficult! I had a lovely time away just simply chilling with friends and family. I didn't want to go back as I'm sure many of you will understand but hey I have and am already feeling the tiredness. But anyway before I went away I quickly stopped at my local (work) Boots and picked up some goodies. Bourjois had a 3 for 2 offer on so I easily picked up three, this nail varnish top coat being one of them.

Laser Topping is a new range from Bourjois consisting of three colours and is a clear varnish which contains different coloured strips of glitter which Bourjois refer to as light reflecting fibres. The one I got is called Aqua Purple which contains flecks of pink and purple glitter. I've always been a sucker for glittery top coats and different effects so when I saw these I just had to pick one up. Mind you I was stood there for rather a long time deciding on the colour!

I paired this with my 17 Lasting Fix varnish in 'Woo Me' which is a lovely pale lilac. I really like the contrast between the two varnishes and also think over black or white this top coat would look really effective. I definitely think a nail varnish is needed underneath simply because the fibres are relatively sparse although I do think compared to other glitter top coats these do come out more so than others which surprised me. In the pictures above I used two coats of the Laser Toppings and was very happy with the outcome.

I did apply a top coat as I always do with my nail varnish as I find with this kind of top coat that it can leave a slightly rough finish on the nail. Also I found that a few of the fibres can sometimes poke straight up over the edge of your nail so I tended to try and use the brush to alter this or when it's dry just snip them off! The brush on these varnishes are quite wide which I like as it covers your whole nail in one sweep.

The other pain of glitter top coats is the removal. Now I can say this lasted up to around 6 days if I remember correctly which I was very impressed with. Then one night before I was heading out with my friends one whole nail of varnish just came off in one go! This annoys me sooo much (as I then had to pick all the others off) so I can't comment on the removal with nail varnish remover but the fact that they all peeled off nicely just before I headed out was a bonus.

Overall I really enjoyed using this top coat and found the look of it really interesting. It really caught the sunlight and glistened which was lovely. These are £5.99 in Boots which is a pretty reasonable price and would definitely recommend trying them and experimenting with what colour varnish to put underneath :)

I'd love to know if you've tried any of these polishes and if you've got any pictures on the different colours you used! xo

Revlon Lip Butter in Pink Lemonade

Yet again here I am pretty late on this beauty bandwagon, but better late than never hey. If you haven't already noticed then I'm talking about the Revlon Lip Butters. I had been humming and haring about these products for a long time until I decided to take the plunge recently when Boots had a 3 for 2 on make up offer. Also if you didn't already know then I'm pretty new to the whole lipstick thing and am slowly but surely adding to my collection.

This was actually one of my very first lipstick purchases so colour wise I was being very cautious. I picked up the shade called 'Pink Lemonade' which is a very subtle light pink and for my first lippy I was after a subtle colour so this one ticked that box. Obviously like everybody else the massive rave about these products is huge, the fact that they're so moisturising, nourishing and pigmented are just a few of the main reasons.

There are also so many shades to choose from so I was stood in front of the Revlon counter for some considerate amount of time. This also means when I go back for another shade I'm sure I'll be stuck for choice! This is the kind of lipstick I'd go for on those 'no make up' make up days or when I'm not feeling like a bright lip colour. There are obviously many more pigmented and bold shades within this range and I think I will definitely be picking from a more bold shade next time!

One of the main things I love about this product is the fact that it's just like a pigmented colour lip balm. So for someone who was pretty scared at first of putting lipstick on this was the perfect option to ease it on. I am also very drawn to the packaging, it's so chic and elegant! I love the simple quilted lid but it adds so much to the product and also matches the colour of the lipstick inside which I think is a nice touch.

Overall I do love this product although I think I would definitely go for a bolder colour next time and there will be a next time, ha! I would love to know if you've tried a lip butter and what shades are your favourites? Leave me a comment and let me know which one I should go for next :-)

Maybelline Color Show Polka Dots in Speckled Pink & Rain Forest Canopy

After the rather large hype of the L'Oreal Confetti top coat these beauties have now arrived on the shelves in the high street stores, Boots and Superdrug. As much as I always wanted to try the L'Oreal, I was never completely sold on it hence why it was never purchased. But as soon as these hit the shelves I went straight into my local Boots store.

When I popped into my local Boots on a lunch break only days after the launch there were only these two colour variations left. I wasn't disappointed I wanted the pink and the green just came with me also due to there being a buy one get one half price promo on Maybelline products at the time. This meant I got these two polishes for under £5, normally they are £2.99 each. The pink is called 'Speckled Pink' and the green 'Rain Forest Canopy'.

These are super duper easy to apply and although I did three coats in the pictures above you honestly could have stopped at two. It gives completely full coverage over the nail and it's not one of those nail varnishes which have the glitter bits in which you find yourself sat there for ages trying to actually get some of those bits onto your nail. The speckled parts, or polka dots, included in this nail varnish do not come out sparsely and I didn't have to do any scraping to try and get any onto the nail on the pictures above which I love about this product. You definitely get the right amount on the nail whilst still being able to see the colour included within the nail polish.

Another plus is the staying power of these polishes, usually when I paint my nails then go into work the next day they are ruined! But these seemed to last a good 3 to 4 days and even then it was only slight chipping, so I was really impressed with these. Considering the price I paid I wasn't expecting a lot from the wear but surprisingly I found it better than some of the higher end nail varnishes that I've tried.

There is one downfall to these products... the removal. At first I used my Bourjois 1 second nail varnish remover but when I pulled my finger out, the colour had removed fantastically but I was left with lovely black and white speckles all over my nail. These would literally not remove off my nails with this pot so I went to get a cotton pad and normal remover but they were still barely budging. I literally ha to scrape them off with rather a lot of force which I really didn't enjoy and it was rather time consuming.

Have you tried any of these nail polishes? I'd love to know your thoughts on them :)

MUA Lipstick Shade 2

Where has the sun gone? It's a completely dreary day out there and windy (I hate wind!) It seems to have gone from one extreme to the other, and typical UK people here I am talking about the weather. So I'm going to brighten up the day with this gorgeous lipstick shade, what better way to do it hey?

Let me just get this out there.. I have never really been a lipstick kinda girl. Breathe. I took to asking a load of bloggers in the blogger chat on Twitter a few weeks back how you decide which colours to go for and which high street brands do the best lipsticks. I had a reply from a lovely girl saying that she opted for MUA lipsticks due to the price to then decide which colours suited her best so if she wasn't keen on one she hasn't wasted any money, well £1. I thought this was a brilliant idea as a starter point for myself so I took to my local Superdrug MUA counter and found myself purchasing this one which is Shade 2.

As every blogger would agree I came out with a hand full of swatches from different lipsticks but found myself loving this one the best. I have at the moment only purchased this one colour (I was being naughty as I am trying not to spend any money - woops!) Anyway I picked up shade 2 which is a lovely magenta colour and if you don't already know then MUA lipsticks are only £1, yes you heard correctly. You cannot really go too far wrong when only paying £1 for a lipstick and I was surprisingly impressed! I am absolutely loving the shade of this lipstick on me, I find the colour really buildable as well which is nice if you're wanting to go for a more dramatic, night time look. I prefer more of the subtle look as I'm still getting used to looking at myself in the mirror with lipstick on!

The lasting power of this lipstick isn't great but I really cannot complain due to the price tag, it's so easy to just chuck in your handbag and reapply when needed, so who's moaning? I am definitely (when payday comes, no spending here) going to be picking up more shades from the MUA range simply to hopefully find more shades which I love.

Have you tried any lipsticks from MUA? What shades are your favourite?

Floral Swing Dress

 

Dress: Asos

Watch: Michael Kors

Tights: Primark

Lipstick: MUA Shade 2

It feels like forever ago since I last did a post, it's been one of those weeks where I feel like I've got loads of new bits and bobs to blog about but literally just haven't got round to photographing anything. So here I am on my day off finally getting around to it! And I also apologise for the quality of the last picture, my camera decided to give up on me half way through taking these pictures so had to turn to my trusty iPhone but I only tried to use one of the pictures from there.

The weather is finally starting to look a bit more spring like out there *fingers crossed* and in this outfit post I have a long sleeved dress and tights on, error. If you follow me on twitter (@natalieellis23) then you may know that I sneakily did a bit of shopping on Asos the other night, but I couldn't resist they currently have a 70% off sale which is pretty darn amazing! I literally had to narrow my shopping bag right down before I even allowed myself to check out. 

This dress is one of the bits I ordered, I instantly fell in love with it. Although the black isn't so spring/summery I love the pastel lilac and mint flowers that cover the dress entirely. It's a gorgeous swing dress which I think is so versatile, in the pictures above I've literally just chucked it on but I think this could also be worn with a belt around the waist to give it a bit more shape. It also has a cute peter pan collar and I love collars so that's a winner with me. Although I've paired it with tights it's a nice length so can also be worn without them in the summer months to come. I've just made this look extra casual and when I popped out this morning I simply paired it with my converse. But the versatility of this dress is amazing so I think it can be totally dolled up for a night out with heels too.

Now I'll tell you the best part about this dress.. it was in the sale for £10!!! I'll give you a moment to compose yourselves... I know, I couldn't believe the price when I saw it and the fact that it was still in stock in my size was a total surprise. It was reduced from £28 so it was a huge bargain and who doesn't love a bargain hey! I also got another bargain whilst shopping from Asos that I will feature in another outfit post soon, if I decided to keep it, I'm humming about it at the moment! But also with free postage from Asos it's a total bargain so I'd head down there asap ladies :)

Are you a fan of the swing dresses? Hope you're making the most of the sunshine that has finally appeared xo

Review: 17 Blush in China Pink

Can you notice anything different? YES I am finally using my brand new spanking camera for my blog pictures! I'm still only learning how to use it properly but thought that my little chest of drawers would be a nice little space to take pictures. I hope you can tell the difference, I certainly can and I really am loving the outcome of the pictures as well as loving my camera :)

Anyway onto the review, I've actually had this blush for quite some time now but you know we always end up buying new ones and then the old ones get shoved to the back of the drawer. Until one day you rummage through that drawer and find the make up items that you used to love. Then you re kindle that love and end up writing a review about it for everyone who follows your blog. Well that's basically it! I had a nice little sort out of my drawer a couple of weeks back and came across this beauty. So I thought I'd give it another whirl and god I'm glad I did. I've literally fallen back in love with this!

Firstly the colour, it's such a gorgeous pink, slightly subtle and matte looking. The final picture is me trying to get the best picture of the colour as possible, it's oh so very close to perfect. It's one of those products that you have to go and see yourself for it to capture your breath. It's so so so pigmented that you barely need any on your brush for it to show on your cheeks. A few sweeps and you're ready to go with this blush.

The application is also very easy, like I said a couple of sweeps on each cheek and the colour is already intense. The colour on the cheeks is just as pretty as it is in the pot and there's no need to re apply throughout the day as it really does last. I put this on before a 9 hour shift at work and when I get home you can still see the gorgeous hint of pink on my cheeks. I've used this rather a lot now and you can also see in the pictures that I've barely scraped the top layer off so I can see this lasting a long time too!

Seeing as I purchased this a while ago I literally cannot rack my brain to remember how much I paid for this but I know for sure it was under £5, which for an amazing blush is definitely not bank breaking money. The one slight downside would be the packaging, it's just plastic nothing special, but I honestly don't think any of us would expect something dazzling for under £5? Also it's the product inside that's worth the hype and not the packaging.

I definitely recommend this blusher if you're after a new one and it's definitely worth a try for the price! I remember there being a variety of other colours too so it may be worth checking those out if this pink isn't for you :) I hope you love the new pictures and the review, have a lovely weekend xo

Soap and Glory: Love At First Blush Review

Hello Ladies! This is the first review of the mountains of make up I got for Christmas, if you've seen my 'What I got for Christmas' post then you'll know what's to come. How long ago does Christmas seem now by the way? Feels months ago which is rather sad! Anyway I actually haven't seen many other reviews on this product.. That may just be because it's not new out. My friend got me this for Christmas along with some other Soap and Glory products including mascara and eye shadow palette, which I am also in love with.

I've had my eye on this product for SO long and my friend knew it! The packaging, the colours.. the everything! It's such a pretty blusher, I'm running out of describing words for this product because it's so amazing! (There was another one, he he) Firstly... the packaging, EVERY Soap and Glory product has such cute and pretty packaging that it always seems so hard to resist buying at least something. When opened there are so many different colours included it's gorgeous, shimmery and lovely! There's also a little mirror so it's such an easy product to pop into your handbag and re apply on the go, which again makes it even more appealing.

This shade is in pink, pop and pearl and I believe it may also come in other shades too. As you can see I've tried to take a picture of the colours included for you but the picture doesn't do it justice, if you haven't seen it, head into your local Boots and check out the colours. They are all gorgeous shades of pink, dark and light. Then there's also a pretty pearly white. When I apply this I literally use my blush brush and sweep it around and over all the colours and then apply. Once it's on the skin it's beautiful. It makes my cheeks stand out more and glisten! And like the box says, it does give you a rosy glow. It really is a more of a glittery and shimmery blush but I'm really enjoying using it.

I believe this retails for £11 which is more than what I would usually spend on a blusher but I love it at the moment and may even have to re purchase now I've used it once! Always the trick of the trade is this. But if you don't know already, then I am one of those girls who loves to try different products and brands once an old one runs out, bit of an experimentalist I'd like to say, hehe. 

If you love a shimmery blush more than a matte blush then this is definitely the blush for you! I would recommend this an awful lot :) Have you tried this blush? Let me know what you think :-) xo