Instagram update #6

scrabble/hastings beach/i'm on a masters!/i am katniss/new top/ice cream/the doctor/official monopoly winner/black cherry party

Nail Art - my failed attempt of overlapping stripes with a fan brush

Hi there. For the first time in a few months I was in the mood for doing a bit of nail art. I was watching a couple of cheesy, mindless films on Netflix and remembered a video I had watched last summer which showed a technique of making stripes on nails with the use of a fan brush. I picked some colours up (I am obsessed with the Barry M Gelly) and had a go myself.

Revlon Moon Candy nail enamel review - Galactic (210)

Again, this was written when these polishes were just released. I feel awful not uploading them earlier. Let's hope my exam results are worth it (ha?).

Revlon Nearly Naked Foundation review - Ivory (110)

Revlon Nearly Naked Foundation in Ivory: Small bottle and no pump...really?

I know this is a bit late. I wrote this review back when the foundation was just released and forgotten to take pictures (for 2 months!) But here it is!

Barry M Hi-Shine Gelly Nail Polish Review - Blueberry

This is the 2^nd polish that I bought from the Barry M Gelly range. It is a lovely periwinkle blue which is super cute for summer. I have recently bought a few blue varnishes (and a few navy dresses?!) of varying shades because the China blue and toile trend is huge this summer. This is a perfect colour to fit this trend.

Barry M Hi-Shine Gelly Nail Polish in Blueberry - a beautiful periwinkle blue

Wishlist: 27th February 2013

2013?! I still can't believe we are in 2013 and I haven't posted a wish list. I've had so much work to do this semester that I have had no time what-so-ever to genuinely decide what I want to buy. I've also had some big budget buys (like my T in the Park ticket) so I've felt really guilty buying anything at all! So here it is, my first official wish list of the year!

Principles by Ben de Lisi Black and White striped skirt: I don't often buy clothing from Debenhams and especially not from the 'Principles' range. I know it is generally intended for the 'slightly older, more sophisticated lady' but I saw this skirt in the window in Debenhams and fell in love! It is so Beetlejuice (who is my alter ego of course) and prim and proper. I could imagine it looking lovely with a nice blouse and heels (like those pictured above perhaps?). If I got this skirt I would make people say my name three times and that would get annoying but I'd do it anyway because I would literally be Beetlejuice. Did I mention that vertical stripes are incredibly flattering?

Monki Alexandra Scarf:  I have a thing about scarves at the moment and when I found Monki on the internet I fell in love with some of their accessories. Prices are pretty affordable and they have some interesting pieces. I love this scarf but it seems a bit too winter floral for me. I think if I buy any new scarves soon they'd probably be more summery considering March is just one week away! This doesn't stop me pining over this scarf though.

Missguided Fermina Suede Heeled Sandals:  My housemate showed me these and I fell in love! We both want them, which may be a problem, but we'll just have to make sure that we don't wear them at the same time otherwise we'll look like losers from the 00's that wore matching outfits because it looks 'cute'. Usually I am against shoes/sandals that have ankle detail because they cut your feet off from your legs but considering that these are in Nude I should get away with looking chic and not shriek-tastic because it looks like someone has cut my feet off and stuck them back on with duct tape.

Tom Odell - Long Way Down: Since I saw Tom Odell at The Brits I have been listening to his songs on Youtube almost non-stop. I can't believe I haven't heard of him sooner! I will definitely buy his album once it comes out and you can pre-order it from Amazon now. Actually, I might listen to it on Spotify first....I don't want to waste money on an album I don't like and I do that way too often (sad but true).

Churches - Recover: I heard this song on Radio 1 on Sunday whilst I was driving back to uni and have been listening to it ever since. I am seriously close to buying this single on iTunes - that is how much I love it! I can't wait to see these guys at T in the Park (along with Tom Odell and Mumford and Sons!!!!!) and they seriously need to come play Norwich because they are playing London during exam season and I can't deal with that.

Revlon Grey Suede Nail Varnish: I saw this shade in Boots in January and was going to buy it whilst it was £5. My flat mate told me to get another colour (which ended up being the same as another I already had and was the same as the one Revlon sent me themselves!) so I now have three versions of the same nail varnish - go me! However, I still love this colour and apparently Jessie J wore this very colour to The Brits! Well, that doesn't make me want it more but it makes me feel good that I found it before Jessie J did and that I am obviously fashion forward when it comes to colours (or not).

That's my wish list! I'll update if I managed to get any of this stuff. Considering the prices, I assume I will not unless I want to live on pasta for breakfast, lunch and dinner for a couple of weeks (that is not going to happen).

Rachael xxxxx

Review: Revlon Nail Enamel in Bewitching (620)

Boots had an offer where the majority of Revlon products were just £5. On a whim I picked up this nail varnish as it looked gorgeous in the bottle. From the bottle alone I expected it to be a very dark pink – perfect for spring. Actually on my nails it looks a little different but it’s still a lovely nail varnish!

As I said, it is a very deep pink but definitely has some burgundy tones to it. When I first applied it, I was sure it was identical to a Barry M nail varnish I got over a year ago. However, I think this is slightly lighter and ‘pinker’. I found you had to apply it quite thickly; I could not manage to get a light layer on my nail without it streaking. It dried very quickly and I felt like I had to apply the polish quickly otherwise the strokes weren't merging and were just layered. The brush was also quite small – I swear my other Revlon varnishes have bigger brushes (or am I imagining this?)

Overall, it’s a lovely polish that applies well with just 2 coats for a really opaque cover. It is a gorgeous colour for spring that could easily work for A/W this year too (I wouldn’t push it in the summer).

Rachael xoxo

(p.s. ignore the fact I haven't cleaned up. The majority of my nail stuff is at home as I forgot it after Christmas. Stupid me)

Review: Natural Collection moisture shine lipstick in Cherry Red

Hey guys!

I was in town the other day and had a cheeky look at the Natural Collection stand in Boots whilst my flatmate was obsessing over Soap and Glory. I spotted this lipstick and swatched it on my hand to find it is the exact colour I was looking for about three months ago - typical huh? At only £1.99 I picked it up and here it is - Cherry Red.

This is Natural Collection. The lipstick cost £1.99. The packaging isn't great but it is a cheap lipstick. You can't expect a glamourous looking lipstick when it costs less than a coffee in Starbucks.

The colour is a dark cherry red. It has a slight blue undertone, more so than Scarlett, so for my skin tone it is great. I attempted to put it on one morning and almost screamed at how dark it was. I swiftly took it off and re-applied by Revlon Balm stain in Lovesick. This is definitely an evening lipstick if you are pale like me.

It is advertised as 'high shine' - which it is. It's not obnoxious. It is probably just the right amount of shine for a lipstick so dark. You could easily apply a gloss over the top to make it more dramatic. It is also supposed to 'gently moisturise the lips'. I'm not too sure about this statement. It is definitely not as drying as some lipsticks I have tried but I wouldn't say it moisturises my lips. However, it is nice to not come home with chapped lips after a night out.

This lipstick seems to run quite a bit on me and it is fairly visible due to the colour. This could easily be fixed with a lipliner and Topshop have one almost identical at the moment for about £7. It would also make the lipstick last longer - although at £1.99, I don't think anyone would mind re-applying.

As a cheap lipstick, this product is fantastic! I do like Natural Collection lipsticks as they are so cheap and the colours are quite trendy compared to some other cheaper collections. They are a fab way to try out a new colour without breaking the bank. The colour of this is gorgeous and can definitely be a staple for this winter season. Unfortunately, I now have about 3 staple winter shades and not enough days in the week to go out and wear them. I might just have to go crazy over Christmas and New Years....

One last note...on my hand it looks very similar to Revlon's 'Cherry Blossom' which I have been pining over for the past month or so. I would love to do a comparison but at £7.50 a lipstick I'm not likely to want to buy it. However, in store they look uber similar - I can't imagine it coming out as dark as this though!

Rachael xxxx

Review: Revlon ColourStay 16 Hour Eye Shadow Quad in Siren

Superdrug at the moment are offering a 3 for 2 mix and match on all of their cosmetics. I always take advantage of this offer but by that, I mean spend way too much money in Superdrug. Just a tip, Superdrug give 10% student discount to NUS Extra card holders! Show them those student cards!

Anyway, I seem to have a small obsession with Revlon Products recently. I must have spent about £50 on Revlon products in the past 3 months or so and it’s killing my bank balance. I have had my eye on this palette for a couple of weeks so unfortunately, I did pick it up.

At £7.99, it is not a cheap palette. I have had many more colours for less money, but as it is Revlon, I expected the quality to be better than most. I have various smoky eye palettes from other brands, like Avon, but on a whim, I picked this up. I was going out for dinner in the evening so thought, ‘hey, why not?’

The palette consists for 4 complimentary colours. Top left is a shimmery silver and top right is a shimmery purple/grey. Bottom left is a shimmery taupe and bottom right is a matte black. The matte black has specks of glitter, but they aren’t prominent – especially when the eye shadow is on.

The packaging is okay. You can clearly see each colour through the clear window in the glossy black casing. It is a pretty classic, almost cliché, packaging for eye shadows. I am a fan of the old style Revlon shadow palettes – a long thin strip of each eye shadow. However, I don’t dislike this new style – it’s just different. Each eye shadow is a different size and I assume that this corresponds to the suggested application on the back of the palette.

Swatches ( I apologise for the bad quality, but it really shows how unpigmented these shadows are):

From using the palette a couple of times, I have found that the eye shadows are not very pigmented. They are very shimmery, except the black, and it takes a lot of shadow for a colour to be seen. I found that application was slightly easier with a proper eye shadow brush rather than the foam applicator given. Even with three layers of each shadow, I found it to be a very subtle smoky eye. For some, a subtle smoky eye is exactly what they are looking for and if this is you…go for this! However, I like a very dark, dramatic smoky eye so this palette doesn’t fit the bill. I find it so weak that I could potentially get away with full application during the day. The matte black actually wears as a dark grey - can you imagine how pale the other shadows are?

The colours are very complimentary and blend together well. If you don’t mind taking your time to apply the shadow, you can create a very dramatic look. After putting the shadow on my eyes (and hands when swatching) my skin felt significantly softer.

Unfortunately, I felt like there was quite a bit of fall out with this eye shadow. Because so much is needed to get a serious colour, I feel like I’m losing the same amount of shadow that I’m putting on my eye. It is significantly reduced to other, cheaper palettes but I still was quite disappointed with how much was lost. Again, I can’t stress enough how un-pigmented these shadows are. For the price they were, I expected much darker colours.

Lastly, does the shadow last for 16H? In short, no. I went out for a meal followed by an evening in a club and the eye shadow stayed for the whole evening. When I put it on at 8 in the morning, it lasted all the way till 6pm. However, if I was going to go out in the evening, I would definitely re-apply the shadows. It might only need to be a touch up – but new shadow would need to be added. I hear that when wearing an eye primer the shadow lasts even longer – but I’m not too keen on primers myself so I doubt I’ll try that.

So, overall, the palette is of okay quality. It gives a nice effect but is not pigmented enough for the money that I spent. For some people, £7.99 is not an expensive palette but when I’m living on a student loan I do feel a tad guilty spending that amount of money on one piece of make up. If you want a subtle smoky eye then this is the product for you. If you want something a little darker and more dressy, then don’t be tempted to pick this up.

Rachael xoxo