L'Oreal 3 in 1 Purifying Micellar Solution

I have using this little gem for around 6 weeks and have really enjoyed it! the L'Oreal Skin Perfection 3 in 1 Purifying Micellar Solution has been floating around the many months and has received a number of mixed reviews. Some had compared it to Bioderma, others were shocked at the mere idea of a comparison. So what do I make of this?

The L'Oreal Micellar Solution aims to:

-Dissolve make up
-Unclog pores and remove impurities
-Tone and soothe skin

The formula itself is labelled as fragrance free and has a really gentle scent, really hard to describe it though. I usually prefer heavily fragranced products s it nice to have something a bit different to add to my skin care routine (not that I particularly have one.. naughty!). The solution feels lovely on my skin and I seem to be getting through it at a crazy rate. Now does it do what it is supposed to? I think my opinion on this one is a bit of a mix. It does dissolve make up well, especially mascara, however I wouldn't say it is very effective at unclogging pores as in order to remove my foundation I have to either use a lot of this product, to the extent that it becomes wasteful, or still wash my face afterwards. Post application my skin feels toned and freshened up and I supposed you could even say soothed. I do enjoy using this product a lot, but for me it is not effective as I would like - all in all. I would probably repurchase this when it runs out, however firstly I would like to try some other new products, perhaps the Garnier Micellar Solution next?

Have you tried the L'Oreal Skin Perfection Micellar Solution? Would love to hear how you got on!

 

NOTD // Mint London and Models Own Special Edition

 

In this edition of NOTD I have finally had a number of plays with nail polishes from the Clothes Show to write a balanced review. Featured in this post are the gorgeous Mint London in Hidden and Models Own Clothes Show Live Edition Show Stopper 2.

 

Here is the finished creation:

 

 

Firstly I applied two coats of the Mint London nail polish. Only having discovered this brand at the Clothes Show in December I was very excited to try out something new. The colour is lovely (perfect for the Spring) and applies really well. I usually wear it with glitter top coats to give it a bit more sparkle, however the general chip-free power is quite good. 

 

 

 

To finish off I applied a thick layer of the Models Own Show Stopper 2 nail polish. As the glitter bits were quite sparse, achieving an even coverage was quite difficult, however I was quite pleased with the final product. Acting as a thick top coat it really helped to seal the baby blue base colour. My only issue with polish however, was the very unexpected strong smell! I am unsure what it is best to compare it to, perhaps paint stripped or another heavy chemical of some sort. After painting my nails the scent seemed to take over the entire room, needed to be aired out significantly. I have used many Models Own polishes before and they were fine, so I have no idea why this polish smells so unbearably different.

 

Have you tried either of these polishes before? Let me know what you thought!

 

 

 

A Few Bits from Fragrance Direct...

 

Fragrance Direct is an addiction... and I just can't stop giving in ...

 

Once again, battling with a basket full of abut 40 items I had to be realistic and narrow down my choices to what I actually "needed"... or so I tried to tell myself anyway. This little haul consisted of:

 

Korres Silk Milk Conditioner for Chemically Treated Hair

 

Mark Hill Overnight Miracle Repair Treatment

 

 

 

I seem to have developed a desire to purchase a silly amount of nail products which I never get round to use, but here are some more:

 

Essie Grow Richer Nourishing Growth Base Coat

 

Bourjois 10 Day Anti Choc No Chips Nail Polish in 25

 

Orly Nail polish in Seashell (gorgeous colour, review to come soon!)

 

Rochas One Coat Nail Lacquer in Antique Pink 12

 

L'Oreal Colour Riche Nail Polish in 824 (I already have a similar one in 822, but I couldn't resist and hoping this one will be just as gorgeous!)

 

 

 

Followed by a few eye products:

 

Pupa Extrapearl Eyeshadow in shade 12

 

Bourjois Clubbing Liner in Bronze Dance

 

La La Lashes in Diamond

 

 

And a few random bits to finish off:

 

Lee Stafford Fake My Tan in the shade light to medium

 

L'Oreal Colour Riche Lipstick in Pink Fever 285

 

 

 

Have you tried any of these products? Let me know what I've got to look forward to!

 

 

 

Valentine's Lips // 1000 Kisses

Happy Valentine's Day ladies! Hope everyone had something exciting lined up for the night and is spending quality time with their loved ones. With February being prime time dating season, lots of lovely ladies going on dates left, right and centre I thought now would be a good time to put up a review of the Rimmel 1000 Kisses Lip tint +  balm, this one in the shade 120 Timeless Tango.

 

As many of you will already know by now, this product is dual sided, a 'felt tip' end on one side and a clean balm on the other. Usually one to steer clear of dark lip colours, but this gorgeous pinky red colour drew me right in. The felt tip like end makes applications ever-so precise and easy, with the tint absorbing into your lips, providing a lasting colour. The balm adds a lovely glossy effect, adding the shine of a lipgloss but with the colour intensity and lasting power of a lipstick. Before I purchased this I'd heard many mixed reviews about this sort of product but thought I would try it out anyway. I usually suffer with dry lips, but surprisingly this wasn't an issue, as the gloss provided all the necessary coverage. Although this colour is absolutely gorgeous, dark lip colour are still not for me, but I would definitely purchase a lighter shade in this range. 

 

(1st swatch - just the lip tint, 2nd swatch - tint and the balm together)

Have you tried any the Lasting Finish 1000 Kisses Lip Tints? Would love to know what you thought!

NOTD: Rich Red, Ready for Valentine’s Day

Today’s nails are a rich red colour by Urban Outfitters, perfect for Valentine’s Day. I purchased this as part of a set, a loooong time ago in America, so chances are, Urban Outfitters don’t make this one anymore. There doesn’t seem to be a colour or a number on the bottle, but I always refer to it as my sparkly rich red polish. I’ve searched high and low and don’t seem to be able to find the name! One of the other polished which came in the set is a glittery silver call After Hours. If anyone has any clue to which collection this may be from, I would really appreciate it if you let me know J.

 

I love this polish because the glitter is small but thick, making the polish not at all gloopy, but easy to apply evenly. The only downside is the crazy rate at which it chips! Every time I wear it, I can usually spot the tiniest chips of at least one nail, the next day. However when it comes to actually removing it, it’s impossible to shift without giving your nails a good scrub! It is such a pretty colour, so I think I can deal with the chips.

 

Here is a shot with  no filter.

 

 

 

 

The Liebster Award!!

I’ve been nominated for the Liebster award!!! Yay! It was an absolute honour to be awarded the Liebster award by not just one, but two lovely ladies, Charley from Style and Allure and Laura from The Beauty Tearoom, which I'm really grateful for! Thank you very much ladies! 

For those of you who may not know much about the Liebster award, it is an award given to bloggers with under 200 followers and is great way for bloggers to connect with each other and grow their reader base. Once nominated, you have to answer the 11 questions you were given and then nominate 11 others bloggers to do same but answer 11 questions set by you.

Here we go J
 

Firstly Charley’s questions:

1. When did you start blogging? Around August 2013
2. What is your favourite book? The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, absolutely amazing book, would highly recommend it!
3. What is your holy grail beauty product?  It would be impossible to pick just one but I think I'm going to go with the Bourjois Volumizer Mascara ... just wow!
4. How often do you communicate with other bloggers? Not as often as I should.
5. When was the last time you cried at a movie? The Lion King probably, those Disney classics get me every time.
6. If you were stranded on a desert island with one celebrity, who would you want it to be? This is a really difficult one, but I think I would pick a comedian! Not sure which one, but with being actually stranded on a desert island, you may need some cheering up!
7. Who is your idol? I wouldn’t say that I have an in idol as such, but I really look up to successful people who were able to carry on and persevere past the difficulties they have encountered along the way.
8. What blogger would you like to be best friends with? Another difficult one! I would probably have say Zoe as hers was one of the first blogs I ever read and Tanya Burr, as she’s so lovely and cheerful.
9. What made you start blogging? I had thought about starting a blog for a while now, but there never seemed to be the perfect opportunity as I either had exams to revise for or generally a lack of free time. I was initially inspired by the wonderful Zoe from Zoella and thought why not give it a go. So shortly after graduating, whilst embarking upon the dreaded job hunt, I had a fair bit of time my hand last summer so thought it would be the perfect opportunity.
10. What's your favourite animal? Puppy!!!!
11. What is your biggest guilty pleasure? Sitting around in my rabbit onesie eating chilli heat-wave Dorritos (I'm painting a beautiful picture here, aren't I...).

And here are my answers to Laura’s questions:

1. What is your favourite nail colour? Probably pink! I have thousands of pink nail polishes in all sorts of shades (OK thousands may be a bit of an exaggeration.. but definitely more pink polishes than one girl requires).

2. If you could have any hair colour which would it be? Dark purple

3. If you could visit anywhere in the world, where would you go? I love travelling and there are sooo many places I would love to visit. The places I’m most excited for are Thailand and Brazil, as I have a feeling they would absolute epic!

4. Who is the most important person in your life? My mum <3

5. Where do you go most often with friends? Can’t say there’s a particular place  we always go but whenever the Uni girls have a reunion we seem to end up in Vodka Revs, food and music, two birds with one stone.

6. What is your most proud achievement? Probably successfully completing my year abroad as part of my degree. Being so far away from home and adapting to a new environment was a crazy and challenging experience but I love every minute of it

7. If you could have any pet, what would it be and what would you call it? I absolutely love Labradors, but I feel that would be a bit tame…so if I could have anything, I would go with the cat family and get a per baby tiger as they’re mega cute!

8. What is your favourite beauty product of all time? This a very very veryyyy difficult question, probably impossible to pick just one. I will have to go for the L’Oreal Glam Shine Lipglosses as I love everything about them! So shiny, non-sticky (although some may disagree), smell lovely and there is such a great variety of colours.

9. Who is most like you that you know of? Difficult to say really, as my friends are all a pretty different bunch! I guess the answer may be my dad. Although we live in different countries so I don’t see him much I seem to have inherited many of his behaviours.

10. What is your best quality? I guess I’m always quite chatty so there’s never an awkward silence if I’m about :P

11. If you were a sweet, what would you be? Strawberry Campinos, because they’re amazing and always make me feel better about life.

 

My nominations are:

Alice – http://strawberriesandsparkle.blogspot.co.uk/

Lucy – http://make-up-your-mindx.blogspot.com

Abigail -Alice - http://abigailalicex.blogspot.co.uk/

Kelsie - http://kelsielaurenxo.blogspot.co.uk/

Pippa - http://www.thesimplelifeoffashion.blogspot.co.uk/

Amy - http://www.amyalaska.co.uk

Amber - http://www.ambersbeautytalk.com

Leanna - http://pearlblush.blogspot.co.uk/

Aya - http://ayooti.blogspot.co.uk/



And my questions for you lovelies are:

 

1.       Why did you start blogging?

2.       What is your favourite lipgloss/lipstick of all time?

3.       Your ‘go to’ beauty brand?

4.       Favourite category of make up (eg lipstick, mascara etc)

5.       Your favourite Blogger/YouTuber?

6.       Have you met anyone from the blogging community?

7.       Your favourite season and why?

8.       Your favourite holiday destination?

9.       Do you have any pets?

10.   What would be your dream job?

11.   Your top blogging tip?

Well done and good luck!

 

 

 

 

 

NOTD: OPI Dutch' Ya Just Love OPI

Today's NOTD brings me back to good old OPI, one of my favourite nail polish brands around. This gorgeous deep purple is called Dutch' ya just love OPI from the Holland Collection.  This deep colour is perfect for clinging onto the last months of winter. The nail lacquer itself, last really well and remains chip free for a while even without a top cat. The finish is really smooth and shiny and easy to wear.

I'm always on the look out to try more OPI polishes, if there one is that you absolutely love then please do suggest it!