ThisWorks 'Deep Sleep Stress Less' Collection

I have heard a lot about This Works, all good, but it's so expensive so that's always put me off a little bit. Then for Christmas Santa slipped the mini set of Deep Sleep pillow spray and rollerball into my stocking. I have real trouble sleeping so will try anything to help me settle down and nod off. 

This little duo isn't available anymore (I believe it was limited edition for Christmas) but you got a teensy pillow spray and the rollerball. I used the pillow spray up really quickly - I absolutely loved loved loved it! I loved the rollerball as well but it doesn't go down nearly as fast. As soon as I realised I was a few sprays away from an empty bottle I was straight down to Space NK to buy the full size!

It was £20 for the fullsize and the Sleep Balm which was all they had left from Christmas, although in boots the pillow spray is £15 and the sleep balm is £12. The sleep balm is very similar to the rollerball in that you put it on your pulse points. I would say you need one or the other - not both.

The whole collection has a very gentle lavender smell with undertones of vetivert (the oil of tranquility) and wild chamomile that is just so soothing and relaxing. I really want to try the bath soak and candle. I think I'm obsessed..! 

I'm not sure whether it is just a placebo effect or whether it actually works. I think it's a combination of the two if I'm honest. I enjoy routine so whilst I'm moisturising my face and the like, I spray my pillow, apply the sleep balm or rollerball (again you really don't need both!) on my temples and when I lie down surrounded by the familiar scent I can already feel my eyelids drooping. Some nights nothing is going to help me sleep and I have to lie there till the wee hours till my body finally caves in but it's comforting to lie in bed and have that familiar aroma around me. I think that's the point I'm trying to make. It might not actually aid sleep but the comforting scent and routine of spritzing my pillow triggers something in my brain that says it's time for sleep and because of that I will re-purchase this time and time again.

Rimmel Extra WOW Lash Mascara

I haven't had the best of luck when it comes to mascaras. I have tried SO many, rarely buying the same one twice. I have super, duper long eyelashes and my sister always remarks how long they are but when, no matter what mascara you wear you get black smudges under your eyebrows, you can start to resent your lashes. I know, it's a hard life!!

I have tried many a waterproof mascara but they are such a pain to remove I have always given up with them. I came to the end of my tether when I forked out £18.50 on Benefit They're Real mascara and it made my eyelashes look AMAZING but because my skin is 

so darn oily within half an hour I had black all round my eyes. 

Then I was mooching around the make up stands in boots and spotted this one. I'd never seen anything about it but decided to give it a go seeing as it was one I'd never tried before and all I can say is thank goodness I did!! 

It is incredible!! The formula isn't too wet (normally I like really wet mascaras) but it isn't that dry that it's hard to apply. It's the blackest black and, even though it isn't waterproof, it doesn't transfer at all on my top lashes! On my bottom lashes it does transfer a little but I wear the Clinique Bottom Lash Mascara anyway so this isn't an issue. The wand isn't too big (which I like) so the possibility of black dots all over your eyes is minimal. 

 I get a lot of 'are you wearing false eyelashes?!' comments which is always nice!! In the picture below I am wearing it on top and bottom mascara to show full effect.

I am fully converted to being a one mascara woman and just hope to God it's never discontinued. It's a bargain at £5.49 and available at boots, superdrug and other pharmacies. 

Urban Decay: Oz Palette in Glinda

*first impressions*

Palette, Super Saturated Lipgloss in Glinda, 'get the look' card

When I first saw the Urban Decay Oz collection I all but swooned and on the day of release headed straight to the Debenhams website (they are exclusive to Debenhams) to order one. After half an hour of deliberation between Glinda and Thedora I opted for Glinda. It's more cool toned which I prefer and the colours in the palette are more Spring/Summer and it's made me very excited for the warmer months! 

All the colours in the palette are exclusive and it contains two duos which is a new concept for Urban Decay. The two duos are Aura and Oz. Aura (which in the picture below does not photograph well I found) is a pearlescent duo of a surprisingly bright pink and a gorgeous cornflour blue. The pigmentation of this duo is the  worst of all the eyeshadows in the palette but not poor by any means. It would look great as a inner corner highlight when a bit of pazazz is needed. The other duo, Oz, is the biggest surprise in the palette for me! Great pigmentation, super sparkly and magical. A shimmering rose gold and a sparkling silver these are so lovely. It's love.

Next up there are two highly pigmented shimmery colours. Tornado (the purple top left) and South (a bronzey colour bottom right). Tornado has very slight shimmer, in some lights it looks matte! It's so pigmented and super soft and think it would be great in the outer corner for something a bit different. South is probably my favourite in the whole palette. It's like a toned down YDK from the Naked 2 but a lot more bronze. I love it lots!!

Next up, Magic (a soft pink top right). Glittery and sheer and think this will see me through Spring nicely. It's different to all the other colours I own and a nice alternative to the smokey brown I wear almost daily. 

Last but by no means least Illusion (soft peach, bottom left). This is very sheer but I won't hold it against it as I think if it was highly pigmented it would detract from the soft, girly colour. I think a couple layers of this would be lovely for a easy, weekend eye that looks beautiful with minimal effort.  

L-R TOP ROW: Tornado; Aura (duo); Magic
Travel size 24/7 Glide on Eyeliner in Rockstar
L-R Bottom ROW: Illusion; Oz (duo); South

L-R: Tornado; Aura (duo); Magic; Illusion; Oz (duo); South; Rockstar
eyeliner; Glinda lipgloss

 The eyeliner pencil is one of the 24/7 ones, which I've tried before (I actually think I have this same one upstairs...hmm). Regardless, they are fantastic quality and really long lasting! I've started to step away from the black eyeliner look a bit so it'll be nice to try out this dark purple for something a bit different!

The Super Saturated High Gloss Lip Colour in Glinda (what a mouthful!) is a nice concept. Think Topshop lipstick but glossy as opposed to matte. This is nice but I'm not sure the colour is really me. I'll give it proper go of course as I love the consistency!

Glinda Super Saturated High Gloss Lip Colour

This palette comes in at £35 which I think is a TOTAL bargain!! The Urban Decay Build Your Own palette is £14 and comes with one eyeshadow. A single Urban Decay eyeshadow is also £14 so to fill one it costs an almighty £84!! A super saturated lip gloss is £14 and an 24/7 eyeliner is £14 (hum..I see a trend) so for everything you get in this palette comes in at £112, and they're selling it for £35!! Wow!! Now all I need to do is resist buying the Theodora palette, the Naked Blush Palette and the Naked basics...this is going to be tricky!!

Products I've used up #1

Flake Away scrub; Famous Dave's tan; BIG shampoo; Curly Wurly Shampoo; essie grow stronger basecoatl mini flowerbomb shower gel; flowerbomb perfume; Naked 2 eyeshadow in Bootycall

Lush Shampoo 'BIG' and Lush Shampoo 'Curly Wurly'

 Two empty lush shampoos'. I actually have two empty 'Curly Wurly' pots because I'm saving them all (when you have 5 you get a free face mask!). I have already replaced both of these already and consider them a must have in my hair care routine. I have very fine, thick, waist lentgh, slightly wavy hair that is a pain in the bum to care for. The 'Curly Wurly' shampoo (packed with coconut which is a pain to wash out but really worth it!!) tames the slight frizziness of my hair and makes it smell AMAZING, like coconut (duh) and strawberries!! The 'BIG' shampoo is a sea salt shampoo that gives my fine,heavy hair the volume it desperately needs. I'm not too keen on the smell, a sort of lemony-beachey-salty smell (that's probably the worst description EVER) but I can deal with it for the results! Fabbity Fab!
Curly Wurly is £9.75 for 220g and Big is £11.25 for 330ml. I don't use these everyday so they tend to last me ages!

Viktor&Rolf Flowerbomb Perfume and mini 'Bomblicious'
Shower Gel

I've been wearing Viktor & Rolf Flowerbomb since I was about 15 (I'll be 20 in July) and now people consider it to be 'my scent' which is nice. My dad says he likes it when I hug our puppy cause he smells lovely! I think this must be my 5th bottle of this perfume and it definitely won't be my last! I buy the 100ml bottle that's £90 but I never regret it because I love it. I've already bought a new bottle for once I've drained this one dry. I got a free gift when I bought it which included this mini shower gel, a body cleanser, a foaming body wash and a mini perfume all in a beautiful box which is now home to my hair bobbles, bows and ribbons. I'm well on the way to finishing all the mini samples and my showering won't be as special for it. Although, once I have worked my way through my mountain of shower gels I will definitively consider buying this in full size! 

The essie base coat isn't empty but is extremely gloopy and thick and the brush doesn't reach the bottom of the pot anymore (hands up if you hate that *puts hand up*) but then, I didn't even love this when it was new if I'm honest. I have thin, bendy, peeling nails so I always buy the grow stronger varieties of base coats. This was always a bit thick for a base coat, although on it's own it looked lovely thanks to the pinkish tinge. I am a bright nail polish kind of a gal though so I rarely wore it on its own. It's £8.99 so not bad for a base coat but there are lot better ones out there. The fake tan has a teensy bit left. Probably enough for arms,feet and chest so I'm saving this for a special occasion when I plan on wearing trousers (namely my sisters 22nd on Saturday!). It has green undertones so gives a gorgeous olive colour. My skin seems to go crazy for fake tan, so even if I applied a a little too much but skin would soak it up and I'd be orange so I really have to careful (let's not even mention the spray tan I got for my prom, let's just say I put Katie Price to shame. Never again!). It does smell of fake tan but not biscuity at all, just strong - I quite like it truth be told. I would recommend applying at night because you will be green until you wash it off! It dries super quick though! It is crazy expensive at £27.99 for 200ml but this bottle lasted me all Summer and once applied will last 5-6 days (well it does on my weird skin that absorbs tan like crazy!), on my friend it lasted about 3-4 days so not bad staying power, it depends on how often you scrub I guess! I will buying a new bottle once the sun comes out (if ever!)

Famous Dave's Tanning Mousse and Essie 'Grow Stronger'
base coat

Simple eye make up remover and Soap and Glory
mini Flake Away scrub

This simple eye make up remover is fab but went down too darn quick for my liking! It is a total bargain though! This 125ml was only £3.39! It does what it says on the bottle, removes eye make up quickly although the waterproof claim is a bit iffy! It take a long time and a lot of scrubbing to get my Clinique bottom lash mascara off (the key to a good eye make up remover is taking off that mascara!!) I might buy this again (although Bioderma is launching in the UK mid-April so hopefully it will answer all my make up remover prayers)! The mini Soap and Glory Flake Away body scrub is brilliant (as are all Soap and Glory products). It's only 50ml but as it is only £2.50 its perfect if you want to try before you commit to the full size It smells AMAZING. I bought this at the end of the month when funds were low and my skin was horrid. I'd already bought, finished and LOVED the full size Sugar Crush scrub (a baraginous £8 for 300ml) but chucked the empty tub out in a Feng Sui attack totally forgetting my blog plans. I definitely prefer Sugar Crush and will be buying again asap. I'm currently using Rub Rub Rub from Lush which I got for Christmas but once that's gone I'll be welcoming Sugar Crush back with open arms.

This last one is a strange one. I got the Naked 2 palette as soon at it came out having loved the Naked original. The one shade that became my everyday eyeshadow was the pinky champagney shimmery colour called Bootycall. I LOVE it!! I have barely any left but am saving it because (much to my dismay) it was exclusive to the palette! Together with the lovely woman at the Urban Decay counter we decided that this single eyeshadow in Sellout was the closest match. Since I bought it I have used it loads, it is a bit more warm than Bootycall but still cool toned which flatters my skin tone the most. It's also got better pigmentation that Bootycall, I think I've just convinced myself I actually like Sellout more!! The naked 2 palette costs £36 and a single Urban Decay eyeshadow costs £14. Each eyeshadow in the Naked 2 is 1.3g and a single eyeshadow is 1.5g so it's quite a big mark up! 

Urban Decay 'Bootycall' (in the Naked 2 Palette
only) and Urban Decay single eyeshadow in 'Sellout'

Left: Sellout Right: Bootycall

So that's a mammoth blog post about all the thing I've used up recently. I've enjoyed going through and remembering past loves so will definitely do one of these again, once I've collected things up again... 

Top 5 Winter Nail Polishes

R-L: Nails Inc Stratford, Essie All Tied Up, OPI The World Is Not Enough, Nails Inc Porchester Square, Barry M Mushroom.
This Winter I have been wearing the same nail colours on rotation so I thought a blog post was in order. It's worth noting the two Nails Inc polishes came in The Backstage Collection (£25) with a holographic glitter polish called Abbey Road. A single Nails Inc polish is £11 so it's a good deal. Also, the OPI polish is a mini from the Bondettes collection but also comes in fullsize.

Nails Inc: Stratford. This is a gorgeous nail polish. It applies like a dream, you can get away with one coat, although I tend to apply two. It's said to have a 'mirror metallic' finish but I would say its more duo-chrome. In the picture it looks purpley-gold but in some lights it looks pure gold. It's really pretty and I blooming love it!

Essie: All Tied Up. I would say this is a reddy-browny-bricky-slightly simmery-hint of gold nail polish. Yep. I like this because it's a bit different, when I wear it I always get compliments.One of the reasons I bought this because in the bottle you can see very fine gold glitter but this barely transfers onto the nail. Despite this, it's still one of my favorites of my essie polishes.

 OPI: The World Is Not Enough. When I first saw the OPI James Bond collection I all but swooned! There is a glorious gold, fiery red and glittery green in the Bondettes mini set but I think this is the most wearable shade. It's a super sparkly grey, it does need a good 3 coats before it looks brilliant but it is totally worth it! Gorgeous!


 Nails Inc: Porchester Square. This has probably been my most worn shade. I have worn it at least 3 days a week since I received it as a gift on Christmas day. A grey with slight undertones of lilac, it's incredibly wearable. My mum also loves this and always requests it when I do her nails! 

 Barry M: Mushroom. A classic shade. A dark, matte brown that looks a bit boring in the bottle but is a staple when you want to look a bit sophisticated but not boring. A great alternative to nude and it makes my fingers look less short and stumpy and more elegant, bonus!  

So, that's the nail polishes I've worn throughout Winter. I'm looking so looking forward to the weather getting warmer and heading towards Summer! I think doing this post made me realise I wear a lot of matte shades and I'm going to try and wear more shimmery and glittery polishes as we head towards Spring.

P.S. Look at my stumpy, rubbish index finger nail. I'm trying out a new nail straightener because my nails are so weak! 

MAC 219 Brush Review

Make up brushes are my weakness. I love make up in general but there is something about make up brushes that make me go weak at the knees!! I would say, in general, I am a Real Techniques girl through and through but this brush is just brilliant.

I also have the MAC 217 which seems to be a must have on the blogosphere but picked this one up after searching and searching for a pencil brush, and this one is just what I was looking for!                                                   

Again, I apologise for the poopy pictures, I have the same camera issues as in the last post! I have very cheekily taken the picture of the brush from the MAC website (ssssh don't tell them!).  

The brush itself is amazing! It's very small and very dense so picks up lots of product and deposits it exactly where you need it! I use it to put eyeshadow under my lower lashline, to smudge dark shadows along my upper lashline or to put a light shimmery colour in my inner corner. It's not cheap at £19 but I honestly think it is worth every penny! I'm planning on doing a post on my top 5 brushes so expect to see this little guy popping up again soon!!

Beauty Bay Order #1

I've named this Beauty Bay order #1 but I have ordered from Beauty Bay before I just haven't done a blog post on it. I ordered the OPI bondettes mini collection (which is FAB!) and the Essie Christmas polish is Leading Lady (which I have had in my stocks for 2 months now and not actually used once...grrr!). I was so impressed with Beauty Bays' service the first time round that when I heard of some products I fancied trying they were the first site I turned to! Within an hour of this arriving I was swatching and taking pictures for a blog post!

Essie: Absolutely Shore

 I only went on the website to pick up this gorgeous essie shade in Absolutely Shore after seeing Vivianna Does Make Up's video on her essie polishes! I have the cult shade Mint Candy Apple and love it but sometimes feel it's a bit much for this time of year. I did a very quick, messy swatch on my thumb to get an idea of what the consistency is like. I would say it needs 3 coats to get the most of the colour but it glides on beautifully and the colour is so wearable. It's a bit different from the nudes and browns I have been wearing recently (I have been wearing Nails Inc Porchester Square religiously since my lovely sister bought me it in a trio of polishes for Christmas). This nail polish cost £8.50 which is a lot but I can see myself wearing it all through spring/summer (I think this will look fab with a tan)! I also think my mum will love this shade! I do her nails for her about twice a week and can see this being one of her new favorites!

 Nail Inc: Notting Hill Gate

 I have been searching and searching for the perfect bright pink since last summer and I think I have finally found it! This is a very bright, highlighter pink. Again it needs about 3 coats for full opacity. The first picture really captures the colour, but the swatch doesn't do it justice at all! I managed to pick this up in the sale! It was reduced from £11 to £8.69! I've had a quick look on the website and the Nails Inc polishes are still reduced so get in their quick if there is a colour that takes your fancy! I also do my sisters nails a lot too and think this shade will be right up her street, to be honest any pink is going to be a hit with her! I can see this being one of my staple Summer shades in 2013 but think I'll be wearing it all year round.

First Aid Beauty: Instant Oatmeal Mask

I have very, very oily skin. It is spot prone and acne scarred. All in all, not the best. However, this Winter my skin has got very dry everywhere bar my t-zone which has stayed very oily. I spotted this on the website and, having heard good things about it thought I would give it a go! It claims to 'calm, nourish and smooth distressed skin' which is just what I was looking for! Hopefully it will give my skin a boost of hydration without making it any more oily. This was also in the sale, I paid £13.43 for this. I have tried to find it on the website but it's not there anymore. However, there are many other First Aid Beauty products in the sale. I already have the ultra repair cream and the smooth shave cream both of which I love so I have high hopes for this product. It does smell a bit like soapy porridge though...!

I'm super excited about this order! Also, the service I received from Beauty Bay was amazing! I placed my order at about half 12 and by half 3 the same day my order was dispatched. I placed my order on the Wednesday and it arrived Monday morning! Not bad at all considering the delivery is free! I will definitely be ordering from them in the future!