Hi there! I thought after all the face, eye and body products it’s time for a nail post. Yes, I’m a nail nut, too. I know the photo is huge – sorry about that – but I wanted to show off the Fuzzy Coat. 😀 Sooo… today I’m wearing Orly Terracotta (two coats) and Sally Hansen Fuzzy Fantasy (one coat).
Orly Terracotta is a bright pinkish red; Sally Hansen Fuzzy Fantasy is a clear polish packed with matte green and white glitter strands. At first I wasn’t sure how this combination would turn out, but once the Fuzzy Coat was applied, I thought it looked cute. Mr Strawberryblonde certainly agrees. 🙂
Monthly Archives: April 2015
Sleek i-Divine Garden Of Eden Palette
Hi there! I finally got around to swatch one of my favourite palettes, Sleek i-Divine Garden of Eden. I love this palette because it’s full of neutrals and greens and it’s perfect for spring or autumn.
Like every other Sleek palette this one’s got a mirror and it contains 12 shades:
Top: Gates Of Eden, Eve’s Kiss, Paradise On Earth, Python, Forbidden, Flora
Bottom: Entwined, Adam’s Apple, Fig, Evergreen, Fauna, Tree Of Life
Flora, Adam’s Apple and Tree Of Life are matte shades, everything else is shimmery. My favourites are Python, Flora, Fauna and Tree Of Life – shades 4, 6, 11 and 12 in the swatch below.
11 of the 12 eyeshadows in this palette are highly pigmented and easy to work with – it’s only Adam’s Apple, the matte light green, that comes across as a little pale. However, on the other hand side, Tree Of Life, the matte dark green, is incredibly intense and more than makes up for Adam’s Apple’s paleness.
I strongly recommend this palette if you love neutrals and greens or if you want to unleash your inner Poison Ivy. 😀 Sleek i-Divine Garden of Eden palette is available for £7.99 at most larger drugstores. As always, look out for a 3 for 2 offer!
Poundland Allura Nail Art Brushes
Hi there and Happy Sunday! This week I’ve been really busy and it’s just now that I feel like I’ve got half an hour for myself. So what do I do? Write a quick post about one of my latest beauty purchases.
I bought Poundland’s Allura Nail Art Brushes not too long ago and now, after using almost all the brushes (I still haven’t used the fan brush), I wanted to let you know how awesome these little tools are. (And scroll down for a picture of the actual brushes!)
But let me start from the beginning. This set contains six nail art brushes and a small dotting tool. The dotting tool is great for tiny dots, but you can obviously create larger dots or circles as well. I like the dotting tool a lot because it’s great to do eyes when I’m working on a cute animal mani. I’ll show you soon! 🙂
I’m happy with the selection too. There is an angled brush, a square-ended brush, a pointed brush with a bend (which is very handy for spaces that you cannot reach easily), a fan brush (which I have yet to use), an actual ‘paint’ brush and a striping brush.
Apart from the fan brush I’ve used all the other brushes at least twice and I’m happy with the quality. No problems to report! These brushes are no different from the ‘value basic brushes’ you can order for £3 online – but these ones are obviously £1 only.
Granted, this set won’t give serious nail art pros an adrenaline rush, but it’s a nice little set for starters and for those who only use nail art brushes every now and then. And the set’s £1 only, so you really can’t go wrong!
As promised, here’s the photo of the actual brushes. From left to right: angled brush, square brush, pointy brush, fan brush, paint brush, striping brush, dotting tool.
Thank you for reading. And please feel free to comment if you’ve added these brushes to your nail art stash, or if you want to add them or if you’ve got anything else to say. 🙂
Superdrug Cocoa Butter & Vanilla Body Butter
Hi there! A couple of weeks ago I reviewed the first of my new body butters from Superdrug. I’ve finished the Cherry & Macadamia butter and have moved on to Superdrug Cocoa Butter & Vanilla Body Butter.
In terms of quality, this body butter is really good. It contains vitamin E and pro-vitamin B5 and it leaves my skin feeling soft and silky. I couldn’t ask for more.
This body butter also smells lovely and sweet, but it’s no surprise since it contains cocoa butter and vanilla. The scent leans towards vanilla, but I don’t mind because it reminds me of vanilla milk.
Superdrug Cocoa Butter & Vanilla Body Butter is available as 200 ml for £3.99 – but watch out for half price offers. Just like the other Superdrug beauty products, this butter carries the Leaping Bunny logo. It is cruelty-free and suitable for vegans.
L’Oréal Elvive Damage Care Repair Shampoo & Conditioner
Hi there! I just rediscovered an old favourite shampoo and conditioner combo: L’Oréal Elvive Damage Care. I’m not sure why I haven’t bought these products in ages, but the last time there was a half price offer on L’Oréal products, I had to have them.
The shampoo is powerful, yet gentle, and it feels great on my head every time I use it. I can’t comment on its hair repairing qualities since my hair is neither damaged nor brittle, but my hair feels incredibly soft and healthy. I’m certainly not complaining. 🙂 Another plus is the lovely scent- it’s feminine, fresh and fruity.
The conditioner is one of the better ones in terms of detangling hair. I never need much product, so it’s quite efficient. My hair is very long and curly, but I think I’ ll get 30 washes out of one 400ml bottle. Not bad at all!
While there are shampoo and conditioner combos which I love more than this one, I know I’ll definitely return to these two soon.
L’Oréal Elvive Damage Care shampoo and conditioner are available as 250ml for £3 and 400ml for £4 each. But there’s always a half price or buy one get one free offer somewhere.
Sleek i-Divine Au Naturel Palette
Hi there! I finally got myself this pretty eyeshadow palette: Sleek i-Divine Au Naturel (scroll down for swatches). Every time there’s a 3 for 2 offer, this palette is usually sold out on day one, but this time I was lucky!
I wanted this palette for quite some time because the shades – most of which are mattes – are simply stunning, but considering that I’ve got other eye palettes, this one wasn’t a priority. However, with the 3 for 2 offer, I thought I’d treat myself to it (and two more palettes, by the way, but those will be looked at separately)
This i-Divine palette comes with a mirror and it contains the following shades:
Top: Nougat, Nubuck, Cappuccino, Honeycomb, Toast, Taupe
Bottom: Conker, Moss, Bark, Mineral Earth, Regal, Noir
Taupe, Conker, Moss and Mineral Earth are shimmery shades, everything else is matte. My favourites are Cappuccino, Conker, Bark and Regal – shades 3, 7, 9 and 11 in the swatch below.
Just in case you think I swatched 11 of the 12 eyeshadows only… no, all 12 are shown in the swatch. Nougat, the first shade, simply doesn’t show much on my pale arms.
I like this palette very much. The neutral shades are perfect for beautiful everyday looks. But the shimmers are a nice addition to this mainly matte palette because they can add a touch of subtle glamour in an instant.
The shimmery shades are incredibly buttery – they’re a dream to work with. The mattes are not as buttery, but I wouldn’t call them chalky either. They’re actually quite blendable. To sum it up: Yes, I do recommend this eyeshadow palette!
Sleek i-Divine Au Naturel is available for £7.99, but keep your eyes peeled for offers!
Yves Rocher Organic Vanilla Eau de Toilette
Hi there. Today I’m writing about about one of my all-time favourite vanilla fragrances. It’s gorgeous, it’s cheap, it’s Yves Rocher Organic Vanilla Eau de Toilette.
This wonderful vanilla fragrance is pure and authentic; it smells of real bourbon vanilla. Every time I spray it, I think of vanilla cake, cupcakes, candy, muffins and cookies. It’s the ultimate vanilla cookie dough fragrance!
I also think it’s the perfect fragrant companion on cold winter days. It’s like a warm embrace in a bottle.
Another bonus is that it’s quite longlasting. It easily lasts for about four to six hours on me (it lasts longer when layered over a body lotion or body butter – preferably a vanilla-scented one). Five sprays in the morning and five sprays on my lunch break are enough for the entire day.
The delightful Yves Rocher Organic Vanilla Eau deToilette is available as 20ml for £5 or 100ml for £9.50.
Have you tried this one? If not, what’s your favourite vanilla fragrance?
Olay Anti-Wrinkle Instant Hydration & Wrinkle Blur
Hi there! I bought this special edition Olay Anti-Wrinkle Instant Hydration & Wrinkle Blur moisturiser for half price a couple of weeks ago. I’ve been using it for the past ten days and I’m actually quite happy with it. And here’s why.
Once applied, this moisturiser sinks right into my skin and leaves it looking matte and silky. It’s great under make-up and yes, it does have an instant blurring effect on wrinkles and lines!
Because of the non-greasy formula and the matte finish, this moisturiser would be great for women with oily skin. But at the same time it doubles as a primer for women with dry skin. This moisturiser has primer-like qualities, yet – unlike most ‘real’ primers – it is not drying at all. So if you want a primer that doesn’t feel like it’s sucking the moisture out of your skin, this product is for you.
Another thing I love about this Olay moisturiser is its fresh and pure scent which I would describe as a mix of water lilies and apples.
But there’s one bit that I’m not super happy with – this moisturiser is SPF-free. I love my sunscreen, but if you prefer SPF-free face creams and moisturisers, this one is definitely worth a try.
Olay Anti-Wrinkle Instant Hydration & Wrinkle Blur is exclusive to Superdrug. It’s available as 50ml and it’s currently on sale for £4.99 only!
MUA MakeUp Academy Eyeshadow Palette Spring Break
Hi there! Spring has finally arrived and I teated myself to the new MUA Spring Break eyeshadow palette. (Scroll down for swatches.) It contains the following 12 shades:
Top: Refine, Cherub, Amber, Spearmint, Posy, Sorrel
Bottom: Aurora, Bronze Blush, Catacomb, Sea Foam, Gold Khaki, Damson
Most of the shades in this palette are neutrals, so I wouldn’t call the palette spectacular. However, it’s great to create wearable everyday looks with a dash of colour.
My favourite shades are Refine, Posy, Sorrel and Catacomb (shades 1, 5, 6 and 9 in the swatch below). They’re fairly standard neutral shades, but sometimes I just want a natural look and these are perfect for this.
The eyeshadows are soft, buttery and easy to blend, and they stay in place for several hours. I’m happy with the palette and would recommend it.
You can buy the MUA Spring Break eyeshadow palette at Superdrug and MUA’s online store. Priced at £4 it’s excellent value.
Creightons Vanilla & Macadamia Cocoon Shower Burst
Hello beauties. This is just a quick post about one of my latest favourites. It’s a shower gel – but it’s a heavenly one.
I found Creightons Vanilla & Macadamia Cocoon Shower Burst a couple of days ago when I paid my local Home Bargains a quick visit. I thought, hmmm, vanilla… macadamia… oh, and it’s made in England… I should give it a sniff.
Now what does it smell like? The scent reminded me of Werther’s Original cream candy. And was I in love right away? Yesss! So I had to try it the same day.
While the shower gel smells slightly different when wet, it still bursts with the sweetness of caramel, cream and vanilla and a hint of roasted macadamia nuts. Yummy!
I like the formula too. The shower gel is gentle, mild and it didn’t do my dry skin any harm at all.
I think Creightons Vanilla & Macadamia Cocoon Shower Burst could become a winter favourite for me. I will definitely buy it again.
Priced at 99p for a 250ml bottle it’s a steal! And I can’t wait to try more products from their line.
Mrs Strawberry Blonde 