Fragrance Direct Haul

Today's post is going to be a little haul of my recent purchases made on http://www.fragrancedirect.co.uk . I am beyond impressed with the delivery price and time! It costs £1.99 for delivery and I placed mine yesterday at 3am and got it today. How perfect is that?! I've never ordered from them before but since the ELF website was taking absolutely ages to load I decided to take the risk.

My hair is in serious need of some TLC at the moment so I thought I'd buy a few new products to try and mend it. It's just so knotty and horribly dry!  I got the Osmo Essense intensive deep repair mask for £1.99 and the Nex Coconut and Vanilla Shampoo and Conditioner.  There was a promotion on that if you buy the Shampoo for £2.50 you get a free conditioner and because I love the smell of coconut I had to get this! I'm hoping it's going to be good but I doubt it as I rarely trust cheap shampoo/conditioner.



I also picked up two Montagne Jeunesse hair masks. The left one is the Perfectly Pampered Mandarin & Grapefruit for de-stress and de-frizz which was 85p! Such a bargain and I know a lot of you have reviewed Montagne Jeunesse so I'm excited to see what these are like.  On the right is the Volume Miracle Wild Strawberry Serum which was also 85p! I think these are such a bargain and you actually get a decent amount of product. Great for a nice little treat for your hair!

My favourite part! MAKE UP! Haha. I got the Maybelline XXL Curl Power Volume Mascara in Black. It has one side for volumising and the other side is for lengthing. I've read no reviews on this whatsoever but I don't mind because it was only £2.99! Any mascara by Maybelline surely has to be worth £2.99! Have you ever tried it? Also, I HAD to have this Wet n Wild Mascara in Brown because it was only 40p! 40p?! Amazing! I don't even care if it's rubbish or the fact that I never ever wear Brown mascara!

My Mum has been saying for a while about how she used to use Leichner Foundation when she was younger because it gave such a flawless, full coverage finish. Obviously when I saw it for £2.99 I couldn't pass up the opportunity to try it. I'm going to try it later on, it looks really thick and greasy but I think I could make it look amazing. Oh, I got the shade Porcelain because it seemed like the lightest one they do and I'm so pale without fake tan.

Of course, I can never do any shopping without purchasing a lipstick! This one is from Rimmel and is in 'Alarm'. It was only £1.99 and these are usually about £5 so a proper bargain there. I love the colour. I've got so many red lipsticks now and I never seem to use them but I'm going to wear this one today.

I can't get enough of buying eyelashes. I usually buy them in bulk off Ebay but these ones appealed to me so I needed them in my life for £1.49. I don't really like them in the flesh but hopefully they will look better when I put them on. 

I got two nail varnishes. A Ciate Paint Pot in 'Patsy'. I don't normally wear red nail varnish so I'm excited to wear this.  I've never tried Ciate before but I'm aware that this is the company that makes nail varnish for ASOS? Correct me if I'm wrong. Anyway, this was a complete steal at only 99p.  Also got a Rimmel Lycra Pro nail varnish in 'Pop Rose'. I've got the 'Orange Bliss' in this and it's gorgeous. I love how big the brush is, it makes it so much easier to paint nails with. This was also only 99p!

Next I got the Honolulu Bronzer for £2.25. I am in love with this. I've tried it on already and it's just so gorgeous! Definitely going to be my Bronzer for Summer I think. I love the little Benefit-esq box and the little brush! So so cute!

So that was my haul :) Have you ever ordered from Fragrance Direct before? Have you ever tried any of these products?

Grace x

Bargain Beauty: Top 5 cosmetics for under a fiver!

Today I thought I'd do something a little different. I'm going to share my favourite beauty buys for under £5! Bargains are my favourite buys ever, you just feel so smug that you got something so good for such a cheap price! Anyway, I'm not going to ramble on, lets get straight to it.

 

Lacura Beauty Concealer Pen £1.65

I can't get enough of this! I bought it last week from Aldi after hearing a review on YouTube about it by Sophy (Username: Ribbonsandflowers).  I would never dream of buying a beauty product from Aldi as I just think own brand Supermarket cosmetics are a waste of time but this has really surprised me. It's a dream to apply and blends really easily. I bought it in shade sand because there weren't many there and it was the lightest shade I could find.  It's long lasting and definitely makes a difference. I've swatched a little bit on my hand just to show the consistency/shade.

 Technic Illuminating Face Primer £3.99

I recently posted a haul in which I showed you that I bought this primer. I was kind of sceptical about buying this as again, I'm a bit of a snob when it comes to cheap cosmetics. Buying them just reminds me of being about 13 and wanting as much makeup as I could possibly get my hands on! Anyway, browsing Bodycare I came across this little beauty. It instantly jumped out at me because of how much the packaging rips our beloved Benefit off! Because the packaging was so much like Benefit I was keen to see if the product was too. Sure enough, I absolutely LOVE it! By far the best primer I have ever used. As you can see it leaves a lovely little glow to the skin and is perfect for even wearing alone.  It does make my foundation/powder extra long lasting too and you get lots of product. What more could you want for £3.99!  The only downside is that the smell isn't too nice but even so, I definitely, highly recommend this.

MUA Eyeshadows £1 Each

The thing that I cannot get my head around is why people will pay £10+ for a MAC eyeshadow when these are the most pigmented eyeshadows ever. They don't have an amazing array of shades at the moment but I think there are around 20ish.  These are just three of my favourites. From left to right; Shade 11, 3 and 1. I probably use shade 1 the most as it makes a perfect highlighter. I usually apply it to my brow bone and sometimes a little bit on my cheeks. It lasts all day long and I've never had to reapply an MUA eyeshadow.  I use the other two on nights out to create a dramatic effect.  One downside to the eyeshadows is that you get a little bit of fallout but that's nothing that a quick sweep of a bronzer brush couldn't fix!

 

Natural Collection Bronzer in 'Golden Glow' £1.99

OOPS! The swatch makes this bronzer look awful! I don't know why I went overboard on the old swatching but when sweeped lightly, it gives such a glow! Golden Glow is definitely an appropriate name! I would say that it looks so much better with a tan than on pale skin, it can sometimes give off an orangey tinge if over applied too (as you can see above!) I really do love this though and it's my everyday bronzer. Sorry that the product doesn't look very good, you can tell I love it. I need to buy a new one ASAP!

 

MUA Eyeliner Pencil in 'Jet Black' £1

This has been my everyday staple for a long time. I think my eyes look naked without lots of eyeliner.  I don't know whether you'll be able to find this eyeliner in your local Superdrug because I've been back to find it and it's always been sold out. :( It actually comes with a little lid with a built in sharpener too which is a lush added bonus! I love this, it's such a gorgeous dark black colour and applies really easily. I'd say it's a perfect duplicate for Barry M's Kohl Eyeliner. I promise that if you ever manage to pick this up, you'll never ever ever be disappointed. It's really easy to smudge when smudged straight away and has the staying power to last all day!

Let me know if you'd like to see any more of my Bargain Beauty products, I'd be happy to share them with you! 

OOH! Also, I've just got Blog Lovin' so you can follow me on there if you like and because I'm a twitter addict you can follow me on there @Glitzcarousels for some really cool conversations.

Grace x

Blogs I Love

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I want to say an absolute thankyou to everyone who is following my blog. I have made it to the 200 follower point! I'm so happy! I never actually thought anybody would be interested in anything I wrote. I've decided that to celebrate I'm going to do a post dedicated to blogs I love. These are the blogs that I have to read straight away as soon as there's a new post up!

These aren't in list of favourites as I don't think I could ever pick a favourite because I equally can't get enough of any of them.

1. Golden Glow Lisa's blog was one of the first blogs I started reading and she inspired me to start writing a blog in the first place. She is ridiculously gorgeous and I'm jealous of how she suits every shade of lipstick ever.

2. I spent some time Lorna is one of my real life friends who has recently set up her own blog. Her photo's are never anything less than perfect, she makes really lush headers (look at mine ;) ) and she's a wizard with eyeshadows!

3. Penelope Row Jess's outfit of the day posts constantly impress me, they're well worth checking out! She's just so down to earth and you can tell that she speaks straight from the heart. She also makes YouTube videos under the name 'TheDuttski'

4. Vodka and Roses Jessica's posts never fail to make me laugh. Expect posts full of eye candy and real life *cough* fictional stories of how Jessica manages to pull the fittest celebrities!

5. Emily Victoria x Emily's blog is perfect for me, Emily is a typical girly girl and everytime I visit her blog I always want something she's bought. I love the way she writes and her blog is so pretty!

6. Secret life of makeup Hannah has only recently started blogging and is a make up artist. Her leopard print make up look is out of this world! She's truly talented and is always copying the looks of our favourite celebrities.

7. Perfection is Ugly I love reading Natalie's posts. All of her posts are so cute and well thought out. She also posts inspiring quotes from time to time that make me smile.

8. Brittany Love If you've never heard of Brittany then you're missing out! Her posts are always really informative and she is such a lovely girl which definitely shines through in her posts.

9. All things beautiful When I first came across Beth's blog I couldn't believe my eyes. Beth is only 14 years old yet creates the most perfect make up looks ever! I have never seen anything like that. Every one she does has me hypnotised, she is truly one talented girl.

10. Beauty Comes from WithinI can always rely on Sophie's blog for a good read with everything from indepth beauty reviews to hauls and a bit of everything else. You can tell her posts are always so well organised and her opinions are always true.

Let me know if you already follow/know of these lovely ladies and who your favourite bloggers are! I can assure you, they are well worth a read!

Grace x

Making changes...

I have decided that I'm going to make a change in regards to my diet and lifestyle. I just feel like I eat too much rubbish and definitely not enough healthy food! I doubt I even get my five a day.  I'd also like to lose quite a lot of weight...well, maybe a couple of stone.  


I think by updating my blog each week with how my diet is going inc. pictures of what I've eaten, how much I've eaten, calorie/fat intake, how much exercise i've done etc. it would help to give me lots of motivation. I'm so rubbish at sticking to diets and if I don't notice diets working within the first few days I tend to give up which is completely stupid because I know that diets aren't miracle workers and I can't expect to be a thin goddess straight away!


I'm only going to do a weekly diet update if you guys want me to though so if you guys would like to see it please please please comment below! 


Grace x

'Eye' Love Eyeko!

I was tweeting about a week ago when somebody posted that Groupon had a great offer on for Eyeko Products. Being the absolute product junkie I am I investigated straight away! To my delight, Groupon were offering a £20 Eyeko voucher inc. free P&P for only £8!! I was really excited because I'd never had the chance to try Eyeko before so of course, I bought the deal.

London Lips Lip Gloss in 'Portobello' £6.50 (Free if you enter code E15845)
This was a complete surprise to me! A free little gift for entering my Ambassador code! I love the smell of this lipgloss, smells like fruity sherbet.  I almost want to lick it off my lips. This isn't a colour I'd normally wear but you can see how sheer it is from the swatch on my hand. It's so subtle.  I can already tell that I'm definitely going to be wearing this a lot!

3 in 1 Extra Glow Cream £8.95
The only reason I chose this was because when I went to the Clothes Show last year, the lady on the Eyeko stall was raving about this and how loads of celebrities use it. I thought that it was definitely worth a try but didn't buy it at the time which I kinda regretted afterwards so I needed to snap it up this time! I absolutely cannot stress enough how perfect this is. I used it as a moisturiser, under a foundation and then highlighted on my cheeks with a little on my brow bone and it looked gorgeous. My skin was so glowing and radiant.  If you're thinking of getting this then don't think, just get it! 

Eyeko Lilac Polish £5
Usually I don't dream of buying nail varnishes from any brand other than Barry M and Beauty UK but I bought this because the colour really appeals to me and also, this is a favourite of Kelly Osbourne who I think is amazing. I've only swatched it on one finger here but I wore it for 3 days before and it didn't chip whatsoever. Or maybe I just wasn't working hard enough. Haha. I'd like to try the Punk Polish next.

Eyeko Graffiti Eyeliner Pen £5.50
I'm definitely saving the best 'til last now because this is my favourite beauty product of this year. I kid you not, this has got to be the longest lasting eyeliner I have ever tried in my entire life. I'm never going to give my other eyeliners another look now because this is just so perfect. It's exactly like a felt tip pen and makes it so easy to just draw on your eyelid! I've worn it everyday since I got it (Since Wednesday).  I can't get enough.  I sound like I'm advertising the absolute daylight out of this eyeliner but it seriously is amazing! If it wasn't I'd say. I went to bed with it on and woke up with perfect eyeliner the next day! MINT!


I hope you liked these products and if you do feel like buying anything from Eyeko, I'm going to be cheeky and ask you to use my ambassador code E15845 to receive a free gift with your order!


Grace x

Mollie King inspired Face of the Day.

OH 'IYA! I was browsing the internet earlier and came across this beauty of a picture of the gorgeous Mollie King. I'm a massive fan of Mollie King, she always looks so glam! I decided that I was going to try and recreate this look...note, i said try. 

I'm a bit disappointed really because it looked so so much better in real life than it does on camera! Definitely doesn't look as striking as Mollie's look here, I think my cheeks need a little more blusher if I'm honest but I couldn't go out the house looking too flushed! 

So here's what I used;


Face
Technic "Prime it" Face Primer
Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Foundation in Ivory
Rimmel Match Perfection Powder in Ivory
Natural Collection Golden Glow Bronzer
Natural Collection Sweet Cheeks Blusher


Eyes
Elf Everyday Brights Eyeshadow Palette
MUA Shade 17 Eyeshadow
Eyeko Graffiti Eyeliner Pen in Black
Rimmel Day to Night Mascara in Black


Lips
Beauty UK Lipstick in Candy
MUA Lipgloss in Shade 5


What do you think of the look then? Are there any celebrity looks you'd like me to recreate? Leave them below and i'll give them a try!


Grace x

Sun Kissed Sunlight Bronze Instant Self Tanning Mousse Review

I am a huge fan of fake tan. I feel almost naked without it and definitely less prettier.  I don't know why it is but for some reason, you always feel better with a tan, don't you think?  


I'm not one to pass up on an opportunity to try out a new fake tan so whilst browsing Bodycare recently I noticed this Sun Kissed Sunlight Bronze Instant Self Tanning Mouse. BLAH, what a tongue twister! It was sitting on the shelf next to St Moritz so I decided to give it a whirl.  I was expecting alot from this just because, since discovering St Moritz I now believe that all cheap fake tans will be good! However, this was not the case.

You can definitely compare the consistency of this fake tan with St Moritz as the mousse is practically identical! I decided that I'd fake tan one arm and leave the other one scarily pale to compare.  

I can't believe how horrid this tan actually looks, there's nothing attractive about it. I look bright orange! This was apparently meant to "develop" within a couple of hours for that natural sun kissed look.  If anything, it faded.  For £3.99 I really shouldn't moan but I was really disappointed with this product and I thought that I'd let everyone know to avoid future disappointment with this product.

It's also left my hands stained bright orange! It actually looks worse than this in real life! Haha! My boss wasn't impressed today. He said why don't I just use gravy to fake tan instead? Ahh men!


Grace x

Delightful Brand Discovery: Beauty UK!

A cheeky face of the day! Today I decided to go for a little wander into town with my two sisters. I've been wanting to pick up a Beauty UK product for a while now because i've heard a fair few great things about them but everytime I go into Superdrug I end up completely dismissing the Beauty UK section. Today was different, I was determined to get a lipstick from this range.

The lipstick I chose was the shade 2 - Candy. It's a gorgeous Barbie pink colour and being the complete Barbie Obsessed girl I am, I had to have it! The little pot on the end pops off and to my delight, it is filled with a gorgeous sheer lip gloss. For £3.49 this is an absolute steal.










Whilst I was there, I noticed that if you bought two Beauty Uk items you could get 100 extra beauty card points. Being the sucker I am I picked up a nail varnish for £1.99 not expecting to be too impressed with it as I'd not heard much hype about the nail varnishes.


I picked up Pink Explosion to match my new Barbie inspired lipstick. I've got to say this is my new favourite and I absolutely cannot wait to treat myself to many more nail varnishes from this collection. After all, how couldn't I?! Look how gorgeous this shade is?!





Will any of you be purchasing any lipsticks or nail varnishes from Beauty Uk? Let me know of your favourite products from this range because I cannot wait to try more!

Grace x