Teeny tiny Primarni haul

There's nothing that excites me more than a bargain!  I decided to pop into Primark a couple of days ago to see whether there was anything of interest in there.  I quickly skimmed the clothing section but didn't find anything that tickled my fancy AND I was with my boyfriend - ultimate stress.  Why do boys hate Primark?!  Feeling a bit like Dale Winton, I managed to sweep a couple of items in to my trolley basket so here's what I picked up!

I love Primark shoes even though they don't last very long.  I picked up these sandals for £2.50 to just chuck on when it's hot when I don't want anything too fancy.  I can honestly say that I buy a pair of flats on every Primark visit! These cream babies were only a bargainous £6 but they look more expensive than that.

I moved into a house with my boyfriend in January but I'm finding that we still need quite a few bits and bobs. Much to my boyfriends disgust, I couldn't resist this pink fluffy bath mat even though it doesn't really go with our bathroom. It was only a fiver so I can always replace it if needs be.  Can we just take a minute to 'aww' over this cute little £1 ice cube tray too?! Can't wait for icy hearts!

This £1 banana split shower gel smells AMAZING! The packaging reminds me a bit of Philosophy too. Which Primark trip isn't complete without a pack of bobbles and a cheap pair of earrings? I just simply needed them.

I've been seeing a few posts on the P.S Love... beauty range but I just kind of brushed it off but when I actually went in store and looked at the items I was pleasantly surprised! I thought I'd include a photo of the nail polish as I applied it straight away and I was so impressed.  You do need three coats but for a mere £1 I expected this if I'm honest.  The brush is quite thick and glides on to the nail with ease.  I'll be picking a few more up as there's quite a wide range of shades.  I'm going to do a separate post on the lipsticks and I haven't really tried them much so I can't really comment on what they're like just yet.  The lip balms were a £1 each too but they're a bit of a let down - hard to get out the tin and just don't give off much moisture whatsoever.  I'll probably give these to my 6 year old cousin to play around with.

Hope you're all having a great weekend!

Grace x

Friday Fave #1: MAC Mineralize Skin Finish in 'Soft and Gentle'.

MAC Mineralize Skin Finish 'Soft and Gentle' - £22

If you're anything like me and spent hours swooning over Blake Lively's perfect glowing skin in Gossip Girl, you're going to like this post!

To be quite honest, when I first laid eyes on MAC's Mineralize Skin Finish in 'Soft and Gentle', it scared me.  In the pan it looks way too glittery for my liking (not that I don't love glitter, I just don't want to look like a christmas decoration).  I swatched it on my hand and even then I wasn't convinced but I still went ahead and bought it and thank goodness I did!

When applied on your face it's a total different matter.  I usually just use it as a highlight on my cheeks, brow bone and nose but I have tried it as an eyeshadow too and I actually really liked it!  You can also sweep it across the whole of your face although I'd say that if you're going to do that make sure you do it very lightly as it is possible to go a teeny bit over the top with this product.  The effect is just perfectly glistening skin.  You can see tiny particles of glitter if you look really hard but other than that you're just left with a subtle golden glow. 

I'd recommend this even more so if you're quite pale as when I apply it when I'm fake tanned I feel like I don't get as good as effect when I do whilst pale.  For £22 it is quite a bit to fork out but I've had my skin finish for a good 7 months now and I'm not even half way through it and I literally use this every day!

Have you tried this product?  What highlighters are you loving?

Grace x

Boots Extracts Bodyspray Selection

Boots Extracts Bodyspray Selection - £10

When Summer approaches, I find myself ditching my heavy scented perfumes for something a little lighter.  There's nothing more lovely than getting out of the shower on a really hot day and just spritzing yourself with a body spray.  Not only is the scent lovely, it's also cooling on your skin and just so refreshing.

My latest bodyspray buy is this little trio from Boots Extracts.  I was originally looking for the natural collection sprays but they just seem to have vanished from my local Boots! Anyway, the sprays come in mango, strawberry and vanilla.  I normally have a soft spot for vanilla scented products but this one kind of smells like coconut! I don't know if that's just me being weird but it reminds me of that coconut Radox shower gel.  My fave of the bunch is definitely strawberryyyy! It's the fruitiest, most summery scent of the three and lasts for ages on your skin.  The mango scent reminds me of something but I just can't put my finger on it! Nevertheless, it's still delicious.

I usually spritz the spray on when I get out of the shower, for work when I don't want something too heavy or just generally when I want to freshen up a little bit.  A bottle lasts for ages so I tend to go a little spritzing crazy and when I do run out, I don't mind as they're so inexpensive to replace.  I'd say the scent lasts a good 6 hours which is pretty decent for a bodyspray in my opinion.

Have you tried these? What's your favourite bodyspray?

Grace x

Best Kept Secrets Watermelon Candle

 Up until a couple of years ago, candles didn't really excite me very much.  I'd limit them for cold, dark evenings and even then I wasn't particularly bothered by their presence.  However, thanks to the Yankee Candle hype that we've all been sucked in by, I absolutely cannot get enough of the little babies.  It's got to the point where I know I can't buy anymore candles until I finish burning some of my collection but they're just to pretty to burn so it's always such a challenge for me! 

Last Summer, I was having a little mooch around a carboot sale/market near my Grandma's house in Yorkshire and my Mum and I came across a cute little stand by Best Kept Secrets.  They were selling the most beautiful tinned candles all with delicious, heavy scents and delicate embellishments and I just couldn't resist buying one.  Being a massive watermelon fan, this candle was the first that caught my eye so of course I had to buy it.  The scent is mainly just watermelon but there's also a really sugary and sweet element too.  It's the kind of scent that just makes you want to go to the beach and drink cocktails all day.

I can't bring myself to burn it yet because 1) it's pretty and 2) I love leaving the lid off the tin so that my whole bedroom smells of watermelon.  There's a 50 hour burn time on the tinned candles from Best Kept Secrets though so I'm pretty sure it'd last a while when I do finally come to burn it!  What I think I like most is the glitter and little 'diamonds' on top of the candle, it's just such a cute touch! I also like that the tin is really simple and just looks really homemade.

Have you tried any candles from Best Kept Secrets?  Pop over and look at the other scents if you like.  Next on my list is Chocolate Cloud and Lily of the Valley I think!

Grace x

Disappointing Products #2

 

It feels weird that I'm about to be writing like such a negative Nancy, especially since the sun has been shining all weekend but I had this post planned and these products have just not lived up to my expectations whatsoever.  I promise I'm not usually this moody!

Lets start off with the worst of the bunch - the Models Own Pro-Eyeliner.  I received this in a Models Own goodie bag that I bought from the Clothes Show last year and being a huge fan of their nail polishes, I couldn't wait to try it out.  I've worn eyeliner since I was about 14 and am a dab hand at applying it evenly now but I couldn't even apply a straight line with this even after about 5 attempts.  The nib is just so so so flimsy that it makes it completely impossible! The eyeliner itself seemed to transfer straight on to my brow bone too - not a good look.  All I can say is, I'm so glad I didn't pay full price for this. 

I was beyond excited about the prospect of the Revlon Parfumerie polishes when I first heard about them.  I love the shape of the bottle and the neat little labels but the product itself made me want to cry (ok, maybe I'm being a little extreme).  My boyfriend actually picked this shade in Boots as they had this little scratch and sniff type pad that was advertising the scents and Bordeaux just smelt heavenly.  Being the eager beaver that I am, I excitedly began painting my nails that night and after 3 coats, it was STILL transparent.  I put it down to the lighting and stopped at 3 coats as I'd have needed to stay up for ages waiting for a 4th/5th/6th coat to dry.  After my nails had finally dried, I could smell the tiniest little scent of 'perfume', I say that lightly because I don't know whether it was a little bit of the scent or whether I was just high on nail varnish fumes from trying to sniff my nails. 

I've just realised that you can see me taking this photo in the packaging - fail!  I picked up two of the L'oreal glam shine stains when they were being hyped about on the blogosphere and am not particularly keen on either of them but 'Romy' is by far the worst of the two.  I really tried hard to like this product but I'm afraid I've gotta give up.  When I swatch the gloss on my hand it's a nice pink shade and smells beautifully but when I apply it to my lips, it all goes terribly wrong.  I apply it and blot my lips, trying not to glue them together with the sheer amount of gloss in the process and I'm just left with the patchiest lips you could ever imagine.  The gloss somehow gathers in little sections and at first I put it down to maybe having a bit of foundation on my lips.  I tried again when I had no foundation on and it was exactly the same.  I don't know whether it's because it's such a light shade and I just don't notice it with the darker colour glam shine stain I have but whatever, it still looks awful.  Besides the uneven application, it feels awful on the lips too.  I'd say the consistency resembles pritt stick. 

Out of all the disappointing products that I own, the L'oreal Miss Manga Mega Volume mascara is the one that has annoyed me most.  I honestly think that this works for everyone but me! I don't think I've seen one bad review on it thus far.  I am all about the clumpy mascara look and will buy any mascara that promises that fake lash look which is why I was so looking forward to trying this mascara out.  I think the worst thing is the brush itself, you can see theres a little line a third of the way down the wand and it just feels like it's about to snap.  I can't reach the lashes that I would normally as it's just too flimsy.  The consistency of the mascara is just...wet.  It manages to end up all over my eyelids when I apply it making me look like some sort of anime panda.  I think I'd be able to get an ok look if the brush was better but unfortunately it's just a shocker.

Obviously what doesn't work for me will most probably work for you but I just thought I'd share my honest opinion and maybe some of you will be able to relate! :)

Grace x

A reflection of my week #1

I thought I'd try a new series on my blog where I basically just post about everything that I've been loving throughout the week. First up is my new shampoo and conditioner - Garnier Ultimate Blends.  I think these were half price from Tesco so I just had to give 'em a try. I am in love with the scent of papaya and unlike most shampoo and conditioners, you'll be able to smell the papaya in your hair for hours after washing! They do as they say so on the tin bottle as well as my hair is the silkiest it's been in ages! Love ya Garnier.

I'm trying to drink more water at the moment so I invested in a Bobble water bottle.  The bottle has a filter on it so your water doesn't taste yucky!  The filter actually lasts for 300 uses and you can replace it when it's on it's last legs. I don't mind the taste of any water but you can definitely taste that your water is cleaner when drinking from this bottle.  I love the design of it too which contributes to my love of the bobble!

This is my one and only Revlon lip butter! I didn't take a photo of the actual product because 1, you've probably already got this and 2, it's all battered inside and looks gross. Anyway, I was rooting through my lip draw on Monday and came across this little gem.  I didn't really like this at first but I like it as a lighter alternative to lipstick and love that it's so easy to apply. 

I can't believe I'm about to admit to this but I LOVE PARTY HOUSE! If you haven't seen it, it's on 4od at the moment.  It's essentially a reality tv show where a group of friends have 24 hours to throw a big party in a huge house.  You can expect lots of drama, alcohol and bad acting but I wouldn't have it any other way! Has anyone else actually watched this?

My favourite nail polish remover to date! Picked this up on a whim from Superdrug a while back and I have to say it's probably the best dip sponge nail varnish remover I've ever tried.  Obviously the concept has been around for ages but this one removes all traces of polish AND glitter and doesn't leave you with any excess spongey bits or traces of previously removed nail varnish on your nails.

Hope you're all having a lovely bank holiday weekend. I've loved Sunday today but that's probably cause I know there's no work tomorrow. YIPPEE!

Grace x