Random Days: Mini Haul :D

I had another mini haul yesterday and the day before, as I had a few girly days out to say goodbye to my friends :(

The first haul came from Folkestone, which is lovely (from the limited view of the inside of Primark) and got some little treats! I got several headbands from New Look, and some super cute dresses from Primark. I'll update this post with photos of them tomorrow once I've actually got some light to see them in!

The second haul came Canterbury, I was actually quite restrained (no really) especially we essentially went in EVERY shop in the town haha!

I came home with this little lot:

From M & S! I'm really not a orange person, but this is the first shade I've seen that isn't really harsh or neon. It's really pastel and sherbet-y and lovely :D This was about £3.

I'm not a big mascara buyer either, but I saw this Maybelline The Falsies on someone's blog (can't for the life of me remember whose it was!) and loved how amazing it made the blogger's lashes look. See my earlier post on the M & S eyeshadow to see how it looks on, so far it's amazing! This was on sale at the cheaper price of £6.19, but I managed to get it with my Boots points :-)

I'm happy with normal shampoo for washing my brushes, but after seeing this video by Tiffany D (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uT8LpwDjwNI) I couldn't resist a quick way to clean my brushes, hoping it will save me a lot of time! This was £8.50 I believe.

This actually came in the post this morning, but nevermind :D I have been lusting after this Light Liquid Foundation for a while because of Illamasqua's amazing shade range and brand ethos. First impressions are AMAZING colour (in the lightest natural shade LF115) but need to experiment with application because it's tough to blend and get even, but hopefully I can try it lots and get it looking amazing :-)

Will update with more pics tomorrow!

Love Luxie xxx

Beauty LAT: M & S Eyeshadow Palette is yummy!

So after seeing the new range of beauty products from M & S on Katie's Beauty Blog (see here: http://mesluxes.blogspot.com/2011/06/m-summer-beauty.html) I knew I had to go and check them out! I actually really love M & S beauty, I have several of their perfumes, one of which is my favourite perfume ever, so I was really excited to see the new range.

And I was really impressed! I didn't manage to get a picture of the display, but there were lots of products, most for under £5. I snapped up this....

The packaging is functional rather than exciting, but it does feel reasonably solid, and it's nice to be able to see the colours from the outside.

This shade selection is called 'Lagoon' and is a selection of brights (there was also a palette with neutrals). Although the colours look quite matte from outside, once swatched they have a beautiful shimmer to them, and are lovely and soft. As they are shimmer rather than glitter, that means no fall out too!

The first 4 shades from the left. You can really see the difference when using the flash between the apparently matte finish and then the shimmer that comes out. Also sorry I changed the shade order between photos... *fail*.

The 4 shades from the right.

I honestly love all the shades (maybe the baby blue a little less). In particular I adore the sea green and the orange. I'm not a big orange fan but this is a nice muted non-neon shade!

A look (quickly thrown on with finger application) of the yellow and orange:

On the lids... the pigmentation is less impressive. I didn't use a primer here, so that would probably help, and with brush application. It also looked better in a different light than it did in these photos! Even as a subtle wash of colour though, they are very nice. On a separate note look how LONG my lashes look with my new mascara! :D

Overall then, although they aren't anything fancy, this palette is a great way to get some pretty and essential colours into your eyeshadow range, and at £5 you can't really go wrong!

Love Luxie xxx

Random Days: This Week and its plans

Hello my lovelies,

Not sure how much I'm going to be around in the next week or two because next week I'm moving back home from university for good *sobs wildly*. I will try to do posts as normal, but obviously am going to be very busy!
It's not been a particularly good day, as in an experiment with some hair removal cream I'm managed to give myself some chemical burns. Ow is all I can say. Also I'm trying to avoid what would be my 3rd A & E trip in 18 months, so I'm attempting to suffer through the pain! They aren't actually that bad I don't think, so lots of healing creams should fix me up.

Exciting things I've acquired/am acquiring/am doing in the next week or so:

• Got my nail art pens today (£6.99 for 12, thank you eBay!), which I'm very excited about because I'm quite messy and uncoordinated with nail art, so these will hopefully help!
• I do have a NOTD post coming up which is gorgeous, but I can't find the bottle to top up a few chips and the light is AWFUL here to do pictures in, so it's all going a bit wrong! Hopefully can get around to it soon!
• I've gone a bit Illamasqua obsessed. I've been looking over their website, and I ADORE their whole brand ethos (1920's nightclub, theatrical, dramatic). I have ordered the Liquid Light Foundation from Debenhams, mostly to check the colour, as well as try it out. I've got my eye on loads more stuff on the website, but don't really have the money to get said stuff... but I do have a discount code... It's just too hard dammit! 
• Also a bit MUA obsessed... another lovely blogger (hi Lena :)) is sending me their new Pro foundation to try, bit unsure whether the shade will work for me (I can't find anything about the shades online) but it does look pale!
• Got a fair few bits up on eBay, including a Maybelline 24H Superstay foundation and a Laura Mercier Oil Free one: http://shop.ebay.co.uk/luxiehoney/m.html?_trksid=p4340.l2562. Loved the Superstay formula, but too dark, and the Laura Mercier sadly doesn't work for me. Also nail varnishes, so check it out if you're interested!
• I've ordered my leaving gifts for my housemates... very excited :) I've had my eye on them since about January! Will def do some photos to show you guys, because they look amazing!
• Having a bit of trauma with sunscreen- just in such a mess with trying to find a moisturiser, sunscreen and primer combo that works for me! Also again don't have the money to keep getting expensive ones that don't work. Any suggestions of ones you guys love?

I think that covers most of the stuff going on... will try and keep posting through the chaos! Also I know I've promised you a lot of posts in previous posts as it were, they are going to be coming at some point. It's been tricky for a few of the things I'm reviewing because I keep changing my mind over whether they are good or not! So yeah... they'll turn up. Eventually.

Lots of love on this rainy Monday,
L xxx

FOTD #4- Celebration Make-Up!

So I did a look last night to go out to a club with my housemates to celebrate our degrees being done! I'm glad I took this pre going out, as it was SO ridiculously hot in the club that we were just melting!

With flash

Without flash

Products used: Witch Skin Primer
GOSH X-Ceptional Wear Foundation in Porcelain
QVS eyelash curlers from ASDA
Collection 2000 Collagen Curl Mascara in Ultra Black
Maybelline EyeStudio eyeshadow in Green Glam
No 7 Cheek Tint in Maple Silk (just on top of cheeks/ lower temples)
A mix of The Body Shop Colourglide Lipstick in 64 Latte Swirl (I think, it's not very easy to tell the shade name from the tube) and Astor Shine Deluxe Lipstick in Nudie

Please excuse the crazy hair, I was trying to get it to be styled, and excuse the lack of undereye concealer and powder but I didn't have time to take a photo after!

This look lasted pretty well through the hot club and a 3am ASDA trip- the eye colour had melted, but the mascara was good and the foundation mostly on, which I was impressed by!

Love L xxx

Random Days: AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HAPPY FACE :D

So I've just got my degree results!!!!! :D Got a 2:1 overall, which I was kinda expecting (I had a lot of coursework marks back already) so I'm pleased about that, but I also got my exam marks back for my Modernism exam and got a 70 (which is a first). SO pleased!!! :D And my house is empty and there's no-one to hug. You fail me house.

A lot of friends also got marks back including polkadani (see her blog on my list) and got either 2:1's or 1sts, so we're all really happy!! Congratulations to anyone getting results today, and good luck to those getting any in the next few weeks/months!

Lots and lots of love
Luxie xxxxxxxxx

Beauty LAT: Mini Haul with my no money!

I must stop leaving the house. Or going near eBay. Anyway!

I went to Boots to look for the 17 Limited Edition Miami Pop Nail Polish in Palm Beach, as I saw it on
Adrienne Adores here: http://tinyurl.com/5stg4sg, and thought it was really cute!

I came back with these:

 

I got a No 7 Lipgloss in Purple Liquorice (trying to not waste all the vouchers!) and a 17 Mirror Shine Lipstick in Nudist Peach, here are some swatches:

The lipgloss is quite odd, it's a sparkly purple grey colour which is quite unusual, but I love dark purple lips so I thought I'd give it a try, and the lipstick is a lovely sheer peach.

I also got the Miami Pop nail polish in Palm Beach (blue toned pink) and 17 Nail Polish in True Blue, a beautiful periwinkle blue.

I love 17 polishes, I'm sure these will be no exception!

You also get this free kit with 2 purchases:

Cute if not massively exciting, although good value if you want those 2 polishes!

I also finally got my eBay things from South Korea after 2 weeks of waiting, I got 2 Etude House Cherry Lip Tints in Red and Peach, and a Precious Minerals BB Cream:

Will do a proper review on these soon!

Hope you're all having a good day and didn't get drowned in the rain like me!

Love Luxie xxx

Shiny Things: Bloggers Rule

I have a bit of a ‘blah’ attitude to jewellery. I love pretty gorgeous shiny jewellery, but I never wear it. I mean never. I just Do. Not. Remember. To. Put. It. On. My idea of fashion and co-ordinating outfits is, if I’m honest, pretty terrible at best, but particularly with jewellery it’s a problem. My tendency to think of it at the last second usually means it’s the first sacrifice when running out of the door late. Having acquired some pretty items lately though, I do want to share them with you as I’ve been wearing them more than usual lately.

The first lot come from Vipxo’s blogshop, which you can find here: http://vipxo.bigcartel.com/. I got this Scrabble necklace:

I do like this necklace. It’s a tiny bit short for me for everyday (if you haven’t got a fat neck like me though you won’t have any issues haha :-) ) but I love the ‘B’, particularly because one of my best friends always calls me that (my real name is Rebecca, and I have about 1000 nicknames dependent on who you’re talking to).

I also got this bracelet:

Now I understand this is a tribute to an Alexander McQueen design (I’m completely clueless about fashion, but I love McQueen’s attitude, so this makes me happy!). I LOVE this bracelet! In particular I’ve loved wearing it with pretty dresses to toughen them up a little, and it goes with everything!

The second lot came from Jess, whose shop you can find here: http://lovelyjubblyjewellery.blogspot.com/. I first saw her necklaces reviewed at http://thecrazybitchbeautygazette.blogspot.com/ ‘s blog and wanted them immediately!

First of all look how cutely they were wrapped!:

Awwwwwwwww. :D I got two necklaces:

I adored eating Love Hearts when I was younger (if you are in the dark, they were sweets with messages on them and look just like this), particularly because of the messages! I got one necklace with ‘Love You’ on, and one with ‘First Love’.

Although they are quite girly and pink (normally a scary area for me!) these necklaces are so adorable and quirky that I couldn’t resist! I’m already eyeing up some other ones if my bank balance allows…

A fair few bloggers have little shops now, and it is a fantastic way to pick up some lovely pieces. It’s nice to have something a little bit more individual and unusual than the same old necklace from Topshop or somewhere that everyone’s wearing (I’ll say it loud and proud, I hate Topshop. Or rather I’m scared of it and nothing fits me. Same difference.) It’s also a good way to expand a jewellery collection in a reasonably cheap, but good quality, way, as I believe both orders came in at under £10. I absolutely recommend you give their shops a look :-)

http://vipxo.bigcartel.com/

http://lovelyjubblyjewellery.blogspot.com/

Love Luxie xxx

Random Days: Foundation Crisis

I am going through something of a foundation crisis. I know most bloggers or beauty lovers have beauty items they tend to love more than others, and others items they don’t care about. I, for instance, like blushers and eyeshadows, but honestly… I’m very rarely bothered enough to actually spend money on them (or wear them when I do buy them), more of which I want to talk about in another post soon. Foundations though are my big draw at the moment. I have currently 13 of them (I think. I counted 5 minutes ago, but I’m very tired and not quite with it). And frankly, it’s too many.

I was particularly reminded of this on Friday, when I had to pack for a few days to go home and thought ‘Oh. No. How on EARTH am I going to narrow this lot down to a few for a couple of days?’. I got it down in the end (to 4… for 4 days…), but I really struggled. I mean really, I could wear a different foundation every day for almost two weeks at the moment!

The problem with foundations is you need time to experiment properly, work out carefully the best way to apply them, and frankly? I’m fickle. I’m easily bored. I quite often abandon something if I don’t love it instantly. So that is a fault I need to work on. What do I want then, from a foundation?

I want one I like. It doesn’t have to be Holy Grail status, but I want something I can pick up for a weekend trip and know it’ll work and I’ll like it. I want something medium coverage, that doesn’t look cakey, highlights my good bits and hides my bad bits and most, most importantly- MATCHES MY SKIN TONE (it’s a lot harder than it seems).

To this end, I am going to do a mini foundation series on my foundations- first the ones I loathe, then the ones I have a love-hate relationship with, and then the ones I love. I am hoping that to any girls who are super pale (N5-10 in MAC terms) it will be really helpful, particularly if you’re neutral toned like me and can’t take too much yellow or pink. I am going to try and generally cover the formulas of them as well though so those of the not ghostly coloured skin can hopefully get a few ideas of how they work! It will cover a reasonably wide range of brands and prices (I will tell you now, all the ones I love currently are under £13) so again handy for the budgeter! Most importantly- I want it to be useful for me in terms of learning to be brutal. I’ve been doing a lot of eBaying recently and learning to let go of things I don’t use. While I don’t totally encourage selling things without giving them a proper try, it is also a good idea to not keep something simply because you like a tiny aspect of it (but hate the rest of it). It’s better to have a small collection of products that work well and you can rely on than a huge bag of products, most of which you hate and will never pick up again.

To aid this, I give you a motivational Spartan:

See. Brutal. Grrrrrr. Foundations… watch out.

Love L xx