Mid-Week Treat: Rimmel at Poundland

Well folks, Wednesday has rolled around again, but take some time out to remember that the week is halfway through (woop!). This Wednesday, I'm bringing you some of my best buys from Poundland, in the form of these Rimmel goodies. Whilst Rimmel is hardly an expensive brand to begin with, the £1 price tag makes these such great bargains. I've been trying these out for a couple of weeks now, so let me give you the low down on them.

Mid Week Treat: The Essential £1 Eyeshadow

Let me tell you a little secret - I am 21 years old, and the thought of using eyeshadow terrifies me. For good reason too: in my early teens I had quite the collection of eyeshadows, and if I remember rightly, my absolute favourite was a pastel green one. Why my mother ever let me leave the house wearing it is beyond me. Good taste somewhere intervened along the way, and now I generally stay clear of eyeshadow altogether. Recently though, I've been wanting to add more makeup looks into my arsenal, and I decided I would try to conquer my fear of eyeshadow.

Nail It: Pressed Flower Manicure

I might not have spoken about it lately here, but I'm still into pressing flowers in a big way. It's the laziest form of crafting ever - pick some flowers, shut them in a book, and rediscover them a few weeks later. No effort whatsoever. And the end result is always pretty spectacular. However, besides from sticking them onto a piece of paper, it's tricky to find other uses for them. So, I've started to think outside of the box, which is where this pressed flower manicure comes in...

Nail It: Easy Gold French Tips

Metallic French - tipped nails have been all over the catwalks recently, and it's a look that I really like. More elegant than an all over metallic, and more edgy than a traditional French manicure, it surely has to be the nail art of the moment. Of course, the main problem with this look, is that it feels out of reach for the less steady handed amongst us (including me). But never fear, I have been desperately trying to come up with an easy way to achieve steady(ish) French tips, and I may just have found the answer...

Nail It: Pastel Checks

At the moment, I am loving checks on absolutely everything, so it was only a matter of time before they appeared on my nails. Instead of using a dark base, I used a pastel base to make them more summery (and because I am just obsessed with pastels at the moment). If you want to try them out yourself (and probably do a neater job than I have!), read on for instructions.

Mid-Week Treat: Eyeko Skinny Eyeliner for £2

Happy Wednesday, friends! Need a mid-week pick me up? Look no further than my latest favourite bargain - an Eyeko Skinny Liquid Eyeliner pen for the mere price of £2. This eyeliner pen normally retails at £16, which means an absolutely whopping discount of £14. So, with me being an advocate of winged eyeliner, I snapped it up in a heartbeat.

Packing For A Mini Break

I'm heading away for a couple of days, to destination unknown (it's a surprise!). We all know that there are no rules when it comes to packing, but I just thought I'd share what I'm taking, as well as some personal packing habits I like to stick to.

Mid-Week Treat - MUA BB Cream

I've been thinking lately that I need to upgrade my skin care routine, especially after the effects a harsh winter has had on my skin. After hearing rave reviews about BB Cream, I wanted to try a piece of the action myself, however I have been put off by some of the high end prices. I wanted a product that I could try out before committing to, and when I found this MUA BB Cream for £3 from Superdrug, I thought it was a great way to dip my feet into BB Cream (er... not literally, of course).

This BB Cream applies thicker than a foundation, so is great to use as a base and then to put a little foundation over top of problem areas. I wouldn't recommend it for dry skin, however - I have combination skin and have learnt to apply it well away from my dry areas, otherwise it clogs them up. Nevertheless, it does create a really even skin tone and hides blemishes without being too 'cakey'.

 I was rather surprised to find that the shade I bought (the palest), is actually if anything a tiny bit too pale, which is actually a nice change from buying the palest skin shade and finding it still not pale enough (I am embarrassingly pale). It blends really well, so even though it is a little too pale, it actually works fine.

At £3, I think this is really worth a try before branching out into more of the expensive BB Creams available. It's great to use alongside foundation, or on it's own. My only gripe is that this one doesn't seem to last all day, and towards the end of six or seven hours it becomes a little shiny. After experimenting with this BB Cream though, I'll certainly try more in the future.

Any skin care products you recommend? What do you think of BB Creams?

How to: Minimal Triangle Nails

After having been in nail wraps for the past week or so, I decided it was time to give my fingernails a chance to breathe for a while. However, I'm the kind of person who can't leave my nails unpainted for long, mainly because I'm itching to try out some new design on them (thanks, Pinterest!). At the moment I'm really into minimal nail designs; edgy yet still classy at the same time, and when done in a neutral colour will go with everything. Here's my take on minimal nails.

This idea started off by me thinking that I could just paint a half moon at the base of my nails in black. After soon deciding that such a design would be beyond my nail painting abilities, I looked for an easier way to get a similar result. The answer - masking tape. And so the half moons became triangles.

First up, use two pieces of masking tape to create a triangle shape at the base of your nail. Make sure that the tape is stuck down well so that the triangle shape will be neat.

Apply your nail varnish into the triangle area. I'm doing one coat, but for a more intense colour, you could do two. For a monochromatic look, I'm using black, but I think that this would also look great in other colours - how about a lilac? - or even in a metallic varnish. Add an interesting texture to the look by using matt nail varnish.

Carefully remove your masking tape, after leaving your nail varnish to dry for a couple of seconds (but you don't want it to be completely dry).

Leave your nail varnish to dry, before showing off your new manicure. You could add a topcoat, but I quite like the fact that only the triangle area shines.

How are you painting your nails at the moment?

|Soundtrack - Tessellate by Alt-J|

What I'm Loving: January 2014

These are just a few things that have been firm favourites of mine over this last month.

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Minimalist Nail Varnish. I love how sophisticated these designs look, and the fact that they work on shorter nails as well as on longer nails. Even though I'm a complete doofus when it comes to painting my nails, I'm sure even I could manage these. And yes, I did just say doofus in 2014. These also look really quick to do as well; maybe a quick base coat, but then just a simple line on each fingernail.



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Cloud Atlas. I finished reading Cloud Atlas recently (a bit slow on the uptake, I know), and it blew me away. I read it in about a week, and it might even be my favourite book of all time. Which is a tough thing for me to say, as I loathe to pick a favourite book, but if I had to, then this would be it. It's impossible to say in which genre to class it, as it somehow manages to encompass many varying genres all at once. I just can't recommend this book enough. Should I see the film? I definitely need some more Cloud Atlas in my life, but I just know that the film wouldn't live up to my expectations.



Elbow - Fly Boy Blue/Lunette. I'm really liking this song at the moment, but then again Elbow have yet to make a song I don't like. This one took a while to grow on me, but now I'm a little (read: very) obsessed. Not full blown Seldom Seen Kid obsessed, but very nearly. The new album The Take Off and Landing Of Everything drops in early March, and I can't wait. Until then, I'm very satisfied with this offering. Lunette is particularly lovely.

What have you been loving this January?

Mid Week Treat: Revlon Chroma Chameleon Nail Varnish for £1

I have to admit that Poundland isn't a place I normally frequent. I don't know why, I guess there are just more fun places to shop. But whenever I do just nip in there, I always end up buying something - especially when it is a good brand name. So when I found this rather lovely Revlon nail varnish in Chroma Chameleon, I was quite besotted.

Come winter, I like to wear darker, more metallic colours on my nails. This one has a lovely greeny gold tint to it, and whilst it doesn't look quite as iridescent on my nails as in the bottle, it does have a lovely high shone formula.

And now, after writing this post I have Karma Chameleon by Boy George stuck in my head. You too? Sorry!

What have you treated yourself to this Wednesday?

Mid-Week Treat: Gel Eyeliner for Under £5!

So recently, I lost my eyeliner. I've been overturning everything looking for it, but no such luck and therefore I've been without my beloved eyeliner for the past week (such a first world problem, I know). I gave up the hunt yesterday, and decided to cave in and buy some new gel eyeliner. I didn't want to spend too much though, just in case my old one decided to turn up out of the blue.

This is what I bought; 17's Smoulder Gel Eyeliner - a steal at £3.99, considering that the others were at least double that price.

For that price, I was doubtful whether it would be as good as my faithful old gel eyeliner, but I am delighted to be proved wrong. I tried it out today - it was easy to apply, stayed in place all day and has a lovely smooth consistency. It also comes with perhaps the cutest, tiniest brush I've ever seen (it's so dinky!).

It's fair to say that this gel eyeliner has cemented it's place in my make-up case.

Any eyeliners that you particularly love at the moment?

Mid Week Treat: £1 Revlon Nail Varnish

I used to be a serial nail-biter. My nails would rarely grow to be longer than a centimetre. Even though I'm a lot better than I used to be, I still sometimes need a little incentive to keep my nails long and healthy - mainly nail polish.

When I came across this Revlon nail polish in Poundland, of all places, I couldn't resist. My nails are on the shorter side at the moment, so anything that's going to help me grow them out again is a must.

Surprisingly, there is quite a variety of Revlon shades to pick from at Poundland, but I fell for shade 320 (or 'Graceful'), a perfect greige. I usually tend to wear brighter, statement colours but I have to admit that at the moment I am being tempted by more neutral shades that offer a chic, sophisticated and expensive-looking manicure that would go with any outfit.

If I can stop biting my nails, I'm pretty sure anyone could, but just in case you were wondering, here are some of the tip top techniques I use to help stop biting my nails.

Stop Biting Your Nails For Good!

• Get Inspired: Take a picture of your nails when they are at their shortest and imagine how lovely they would look when grown out. Gather pictures of celebrities with manicures you like, as well as DIY nail art you'd like to try when your nails are grown out. I have a pinterest board dedicated to nail inspiration, or you could cut pictures out of magazines and pin them to your drawing board.
• When do you bite? Try to notice when it is you are most likely to nibble at your nails (for me it's when reading a book or watching TV) so that you can stay mentally prepared for it happening. Most of the time you don't notice yourself doing it (as with most habits), so if you can identify when you bite your nails, you're taking a step in the right direction.
• Clip them down: Keep a pair of nail clippers handy at all times, and if your nails become rough and sharp, cut off the area that is causing the problem. I find it's a good idea to do this anyway at the beginning of growing out your nails to get rid of any bits you'd normally bite away. When your nails become longer, keep trimming them to avoid them breaking. Eventually, you'll be able to keep your nails long without fighting the urge to bite them.
• Paint your nails: I've tried most things including that icky tasting varnish, but I actually find the best thing to do is just keep my nails painted, no matter how short they are. The lovely colour of them stops me from biting them, and the thought of swallowing nail polish is pretty nasty. Keep on top of your colour though - I find when my varnish gets chipped, I'm more likely to bite!
• Moisturise: Buy a hand cream (I find the cheaper brands work just as well) and keep your hands, cuticles and nails well moisturised. When your nails get dry, they'll break easier, which can lead to more biting. If you want to go the extra mile, get some cuticle cream - it's specially formulated for cuticles and nails.
• Get a Helping Hand! Tell whoever you're spending the day with (family, friends, colleagues) that you're trying to stop biting your nails, and ask them to shout at you if they notice you biting your nails. As well as telling you when you're biting your nails, they might even have some tips of their own to share with you!

Hope this helps! Has anyone else got any nail biting tips you'd like to share? What nail colours do you like at the moment?

Mid Week Treat: the £1 Lip Liner

I have to admit that normally, I'm addicted to my winged eyeliner. It's my go to look in the morning - I can do it in a couple of minutes and it lasts the rest of the day without any touch ups (hooray for gel eyeliner!). But recently I've been tempted by the dark side - lipstick. My main problem has been that lipstick is so high maintenance - put it on and I'm constantly worrying about it ending up on my teeth or all over my face. And it barely survives all the Costa stops I make throughout the day (trust me, a LOT of Costa stops).

I've tried a couple of lip stains but find that they dry out my lips too much, so I decided to experiment with just using a lip liner all over my lips. When I found this one for £1 in Wilko's, I thought I might as well give it a try.

Although there isn't a great range in colours (I chose shade 01 Red), I was rather pleasantly surprised. The formula is nice and creamy and doesn't dry out my lips, but still gives an even coverage that lasts through more than one cup of earl grey. It doesn't travel to my teeth either.

I'd be lying if I said that I didn't have to have a touch up about midday, but it certainly lasts longer than lipstick alone.

For extra POW I like to wear 17's Mirror Shine in Love Note over the top. It's a really flattering shade that falls just between crimson and coral.


Have you mixed up your make-up routine recently?