MASSIVE Apology :(

O Hai there Beauties...

Pic from ihasahotdog.com

I'm really, really, incredibly sorry I haven't posted in yonks; I'm a poor excuse for a beauty blogger right? Basically, I've had a lot of college work, no inspiration for blogging, builders doing an extension at home etc... and I've been honing my procrastination skills to a fine art.Which means I'm really behind with asssignments.

Anyway, I haven't forgotten you, and was absolutely thrilled to see I'd reached 50 followers last week! Rest assured I will be rewarding you for your loyalty asap (is it just me, or does that sound weirdly dictator-ish?!). In the mean time, if you want to aid me in my delay tactics, I've just discovered Drawsomething, so add me: Krystynarina :)

Being terribly attractive at college

Lots of love,
Krystyna xx

Sunday Mish-mash

Hi Beauties!

Today's post is a bit of a mixture of stuff from the past few weeks that I've wanted to share with you, but haven't felt they're really substantial enough pieces on their own. A bit like blog tapas! Hope you enjoy :)

Soap & Glory Thick & Fast Mascara - free with Elle (rrp £10)

Before: bare eyelashes

One coat

Two coats

 

 

I'm sure all of you will have heard by now that a full-size tube of this mascara is being given away as a freebie with this month's Elle magazine; naturally I bought two, and do not regret it! I don't really think it's false-lash effect, as it claims, but this is exactly how I like my lashes to look.  Ooooh! Whilst looking this mascara up on the Boots website, I stumbled upon this: a litre sized tub of The Righteous Butter, containing diamond dust! Don't think I'll be able to resist this...

NOMM (Nails of My Mother) 

See what I did there?

With flash

Without flash

 My mum never wears make-up of any sort; occasionally she'll allow me to give her a pedicure, but she has never before let me loose on her fingernails. However, as she recently lost her job and therefore didn't need to look as professional at all times, she took me up on my offer of a manicure! She chose OPI Muppets Divine Swine layered over MUA Shade 2, and was happy with me photographing the results for all you lucky people. Its just as well really, as she has much nicer nails than me!

 Dirty Works brushes - 75% off at Sainsbury's

 Now I realise I mention Sainsbury's a lot on my blog (no, I don't work for them!), but this is purely because I cannot resist wandering over to the health and beauty aisles whenever I pop in to pick up some groceries. This meant I couldn't help but notice that they currently have cut the price of all beauty tools from Dirty Works by 75%! The lowest priced item I have seen is 49p, but I picked up these eyeshadow brushes for £1.24 each. Apparently this offer is on until 20th March, so I don't know if this is because they're being discontinued, or for another reason. Anyway, I really can't fault the quality of this brand, so I would recommend that you try to pick some of these products up; especially at this price!

Also, you may recall the palaver I had with MUA last week, where they sent me a duplicate of an order I'd made. Well I tweeted them that day, and heard nothing back after they asked for my order number, which was curious. So I tweeted them again today, and they said I could keep the products! I think they will be included in future giveaways :)

I have a uni interview in London on Wednesday, which I'm really looking forward to! I bought some boots from eBay to wear to all my interviews, so I'll do an OOTD and a FOTD when they arrive. The seller was an absolute sweetheart and refunded the P+P charge as I asked if I could collect them, but she wasn't able to do that; I was so shocked when she sent me the message, you know when people catch you completely off-guard by being lovely?

Anyway, I'm definitely rambling now! I've just been on the receiving end of so much niceness today, and I'm not tired for the first time in ages :) Hope you have all had equally good days!

Lots of love,

Krystyna x

11 Questions Tag

Hola Beauties!

Phew, it's the weekend and we have heating again! It got turned off on Monday as we had a new boiler fitted and all the radiator pipes replaced as they were ridiculously old, so coats had to be worn at all times (even in bed). I swear it was colder in the house than it was outside.

Anyway, I am pleased to announce that Tiffeny tagged me in her 11 Questions post :) I love her blog, as she's down-to-earth and lovely, which really comes across <3. Check it out!

The Rules

• Each person must post 11 things about themselves on their blog
• Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post and create 11 new questions for the people you tag to answer.
• You have to choose 11 people to tag and link them on the post.
• Go to their page and tell them you have linked him or her.
• No tag backs.
• No stuff in the tagging section about "You are tagged if you're reading this". You actually have to tag 11 people.

11 Things About Me

1. I love my sleep. I managed to sleep in to 2:30pm today
2. I work best under pressure
3. I used to be such an emo
4. I wanted to be a lawyer until I spent some time in court for work experience and found it horrifically dull.
5. I am actually pleased with the passport photos I took yesterday! 
6. I love meat (sorry veggies)
7. My favourite item of clothing is still the pink Minnie Mouse jumper I had when I was about 3 or 4
8. I have a very vivid imagination, and often have bizarre dreams
9. I hate L'Oreal products for some reason. I don't even know why anymore, I just always have
10. I once spent £1000 on make-up in under a month (thinking about it makes me feel sick)
11. I really miss my Granny, an amazing woman. She would have been 100 this year. I wear the ring she gave me every day

Questions I Answered

1. How many perfumes do you own?   16, of which 7 are nearly empty (post coming soon)
2. Which colour lipstic/lipgloss do you own the most of?    Pale pink/inoffensive neutrals.
3. What is your favourite brand of make-up?     My favourite luxury brand is definitely Chanel. However, practicality demands that I buy Rimmel more often.
4. What is your favourite tv show?    Either Come Dine With Me or New Girl
5. Do you have any pets?    No :( we used to have a chameleon though
6. What do you hope to accomplish in the next year?    Getting into uni, and surviving my first year.
7. What is the worst thing about blogging, in your opinion?     Hmmm. My experience of blogging has so far been overwhelmingly positive, which makes me pretty lucky compared with others. When reading blogs however, I abhor bad spelling and grammar (it's the teacher in me)
8. What is your favourite time of the day?    The moment when I sip my first cup of coffee :)
9. What kind of books do you enjoy reading?    Everything! I'm such a bookworm. One of my favourite authors, though, is Jill Mansell
10. What is your favourite food?     Meat. All kinds of meat, except offal and lamb.
11. Who do you live with?        My parents and my brother, at the moment

My Questions To You

1. Do you prefer to read magazines or books?
2. What's your favourite item of clothing?
3. What do you want to be when you grow up?
4. What's your favourite room in your house?
5. Do you know any completely obscure facts?
6. What's your favourite eye make-up look?
7. What's the product you reach for most often?
8. Do you prefer TOWIE or MIC?
9. With whom do you most look forward to spending time?
10. How many nail varnishes do you own?
11. What your perfect day involve?

I tag:

• Amy
• Megan
• Ingrid
• Sian
• Fiona
• Hannah
• Nicole
• Claire
• Grace
• Lauren
• Laura

Thanks as always for reading lovelies, thinking of doing a cheeky little giveaway if I reach 50 followers ;)

Lots of love,
Krystyna x

Sunnyside Sunday :)

Hellllllo Beauties!

I went shopping yesterday and was ecstatic to discover a Lush store at the mall! Apparently it has been open since the beginning of December, so I'm a bit out of the loop there. But anyway, since I've been blogging, I have read so much about their products (especially at Miss Holly's blog) and had been seriously lusting after some bubble bars, so guess what I picked up?

Nom nom nom nom nom

Mmmmm glitter. This is the Sunnyside bubble bar; I bought it because of the copious amounts of glitter and the citrussy smell, which is described as "a bright, sunny fragrance" on the website. The sales assistant kindly double bagged it so the glitter wouldn't migrate, as it has a tendency to do:

I didn't want to use the whole thing so I cut it in half, then got down to the serious business of bath-time! It crumbled easily and immediately began to produce plenty of bubbles. I ended up with a long-lasting pile of foam roughly the height of a kindle (I measured).

 The only thing that disappointed me about this product was the colour it turned the water. It honestly reminded me of diluted blood, like when you clean a cut - gross. However, I guess it is mainly down to the golden glitter, so I can overlook this. I just can't emphasise enough how gorgeous the glitter is! It felt like I was in the middle of a billowing cloud of magic, undergoing a Cinderella-esque transformation into beautiful princess. Now where did Prince Charming go?

Whilst planning what I was going to report back about this bar, I realised that the smell was very familiar, and not just because I'd been sniffing it all day! Then it hit me; it took me straight back 15 years to my best friend's house (god, that makes me feel old!), and the scent of Imperial Leather soap. Can anyone who's tried this confirm that?

Anyway, let's return to the glitter :). After I'd drained the water, there was a residue around the bottom of the bath as you can see below, but it was very easily rinsed away - no scrubbing required! It also hung around on my skin and hair, although fairly subtly as the glitter is so fine.

I really enjoyed my first Lush bath, and even think I can get away with using a quarter of the bar next time, which is just as well at £3.50 a go! What others do you think I should try? I've got my eye on the Happy Bubble Bar, Karma Bath Melt and Mmmelting Marshmallow  :p

Lots of love,

Krystyna x

What's In My Handbag? + MUA shenanigans

Hi Beauties!

I am reaaallly looking forward to having a bath later with my new Lush Sunnyside bubble bar; I don't know what it is, I've just been so tired lately! Anyway, I thought that today I'd show what I generally lug around with me day-to-day, as I love reading these posts on other blogs (so nosy!). I bought this just after Christmas from Warehouse for  £45, in exchange for a £75 bag my mum got me that was too small (leaving me with £30 for some shorts :)).

I love it as it's big enough to fit an A4 folder and all of my other 'essentials', and is simple enough to go with all of my everyday clothes without being boring. On to the contents:

Sainsbury's Travel Tissues (£1.35) - I hate being without these, so I have packs in my bags, in my car, by my bed... everywhere!

Johnson's Baby Skincare Wipes, fragrance-free (£2.54) - I work with kids, who can be sticky, and I'm so clumsy I'm usually spilling something.

Purse - I don't know where this is from or how old it is as I found it at the back of mum's wardrobe, so it was probably a great-aunt/uncle's. I've been using it for years, so it's a bit tatty now, but it is the perfect purse and will be hard to replace :(.

JVC Pink Gumy Headphones (£7.99) - Not the greatest headphones in the world, but perfectly adequate, and easily available as you can just pop them in your trolley at the supermarket.

Vaseline Creme Brulee (£2.99) - This is so yummy! It tastes of spiced vanilla as well as having all the usual goodness of vaseline. Sadly, it's limited edition, so I don't know if it's still available!

Benefit Some Kind-a Gorgeous Lite (£23.50) - I'm not the biggest fan of this to be honest, but I will use it up. It changes from cream to powder, toning down my incredibly shiny face, but I find it can be quite patchy and obvious, and the smell is so off-putting!

Chocolate :) - For on-the-go emergencies.


River Island Sunglasses (£13) - These usually live in my car but somehow found their way out!

Water - Part of my 'drink more' New Year's resolution

Pencil Case - I love being at college because it means I can legitimately indulge my geeky stationery fetish again! This my everyday one, I have another filled with felt-tips and crayons for when I go to school.


Reading Stickers - I read with primary school kids, so I like to have these for when they do well :).

Carex Aloe Vera Hand Gel (£0.70) - This is quite good value, at 7p per use, but I don't think I'll be repurchasing it as it smells really strong.

Clinique Superdefense Moisturiser (sample) - For dry hands, sore noses etc. Really useful, I love it when you get samples, it's one of the major advantages of buying high-end products!

Listerine Antibacterial Mouthwash (£1.35) - Just in case...


Wrigley's Gum (£0.38) - I like coffee, but coffee breath is horrific, right?


Lancome L'Absolu Nu Lipstick in 202 Beige Rose (£19.50) - A perfect everyday lip colour which applies brilliantly. The smell reminds me of early childhood experiments with lipstick :)


Cherry Carmex (£2.69) - As much as I love vaseline, I find that carmex has the edge moisture-wise. Also, who doesn't love cherry lip balm?

Hair accessories - Another just in case essential.

Notebook - For my fascinating thoughts, doodlings and musings.


So that is what I cart around with me every frickin' day; curiously, I seem to have forgotten the kitchen sink. How odd. I also usually have my kindle with me, and obviously I took the photos with my phone, so whilst I could have improvised with a piece of paper saying 'phone' on it, I decided not to. I think it was a good decision.

Yesterday morning I received an unexpected package which thoroughly confused me. It was a duplicate of my last order from MUA, though without the glitter eyeliner as it was out of stock. Now I didn't request this, nor have I paid for it. So I tweeted them asking if they wanted it back, and they asked for my order number so I'm waiting to see what happens next... Included in the package though, was a copy of an order confirmation e-mail, which it turns out I'd accidentally deleted :/. So I really am very sorry for previously saying that I had had no correspondance from them. Bit embarrassing really.

I started writing this post yesterday and finished it today, so I'll be blogging again later, hooray!

Lots of Love,

Krystyna x

Versatile Blogger Award and NOTD

Evening Beauties!

I was so happy to have been given the Versatile Blogger Award by Leah over at Leah,Loves,Beauty and Fashion, so thank you lovely for my first award! Now, the rules state that I must offer up 7 interesting facts about myself and pass the award on to 15 more bloggers; to be honest, I'm not sure which is hardest! I'm not exactly the most discrete person in the world, so I'll try not to repeat myself in the facts.

I would like to pass this award on to:

• Tiffeny - Just Tiffeny
• Lauren - The Cosmetics Kitten
• Danielle - Tinks Tales
• Hannah and Zebedee - loveletters and snippets
• Michaela - Kla Dollface
• Puja - British Inadequacy
• Lizzie - Cupcakes and Cosmetics
• Onna - Onna's Little Blog
• Jemma - Bamboozle Beauty
• Tamsin - Little Glitter
• Rebecca - Oh! Panda
• Hannah - Away With The Fairies
• Charlotte - The Fairest Of Them All
• Cat - Reaching For The Stars...
• Eloise - I Need More Clothes 

 Some scintillating snippets:

1.  Both of my parents have been in the army - my brothers were both born in Germany, when Dad was posted there.
2. I had 3 different driving instructors before I passed my test... long story.
3. I'm a bit of a pyromaniac; I can't be trusted with candles.
4. My first word was 'scissors'. 
5. I wish I had a puppy :( I would love a little doggy friend.
6. I love scuba diving, but I really hate fish! They just freak me out.
7. I hadn't been to a hairdressers before the age of 13. My first haircut was performed in my dorm by a girl a few years above me.

 Thank you again Leah! Now it's time for a quick NOTD, featuring George in 'Smartypants' and Barry M Gold Foil Effects on the ring finger.

 The George nail varnishes are such good value! It's £1.75 for a bottle and there is a massive range of colours (55 listed on the website!). Also, they really are quick dry, like they claim on the label. I would definitely recommend that you pop into Asda to check them out.

It's my bed-time now, I'm going to college and into school tomorrow, and I can never get enough beauty sleep!

Lots of love,

Krystyna x

NOTD: Pink Diva

Ahoy Beauties!

I want to show you the polishes I bought yesterday whilst dashing around Sainsburys; nothing special, just a little bit of colour to brighten up this dreary weather we're having at the moment! They're both MaxFactor Max Effect Minis, available for £3.99.

These are actual size! From left to right is Pink Diva (12) and Diva Coral (09)

I think these polishes are quite good quality, as they apply smoothly and don't chip as soon as you do anything. However, you can see in the above left photo that the colour can be fairly streaky so they do need 3 or 4 coats for full opacity. I have heard people complain about the size of the bottle, but I hate waste and I've never used up a nail varnish, so for me, the size is a plus! It also means I can store more bottles in the same space, and with over 30 shades listed on the Boots website, I'm very tempted to try out some more :)

I haven't been doing much at all today, just catching up on beauty vlogs and blogs, and playing Temple Run! I installed it this morning and have been playing non-stop, it's so addictive. How have your weekends been?

Lot of love, 

Krystyna x

PS If you haven't checked out my mini shoe sale yet, take a look at the page!