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

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

MUA Haul

Hi Beauties!

I have been absolutely swamped with college work for the past two weeks (why do they set all the assignments at once?) which left me way too exhausted to even think about blogging, so I'm really sorry I've been absent! Remember I mentioned a MUA order I made way back before Christmas? Well it finally turned up 8 days after I was told it would, and almost 3 weeks after payment, so having paid £2.95 for First Class postage, I am not at all happy with their website. I was also really surprised that they did not contact me at all, not even sending an order confirmation message, which is strange, as they had sent me 4 e-mails about my previous order.


Anyway, rant over. I will be buying their products again as they are fantastic value, but not through the website! I thought I'd show you what I bought displayed on my essay chair, as that's where I've been spending most of my time recently!

 It's a lovely little Victorian or Georgian nursery chair, so comfortable, and luckily, the fabric almost perfectly matches the gold toned eyeshadow I bought!

Pearl eyeshadow in Shade 29 (£1)

 No flash on the left, with flash on the right (throughout the post)

I can see this becoming my go to product for nights out, as I love rocking a golden eye. The glitter is intense, and although there is a bit of fall out, it's to be expected at this price.

Glitter Eyeliner in Shade 2 (£1)

This was a lot less full than I was expecting it to be: you only get half a tube. I think that's a bit cheeky, even at this price. It is so pretty though! I saw it on Rebecca's blog, in a Christmas eyes post and couldn't resist, seeing as Chanel is a bit out of my price range at the moment!

Swatches:

These were so difficult to take pictures of! I mean, I know I only use an iPhone camera, but the glitter just throws light all over the place.  The liner is towards the bottom of the photo, with the eyeshadow at the top.

Lipsticks - Bare Shade 14 and Shade 3 (£1 each)

 Shade 3 is on the left, Bare Shade 14 on the right

These shades are so natural I'm sure I'll be wearing them every day. They're also really moisturising, which is fantastic as Barry M lipsticks, which I posted about here, can be a bit hit and miss. However, they are very sheer, especially Shade 3. Here are the swatches:

I had to swipe several times to build up the colour, but I think the result is worth it :)

Out There Plumping Lipglosses  - Candy Pink and Peach Shimmer (£2 each)

 Peach Shimmer is on the left and Candy Pink is on the right

It has to be said that I don't really see any major plumping effects after applying this, despite an almost spicy tingling sensation. The colour payoff is good though, and leaves lips shiny but not sticky. You can see in the swatches that they're both blue based, ideal for my horrendously pale complexion!

If you are mathematically inclined, you may notice that the little lot above adds up to £8 exactly, which meant I received a free Immaculate palette! As I already have one, I'm going to leave this new one in immaculate condition (sorry, couldn't resist :p) to include in a giveaway at some point.

Anyone still reading? Bit of a long post, I know... Anyway, I have many more lined up, so I won't leave it so long next time! Please comment below, feedback is alwasy welcome :)

Lots of Love,
Krystyna x

Series: Blush, Bronzer and Highlighter Part Two

Helloooo Beauties!

So, it turns out I was being slightly optimistic the other day when I said I had a MUA package waiting to be explored... it was actually a book :s. It was an easy mistake to make, right? Anyway, as I can't write about those products yet, I decided to continue my BBH series which started in November with a blusher post. It's now time for the bronzers!

Laura Mercier Shimmer Bloc in Mosaic (£31.00), Topshop Bronzer in Radiance 1 (£8.00) and 17 Instant Glow Bronzing Powder in Light (£4.59)

As mentioned previously, I am INCREDIBLY pale (not so sure about the interesting part), so some of these may in fact be more suitable for you as a highlighter.


Swatches: flash on the left, natural on the right

I adore this Laura Mercier shimmer bloc, as it is not only gorgeous, but versatile. I think you could create a pretty decent eye look with the individual shades, and the lighter ones can also be used as a highlighter. In the swatches above, the colours are sampled clockwise from the top, then blended (which is super-easy). It has a silky texture and there is no fallout: definitely worth the price tag.

This Topshop bronzer is much more matte than the Laura Mercier, although it is still fairly glittery, and it has a darker range of shades, resulting in a natural mocha-toned effect. It is slighty chalky due to its more matte nature, but for £8 this is a good bronzer.

 As you can probably tell from my photos, this is the product I have had the longest! When I want to look like I have a healthy, everyday tan, I use this, and have absolutely no complaints. It has the most subtle shimmer of the 3, and doesn't make me look like I've been tango'ed! Obviously, it's not as versatile as the other 2 being a single colour, but has lasted aaaaaages and is a good basics product.


In the pan: left side photos are in natural light; right are with flash to show up shimmer :)

I hope you've enjoyed this post! I want to say a massive thank you to everyone following me - if you're a fellow blogger, you'll know how much of a confidence boost it is, and how lovely it is to read  comments <3

Let me know if there's anything you'd like to see in future post :)

Lots of love, 

Krystyna x

Barry M Haul!

Hello Beauties!

I think I've had enough of a break now after a lovely quiet Christmas, so I thought make a comeback today to show you a few Barry M things I bought this morning, along with some I got in my stocking :)

Barry M Haul

Nail Paints - Gold Shatter (321), Silver Glitter (Limited Edition), Gold Foil Effects (320) and Silver Foil Effects (319).       Lip Paints - Touch of Magic and Pale Nude (154)

I wasn't really meant to be buying anything, just going to the opticians, but Gold Foil was on my Christmas wishlist so I couldn't really resist, could I?!

 

The gold crackle and silver foil were gifts from Santa, and the gold foil was one of my purchases this morning. Boots are still giving away this Limited Edition silver glitter nail paint when you buy 2 Barry M products, so I of course took advantage of this deal! I love the consistency of the Barry M nail paints, as they are so easy to apply smoothly and quickly, but I am worried about the crackle one. They do go really gloopy fairly quickly don't they? My black crackle is in such a state!

And so onto the lip paints...

Touch of Magic has been on my wish list for a while, and I'm so glad Santa finally brought it to me! It's so moisturising as it's packed with aloe vera and castor seed oil, but I'm afraid the same can't be said for the Pale Nude I bought this morning. As you can see from the photos below, my lips aren't in the best state at the moment, even though I prepped them with my Body Shop Lip Scuff and a good smear of Carmex. I do like the shade, and would wear it on a night out with really 'done' dark eyes and statement lashes.

 Now, what shades should I put on my wish list next? :p  As I sit here, at this very moment, I have a MUA package sitting beside me, which I have been very studiously ignoring until I have the time to give it the attention it deserves! Look out for a post on it soon :)

Hope you all had wonderful Christmases and are ready for a unforgettable New Years <3

Lots of Love,

Krystyna x