MAC giveaway!! (EXTENDED)

hey girls!!

today I have some exciting news, I'm having a giveaway!

i have never done a giveaway before, and i thought it was time that i gave something back to the people who read my blog :)

i will be giving away 2 MAC products OF YOUR CHOICE! you will be able to choose a lipstick and an eyeshadow, or 2 lipsticks or 2 eyeshadows, in any colour you like as long as they are availible.

to enter you must:
be a follower of my blog either with google friend connect or bloglovin
comment below telling me why you'd like to win (no 'enter me's please!)
make sure you include your email or twitter so i can tell you if you win!
be over 18 or have your parents permission

this giveaway is open internationnaly and i will be announcing the winner on here and on twitter on the 1st of february.

only one entry per person please.

good luck!

First Festive Manicure of the Season!

hey ladies! just a quick post to show you todays manicure!

I bought Barry M's red glitter a while back to use as a topcoat over a taupe colour that i thought needed spicing up a bit. It was totally useless for that purpose because it is virtually opaque. I was a bit dissapointed with it for that reason but i have since come to realise that opaque glitters are really something of a rarity! This shade just seemed so perfect for the Christmas season, so I thought I'd crack it out again.

products used: Save the Nail Repair and Rescue Treatment (not pictured) (here), NYC In a New York Colour Minute Quick Dry Nail Polish in Chelsea (here), Barry M Nail Paint in 150 Red Glitter (here) and Seche Vite Topcoat (here)

with flash. please enlarge to view the beautiful sparkles!!!

without flash.


so what do YOU think? is it too early for christmas nails?

Love, Lucy xx

MAC Fluidline, I love you!

hey girls! first off i just want to say i'm really sorry ive been such a bad blogger recently, i've had so much work to do for Uni and i've been trying really hard to do that and not get distracted. anyway, ive got a couple of days break from deadlines so i thought i'd tell you baout something i'm LOVING right now, which is MAC's Fluidline in Blacktrack.

i was previously using Sleek ink pot gel liner (here) which i think is great for a high street brand but i was finding that it wasn't quite soft enough for me, so i was finding it hard to draw the lines at the thickness i wanted. the sleek liner is definitely better value than the MAC one, it costs just £4.30, while a MAC fluidline will set you back an impressive £13.50 (here).

the ink pot it somewhat harder, so you have to work your brush into it untill it becomes shiny to use it. this could be better for beginners as it doesnt transfer onto your eyelid as easily, so if you touch the wrong part by mistake, it isn't usually too much of a problem.

Sleek on the left, MAC on the right. if you enlarge the picture you can see that the MAC liner is shinier and generally 'wetter' than the Sleek liner.

above is Sleek on the left and MAC on the right again, one swipe with my finger in the pot, and one on my hand, and then one swipe with a brush. you can see that the MAC liner fills in the lines on my skin better, as its wetter, and it also blends more easily.

some pictures of me wearing MAC fluidline. taken without mascara. i just find it goes on SO easliy, i really think it's worth the money. though i would advise trying a cheaper gel lner first, to see if you get on with gel/cream liners in general

Have YOU tried either of these liners? do you like gel liner in general?

Blushing, ME?

hey girls! today i'm bringing you a face of the day post, which i'm actually SO happy with.

i didn't use any blush at all, and just relied on bronzer, which i never usually use. i was always a bit scared of bronzer because i'm so pale, but my i'm loving NYC mosaic bronzer (availible here) at the moment! i apply it with a big fluffy brush in light strokes, building up the layers. the brush i use is really really soft and not very firm (its from the fraulien 38 set, availible here) and i previously didn't like it, as it laid down so little colour, but it's just perfect for bronzer!

top two pictures without flash, bottom two with flash

face: Rimmel stay matte in 01 mixed with Barry M foundation creme in white, NYC colour wheel mosaic face powder in all over bronze, Collection 2000 lasting perfection concleaer in 01, benefit powderflage (under my eyes), Rimmel clear complexion powder in transparent, Ruby and Millie cream highlight

Eyes: MAC paint pot in Rubenesque, MAC eyeshadow in Satin Taupe, Sleek ink pot Gel Liner in black, NYC High definition Seperating Mascara in Black (underneath), Max Factor False Lash Effect Fusion mascara in Black

Lips; Sleek Pout Paint in Port.

i love this lip colour so much, which is why i included the pictures with flash, as the lip colour is much truer in them, though it makes me look excesively pale. its a really deep fuscia pink, bright but dark at the same time

i love how this brinzer looks so much!! let me know what you think!

Some New Goodies!

Hey girls! I know I just posted saying that I wasn't going to post but I got a LOAD of work done in not very much time so I thought I could write a post so.....

I went shopping the other day and I went again yesterday, (though I blame my sister for that one) and I got some new stuff, so I thought I’d show you.

Both times I went to the new Westfield centre in Stratford, which I really like. The first place I went to was MAC, which is fast becoming my favourite place, where I checked out the new Glitter and Ice collection. I picked up a paint pot in Morning Frost and an eyeshadow in Satin Taupe from their regular line.

 Top: Satin Taupe, Bottom: Morning Frost

Next I went off to Superdrug where I got most of the other stuff. I got 3 MUA lipglosses in shades 1, 4, and 5. I’m really impressed with the pigmentation of shade number 4, it comes off really opaque and pretty. I actually bought 4 of these, but when I opened the red one I got (can’t remember the shade, sorry!) the lid broke and I had to throw it away, or it would have spewed lipgloss everywhere. Thankfully they were 3 for 2 so I didn’t actually pay anything for that one!

 Shades 4,5,1

Clockwise from top: 4,5,1

I also got a new foundation, powder and concealer. I have been wanting to try a highstreet foundation for a while now, as currently I’m using Bobbi Brown, which is pretty pricey! I got Rimmel Stay Matte as I’m also wanting something with a bit more coverage and shine. I haven’t tried it yet, but when swatched it feels really creamy and nice, which is a plus. I’ll post again soon and let you know how I’m getting on with it. I got their Clear Complexion powder in transparent to go with it, which I’m loving so far. I also picked up a Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer which is so worth the hype, and I picked up the Barry M Lash Modelling mascara, which is a great and cheaper alternative to Maxfactor False Lash Effect fusion, which is what I was previously using.

Lastly I went to Boots where I got a set of 3 jumbo lip balms, which I thought I could break up and give to my sisters as little extra Christmas presents.

And that’s my haul! Have YOU finished your Christmas shopping yet?

Hey guys, just to let you know that i'm breaking my schedule this week, as i have uni deadlines, but i should be back to normal by wednesday next week xxx

Lovely boots from....clarks?

hey ladies!

i'm so sorry i broke my schedule and didn't post yesterday, i've not been feeling well and this post is being written from my sick bed :(

does anyone remember being dragged to Clarks as a child? once a year my mum would have to buy us school shoes and we would make the dreaded trip there, where your feet would be measured and then you would be forced to try on pair after pair of 'sensible' shoes.

this is how i remember Clarks, but the other day i walked past the store on the Isle of Wight, where my parents live, and noticed a big rack of rather nice looking boots outside. i went to their website and i now have a growing list of shoes i like in there!! i'm wondering if i've got very old very quickly or if they are aiming at a younger demographic these days.

Neeve Ella GTX £120

Magician Class £120

Licorice Candy, £140 (LOVE these!!)

Orinoco Jazz, £79.99

Orinoco Club, £49.99
 i actually bought the above boots the other day, to replace my topshop chelsea boots that broke, and i love them! they are so comfy and i hate to say it, 'sensible'!! they should last a long time and they are real leather. i'm so surprised at myself for likeing their boots.

what do you think? would YOU buy boots from clarks?

No longer a MAC virgin!

hey girls!

lat week i made a little trek to the MAC store in Westfield Stratford city, and this is what i came away with. i haven't actually had anything from MAC before, (post detailing how  NEARLY but not quite got my hands on some here) thankfully this time i basically avoided the staff and looked after myself, though they did seem freindlier than on my previous experience!

there was a half hour wait for a consultation, so based on what i've heard on youtube and what i liked the look of, i chose on my own.

in all of it's packaging...

out of its packaging...

the first thing i got was Rubenesque paint pot, which i'm completely in love with. it's such a beautiful colour, and look great on the lid with a bit of matte brown in the crease. this picture doesn't really do it justice, it really is lovely, and if you havent seen it in person, i'd reccomend giving it a swatch next time you're at a MAC counter. it lasts all day (and then some) as well and doesn't crease at all, which is great for a cream product.

next up i got a small duo fibre 188 brush. i actually meant to pick up a 130 brush, which is shorter, like a mini kabuki, and the white fibres stick out much less, but having got this home and used it, i'm glad i went for this one. i've been using it for cream blushes mainly, but i have also used it for foundation, which it's brilliant for, though it's more time consuming than using my trusty ecotools duo fibre kabuki brush.

the last thing i got was a MAC brush cleanser. this was something of an impulse buy, the lay at the checkout sad i should get some to go with my brush, and normally that wouldn'ttempt me in the slightest, but for some reason, this time it did! it wasn't too expensive and i was previously using baby shampoo as brush cleaner, so i decided i should get some proper stuff!

i have used it a few times now and i like it, much simpler than having to deep clean every time!!

what were the first things you got from MAC? xxx

Judy's affordable vintage fair

hey ladies, last saturday me and my flatmate rhianna went to Judy's affordable vintage fair which was being held in york hall at bethnal green.

i've never been to an event like this and it was a lot of fun, though i felt a bit out of place in my jeans and crew jumper, most people there looked like they'd walked straight out of the 40's!

i was after some jewlery, mainly a vintage ring, a scarf that i could tie around my head or onto my bag, and a big chunky knit jumper.

sadly, i didn't find many rings at all, and those that i did find tended to be modern, but it did find a pair of very pretty earrings.

a lot fo the clothes seemed to be quite expensive, especially given that they were second hand. i feel this about a lot of places that sell clothes with the 'vintage' tag attached. some of the stuff we found was dinfintely NOT vintage, like a dress from last year from primark! i've wanted for ages a chunky fair isle or cable knit jumper to wear with leggings, and this one that i fell in love with had a starting price of £20! thats a lot for a second hand jumper...

i didnt buy a jumper owning to the prices, but there were lots of lovely denim shorts on offer too, but i didnt find any that fitted.

what i DID get was a pair of lovely vintage scarves, which i love as headscarves at the moment.

here are a couple of shots of them on....

these actually were pretty good value, and most stalls were offereing one for £3 or 2 for £5, whish is what i got mine for.

towards the back of the fair were a couple of stalls selling vintage items that werent clothes, and i snapped up some lovely antique photographs, and some interesting old keys, which i want to hang from my celing at home (dont judge me, it looks cool!) and which also look nice on a long ribbon or chain as a pendant. i did get one other thing which i was excited to show you guys but i cant because it's a christmas present for someone in my family, and i know they have been looking at my blog recently, so i cant show you!

the keys and one of the photographs i bought.

i would reccomend going to a Judy's event if there is one near you, its fun even if you don't buy anything, and there are definitely some bargains to be found! you can find details of their upcoming events here

what do you think of vintage clothes?

Love, Lucy xxx

DIY leopard print nails

hey ladies, today i'm coming to you with a tutorial, to create these awsome leopard print style nails!

once you've decided on your colour scheme, (im using pink and blue but mot colour combinations would work!) the first step is to paint your base coat and base colour. i didn't actually do a base coat because i've got acrylics at the moment, but if you're doing this look on your natural nails, a base coat will help it last longer and be smoother. i'm using Barry M's Blue Moon as my base colour.

after you've got your base colour down, you need to get a contrasting colour (i'm using Barry M's Pink flamingo) and get your splodge on! try not to dab straight down as this will leave little drops and bumps, its better to do a little stroke of the brush. don't worry about being neat, different sizes and shapes are good!

having done your contrasting splodges, you need to get your hands on a back liquid eyeliner. i'm using liquid eyeliner rather than black polish for a few reasons; 1, its much easier to fix if you make a mistake and you don't have to start again with polish remover. 2, i find it's much more opaque than the black polish i have and 3, the fine brush makes it easier to apply than a polish brush.

the eyeliner i'm using is Sleek's dip it eyeliner in black. it has a 'felt tip' style brush, which i much prefer to the floppier bristle brush ones. you need to draw broken lines around each dot, two or three for each one. if you have any bare patches on your nail, you can also draw on some little 'c' shapes to fill them in.

lastly you need to seal in your design with a topcoat. i'm using Seche vite fast dry topcoat.

it helps to look at a picture of a leopard to see how the 'rosettes' look (which is what we're trying to recreate). i'm lucky enough to have a little leopard living at my parents house, so i took my inspiration from him :)

hope you liked this tutorial lovelies!

let me know your ideas for other colour combinations, i want to try them out!

Love, Lucy xxx

Thinking of getting gel nails?

hey lovlies, today i come to you with something of a rant.

a few weeks ago now, while i was off blogging because i was settling into uni, one of my first wednesday adventrues with my flatmate danni was to go and get our nails done before going shopping at the new westfield stratford city.

we found a nail bar near to westfield (not naming any names here)and went in to look at their treatment list. i had already decided i wanted to get gels, bacause i'd had acrylics in the past and they had ruined my nails. gels have a reputation for being less damaging and slightly more versatile.

when i entered the salon it seemed fine, offering mainly nail treatments but also waxing and massage in a slightly dodgy looking back room. as i was there for my nails though, i wasn't too bothered. i asked for gels (which were listed in their treatments, and were about £7 more than acrylics) and she whipped out a pot of powder. straight away i smelled a rat, gels should surely be a GEL right? i said 'isnt that acrylic?' and she replied in her limited english that it was a new thing, 'powdered gel'. i have never had gels before so i went along with it. how was i to know that it wasnt a new thing? she also got out a glass dappen dish and filled it with familliar looking purple liquid. after some drilling (!) she stuck on some nail tips and then she applied the substance (as i will be calling it from now) with apparent expertise, and when she had finished she instructed me to hold my hand in front of a mini fan mounted on the desk to dry it. this is when i started to get more suspicious. i texted danni who was sitting next to me that i was SURE she was applying acrylics to my nails, but i really wasn't sure what i could do about it now that i was in the chair with the stuff already on me!

the reason i was so suspicious was because there was no UV light used to cure the 'gel', and it smelled exactly like the acrylics i have had in the past. when she had finished i paid my money and left, unsure what else i could do. when i got home i did some googling, and found out that lots of people have been conned by this sort of thing, and i did indeed get acrylics. i was and am so angry about this, and it has put me off ever getting treatments done again.

the fact that she used a nail drill which will have done untold damage to my natural nails and was pysically painful at the time; she wasnt very carful with where she was putting it, and caught my skin several times. and also that i'm not going to have to go to another salon to get them removed ( i would do it myself but she told me they were file off; i dont believe her but i dont want to damage my nails any further by soaking in acetone unnescesarily).

i dont really know what the purpose of this rant was other than to warn people. if you go to get gels, make sure you look up the salon beforehand and if you think it's not what ou asked for, get up and leave!!

the offending talons (re-shaped and re-painted by me with 17 Magnetized nail polish, 'the green one')

Current Things i'm lusting over...

With christmas coming up, i wanted to do a little post talking about what i'm currently lusting over, and somethings that i'm hoping might appear in my stocking!!

• The first thing I would really love to recieve this christmas is a subscription to Glossybox. i have seen so many posts on them recently and while at first i thought that it was a lot of money for samples you could usually get for free, having read reviews i'm desperate to get my hot and stickies on one!!

• A ticket to London IMATS. ive never been, and this is the number one thing i want to do next year, even before going to India.
• M.A.C. i dont actually own anything from MAC, despite an attempt to purchase one of their foundations (post here) and i particularly want to try some of their brushes and lipsticks. an essential brush that is missing from my kit is a fluffy round brush, so i'll be asking for one of those!

• A brush kit. while i have quite a selection of brushes, i don't have any high quality brushes and i would sell my granny for this set from sigma. (not literally, granny, but i do REALLY want them!)
• an oversized locket. a beautiful antique one would be amazing, but this particular one is lovely too and is actually from Argos.
• the Let it Snow! collection from China Glaze. specifically blue years eve, glittering garland, ring in the red, snow globe and tinsel town. over on Scrangie there are some brilliant swatches which really showcase how beautiful these shades are.

• i'm running out of my beyonce Heat perfume, so i'm after a new bottle of that, and i got a sample of her new scent, Pulse, and i'm in love with it, so i would love to recieve one of those too!
• my benefit Something about Sofia (along with beyonce heat) is my signature scent but because the bottle is opaque, i don't know if it's running out! i think it is though, so this is on my list of stuff to buy as soon as i have money!



a non-beauty related thing on my lust list is a macro len for my camera. i have the Sony Alpha A500 (can't reccomend it enough!) which i love, but the lenses i have don't allow me to get very close up, which is the style of photography i enjoy the most. as a bonus, this is one of the cheapest lenses made my sony i have seen!

the last (and slightly wierd) thing on my list is a pizza tray! when i was living at home i cooked a lot but i was used to having a very well stocked kitchen with lots of gadgets, 2 ovens and 7 hob plates! since moving to uni i have had to adjust to having little equipment, an electric hob (nightmare!!) and a small crappy oven. one of the things i didnt think of when i was buying my kitchen stuff was a pizza tray and i have to regularly borrow my flatmates one, which he is starting to get fed up with! 

what's on YOUR lust list at the moment? was there anything you forgot to bring to uni?

xxxx

an unusual fashion piece!

hey ladies, i'm so sorry that i messed up on my schedule before i even started it, but i ended up having to rush off to liverpool to see a family member at short notice. i hope you guys dont mind!

basically, i want to talk to you guys today about all in ones. they quite often get called onesies, but i really hate that word! they have become increasingly popular recently, with high street brands such as primark selling them, and higher end brands like jack wills and Onepiece selling them too.

Onepiece is a dedicated brand which sells only these garments, and i'm lucky enough to own one of them. i feel as if a onesie is something you might quietly admit that you own, but onepiece are really a different brand, making items which are designed to be worn outside the comfort of your own bedroom.

when i first saw them, i thought they were incredibly cool, which is an odd thing to think about what is basically an oversized babygro. onepieces are quite expensive but i absolutely love mine, though i didn't pay for it, i recieved it as a gift from my aunt!

the Onepiece has recently been spotted on tooons of celebs such as:

Justin Bieber

Ellie Goulding

Henry Holland (who appears to have several!)

and One Directions Naill Horen, though all of the boys from One Direction have them!

that is just a small sample of celebs who have them taken from the Onepiece website. basically i want to know what side of the fence people are on. are they acceptable for popping out to buy your milk and bread? or walking your dog (as sadie frost was papped doing in a purple one?)

here is a horrendous snap of me in mine, just to show what it looks like.

what side of the fence are YOU on?? would you be seen dead in one of these?