Nails of the Day! 29/01/2014

Hey Beauts,

This morning I decided to paint my nails! I find it so therapeutic and calming and I just love it when they turn out great with hardly any on my skin! It's only a very simple look, but I personally find it very classy and I am in love with my ring fingers! On my thumb, pointer, middle and pinky fingers are just two coats of No7 Salsa and on my ring fingers are two coats of Sally Hansen Coat of Arms with two coats of No7 Gold Glitter Top Coat (They really could have come up with a better name for that like 'Christmas Sparkle' or 'Northern Star').

The No7 bottles are so miniature, super cute and so adorable. They were both part of Christmas gift sets from boots so I'm not quite sure if you can still buy them, but you can literally just walk into Boots and easily find dupes for these colours from Barry M, Sally Hansen or Essie. I really love this look and this is the fourth time in a row that I have actually painted my nails in this way - I really just love the gold accent nail!

Thanks for reading this post! I think you guys like my NOTD posts? They seem to get great comments! Do you want to see any nail art posts? Or do you just like simple ones like this? Tell me what you want to see on this blog down below & remember to follow on GFC and BlogLovin' so you don't miss out on any future posts! :) Mucho Love <3 <3

Be happy, Be beautiful and Be YOU!

Ellie, xx

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Face of the Night! 25/01/2014

Hey Beauts,

So today I bring you a photo from a couple of nights ago before I went out clubbing!

On my skin I have used MAC Mineralize foundation SPF15 in NW15, MAC Prolongwear concealer in NW20, Rimmel Stay Matte powder in 003 Peach Glow and the blush I used is by No7 and is one from a make-up palette that doesn't tell the shades of things, but any soft pink would give the same look.

On my lips is MAC Brave Red (As always).

On my eyes I started by using sellotape on the outer edge of my eyes to create a straight edge on the outside of my eyes. I have used the Maybelline Color Tattoo in On and On Bronze as a base, I then used Black-Out from the Naked 2 palette on the outer edge of my eyes and brought it through my crease. I then blended a little bit of Half-Baked into the center of my eye and put Stange from the Naked 3 palette into the the inner corner of my eye and under my brows as a highlight. I smudged a bit of this under my inner lower lash line and then Black-Out under the outer lower lash line. I finished my eyes by using the Rimmel Scandaleyes Precision Micro eyeliner on my lid as close to the lashes as possible to thicken my lash line and used L'oreal Telescopic mascara on my top and bottom lashes.

My hair is just curled using the Remmington Pearl Hair Wand and then sprayed with L'oreal Elnett Extra Strength Flexible Hold hairspray (What a mouthful) and finished off by running my hands through to loosen the curls and soften them up a bit.

I hope you enjoyed this look/photo! It was the first time I've ever incorporated sellotape into a make-up look and I think it turned out alright. I never really wear my make-up this bold either so for one of the first attempts at trying something like this out, I'm quite proud of myself! Do you usually wear bold make-up like this? If so, write a blog post and show me! I'd love to see what you create and remember as always to follow on GFC so you don't miss out on any of my posts! <3

Be happy, Be beautiful and Be YOU!

Ellie, xx

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Color Tattoo - Review!

Hey Beauts,

Today I bring you a quick review of the Maybelline Color Tattoo in On and On Bronze (Bad to the Bronze - RRP: £4.99).

I was completely sceptical about this when the whole hype started! Never have I tried a cream eyeshadow before and in my head 'Why put creamy on oily? - It will just slide off'. Well I was wrong. This stuff is amazing and I completely see the hype that surrounded it. To top it off - creamy and oily go well together! 

The pigmentation is brilliant and the fact that it just glides on so well and stays where you want it to means you can easily create a slight smokey eye only using this product alone! The colour itself is phenomenal. When I first picked this up I thought the colouring would be way too dark for my eyes and completely hollow them out but it doesn't, It compliments them beautifully. The packaging itself has that nice weighty glass feeling too, just making it seem as though the product is worth a lot more than £4.99 - Even the way the lid unscrews makes me feel special for owning it and who doesn't like feeling special? 

One of the things I like the most about this is that if you don't want too make-up on you can just use this, blend it out a little into the crease. If you wanted to go further you could add a pinky white for highlighting the brow bone/inner eye area and your done! It looks so natural and just pretty. This had been my go to look since I first tried this too! I just love it! I won't be going crazy and buying a lot of these though. I'll never wear any of the pinks and blues but Eternal Gold and 25K Gold look absolutely stunning and seen as how I'm more of a lighter shade wearing, I will definaly be picking those up soon! :D

The only thing I don't like about this is 'color' is spelt C-O-L-O-U-R. It just annoys me :P

I feel as though right now I should say sorry for not posting all week! I went back to University and I'm in my final semester so I have a really big workload for the next 12 - 15 weeks, I also went out clubbing (Post coming soon) But I fell over (weak ankles) and ended up in A&E (Haha). It's only sprained but it's swollen so much! So thanks for sticking here in my absence and if you're new and enjoying my blog remember to follow on GFC and/or Bloglovin' so you don't miss out on anything. :) <3

Be happy, Be beautiful and Be YOU!

Ellie, xx

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Lazy Day!

Hey Beauts,

Not a beauty related post today, but a life style one! Today has been one of those days where I am too tired to do anything really so I have literally just been laying in bed pretty much all day reading blogs, watching YouTube videos and being lazy (Apart from walking the dog and doing a quick workout). So I thought you'd appreciate a quick picture from my laziness! 

Oh! and this morning I also had my first ever driving lesson which went way better than I ever thought It would. I didn't even stall the car so this is the main reason for that smile on my face! I really was bricking it, my tummy was all nervous and everything. One piece of advice? Don't be nervous, it's fine & really fun!

Days like these really do make me happy and I believe that you should do what makes you happy! I hope you've all had great days or are going to have a great day ahead of you (depending on when you read this) and remember to be happy!

Be happy, Be beautiful and Be YOU!

Ellie, xx

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The end of Christmas sales!

Hey Beauts,

So about a week ago now I did the last of my Christmas sales shopping! It was about 4am and I'd rediscovered a Body Shop Body Butter the night before that I loved. I hadn't shopped in The Body Shop for over a year so I popped on to their website to see what they had on offer! 

As you can see, I didn't go too crazy! I ended up spending £25 on all of this which is pretty good if you ask me! The snowman contained a 200ml Shea Body Butter & 50ml Shea Body Scrub, The Christmas cracker contained three Lip Butters in Shea, Coconut and my all time favourite - Mango. I then picked up a full size Cranberry Joy Body Butter which smells exactly like my dinner table on Christmas day with all the candles lit and finally I purchased a 250ml Passion Fruit Shower Gel which is perfect for a mouth watering morning shower to wake you up.

I have to say, I have never bought anything online from The Body Shop before and didn't know what to expect, but it arrived on my door step about 28 hours later which I was genuinely surprised with. I expected it to arrive in 3-4 working days - Not the next day! Impressed. Yes!

Sorry for the mini post today beauts, I'm absolutely shattered and thought I'd get this up as a review or two of these products will be following in the next couple of weeks! :) Have yo tried any of these products in the past? And do you recommend anything else from The Body Shop that I should try? Also I'd like to thank you for following on GFC, I've hit 50 followers and think this is a bit of an achievement! So thanks! <3

Be happy, Be beautiful and Be YOU!

Ellie, xx

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The Breakfast Scrub - Review!

Hey Beauts,

Now if you read my last post you will have discovered that I have only just gotten on the whole soap and glory bandwagon and I think this comes from years of asking my mummabear to get be something from this range and her reply always being that it's too expensive. That being said, I believe these thoughts have lodged into my brain and this is what I've naturally thought about Soap & Glory. A couple of weeks ago in boots, I finally bit the bullet and purchases this (RRP £8), Hand Food (RRP: £5) and Sugar Crush body wash (RRP: £6.50) as the Boots 3 for 2 deal on all Soap and Glory got me - finally!

To me the product looks amazing. I know it's brown but the flecks in it add a bit of depth to the product so it isn't just a dull brown. The pink and brown go great together as colours and they compliment each other massively, especially with the circus-esque theme that pretty much all Soap & Glory packaging goes for. I've seen in other reviews of this product that the container was curved towards the bottom but they must have changed the packaging slightly as this just has the bog-standard straight edged 90 degree bottom container. I'm not complaining too much. It doesn't look as great or as feminine but it stacks easier which is good for someone with not a lot of free space. 

Moving on to the smell. Oh my. Oh my, oh my! The scent of this is incredible! When I picked this up in Boots and saw that it was called 'The Breakfast Scrub' I thought 'I wonder what sausage, egg and bacon smell like in scrub form' Literally thinking that it would smell like a full English breakfast. I didn't for one second think about American breakfasts such as pancakes and maple syrup! But that's exactly what it does smell like - vanilla pancakes with maple syrup, freshly cooked and good enough to eat! Although, I really don't recommend eating this stuff, It doesn't taste that good...

So after all the hype of the smell, and just melting because of it all over Boots' floor, I'll move on to the consistency.

One of the best things about this product is the consistency. It's so thick and lovely that when it's in your hand or rubbed onto your skin, It stays there because of the thick formulation. It doesn't slide off like other scrubs or fall out of your hands and waste away down the plug hole. It stays where you want it to and does it's job. A bit like a breakfast. Now it has quite a thick/rough exfoliating feel to it when applied to the skin. But personally, I like that because I feel as though the product is doing it's job and actually tearing away my dead skin, without tearing my leg off - obviously. Adding to that, the moisturising properties are great! My skin feels so soft and nourished after using this product although I do like to follow this product with the 'Clean On Me Creamy, Clarifying shower gel' just to feel that extra bit pampered and the scents go lovely together! 

So thats that for this review! I hope you enjoyed it! Have you tried The Breakfast Scrub? What were your opinions? And is there anything else from Soap & Glory that I simply must try out? Leave your comments and opinions down below to let me know and don't forget to follow on GFC and Bloglovin' so you don't miss out on any more posts! :) 

Be happy, Be beautiful and Be YOU!

Ellie, xx

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Mid-Month Must Haves January 2014

Hey Beauts,

Usually 'favourite' posts are done at the end of the month and don't get me wrong - I love reading them - It's just by the twentieth one, I usually get a tad bored. So I thought I'd do mine half way through the month to keep you going! 

First off I'll mention my make-up picks. Just because I'm so excited to! I've discovered some great products since Christmas! :D 

Brave Red - MAC Lipstick! (RRP: £15) This is my favourite, favourite, favourite red lipstick by far! I love the creamy-ness it has, I love the shine it gives off and it just applies really well like any other MAC lipstick does. It stays on for quite a while too considering how creamy it is and for that I love it! Perfect for winter time too.

Strawberry Shortcake - Revlon Lip Butter! (RRP:£ 7.99) The Revlon lip butters are a new discovery for me this month. I finally decided to jump on the band wagon. They are great formulas that apply to the lips so well and last a really long time for the price. I don't really like the nude lip and it washes me out so I picked up this colour that has a little bit of pink to it.

Sorbet - Revlon Lip Butter! (RRP: £7.99) Same as before! I wanted to try a bright pink shade and picked up this! I'm working towards being confident enough to wear it on it's own but I do like to add a bit of Strawberry shortcake on top to dull the brightness down slightly and have been loving this combination.

Telescopic - L'oreal Mascara! (RRP: £10.99) This is just an all time favourite. I haven't worn this in easily five years and bought it on a whim for nostalgic reasons a couple of weeks ago and I have been loving it. I've even forgotten about wearing my other mascaras!

NC20 - MAC Prolongwear Concealer! (RRP: £15.50) I'd heard so many great reviews on this product online so I just popped into a MAC store, asked them to pair me up and somehow I ended up walking out with this. I don't know how it happened, but it did...And now my bank balance hates me. It applies so well, it covers blemishes easily and it hides the bags under my eyes!

Coconut - The Body Shop Lip Butter! (RRP: £4.00) I've loved this product forever and ever and I rediscovered it this month. It soaks into your lips so easily, tastes good, smells good and leaves my lips soft.

Stippling Brush - Real Techniques! (RRP :£11.99) So I splurged on some real techniques brushes this month and this has been by far my favourite to apply foundation. It leaves foundation looking natural and smooth and I just think it's great

So now we move on to face, body and hair products! 

BIG Seat Salt Shampoo - LUSH! (RRP: £11.50) Review here I do have a full review on this product, but I really am in love with it. I don't have to wash my hair for four days when using this and it smells of sweets. It does tangle and dry my hair out quite a bit but when it's dry it is so soft and silky. Miracle product. 

Korres Pomegranate Moisturising Cream Gel! (RRP: £19.00) Review here Again I have done a full review on this too. It leaves my skin feeling fresh and hydrated without leaving my skin oily!

Coconut Body Butter - The Body Shop! (RRP: £13.00) I was given this as a Christmas present a couple of years ago and never used it as I don't really like the feeling that cream leaves on your skin. So the other night I just decided to try it! I didn't leave the creamy feeling on my skin at all and my skin soaked it all up lovely. The smell lingered for quite a while too which is very pleasant when I'm wearing coconut body spray that day too! 

Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Ceanser Starter Kit! (RRP: £14.75) This stuff is amazing. Seriously. I was sceptical after the buzz that surrounds this product online and within the blogging community and one day I took the plunge and purchased it. I do not regret it. It makes my skin feel lovely and clean, it doesn't sting my eyes at all (and I have quite sensitive eyes), it foams up lovely, doesn't dry my skin out, reduces redness, reduces break outs and cleans up blackheads quite well. Miracle product indeed! 

Agadir Argan Oil! (RRP: £17.50) It makes my hair shiney and soft and just smells nice! Not much to say except that!

Soap & Glory Smoothie Star The Breakfast Scrub! (RRP: £8.00) My mouth waters every time I open this product. It just smells like maple syrup and pancakes, it's gorgeous! I don't have to use much either and it goes a long way! My skin is left beautifully soft and my mouth waters every time I use it. Did I mention that my mouth waters every time I use it? Well it does! Yum!

How about some fun random little Mid-Month Must Haves?

Favourite Song: Pitbull Ft. Ke$ha - Timber! This song just gives me energy and makes me happy! I love how it's got a hoedown feel to it too! It really does make me happy though! Great song!

Favourite Film: Iron Man 3! I watched the whole Iron Man series a week ago and I love it! He's the best super hero by far and I really love the third one in the series - Although I think the first one maybe my all time favourite Iron Man film.

Favourite App: Tiny Tower! I'm addicted. Currently on floor 136. You can get it on iPhone and Android. It's addictive. But get it, it's awesome! 

Favourite Blog: Chelsea Leigh Beauty! I'm really loving this girls blog! She started back in 2012 and deserves a lot more followers so check her out! Her posts are really easy to read and I get that added excitement when a new blog post pops up from her on Bloglovin'.

If you like the idea of 'Mid-Month Must Haves' leave your opinions down below! I thought It was a good idea but we know I'm crazy! Are there any products here that you are in love with too? Or any that you really don't get along with? Tell me! I love to hear your opinions and remember to follow on GFC so you don't miss out on anything!

Be happy, Be beautiful and Be YOU!

Ellie, xx

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Little mini Boots haul

Hey Beauts, 

Today I bring you a little beauty haul I did a couple of days (Just over a week) ago when I popped into boots (Naughty Naughty).

The make-up picks from my trip were mainly to cover the hype amongst the blogging community. The color tattoo in On & On Bronze (RRP £4.49), Rimmel Kate Moss lipstick in 01 (RRP: £5.49), a lighter shade of the Lasting Perfection Concealer in light (RRP: £4.19) because mines gotten a bit too dark in the winter months and a Scandaleyes precision micro liquid eye by Rimmel (RRP: £5.49). I'm just really bad at liquid eye-liner and never wear it so hopefully this should help!

The swatches for On & On Bronze Color Tatoo, 01 Kate Moss Lipstick and Scandaleyes Liquid Eyeliner in black!

Now I've never understood the Soap and Glory hype before - I've always thought it was overpriced amazing smelling goodness. Whether that was because my mummabear always said they were too expensive and that fixated in my brain, or I looked at the price and thought '£6.50 for some shower gel - no way! I can get that for £1' - But now I've seen the error of my ways. Look how big they are! Highly reasonable prices for the size of the containers, especially when they're on 3 for 2. So I'm very glad that I finally made these purchases!

I picked up the Smoothie star breakfast scrub (RRP:£8.00), Hand Food (RRP: £5) and the Sugar Crush body wash (RRP: £6.50)

On to the nail polishes! 

These were on offer - Spend £6 on Barry M and get a free limited edition nail polish. (The one with the silver lid is limited edition.) These retail at £2.99 so I had to spend 2p more to get the offer  (Damn you Barry M) so I just bought a third one! From left to right the colours are - 340, 347c, 354, 352. Barry M polishes in general are amazing and I strongly recommend these if you love glitter nails!

I hope you enjoyed this post! Have you tried any of these products? and what are your opinions? If you enjoyed this post and want to read more - do so and remember to follow of GFC so you don't miss anything else! <3

Be happy, Be beautiful and Be YOU!

Ellie, xx

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Face of the Day! 15/01/2014

Hey Beauts,

So today I'm bringing you another little FOTD! I did an all-nighter last night so hopefully you can't tell with this make-up.

On my skin I have used MAC Mineralize foundation SPF15 in NW15, MAC Prolongwear concealer in NW20, Rimmel Stay Matte powder in 003 Peach Glow and 17 Blusher in First Kiss.

On my eyes I primed with Urban Decay's Primer potion and the eyeshadows are all from the Naked 3 palette. Strange as an inner corner and brow bone highlight, Burnout on the lid, A dash of Dust on the middle of the lid, Nooner in the crease and factory in the outer corner. I also used factory to smudge across the bottom lash line, BeautyUK's White shadow stick to line the water line and L'oreal's Telescopic mascara on both top and bottom lashes.

On my lips is A mix of Revlon Lip Butters in 053 - Sorbet with 080 - Strawberry Shortcake on top.

Finally my hair is just straightened from last night.

It's not the best, but this is what happens when I'm in a rush to get ready! :)]

So here are the mandatory 'LOL I'M TAKING PHOTO'S OF MYSELF, LET'S GET CARRIED AWAY HAHAHAHA......' Photo's that really do make me smile! 

So yeah! I'm really bad at applying blush so If you have any tips or tricks please tell me down below or link me to your blog posts explaining easy techniques! I can never get it right! If you enjoyed this post and would like to read more, remember to follow on GFC! :)

Be happy, Be beautiful and Be YOU!

Ellie, xx

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KORRES Pomegranate Moisturising Cream-Gel - Review!

Hey Beauts,

So today I'm bringing you a review of the KORRES Pomegranate Moisturising Cream-Gel. I bought this product the other day when I popped up to Meadowhall in Sheffield from TK MAXX. This had a RRP of £19 but I managed to pick it up for £9.99.

Now the first thing that drew me to this product was the packaging. I am such a sucker for packaging. The box gave off a feel of recyclable, fresh and renew which led me to opening the box and finding this! The chunky glass jar is lovely and weighty, a beautiful lilac colour that again fitting in with the calm and natural theme that I'm getting from the packaging so far. The lid, although plastic is sturdy and just has a great almost rubbery feel to it. The thickness is a great accompaniment to the jar and the whiteness of the lid just adds to the overall composition of the product. The whole jar just has a very high end feel to the packaging that I really love and just makes me feel special for owning it and it looks gorgeous on the dresser.

I naughtily opened this product in the store, just to see what the cream looked like and what it smelt of. I don't think this cream has much of a scent, to me it just smells like a nice cream. It doesn't smell horrible but it doesn't smell of pomegranates either. I didn't want to stick my fingers in it either in case I didn't buy it but it wobbles like a thick cream would (Runny cream is too messy). I've now discovered (after purchasing it) that the consistency is very silky and just makes me feel a million dollars when massaging it into my skin.

When applying this to my face, I like to start in the middle and in circular motions going upwards move around my face. A little bit of this goes a very long way so you hardly need to use any meaning that you get more for the amount that you pay for the product. Now I really don't like it when your skin feels slimey and creamy after you've applied a cream but with this my skin soaks it straight up and just leaves my skin feeling radiant, fresh and very clean.

Lastly, this moisturiser is supposed to be used on combination to oily skin and I'd defianlty have to agree. I have a normal face with a greasy T-zone that can also get very, very dry and it works for me perfectly. I break out with a lot of products too and this is so sensitive on the skin that it hasn't broken me out once - yet! I've been using it for two weeks now and I'm defiantly going to have to re-purchase this when I run out (and pay the full £19 this time!). I highly recommend this to anyone and think it would work really well for any skin type.

What's your favourite moisturiser? Have you tried this? If not, do you think you'll try it after this review? I honest think it's great. Definatly a purchase on a whim without many reviews at all out there on it! If you enjoyed this post and want to hear more from me, remember to follow on GFC and Bloglovin'! <3

Be happy, Be beautiful and Be YOU!

Ellie, xx

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Glossfinity - Review!

 Hey Beauts,

So after yesterday's post, I painted my nails again using these colours. I'm just going to get straight to the point and tell you that I do not like them. Now let me tell you why...

So I picked these MaxFactor GLOSSFINITY nail polishes up in a haul I did nearly two weeks ago now (Post here) and have finally decided to try them out. The colour to the left is 60 - Midnight Bronze and the one to the right is 105 - Dusky Rose. In the bottle the colours are absolutely beautiful! I mean look at the pink shade! It's gorgeous! Both of these nail polishes glide on perfectly and are great consistencies but the brush is way too thin and it takes about five to six strokes to get across a single nail. Painting my nails is supposed to be quick and easy not long, painstaking and time consuming. Not only this but Midnight Bronze did't even apply this colour, It was more a light shade of bronze, not dark and wintry like the bottle suggests (Me and browns are really not getting on lately! =[ ). However Dusky Rose does apply this colour and starts off being great! The only other positive about these nail polishes is that they reach full (very glossy) opacity in one coat but they take quite a while to dry so it doesn't really make painting time quicker.

Now I'm not one to usually judge a nail polish on it's chipping abilities. I'm a very 'hands on' person and my nails usually chip in three to four days (Sometimes even two days and I'm okay with it) so it usually doesn't bother me. But these colours chipped in approximately two hours and I'm not even joking. I don't know if I picked up bad nail polishes or something but in my eyes, two hours is appalling! Coming from such a high-end drugstore brand (If you know what I'm saying) and not managing to stay on my nails for at least a day really kind of annoys me to be honest, especially as they were supposed to be £5.99 each. I think I'd pay 50p for these, £1 at most or maybe not even bother at all.

I really wish I could enjoy these nail polishes, especially Dusky Rose just because the colour is so rich and vibrant but for now I'll continue to test them out to see if I get any better results and if not I'll give them to my mummabear! Do you have any opinions on the Glossfinity nail polishes? Have you tried any other colours from this range? And what are your favourite nail polish brands? I'd love to know your answers so comment down below. If you thought this was helpful or if you've enjoyed reading my blog remember to follow on GFC and Bloglovin' - It means a lot to me in the early stages and I love each and every one of you for taking the time out of your day to read what I have to say! So thank you muchly! :D

Be happy, Be beautiful and Be YOU!

Ellie, xx

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Nails of the day! 12/01/2014

Hey Beauts,

Last night I painted my nails and this is how they turned out!

On my pinky, middle, pointer and (hidden) thumb is No7 Beanie and on my ring finger is No7 Salsa with ORLY Head Band on top. Salsa is such a beautiful colour and the name just makes me happy! But the colour Beanie really disappointed me as in the bottle it is a lovely taupe colour that would go really well with the gold glitter but it just turned out this dull grey colour. The formula isn't that great either and on my other hand and you can really see where it has clumped together and just doesn't create a smooth finish. I'm really not a fan of this combination so expect another NOTD post again really soon, haha!

I also thought I'd share this beautiful sunset with you as I'm a sucker for beautiful sunsets. As you can see the golden arches appear everywhere - Yum! 

So do you know of any perfect dark browns nail polishes? and do you have a love of sunsets too? I'd love to hear your thoughts so comment down below and don't forget to follow on GFC and Blonglovin' if you enjoyed this post! :)

Be happy, Be beautiful and Be YOU!

Ellie, xx

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A 'BIG' Review

Hey Beauts!

I know all I've been talking about lately is LUSH, but I've only just discovered how amazing that shop really is! For someone who doesn't usually spend that much money on beauty, I've found out how affordable LUSH really is due to the fact that their products really do go a long way. Big is no different. With this product though there have been so many different reviews. Good, bad and all of in-between, so I thought I'd give my honest opinion too. Big is a shampoo crammed with salt, citrus oils, coconut and seaweed that claims to give your hair 'sea-breezy' volume yet leaving your hair soft and shiny. When purchasing this product, the lady in the shop said use once for cleansing and twice for volume - So I did. 

So one of the main things about this product that I absolutely love is the consistency. It's like a slightly thicker more jellified version of a normal shampoo which means that It doesn't slip and slide everywhere and actually stays in your hand. The chunks of sea salt in the mixture surprisingly felt really nice when massaged into the scalp, making it feel as though I was doing something pro-active in making my hair grow because apparently massaging your scalp helps your hair grow. (Er, yeah!) The product itself foams up lovely though! More so than I thought it would, and when I used it the second time, It foamed up even more. This provided me with much entertainment as I could easily give myself funny hairstyles which I mainly used to do as a child, but lets be honest - It's fun! :D But whilst the product was in my hair, it made it feel so thick and voluminous. It wasn't until I rinsed my hair that my hair was very dry and very tangled. Because of this, I really don't recommend this product if you have dry or normal hair! As for greasy hair, It's beautiful. I can go 2 days without dry shampoo and 4 days with dry shampoo (YES, 4 DAYS!!) which is a definate bonus in my eyes!

After getting out of the shower, I tamed my hair and just blow dried my hair as usual. Now I just have to say my hair was transformed. It was so soft and silky, and the instant shine was beautiful!  I just couldn't stop touching it. When LUSH say the lemon and lime juice help shine and the coconut oil and seaweed help with softness they really were not lying. Straightening my hair further just added to the shine and softness. I was genuinely flawed. Going from it feeling horrible, dry and tangled in the shower to this was quite amazing! Unfortunately though, there wasn't much volume which the product is actually for. On the top of my head where I really wanted it there was only a tiny bit more volume than normal but the ends of my hair felt a lot fuller which I suppose is better than nothing. 

Finally, I just have to mention the scent. If you have ever had parma violets - the sweets - this smells exactly like that! (& I love those sweets, so BONUS!) It fills the shower which is nice and the scent sticks with your hair. Three days later and I can still smell it. I can't smell any coconut or citrus scents within the product but the parma violets scent definatly pleases me more. So I'm not complaining. 

I personally love this product though, even if it doesn't add much volume. The softness, shineyness, scent and being able to go 4 days without washing my hair are definatly big, big positives in my books and after trying this product I am highly tempted to purchase the Big conditioner which is supposed to do everything that the shampoo is supposed to do, plus condition your hair. So maybe it will actually add volume? Although I've never used a solid conditioner, nor the ones from LUSH so I have no opinion on these yet. I guess it's just something I will have to bite the bullet and try. My poor bank balance.

Have you ever tried Big shampoo? Did you get on with it? and have you tried the Big conditioner? What did you think of it? Continue the discussion down below because I do love to hear your opinions! If you enjoyed reading this review or anything else on the blog remember to follow on GFC and Bloglovin' so you don't miss out on anything in the future!  

Be happy, Be beautiful and Be YOU!

Ellie, xx

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A little FOTD! 10/01/2014

Hey Beauts,

So today I just thought I'd give you a little FOTD!

On my skin I have used MAC Mineralize foundation SPF15 in NW15, MAC Prolongwear concealer in NW20, Rimmel Stay Matte powder in 003 Peach Glow and Sleek blush in Pomegranate.

On my eyes I primed with Urban Decay's Primer potion and the eyeshadows are all from the Naked 3 palette. Strange as an inner corner and brow bone highlight, Trick on the lid, Nooner in the crease and factory in the outer corner. I also used Blackheart to lightly line the lash line on the lid. I used the Naked 3 pencil in Blackheart to smudge across the bottom lash line, BeautyUK's White shadow stick to line the water line and L'oreal's Telescopic mascara on both top and bottom lashes.

On my lips is MAC Brave Red.

Finally my hair is natural, just blow drying it when I got out of the shower last night.

We're all guilty of taking way too many photo's to try and find the 'perfect' one and then you start laughing at yourself and take some funny ones. So enjoy the fails and the funnies!

Have you come up with any looks with the Naked 3 palette yet? What are your favourite shades? Comment down below - I love to hear your opinions & don't forget to follow on GFC and Bloglovin! :)

Be happy, Be beautiful and Be YOU!

Ellie, xx

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WHOOSH - Review & Tips!

Hey Beauts,

Today I bring you a little review of the amazing little product here!

Now whenever I have ever been in LUSH before, I always just walk past these jellies thinking that they're just gimmicky products! Which in all fairness, they are! (It is fun using jelly instead of gel). But the other day whilst in LUSH I was on my way to the counter to pay, when I picked it up and smelt it. The citrusy scent filled me with happiness and I just popped it into my basket without thinking much more of it - until I got out of the shop and wondered why I had just paid £6.95 for some shower jelly that surely couldn't last that long! - Oh yeah, the smell!

So obviously as soon as I got home I popped in the shower to test out all my newly bought products! Now this scent is absolutely 100% gorgeous! The lemon, grapefruit and lime scents really do just fill the air around you and encapsulate you in this bubble of happiness which really wakes you up and is why I would recommend this product for morning showers, when you've finally managed to drag yourself out of bed because the scent really does energise you and wake you up.

The scent doesn't really linger on your body either, which I personally love because I can use a different scented body spray when I get out of the shower. Sometimes I just like to splurge on a product that makes me feel good whilst I am in the shower and leaves me alone once I've finished in the bathroom. However WHOOSH does leave my body feeling clean and lemony fresh all day long.

The only one downside I can come up with is the fact that this product is so annoying to handle - it is even worse than soap. It slips out of your hands - if you managed to even get the product out of the container, But there are ways in which you can combat this issue so It's not really that big of a problem.

Now for some tips and tricks!

I have to say, this stuff isn't exactly the easiest thing to use and it has taken me a couple of shower times to figure out some effortless ways to use this and discover the best way to use it. First off I highly, highly, highly recommend that you take the whole jelly out of the pot, completely mush it up and then pop it back into the pot for shower time. I get so annoyed when I quickly stick my hand in for some jelly and it takes about ten minutes to finally peel some of it out.

As for using this, there are a couple of different methods I use. I find that taking some in your hand and rubbing it across your body isn't the best way to use this product, mainly because it kept falling out of my hands and just going straight down the drain. So rubbing and scrunching this product into a bath lily works quite well, although you don't get much foam. Now the best trick I have discovered is that if you put some product into you hand, put a bath glove on over top and rub your hands together, you are left with lots of foam for very little product. 

My final little tip is to keep this bad boy in the fridge. There is nothing I enjoy more than cold shower gel in the morning to wake myself up! This may sound silly, but trust me you will love it to! You can even leave it in the freezer if you want - but I haven't tried that yet. On the website it does say you can do this so it won't harm your product. 

I do hope you enjoyed this little review plus tips and tricks! Have you discovered any ways to use this product better? Please, tell me! Also if you've tried any other LUSH shower jellies, let me know your thoughts down below!  

Be happy, Be beautiful and Be YOU!

Ellie, xx

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Recent Nail Polishes - Review!

Hey Beauts,

Yesterday I posted a 'Nails of the Day' post and today I thought I'd give you a little review of the polishes that I used. I have used all of these polishes quite a bit over the past few weeks so I've definatly had enough time to formulate my opinions on these formulas.

From left to right we have Revlon nail enamel in 761 Scandalous, No7 Stay Perfect in Totally Teal, Barry M Nail Paint in 347, No7 Stay perfect in Vivid Violet and finally Sally Hansen complete salon manicure in 675 Mermaid's tale.

So first up is No7 Stay Perfect. I absolutely love this line of nail polishes and truly think that they are completely underrated! The formula is not to thick and glides onto the nails effortlessly, full opacity is achieved in two coats which is pretty much the same as any other nail polish these days and the colours are absolutely gorgeous! Here you can see Totally Teal to the left and Vivid Violet on the right. I was given these two shades in a miniatures gift set for Christmas but I owned Totally Teal in full size previously and used it up completely. The only thing I don't like about these polishes is that the brushes are thinner in the miniatures than in the full size bottles. However, the brushes are perfect in the full size (RRP: £7 EA)

Next up is Sally Hansen complete salon manicure in Mermaid's Tale (RRP: £6.99). In my opinion this nail polish has the best name out of my complete collection of nail polishes and is one of the most gorgeous shades in my collection. Let's face it, this is my most favourite nail polish I own. The formula is perfect, the glitter shows perfectly and the brush is lovely and big! This polish works best with a similar colour painted down first with this on top, however full opacity can be achieved with just this colour but it does take about 5 coats. I really love that this isn't just a blue coloured polish and contains lots of green specks to break up the blue and add a bit of dimension to the nail. Revlon nail enamel in 761 Scandalous (RRP: £6.49) is a very similar nail polish but in all purple. Although this polish contains a lot more finer glitter and more of it is put on the nail in one stroke. Full opacity with this colour can be achieve in only 3 coats but I personally like it better when on top of a similar purple shade. The only down side to this polish is that it leaves a very dull finish to your nails but a mega-shine top coat fixed that easily.

Finally we have Barry M Nail Paint in 347 (RRP: £2.99). Now I'm just going to say that it really let's me down when companies don't come up with inventive names for their nail polishes. If a nail polish has a beautiful name, I am definatly more inclined to buy it. For example, this could be called 'Innocent Fantasy' or 'Shimmering Lights', But it's not, it's called 347 (Okay, rant over).  This polish was limited edition, but I do love it. It applies a perfect amount of glitter to the nail in one coat which is perfect to add to an accent nail. It is quite a 'gloopy' polish but still applies to the nail evenly and the brush is average, a bit on the smaller side but again, dispenses a perfect amount of polish to the nail. For £2.99, I am not complaining and as this is the first Barry M Nail Paint I have owned, I am completely won over and will have to purchase more of these in the near future! 

Again Beauts, I cannot express how happy it makes me - Seeing the amount of followers I have on GFC and Bloglovin' really makes me happy - I think my boyfriend is getting annoyed with me saying 'look, LOOK, another one!' So thank you, really! I Love you guys! <3 

  Be happy, Be beautiful and Be YOU!

Ellie, xx

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Nails of the day! 07/01/2014

Hey Beauts!

I've not got much free time today so I thought I'd post a quick nails of the day post for you!
So something that you won't really know about me so far (unless you already follow me on Tumblr, Instagram or Twitter) Is that I really, really, really love to paint my finger nails! It's so calming and relaxing, mostly because you have to go so slow to achieve such a beautiful polished look (Haha, did you see what I did there?). Today I have Blue on one hand and purple on the other! I love, love, love painting my nails - Even more than make-up! 

On the thumbs and pinky fingers I have the No7 polishes with the chunky glitter on top respectively and then on the ring fingers I have the same, with the silver glitter on top. On the pointer finger I just have the chunky glitter polishes on their own - which took a few extra coats for full opacity and on the middle fingers are just the No7 polishes. Of course I have used base and top coats - Collection 2000 2in1 base coat (I found it in the back of my chest so I thought I'd give it some life) and then Sally Hansen Insta-Dri top coat! 

Hope you enjoyed this quick post - I really do love painting my nails so there will definatly be more posts like this in the future and reviews! :)

I'd just like to say also that I am very, very, very happy that you take the time out of your day to read, comment and follow this blog on GFC (&BlogLovin') Sometimes I just sit there clicking refresh to watch the numbers go up. Thanks Beauts! <3

Be happy, Be beautiful and Be YOU!

Ellie, xx

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Maybelline The Falsies - Review!

Hey Beauts,

I'm going to start this post off by saying that I have seen so many good reviews for this mascara. I'm only going to say this once, because it's really pains me to say it, but I don't like this mascara at all. (It's like waxing, or ripping a Biore nose strip off). I really, really, really want to love this mascara, but I can't. It saddens me really.

This here mascara is beautiful, the packaging is beautiful, the bottle is beautiful, the wand looks beautiful and this product is great - if you only want one coat of mascara on your top lashes and you don't want to fully coat the top and bottom of your top lashes. (Did that make any sense? I'm just going to roll with it.)
Right at the root of the lashes, you can see a sort of greyish/blondish line of eyelash that just isn't covered which is even more noticeable when paired with black eye liner - it just highlights the pale line in the middle! I really don't like this and knowing it's there just annoys me! 

The thing that really bugs me with Maybelline: The Falsies is that my eyelashes look beautiful with this mascara on, but as soon as I blink, you can see blatantly on the top of my lashes where I haven't put any mascara whatsoever. You might be thinking "Ellie, just put some mascara on top, It isn't rocket science." But my beauts, it is! With as little or as much product I have on the wand, too much goes on and it completely ruins the once beautiful eyelashes. The mascara goes all clumpy, It looks as though I only have about 4 eyelashes on each eye and it looks disgusting.

Some of you may be thinking that these look really nice, others of you might not. But to me they look very spider leg like and fake. I guess it's in the name really but I didn't think it would make them look this fake. What makes it worse is when there is this much product on my eyelashes it's quite painful to take of and literally feels like I'm ripping my eyelashes off. I actually feel my eyelids pulling away from my eyeballs. *shudder*

If you don't like the way they look, you know not to try it, If you do however, go for it! Everyone loves different looks! For now though, I'm going to finish up what I've got left with plain tops of my eye lashes and go on a search for a new mascara, any recommendations?

Be happy, Be beautiful and Be YOU!

Ellie, xx

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