New hair, what do you think?

With a busy two weeks of graduation and a wedding it was about time i bit the bullet and paid to get my hair done properly. I am a box of dye kinda girl, i just cant justify spending lots of pennies when a home dye gives me ok results. Recently however my hair has started to go a little yellow which meant i was due some professional treatment and i feel i can justify the expenditure with two big events coming up. I actually cashed in some birthday money i had not claimed off my Auntie to treat myself  (i get I.O.U's until i find something iu really like). I get a little nervous visiting the salon, i dont do very well with salon small talk but my hairdresser today was lovely and put me at ease with a brew and a chit chat. My hairdresser recommended i had some brown put through with the blonde as she thought it would suit me so i told her to go for it! she put one brown foil for every 3 blonde so it stayed light.

Before

Severe roots

Eeek!

First customer in :)

Lots and lots of foils

Blonde and brown

Roots vanished, yay!

Finished

As you can see it is lots darker than before, i think it will take a few days to get used to as its a bit strange seeing myself right now but i do really really like it. My hairdresser assured me in a few washes the brown will lighten lots and settle as it has been put on top of bleach blonde. I had about an inch off the ends to make it healthier, some long layers and shaped round my face and a fabulous blow dry. What do you think, keep up with the darker tones or have more blonde next time? I will  upload pics again after a few washes so you can see it when its settled.

I must say it is very nice to be treated and pampered for a morning!

Lots of love
xxx

Korres sunflower and evening primrose eyeshadow

Korres is a brand that i have recently discovered thanks to my fiend Danielle who has been sending me some goodies to try. This product is  I was very excited about this eye shadow quad which contains four beautiful neutral eye shadows.

What they say,

"Korres Sunflower and Evening Primrose Eye Shadow. Velvety, easy to apply pressed eyeshadow, with sunflower and evening primrose oils that care for the delicate eye area"

Firstly i would like to address the packaging of this set, there are four separate eye shadows with individual lids which i found strange. When i have a palette i would like to be able to easily have access to all the colours at once without opening four lids. On closer inspection i found that these individual eye shadows glued onto a black base. There This really disappointed me, Korres have not even matched the plastic base to the colour of the individual pots, it makes the whole set seem cheap. I appreciate when a company takes attention to detail and Korres have skimped on this palette. As an individual eye shadow i quite like the packaging, it feels good quality and the closure is secure so no opening in your handbag. Individual eye shaddows can be purchased here for £12 each.

Brun - Golden

Rose Pink - Light Pink

The colours in this set are gorgeous, each one is usable and i find that unusual in a palette. Even my trusty Naked Palette has a few unused shades so i am thrilled to make use of each colour. I think the names of the shadows could have been a tad more inspiring - light pink does not sound fabulous does it?

The texture of all of the shadows are soft, smooth, velvety. Each has amazing pigmentation and only requires a small amount to cover the eye area and each one is easily blended. They are very finely milled and do not get cakey or flaky on the eye and have minimal fall out. The product boasts sunflower and evening primrose oil which is supposedly kind on the eye area, they do not crease and were kind to my skin but i am unsure of the real benefits of the oils.

I have seen some claims that these are very long lasting and i would say they compare to Urban Decay eye shadows, not quite all day but nearly there. I have used the colour Brun wet as an eye liner and it intensified the colour and stayed most of the day. Rose Pink is my favourite shade, more of a rose gold than pink it works great alone on a lazy make up day or fabulous blended with Brun for a little more impact and golden makes a great highlighter for neutral looks.

L-R: Golden, Light pink, Brun, Rose Pink

Golden, Light Pink, Brun, Rose Pink

This set retails for £48 but i have found ones on ebay for the bargain price of £12, BUY IT!

 I would love the chance to visit a store to swatch other Korres eye shadow shades as i think the quality is amazing and i could justify the £12 individual price for a 'must have' shade. 

xx

Nars Orgasm and Sleek Guipure dupe review

I have owned Nars orgasm since Christmas and have loved using it. The colour is very pretty and super build-able. At first i found the glitter a little too much but i have learnt to work with it and it has become a daily essential. Some time ago i received a Sleek palette as a gift and have only just got round to trying it. I have read many reviews on the elusive Sleek Rose Gold blush and how similar it is to Nars Orgasm but found another of their blushes, Guipure, could be used as a dupe. The Sleek Palette retails at a very reasonable £9.99 whilst Nars blushes set you back £21.

Sleek Blush by 3 palette and Nars Orgasm

Sleek: Crochet, Guipure, Chantilly Nars: Orgasm

 These blushes are different, Nars has a pinker undertone while the Sleek is rather more golden however on the skin they have quite a similar finish.

 Nars Orgasm has a strange texture, it seems gritty in the pan and to get a swatch with your finger you have to rub very hard. I found this puzzling when i first started to use this blush but have found it does work well with a quality blusher brush. Sleek Guipure on the other hand is very powdery, it takes very little pressure to pick up lots of product and only requires a light hand.

L: Nars R:Sleek

L:Nars R:Sleek

L: Sleek R:Nars

Ok these are not identical but they are both great blushes with a pretty golden shimmer. I personally think that Sleek Guipure would look fabulous on holiday and make the best on my tan, wheras Orgasm suits my very pale skin tone. If your strapped for cash grab the sleek palette, you wont be disappointed especially as you get two other beautiful colours for under £10!


xx 

Get ready with me

Join me on my bad skin day make up routine

Bare faced, sleepy and spotty

Lasting perfection concealer,  Collection 2000 - Fair 1

Mac Studio Fix NC15

Nars - Orgasm

Loreal false lash telescopic mascara- Magnetic black

Loreal Gel intenza eye liner 01 pure black

Avon Fucia fun

Finished

Thank goodness for make up!

xx

My £6 haul

I went for a stroll today in my local town with a friend for coffee and grabbed some serious bargains! This is a very random assortment of things but i thought i would share.

I spotted this photo frame in a charity shop, other than being a little dusty it is in perfect condition. It was my sisters birthday yesterday (Happy Birthday Sis!) and i plan to get a nice picture for this to add to her presents when i next see her.

Sister Photo Frame 50p RSPCA charity shop

I am going away in September to Cyprus with five of mine and James friends which is very exciting. We are however completely skintos and are toying with the idea of just taking hand luggage to save on the £40 charge for a case. We will be staying at our friends parents apartment and can wash clothes so we should be able to do it, i always find i wear the same things over again on holiday and never wear half of the things i packed. I was only last night looking for a hand luggage sized suitcase but found they were either rubbish quality or £20 each - in which case we could just share a big case! So i was very happy to spot this gem in Scope for a mere £2.50! It is real leather with only a few scuffs on the outside, lots and lots of year left in it. If we decide on using a case James will be able to use this when he goes away with work and look very professional. Actually when i went into a little gift shop today with this the lady got excited thinking i was a jewellery agent bringing things in for her to buy!

Leather weekend bag £2.50

Inside main compartment

Laptop compartment

This is a very random purchase. In my town there is a lovely kitchen shop but it is very expensive. We saw a sale sign in the window and decided to have a nosey. Ever the bargain hunter i saw the magic "Everything £1" basket and headed straight to it. I found these, Ecozone washing balls. They contain no harsh chemicals, last 150 washes, wash at 30 degrees, antibacterial, and best of all the starter set was reduced from £11.99 to just a quid! There was also the full size eco stain remover and replacement Eco Balls for £1 each too!
I must admit i am not holding out high hopes but i will be thrilled if they work, i do love the artificial but lovely smell of my fabric conditioner and the instructions warn you that it is hard to get used to - i shall persevere. These will also save me a pretty penny if they work - my usual wash stuff costs £6 for 30 tablets and then fabric conditioner on top. I have a wash load in now so if anybody is interested how these go let me know, i might pick up another set for a give-away tomorrow?

Eco Balls set £3

And that is everything i have to share for today - not the most exciting haul for you but i am chuffed with my bargains.

Lots of love

New phone

Yay, bye bye vintage blackberry..... Hello swish samsung! Now i can blog on the go which is fantabulous and i am super dooper excited! Just need to get used to the keyboard now :-D

Speak soon
Xx

My Chanel Lipsticks

I am not a make up snob, i buy from the Pound Shop, Superdrug and swanky make up counters. I love 'drug store' brands as they are much more practical on my measly wage. I do also think that some of my high end products do not justify the price and have found some drug store brands are better quality. Sometimes though it is very nice to treat ones self to a little bit of a luxury splurge. My splurge of choice at the moment is Chanel Lipsticks.

I am going to start with what you really pay for, the packaging and branding. I am not so naive to think that the quality of these lipsticks really justify the inflated price of these lipsticks compared to cheaper alternatives. 

One thing i do enjoy about higher end products is the attention to detail with the packaging. This is totally aesthetic and unessential however to me it screams luxury. There are two types of Chanel lipstick packaging a traditional twist up (albeit great quality black and gold loveliness)  and what i believe to be the new case design, a push to release case. Both are weighty, shiny, embossed with gold and understated glamour. A lipstick that anyone would be proud to display.

Traditional lipstick case

Push button case

In both case designs the product is twisted up to reveal Chanel embossed onto the lipstick. This is the kind of attention to detail i really appreciate. 

I currently own 6 of these beauties, one is on loan (i imagine long term) to my mother bear and two are in the car so i cant share them all right now. 

41 Rouge Allure Charisma - 60 rouge Coco Shine Antigone- 197 Rouge Allure  Evivree

A few fun facts for you is that the designers decided on metal casings for these lipsticks as when women reached into their bags they found a cool refreshing tube, the scent of the lipsticks is rose, raspberry and vanilla and designers tried hundreds of designs to get the right click when you close the tube. Wowzers.

Of the Chanel lipsticks i have tried i prefer the Rouge Allure line more than the Coco shine as the consistency is creamier and lasts longer. As you can see from the swatches below, all of them have a shimmer however i feel the Coco shine is a mix between a gloss and a lipstick and is much more sheer.

Top Rouge allure charisma, Middle, Rouge Allure Evivree, Bottom, Rouge coco shine Antigone

There is a wide selection of colours and finishes in the Chanel range, however i feel the stock photos when you buy on-line do not do them justice or are not true to colour. Something you cant see on-line is of the lipsticks i own have understated glitter which i love but others may not. I would advise people to visit a Chanel counter to try them before you buy them, that was you might also bag some samples, winner!

The Rouge allure lipsticks wear a little better than the Coco Shine, but all of them last well. Lipsticks always require touch ups, they are subject to drinking, eating and kissing (if your lucky!) so i don't expect miracles. These do last longer than some of my drug store lipsticks and when they do wear off leave a nice tint to the lip. 

At around £24 these are pricey. I have purchased a couple of mine on-line for a much bigger discount and was given one as a gift to save on cost. Please be aware there are fakes flying around eBay at the moment and have almost exact packaging to the real deals. I was stung by an on-line fake (i paid £15 for it) and instantly noticed the poor quality, plastic smell (Chanel have a yummy scent) and the lack of the embossed Chanel logo, i got a refund. 

They are luxurious and make me feel special when i have them on and for me that makes it worth the extra pounds. 

The best present ever...

Hello my darlings!

Today the weather is miserable and i was also a little miserable too. I began to tidy my house, did the kitchen, gave up and started watching episode after episode of Peep Show. Then a knock at my door turned my day right around. A parcel, a massive parcel at that, was handed to me. This parcel has been sent from Danielle, a beauty box swapper for the Queens Jubilee Swap (any excuse ladies!). As you can tell from my blog, i am a huge fan of swaps, there is nothing more exciting than opening beauty gifts in my opinion. I have swapped with Danielle before, you can see that post here. I thought i would share what i received with you as i personally love reading these sort of posts.

Such pretty wrapping

Made from a recycled bottle

I bought this lipstick off ebay - I had no idea Danielle was the seller! 

Oh my gosh

How seriously stunning

Is this?!

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!

 I am totally blown away. This is the best present ever! Its so strange to think somebody knows exactly what i like when they have never met me. I really hope Danielle likes her gifts as much as i like mine.

I will be doing some serious reviewing this month with all my new things!

A very very happy,
Kerri
xxxxxxxxxx