Monthly Archives

May 2014

Favourites

May Favourites – Gemma

May 31, 2014

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Boxed Blushers from Benefit [£23.50] and W7 [£1.99 – £3.99]

I don’t know what it is but I love a blusher or bronzer at least twenty times more if it comes in one of these boxes. The two brands I own are worlds apart in price but I’ve been loving every single one of them this month! They take up a lot of space in my make-up bag, but you know I don’t even care – it’s worth it!

The double bonus was that my newest additions (Coralista and Hoola) were practically free! I received Hoola as a gift for changing from a monthly Birchbox to a six month subscription, and then tallied up the rest of my points to pick up Coralista for a bargain £3.50!

 Real Techniques Brushes [£5.99 – £23.99]

Oh just all of them.

I’ve been using the duo-fiber set for a long time, but earlier this month I purchased three more sets in this haul and fell completely in love with every single one of them! Special mention has to go to the much coveted Real Techniques Buffing Brush though, I really don’t know how I got so far in life without it! If there was ever a product that actually lived up to it’s blogger-hype it’s this!

Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette [£37.00]

This was a birthday present from Pants back in March, and I just love love love it! I’d say I use it 9/10 times for my everyday make-up look,  but have taken it to a few gigs with me too and adore the smoky looks I can make with it! Another massively hyped product that I’ve totally fallen for!

Elf cover stick [£1.95]

A rediscovery from my stash – I picked this up on a whim when I needed a quick cover up and my usual concealers were all stashed away in a travel bag. I had completely forgotten how perfectly this matches my skin tone and have worn it in lieu of full foundation every day since the sun decided to rear it’s head over rainy England.

Soigne Nail Varnish [£11.00]

This came in my May Birchbox and I’ve had it on my nails three times since then! I love the formula and the colour is very sleek and classy (not something I usually aim for with my nails!). I don’t think I would justify spending this much on a single nail polish, but I’m definitely going to have a long lasting love affair with the pot I do have!

Slim Pasta Slim Rice Slim Noodles

Slim Pasta, Rice & Noodles [£2.49]

If you’re trying to loose weight these are an absolute godsend! They smell a bit fishy when you open the pack, but once you rinse them and add a sauce or seasoning they really aren’t too dissimilar to their starchy counterparts. If you want to cut down on calories without cutting back on portion size or carbs you should definitely give these a go! They are also vegan and gluten free!

Golden Manowar T-shirt

Golden Manowar T-shirt [$29.95]

Alright I’ll admit, this is the most disgusting, garish thing I own, but I just adore it. I picked it up at the Birmingham one-off show in 2011 and have worn it to absolute death since then! It’s actually far too big for me now, but I can’t get enough of it’s deliciously tacky gold shiny eagle with a six pack.

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Hearthstone – Free to play

I’ve been playing far too much Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft this month, it’s like a sort of Magic: The Gathering style on-line card game for the World of Warcraft  universe. It’s free to play (but you can buy extra “card booster packs” for real money) and a lot of fun if you are into this sort of awesome geekery. They’ve just released it for the IPad, and I’m waiting as patiently as I can manage for either an IPhone or Kindle Fire version soon!  You can download it here for free.

 Inferiority Complex by Matt Jones

 The lovely Matty J has been working on some solo pieces in between scoring all the orchestration for our next album, and I’m absolutely blown away by how amazing it is! Of course I’m a little biassed, Matt is my favourite guitarist in the world and one of my absolute best friends, but he has some seriously good technical playing on this track. Even if metal isn’t your thing, give it a try and see – you might like it!

 

So that’s all the things I’m loving the most this month, are there any of your favourites in my list?

Totally hellbent for finishing this post a little faster so I can go back to my Hearthstone! 

– Gem

Empties

May Empties

May 30, 2014
May Empties

May Empties

 

So I’m hoping that doing a monthly empties post will convince me to finish up loads of almost empty products (to make room for some new ones of course!) clogging up my beauty storage!  Plenty of products here that you will definitely see again in this sort of post, is this telling me that I need to mix it up a bit next time I go shopping?

 

May Empties

 

Soap & Glory – The Scrub of Your Life – [£7.00]

I’ve yet to find a  Soap & Glory  scrub I don’t love, but this is definitely my favourite. This was the final tube left over from the mountain of S&G  I received for Christmas and I’ll be rushing out to get another one as soon as I’m done with my Soap & Glory The Breakfast Scrub!

Repurchase – 100%

Dirty Works – Glow Girl Buttery Salt Scrub [£4.00]

I also adore the Sainsburys range of Soap & Glory  style products, and this is probably the best of the bunch. The only problem I find with these pots is they don’t seem to last as long as a tube, probably because I dig my hungry fingers in to scoop mountains of product out! Either way this is a really nice scrub, but it’s not that much cheaper than Soap & Glory and doesn’t quite have the same luxurious feel.

Repurchase – If it was on special offer I probably would!

Aussie Three Minute Miracle – Colour Mate [£4.99]

I’ve stuck religiously to the Aussie Three Minute Miracle range since about 2008, and flitter between the Reconstructer and Colour Mate depending on the state of my hair. I can’t recommend this conditioner enough for anyone with damaged or dyed hair, it’s the only thing that lets me get a brush through my locks after a night of headbanging!

Repurchase – 100%

May Empties

Avon Footworks – Beautiful Heel Softening Cream x 2 [£3.50]

I get through a couple of these almost every month, they’re my absolute favourite foot cream and they keep my heels soft and pretty no matter how much I’ve been on my feet. I tend to use them with cotton moisturiser socks at night time to wake up with perfect tootsies every day.

Repurchase – Already got a huge stash!

The Body Shop – Raspberry Body Butter [£13.00]

This has always been my favourite Body Shop body butter, and when they discontinued it a while back I actually hung onto this tub for -years- yet never used it. Finally it’s time to go to the bathroom bin in the sky to be replaced by the new  The Body Shop raspberry range!

Repurchase – Definitely can’t wait for the new one!

May Empties

Sure Long Lasting Protection – Clear Aqua [£2.10]

It’s quite hard to get excited about deodorant, but I am a fan of the compressed eco-friendly update. The smaller size makes it great for throwing in a gym bag or tour supplies too!

Repurchase – Most likely

L’Oreal Paris Skin perfection 3 in 1 Micellar Solution [£4.99]

I absolutely love this, but I have to say I’m unlikely to purchase this again now that I’ve tried the Garnier offering at half the price for twice the product.

Repurchase – No, changing to cheaper brand

Simple Kind to Skin Cleansing Facial Wipes [£3.25]

I know face wipes are the skincare devil of late, but we all have times when we just need to get the make-up off as quickly as possible and make sure our face is at least sort of clean before we pass out. I’ll admit I don’t use them very often at all these days, but it never hurts to have some lying around for when you’re too drunk to tell the micellar water from the vodka.

Repurchase – Yes

May Empties

Maybelline Dream Smooth Primer [£8.99]

I used to be massively in love  with this primer, but as it got to the end of its life it started to feel a bit too sticky and silicone-y on the skin. We had a good run, and it definitely helped towards creating  a smooth make-up finish, but there are other primers that feel more natural that I’ll stick to in the future.

Repurchase – Unlikely

Maybelline EyeStudio Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner 24H [£7.99]

This was a great eyeliner at first, but I found it dried up very quickly. There’s probably more than half of the pot left, but it’s just too hard to even try and use.

Repurchase – I’m loving my new Rimmel Scandaleyes gel liner (reviewed here) so probably not.

Eyeko Skinny Mini Liquid Eyeliner [£12.00]

I adore this eyeliner and have another two waiting in the wings to replace it, my only concern (that you can probably tell from my hoarding) is that they dry up very quickly, and I’ve already gotten through three or four of them. For easy cat-flicks on the go though, you really can’t beat one of these. Plus they are so tiny you can make space for them in even the smallest make-up bag!

Repurchase – Already done so!

Totally hellbent for having more space for new things!

– Gem

Candles, Clothing and Fashion, Make-up, Nails, Skincare

Accidental May Haul

May 29, 2014

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Sometimes you just want to shop. It’s an urge that truly can not be ignored, especially if Gem and I are left alone, unsupervised! This afternoon was definitely one of those times and we ended up going on a completely unplanned spree.

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No budget style shop would be complete without a trip to Primark and even though I didn’t -need- anything at all, I still ended up with a bag full of stuff. I absolutely adore giraffes and I squeeled with delight when I found the giraffe print dress and the tote bag. Even though I usually buy matching underwear from La Senza or Ann Summers, I often pick up some cheap briefs when I can for the gym or lounging around, because lets face it, no one wants to spend 30 minutes on a treadmill in lacy briefs. I really couldn’t resist the pack of four Brazilian style briefs which came in red animal print, red lipsticks, red hearts and navy polka dots and the 5 pairs of animal print “shoe liners” or better know to me as … socks I can wear at the gym with my trainers.

Giraffe Dress – £5 – Primark

Giraffe tote bag – £1.50 – Primark

Pack of 4 brazilian briefs – £4.50 – Primark

Animal print shoe liners – £2.50 – Primark

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And now the stuff that I really really didn’t need. Another candle to add to my collection from Primark in “red berries & orchid” a beautiful berry candle in a gorgeous purple tin, surely this was meant for my dressing table?

A trip to boots ended up in me picking the Rimmel Scandel Eyes gel eyeliner up, which you can read Gem’s review about here, and also NO7’s Beautiful Skin Day Cream with spf15. This was my primary reason for going into Boots as I had a £5 off No7 skincare voucher and really needed some day moisturiser which had spf in. This was for dry to very dry skin and all the reviews I’ve read about this cream were pretty good, so I’m excited to give it a try when I run out of my current moisturiser.

Despite my worries of going to Superdrug and buying half the store, I was actually very sensible, as it was 3 for 2 on most of their makeup, I did pick up an MUA lip-liner in “Red Drama”, MUA lipstick in “Shade 3” and another MUA power pout in “Crazy in Love” (you can see my review of the MUA power pout in “Runaway” here). I also picked up some Garnier Micellar water, which I really did need and some more deodorant which I’m almost out of.

Lastly, we fell into Poundland where I stupidly decided that I had to have a Revlon nail varnish in “Runway Pearl”, two W7 “rock and roll” eye-shadows in “sage” and “envy”, some zebra pens (I already have a vast collection of these exact pens in my desk drawer!) and some beautiful blue paper, a nice addition to my craft room.

Purple tin candle – £3.50 – Primark

Rimmel Scandel Eyes Gel Eyeliner – 4.99 – Boots (usually £6.99 and also £6.99 in Superdrug)

No 7 Beautiful Skin Day Cream – £12.50 – Boots (only £7.50 with my £5 off voucher)

Nivea deodorant – £2.29 – Superdrug (2 for £3)

MUA Power Pout – £3 – Superdrug

MUA Lip Liner – £1 – Superdrug

MUA Lipstick – £1 – Superdrug (3 for 2 – £4 in total)

Revlon Nail Varnish – £1 – Poundland

Decorative paper – £1 – Poundland

W7 rock and roll eyeshadow – £1 each – Poundland

Zebra animal print pens – £1 – Poundland

I absolutely blame our shop on Lauren over at Lauren Amy Blogs, since I was up late last night reading some of her “Superdrug haul” posts and I had an overwhelming urge to go out and buy things. Despite both Gem and I having a no spending month *cough*, together we are a force that is unstoppable – thankfully we did manage to resist the £5 blow up chairs in Ann Summers complete with built in penis’ – something we thought would be absolutely hilarious to take to our upcoming festivals.

This is definitely my last haul for a while, but if you’ve had a recent haul, please post us your links in the comments below so instead of spending our money we can live precariously through you and your blog posts :o).

Totally hellbent for having an uncontrollable addiction that I thankfully share with my bested friend in the whole world

-Pants

 

 

Fragrance

Lady Gaga Fame EDP Review

May 28, 2014
Lady Gaga Fame EDP

Lady Gaga Fame EDP

 

I’ve got a secret to confess. I love Lady Gaga.

I really disliked her at first, but one day after some intoxicating substances my drummer decided to convince me of her merit and somewhere along the line of that night I became a Gaga convert. I had absolutely zero interest in this perfume before that day, but recently it’s been skirting higher and higher up my wishlist till I saw it on offer for only £10.00 in Superdrug and couldn’t resist.

First up I have to say the bottle was  a big draw for me, I love the golden claws and black liquid (though it’s worth noting it’s clear once sprayed on the skin – magic!) and think it looks slightly dangerous in the most fabulous way. When I saw the design I was definitely expecting quite a dark, musky quirky scent, but actually the perfume itself was really something quite normal in comparison!

The official description says “Tears of Belladonna, Crushed Heart of Tiger Orchidea with a Black Veil of Incense, Pulverized Apricot and the combative essences of Saffron and Honey Drops”

I’d say it’s not nearly as dark and complex as the blurb suggests. Don’t get me wrong – it’s lovely…but that’s the thing, I sort of wanted it to be not lovely. I wanted something heavy and unique, this is very very sweet and fruity, you can definitely pick out the apricot!

Wear time unfortunately is only a few hours, but I’d think layering it up would give it a little longer.

Am I gaga about it? Hrm, yes in a lot of ways I really love this perfume, but I just wanted something with a little more edge.

Currently only £10.00 from Superdrug.

Totally hellbent for HOW DOES IT GO FROM BLACK TO CLEAR?! HOW DOES IT DO IT! SORCERY! 

– Gem

Make-up

Makeup Revolution – Vamp Lipstick Collection Review

May 27, 2014

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Everyone has been raving about Makeup Revolution and some of their more ‘quirkier’ products. After reading so many great reviews, I couldn’t help but pick a few things out for myself. One of the first things I threw into my virtual basket was the “Vamp Collection” lipsticks, a limited edition set of 3 colours which were £1 each or £2 when you bought the set. I also picked up two others, “Twist” and “Dare” which were only £1.

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From Left to Right: Black Heart,  100%Vamp, Rebel With Cause, Dare and Twist

I couldn’t resist the lure of these reds and although the two dark shades are probably destined to live on my dressing table for the rest of eternity, rather than escorting me to gigs via my handbag I really wanted them.

The packaging was pretty generic for most of the cheaper high street brands, although I was pleased that each lipstick had a label with the shade on it, as sometimes you are left with either a number or nothing at all.

revolution-lipstick-swatchesThe swatches were actually more pigmented than I had thought. Both Black Heart and 100% Vamp both appeared much darker, but when swatched, were a lot brighter than I imagined. One of the more surprising shades was “Rebel With Cause” which turned out to be more of a dark Fuchsia colour rather than the blood red I had hoped for. My favourite by a long shot is “Twist”, the one I thought I would like least as it looked more on the orange side, but actually it’s a beautiful bright shimmery red and probably going to be one of my new “go to” red lipsticks. They all applied without issue and with some Micellar water, I finally managed to wipe away the colour, which gives me high hopes for wearing these on stage.

The verdict? I think Makeup Revolution is fast taking over the well loved MUA, with it’s quirky variety of colours and beautiful palettes. So keep your eyes peeled for my other upcoming Makeup Revolution Reviews. These shades are all available individually from the Makeup Revolution here for just £1 each.

Have you tried any products from Makeup Revolution? If so, we’d love to know your thoughts in the comments below.

Totally hellbent for makeup shades that are as grym and blackened as their name suggests

-Pants

 

Lifestyle, Make-up, Nails

Would You Rather? Beauty Edition Tag

May 27, 2014

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We were tagged by the lovely Jaq at Lazy Days Beauty, check out her post here. We really like these tag posts as it’s a chance to get lots of other bloggers involved and also discover some great new reads!

 

Would you rather lose all of your mascaras, eyeliners, lipsticks, and lip glosses or lose all of your palettes and eye shadows? 

Pants: I would definitely sacrifice my palettes and eye shadows, a little bit of liner, mascara and lippy can go a long long way! Also, I’ve always thought I look a little odd when I just have eye-shadow on, before I’ve finished my face. That’s not to say I wouldn’t miss all of my treasures!

Gem: I’d have to sacrifice my mascara, eyeliner and lipstick. I could replace all of them for far less than I could if I lost my palettes! 

 

Would you rather chop all of your hair off or never be able to cut it again?

Pants: I love my hair so much, I would rather never be able to cut it than ever considering chopping it all off.

Gem: Beauty confession: I’ve not had a haircut since 2008, pretty sure I could last forever without another one.  

 

Would you rather have coral cheek or pink cheek? 

Pants: I’m not sure pink cheeks would go wonderfully with my perfection and since I have such a soft spot for Coral, that’s the choice I would make!

Gem: I like both, but I probably go for coral more often than pink.

 

If you had $1000 to spend, would you rather buy clothes or make up? 

Pants: Ugh, I don’t know! I mean I could buy a lot of amazing stage wear and maybe a corset or two for £500 but knowing me I would probably spend it all on make-up.

Gem: I definitely don’t need any more make up (and if I keep telling myself that I might  believe it!) so I’d go for a Primark Haul, a big pile of band t-shirts and a corset or two!

 

Would you rather apply lipstick as eyeliner, or eyeliner as lipstick?

Pants: Most of my eyeliners are black, grey, green or blue so I’d probably go for the lipstick as eyeliner – I have enough neutral lipsticks to make work and I’ve long given up my black lipstick wearing goth days.

Gem: Urgh, no I couldn’t put lipstick on my eyes, all I can think about is it being sticky and greasy! I’ve got a few eyeliners I could probably pull off on lips though.

 

Would you rather only shop at MAC or Sephora?

Pants: Sephora isn’t for us in the UK at the moment, however if it was, I’d definitely pick this over MAC, at least I’d have more options.

Gem: Definitely Sephora, I could never stick to only one brand no matter how good they are. 

 

Would you rather only use one eye-shadow colour or one lip colour for the rest of your life? 

Pants: Definitely one lip colour. Despite my vast collection of lipsticks, I generally only ever wear red and I much prefer mixing my eyes up a bit with a flash of colour.

Gem: I could get through the rest of my life with one neutral eyeshadow if it meant I could change up my lipstick. I’d just have to cheat and share with Pants for gig days!

 

Would you rather wear winter clothes in summer or summer clothes in winter?

Pants: Probably Summer clothes in Winter, being British, my Summer “collection” is mostly the same as my Winter “collection” albeit a few maxi-dresses. Besides, the thought of wearing Winter clothing during our journey to the scorching holy Wacken lands each year makes me feel a bit sick.

Gem: Haha, my first thought was of us wearing big woolly jumpers at Wacken and feeling a bit sick! Oooh I’d definitely have to go for summer clothes in winter, I hate being too hot but I can always go get a blanket if I’m too cold. 

 

Would you rather have dark nails or bright nails all year round?

Pants: Well, I’m guessing “bright” could incorporate pillar-box red or a nice coral? So yeah, I’ll go for brights.

Gem: I could live with black nails every day for the rest of my life to be honest. 

 

Would you rather give up your favourite lip colour or favourite eye product?

Pants :I think my favourite lip colour. Assuming that this means my favourite ‘lipstick’ and not a colour in general. I think I’m definitely too attached to some of my favourite eye products to let them go … I need them all!

Gem: It takes a long time to find perfect lipsticks that look good with blue hair, no way I’m giving them up now!

 

Would you rather only be able to wear your hair in a ponytail or a messy bun?

Pants: Out of all the question’s so far, this is surprisingly tough! Having so much and such long hair, both styles are pretty crucial to me. But for practicality, I’m going to go for a messy bun because sometimes, you just need to get your hair out of your face!

Gem: I live my life with my hair in a messy bun, and wouldn’t have it any other way!

 

Would you rather never be able to paint your nails again or never use lip gloss?

Pants: Never use lip gloss as I rarely use it (although my collection would speak somewhat of a different story here).

Gem: I could live without lip gloss, but I hate the look of my unpainted nails. 

 

Would you rather shave your eyebrows and have none at all or sharpie them in everyday?

Pants: I would definitely rather have shaved eyebrows than use a sharpie on my face. 

Gem: Can I just grow a fringe so you can’t see either? =\

 

Would you rather live without make up or nail polish?

Pants: Nail Polish … no competition there :oD.

Gem: I suppose I’d have to keep my make-up and just make an effort to make my natural nail beds look nice again. Saying that if I had no nail varnish I’m sure they’d look great after a bit of airing out!

 

We really enjoyed this “Would you rather tag” even though it was a little scary to imagine being without all those products we can’t live without. (We are defo materialistic to the max!)

And for our tags … we have chosen the following lovely ladies:

Britnee over at Britnee Loves

Aimee at Aimee Belle

Lauren at Lauren Amy Blogs

and

Charlotte at Makeup by Candlelight

If you’ve completed this tag too, we’d love to read! Just post your link in our comments below.

 

Totally hellbent for loving all of our things (perhaps a little too much) … forever

Gem & Pants

Make-up

Rimmel Scandaleyes Waterproof Gel Eyeliner Review

May 26, 2014
Rimmel Scandaleyes Waterproof Gel Eyeliner Review

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Rimmel Scandaleyes Waterproof Gel Eyeliner Review

Rimmel Scandaleyes Waterproof Gel Eyeliner Review

Rimmel Scandaleyes Waterproof Gel Eyeliner Review

 

So it turns out I’m pretty bad at enforcing a cosmetics spending ban! In my defence I definitely did need a new black gel liner, so when my friend Red suggested that Amie and I might like this I snapped one up rather quickly!

From what I can make out this is a re-brand of an existing product to match the packaging for the new Kate Moss Rimmel London range, this time including a short eyeliner brush. I can’t find out if the brush is natural or synthetic so I won’t be risking it on my face till I know 100% it’s not made from animal hair (yuk!)

The liner itself, it’s very black. Black black. Spiritual black dimension black. Heart of Varg black. I wasn’t expecting it to be quite so pigmented but I’d go out on a limb and say this is one of the blackest gel eye-liners I’ve used.

Rimmel Scandaleyes Gel liner swatch

The consistency is quite thick but I had no problems at all loading it onto my Real Techniques Silicone Liner brush (reviewed here) and it didn’t tug, pull or smudge at all upon the lid itself. I’d say it was just creamy enough without the risk of being too messy and  I got a pretty good line on both eyes without too much effort.

It claims to be waterproof, so I decided to keep it on whilst I dyed my hair. I’m happy to say it survived two trips to the shower without budging at all. Once this stuff sets it really is there for the whole day, yet came off with a quick swipe of my Garnier Micellar Water (reviewed here).

I’d honestly expect these kind of results from a much higher end brand, so for a bargain find I’m really impressed. The Scandaleyes Waterproof Gel Eyeliner comes in three shades (black, brown and green) and is available at an introductory price of £4.99 in some stores (I got mine from Sainsburys) or £6.99 online at Superdrug.

Totally hellbent for the blackest black

– Gem

News

Support Us for Race for Life

May 23, 2014

raceforlife-banner

raceforlife

In 2011 we both completed Race for Life and managed to raise a heartwarming £158 towards Cancer Research. Now it’s that time of year again and we’ve signed up for the 5k Race for Life. With so many of our friends and family being affected by Cancer every year, this really is a cause we hold deep in our hearts.

We will be running on the 15th June 2014 – this time in Redditch and with only three weeks to go until the event, it’s time to spread the word and encourage you all to support us.

Any donation no matter how small (minimum donation is £1) is welcome. You can give via our justgiving page here or if you’d prefer, simply send a text message to 70070 quoting “HHII63” and your donation amount (e.g HHII63 £1)

We really hope you can find some time to give a little (or a lot).

Totally hellbent for doing our bit

Gem and Pants

 

 

Beauty Boxes

Love Me Beauty Review – May 2014 – Edition 1

May 20, 2014

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I promised myself last month that I would cancel my Love me Beauty subscription, but the problem with knowing what you are getting, is that sometimes you want it even more. I just couldn’t resist keeping my subscription for another box when I saw the cute little notebooks in this edition. The one thing I adore about this box, is how carefully packaged it is. As you can see above, the products are placed so neatly, that it really does things to my OCD – being so organised and neat excites me more than it should!

lib-may-14-lordandberry
Lord & Berry – Smudgeproof, waterproof eye liner in “#720 Sand” – (RRP £8.50)

I have to admit, I was less than interested in this when pulling it out of the box. I have an array of pencil eyeliners and only break them out when I can’t be bothered with the liquid liner. Admittedly I judged way too harshly, although I have brown eyes, I still wear brown eyeliner when I pair it with green eyeshadow and after swatching this, it’s beautiful. It’s more of a gold-brown and and it applied so well, when I tried the “smudge test” it didn’t budge. I am impressed at the longevity of this, especially since my pencil eyeliners have a habit of travelling down my face and am definitely going to use this next time I’m going for a smokey green eye.

Lord & Berry website

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Raw Skincare – Natural Lip balm in “Hint of Mint” – (RRP £1.98)

A girl can never own enough Lip balms, especially with Summer fast approaching. This reminds me of Burt’s Bees, but with less of my favourite Peppermint tingle once applied. It feels nice, it’s natural and it will do the job. That’s all I can say on this one, although if I could make one improvement, it would be the addition of an SPF. Another addition to this years festival packing for when my lips are sore and in need of a little TLC.

Raw Skincare website

lib-may-14-teapigs

Tea Pigs – “Chocolate Flake” Tea bags – (RRP £0.65 per tea bag)

I say this everytime I get tea samples – I’m English, I love tea! This flavour (along with the notebooks) swayed me towards picking Edition 1 this month, having spent some time browsing the Tea Pigs website, I know that this can be supped upon with a dash of milk and all the best tea is taken with milk. I can’t wait to try these out and if I enjoy them, I’m definitely going to spend less time browsing their website and more time loading up my cart and actually making it to the checkout!

Tea Pigs website

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Nail Girls – Nail Polish in “Nude Pink” – (RRP £13.50)

First of all, this polish doesn’t have the shade written on it anywhere and I had to consult the trust Love me Beauty card to tell me that this was “Nude Pink”. Despite the ridiculously girly pink colour, it applied really well and even though I swatched this with two coats, I only really needed one. I doubt I’m ever going to paint all my nails with this colour, but it may come in handy for some Nail Art and I think teamed with some pastel colours this could look really pretty if you are that way inclined. Unfortunately despite my vast collection of Varnish, my heart will always belong to the dark shades – probably very reflective of my soul ;o).

Nail Girls website

lib-may-14-gostationary

GO Stationary – Pocket Notebook Set in “Vintage Ditsy” (RRP £5)

The red polka dots are what did it for me when deciding that Edition 1 was the box for me this month. These notebooks are so adorable – both Gem and I are a sucker for stationary anyway so when these showed up, we were all over them. The paper inside is plain and not ruled, which is fine since being an adult I have almost fine tuned my ability to write in a straight line and if things do go a bit pear shaped, I have no frowning teacher to shout at me. I’m also pretty pleased with the price, since it’s fairly reasonable for three beautiful books. I can’t wait to drop these in my various handbags ready to scribble in.

Go Stationary website

I’ve really enjoyed the variety of this box and I’m still trying to bring myself to cancel my subscription. As per usual the “I’ll just wait and see what’s in the next boxes” still reigns supreme and I admitted I have a serious problem long ago!

If you’d like to check out Love me Beauty, each month they release three boxes for you to select one of.  Head over the Lovemebeauty.com to get your’s for just £10.00 + p&p each month.

Totally hellbent for “just one more box” and eventually kicking that habit – one day – 

-Pants

 

 

Nails

Free Nails Inc. With InStyle

May 17, 2014
Free Nails Inc. With InStyle

Free Nails Inc. With InStyle

I seem to have quite a collection of Nails Inc. polishes, yet I’ve never purchased a single one at full RRP! Most of my collection has come from free gifts with magazines and I was over the moon to spot another freebie this month with InStyle.

There are three shades to choose from, but as I’m (supposed to be) on a spending ban this month, I only picked up one shade (booo) – Sao Paulo Streets. I’m not sure of the names of the other two shades, but there is a pink and a coral red that both look lovely.

Sao Paulo Streets is a lovely mink nude with a subtle lilac undertone, very grown-up and understated. As with all Nails Inc. polishes application is a breeze and you’re guaranteed at least a few days wear before chipping.

Have you picked up one of the three Nails Inc. shades from InStyle yet?

Totally hell bent for a quick magazine freebie pick me up.

– Gem