My Very First Blog Award... Eeeek!

The Versatile Blogger...

This is my first blog award and i have to say i'm very very happy! A huge thank you to Tia (who writes the fantastic blog Bellezza Babe) for awarding me with this, i feel so honoured.

Rules of the honour

  

1. Thank the person that nominated you with a link back;
2. Tell 7 things about you; and 
3. Pass this on to 10 newly discovered blogs and let them know they received the award.

Again i would like to thank Tia for this award, makes me feel like im doing an 'ok' job of this blog.

7 things about me...

1. J'adore 60's music! Infact anthing to do with that decade, from Edie Sedgwick, thick black eyeliner to The Bealtes and The Rolling Stones.


Effortlessly beautiful


2. My poochy Pipkin is my best friend, he's my world.

3. I need my Candy Corn fix every month, ever since my trip to the states last Autumn- ive become obsessed with the little orange, yellow and white candy, mmmm.

4. I enjoy having my niece every weekend.

5. I have a very sweet tooth, just love sugar.

6. My favourite shop is River Island.

7. I love my family and friends.


I'am passing this award onto the following bloggers...

1. Alex
2. Sandra
3. Amy
4. Jessica
5. Lulu
6. Innocent Nails
7. Mary
8. Marissa
9. Nikscrits
10. Sarah-Louise


Great work ladies!

OPI Nicki Minaj Minis

Hello my lovelies,

After a long and hard day at work, i was delighted to come home and see a package for me. It was my fabulous OPI Nicki Minaj Minis. I've been waiting on these little beauties arriving for over a week (due to the super saver delivery option from ASOS). I just think the OPI mini set's are so cute, i was a fan of the 'Nice Stems' mini collection, which was a hit last year.

Now, lets get down to business and look at the polishes...

The set has four mini bottles, each bottle contains 3.75ml. The shades are (from left to right): Did it on 'Em, Fly, Pink Friday and Metallic 4 Life.

Here are some swatches, please excuse the untidy-ness. I lack a steady hand. As with most polishes, they require a double coat. Some are on my nails and others are my mothers, who i treated to a manicure :-)

Did it on 'Em

A lime green, perfect for the 'Neon' trend at the moment.

Fly

An Aqua Blue, the ultimate colour for bold nails.

Pink Friday

A creamy Bubble-gum Pink, this one is my favourite.

Metallic 4 Life

A Charocal sparkle, ideal if you want to add a bit glitz & glimmer.  

I adore this set, it hits the nail on the head with every trend this spring from Pastel (with Pink Friday) to Neon (with Did it on 'Em). The colours glide on nicely and last a decent duration without chipping. At £12 odds, its a steal.

Are you a fan of OPI?



February's Feel Unique Beauty Box

Well, its finally here...

February's Feel Unique Beauty Box. After what seemed an eternity, the post man finally delivered it this morning. I already knew the contents as i'm a sucker for a spoiler, i'm happy with the contents i received. I think it's a great value box, at £9.95 a month. 

  


Had to put a 'post -it' over my address :)



"Fall in love.. with a new beauty buy, a new look or a new man, with the help of Beauty Box this month."

Decleor Phytopeel Face Peel Cram

"A soft cream formula which exfoliates and smoothes the epidermis. It gently absorbs and eliminates impurities, and does not contain exfoliating particles, the gentlest and most natural way to renew your skin. It:

- Helps cleanse skin and removes impurities
- Removes dead skin cells
- Helps stimulate the cellular renewal process

Your clean, healthy and smooth skin recovers its even texture and has a healthy glow."

I squeezed some of the contents out the tube and it's silver! Very intrigued about this product.

Philip Kingley Elasticizer

"Philip Kingsley Elasticizer should always form part of your routine to continuously improve or maintain the quality and behaviour of your hair. Extremely broken, damaged hair – whether the result of chemical over processing, physical trauma or poor health, will also improve with concentrated use of Elasticizer. More frequent use of this intensive treatment formula will restore suppleness, elasticity, shine and bounce."

I'm excited about trying this product as i've heard a lot about it.

Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse Multi-Usage Dry oil

"Multi-usage dry oil for face, body and hair.

A favourite of Elle’s Beauty Director, Emma Smith:

“Slather this on dry legs as soon as you jump out of the shower to keep your legs smooth and moisturised. It smells delicious.”

Huile Prodigieuse is a dry oil with a unique superactivated formula combining 30% Precious Plant Oils and Vitamin E to nourish, repair and soften face, body and hair in a single gesture."I've seen this in a previous Beauty Box.

Elemis Lime and Ginger Hand and Body Wash

"This fresh hand and body wash is a beautiful exotic fragrance of lime, vetiver, petitgrain and ginger essential oils, combined with plant extracts of thyme, nettle and chamomile, in a soya, wheat and milk protein base. This skin friendly formula is deep cleansing, whilst the rich creamy lather is super gentle, leaving your skin feeling fresh, clean, soft and nourished."

Comes in quite a decent sized bottle, 100ml.

Leighton Denny High Performance Colour

"High performance nail colour. Easy to apply, long-lasting and chip resistant. Colour that doesn't fade and keeps a high gloss shine day after day."

I received the colour- Diamond Rose, which is quite a pale pearly pink.


Thre was also a sample of Jean Paul Gaultier KokoRico in the box, which was a nice little extra. The scent itself reminds me a little of something i've smelled before but i can't quite put my finger on it. It's a lovely fragrance though even if it is for men, once it dies down a little.



So there we have it, Feb's Feel Unique box. As i said previously, i'm quite pleased. Theres a good selection of products that i will try out.

What did you think of the box?

A quick update- I received an email today (09/02/2012) from Feel Unique, it basically said that they were ceasing to carry on with their Beauty Box. However, are preparing to launch a new and improved one in the coming months... Stay tuned girls!

Poochy Pipkins trip to the Salon...

Hello my lovelies,

Just had to share with you Pipkin's new hair cut. He usually gets cut every 4-6 weeks. However due to having recent surgery to remove kidney/bladder stones, we had to cancel the groming appointment he had booked for the end of january.

One thing about my goregeous Pipkin is that his hair grows at an alarming rate! So by the time this appointment came round... he resembled a small fluffy sheep. Its so strange as when hes at his fluffiest- i always think of him as this 'stalky little shih tzu'. But when he's cut, he's just so darn tiny. Bless!

Here are some before and after shots...





Pipkin in his 'Fluff Bug' state before.




This is him after his trip to the salon.



Illamasqua: Make-up for your alter ego

Todays post is about Illamasqua, a make-up brand, which has been on my radar since receiving a perfume sample (Freak) by the brand in my November's Glossybox.

"Illamasqua is for the bolder person hiding inside all of us. It is an act and an attitude. A symbol of tolerance. A celebration of idiosyncrasies. A confident statement of self-ownership"

After lusting over quite a few of their products, i managed to narrow it down to just two (i could have went crazy as all their products are gregeous). I decided on a powder blusher in the shade 'Excite' and their 'matt primer', i'm always on the search for a really good matt primer.

First of all the matt primer...
"An essential for any screen goddess, Illamasqua matt Primer helps create a flawless, shine-free base. For use under foundation or on its own, this professional cream formula offers UVA and UVB protection and gives skin an even, matt finish. Prepare to impress."

This primer is a white, creamy consistency and glides on nicely, its leaves you skin instantly shine free. You don't feel any of the 'tightness' you usually do from some matte primers. It kept my skin fresh looking for a good few hours, although by the end of the day though i did have some slight oil on my t-zone. But all in all, its excellent in my oppinion. Having used various matte primers this one has topped my list, was very impressed. At £19.50, it has a hefty price tag but if it's a miracle in a bottle... well, its worth every penny in my eyes, especially when it comes to the dreaded 'chip fat face' look i've been sporting for so long due to oily skin.

Next we have Illamasqua's podwer blusher in 'Excite'...

A vibrant apricot shade, i know many of you will be thinking "Yikes... its so bright" However, with proper application this leaves your cheeks with a goregeous peachy glow. The shade is described as 'vivid apricot, matt finish' on the website.

I quite like the matt finish, i've always been a 'Bella Bamba' gal - ever since it launched last february, i've rarely strayed from the Benefit Blush. However, in the words of Bob Dylan "The times they are a a-changin".

Excite also blends great aswell. The key rule with this blusher is that a little goes a long long way. Apply too much and you may run the risk of looking like a clown. Another great investment at £16.50. This is definitely a welcomed edition. 

Sorry for the poor quality swatch, had to take it on my iphone.

So there we have it, my first ever illamasqua purchase. I will definitely be buying from the brand again. I have my eye on a few of their lip glosses.

Do you own anything from Illamasqua?