All that glitters

OPI Pirouette My Whistle, No7 Gold Glitter Top Coat, No7 Silver Glitter Top Coat,W.I.P Electra, Inglot 202, Models Own Mixed Up
Who knew that nail wheels could be so fun? I think they may well be the best thing that I've ever bought off eBay! What's not so fun is trying to cut down NINETY ONE (!!!) pictures of said nail wheels/nail varnish down to five that are suitable for a blog post. But anyway, I thought I'd share my current fave glittery polishes with you. Everyone loves a good glittery nail and I know I'm not alone when I say that I always forget how hideous they are to get off until right after yet another coat has been applied...

I'm really enjoying both subtle glitter hints and block colours - I've found myself turning to both these No7 gold and silver ones recently, I've had them a while but I've only just started to appreciate how nice they actually are. I picked them up at the Boots press day I went to earlier in the year, I think they're in store from June (AS IF IT'S JUNE TOMORROW. THAT MEANS THE BIRTHDAY COUNTDOWN CAN OFFICIALLY BEGIN!) but I'm not sure how much they'll be. What I like best about them is the combination of the small specs of glitter with the bigger, hexagonal shapes. This also means they're a bit easier to apply; the smaller bits cover the entire nail easily and the hexagon pieces sit in between so you don't end up with wangy looking clumps of glitter that are hard to spread. Subtle hints of shine are also nice just for a casual daytime if you don't want anything too ~out there. 

The OPI one is from the New York City Ballet collection that was released a few months ago, this one is similar to the No7 silver glitter but it's slightly more... grey. It has less sparkle and to be appears slightly matte in comparison to regular glittery top coats. This works better with softer, more girlie colours for a more profesh approach. The same goes for Inglot in 202 (I wish they had actual names!), to me this looks like a crackle topcoat even though it's not. It's so nice, it's iridescent and is perfect for summer, it's that little bit different and stands out a bit more. Love it! 

The final two are Models Own and a multi-coloured glitter I picked up from Urban Outfitters. As with all Models Own glitter polishes, it needs layering up to achieve half decent coverage which means it's an absolute pain in the backside to try and get off again. I really like this black with little specs of colour dotted throughout, it looks really nice and I love wearing it on nights out when the light reflects off the glitter. Annnd, finally the Urban Outfitters one is, I'd say, a dupe of the infamous Rainbow Connection but I love this regardless. In the bottle it looks like it has a black base but it doesn't and I was a bit gutted when I first used it, but now I've grown to really like it! What are your favourite glitter polishes?

D&G sunglasses

Every summer for as long as I can remember I've said to myself that I'll treat myself to a pair of designer sunnies, but I only managed to get round to it last October when I treated myself to a pair by Michael Kors, and now I've just bought my second pair in the shape of these D&G beauties!

I actually bought these off a website called Red Hot Sunglasses with a voucher that I'd got from Groupon*, who offered me a £30 voucher to spend on any deal that I wanted. I've had it for a couple of months but I hadn't found anything that quite caught my eye until now. The deal cost £24 and it was for £60 to spend, so I took full advantage. Before now I've never bought anything off Groupon, I want to say it's because I was wary, but I don't think that's the right word. I'm mostly just worried because the terms can be so strict on some of the offers, that in my head I think that I won't get round to using the voucher, or the item that it's for will sell out, or something else completely ridiculous.

I got this voucher a week last Saturday and it became valid at midnight on the Sunday, so there I was at ten past picking the glasses I wanted - you know, just incase the whole world and their dog wanted the same ones as me. There was quite a lot of choice in terms of designers: D&G, Ray-Ban, Alexander McQueen, Marc by Marc Jacobs, Miu Miu, Vivienne Westwood, Gucci, Chloe plus looooads more and the prices really aren't that bad. Mine should have been £100 but with the voucher they only came to £40(+ £4 p&p) which I think is an incredible price. I was a bit wary about buying them off the Internet without having the chance to try them on etc, but there is a returns policy on the website so if the worst happened then at least I knew I could send them back. The delivery was super quick too, they arrived on the Thursday after being dispatched on the Tuesday and had to be signed for on delivery.

If anybody is tempted to treat themselves then I've just spotted a similar deal that's available - £19 for a £55 voucher to spend at Sunglasses Shop. Let me know if you get anything!

Ojon Restorative Hair Treatment Plus

I had actually forgotten that I had this intensive treatment from Ojon until I found it hiding in my mum's bathroom earlier. To be honest though, as soon as I'd read the instructions I remembered why I hadn't used it before, and that's because you have to apply it to dry hair. I don't know if I'm alone here but I only usually decide (/remember) to deep condition my hair once I've put shampoo in. Ojon's Reverse Restorative Hair Treatment Plus* is not only a bit of a mouthful to say but it's also quite expensive, at £32.50 for 100ml it's actually slightly more expensive than Moroccan Oil. 

Today was the first time I've used this treatment and I have to say I am very impressed with it. Since dying my hair earlier in the week (1 box of bleach + 2 box dyes in 24 hours don't leave your hair very happy, let me tell you!) it has lost it's natural shine, it's properly dry, the split ends are much more noticeable and it just feels like straw if it's not looked after properly (don't get me wrong though, I am very happy with the final colour! Except in the pictures it looks a lot more red/brown than the gingery colour it is in ~real life).

BUT ANYWAY. This treatment is so messy to apply; the instructions say to put a teaspoon of product into the palm of your hand, then warm it by rubbing between your hands until it turns into a nourishing oil, before distributing evenly from root to tip. It feels properly weird on application, it's almost like you've got a bottle of cooking oil from the kitchen and you've just poured the lot on your head. I found that I had to use around three teaspoons rather than just one and, considering I don't have that much hair, seems quite a lot considering the size of the pot you get. I left it in for just over 20 minutes and for the final five I used my hairdryer on a gentle heat. I washed out the product as you usually would a deep conditioner, but I felt as if it took a lot longer for it to wash out, my hair felt matted and greasy even after I'd shampooed it and it wasn't until I'd actually towel-dried it and brushed through it that it felt a lot softer and more conditioned than usual. The shine that it was left with after I'd styled it was incredible and I was so impressed, it just looks so healthy compared to how it usually does!

I would definitely recommend this product to anybody who does have extremely damaged hair. The application process is a bit of a messy faff around, but it's certainly worth it. If I remember I'll try and use this around once or twice a week and hopefully my hair will always look this healthy! 

A blusher story

I'm going to admit something now that I probably shouldn't, especially since I'm essentially a ~beauty blogga and all that business, BUT, I'm scared of blusher. There, I said it. I've been haunted with having rosy cheeks since I was little and that's all people would ever comment on and I it's stuck with me ever since. There is nothing nice, nothing cute, nothing anything about having naturally red cheeks. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely adore seeing nice peach, pink, rosy, glowy cheeks on other people and I really wish I could pull of some of the amazing colour blushers that are out there, but I just can't. I long for the day that I can add Orgasm to my collection but I know it'll never happen!

It wasn't until I started my second year of uni that I even started to wear any sort of colour of my cheeks. I'd put foundation on, then powder, do my eyes, maybe a slick of lipgloss if I felt like it but that'd be it. Absolutely no sign of any blusher on my face or in my make-up bag at all. I can't remember why, but one day I went to the MAC counter and the make-up artist put two colours on my cheeks: Sweet as Cocoa and Honour (which I think is discontinued now) and ever since then I've been doing exactly what she did. I apply the darkest colour along my cheekbone and then blend it outwards with the lighter colour to highlight above, so essentially I do just contour.

I've never really had a huge collection of colours that I use, so when I do find the perfect shades I tend to cling onto them for dear life. I replaced Honour with Sunbeam, a gold highlighter from Topshop. I absolutely adore this stuff and it only costs a tenner but lasts for actual ever. There was a slight panic at one stage when it was discontinued, but luckily Topshop brought it back (and I have plenty of back-ups just in case it should ever happen again!). Sunbeam has taken a backseat at the minute though, just while I have a love affair with this stunning highlighter from Accessorize; it's called Golden Sand and it's perfect. It's a lot less subtle than Sunbeam and it blends so nicely, such a good colour for daily use. I've been using this for about six months and I've not hit pan yet! I love it.

As for the browns that I tend to use, I replaced Sweet as Cocoa with this Dolce & Gabanna blush that I picked up at a beauty sale whilst at Cosmopolitan the very first time. I've been using it at least once a day since and I'd say I've still got enough time to save up, and come to terms with the fact I've got to spend £30(!!) on a blusher, before it completely runs out. I Know I will pay it though because it's probably my favourite thing in my collection. I've also got this MAC Mineralize blush in Lovejoy that I don't tend to use too often, mostly because it's a bit more glittery that I'd like. The D&G blush is simple and matte; what you see is what you get. There's no hidden glitter or shimmer and that's what I like most about it. Another thing with Lovejoy is that it is so pigmented and that, combined with my heavy hand, results in motorway blusher which is never a good look for anybody!

Wishlist

Red Herring butterfly pumps | YSL Cinema Eau De Parfum | TRESemmé hairdryer | MAC Extra Dimension highlighter in Superb | Dolce & Gabbana blush in Apricot | Ionika travel hair straighteners | Caudalie Beauty Elixir | Benefit They're Real! mascara

001. How cute are these pumps? I saw them whilst I was browsing the Debenhams website, who even knew Faith was still around? I thought they went under years ago - I used to love their sandals in the summer and boots in the winter. They had shoes to match any outfit* and I was honestly gutted, but now I feel like my teenage (shoe) years can be revived again. But anyway, I loved these butterfly pumps as soon as I saw them. They'll go with practically any outfit and they just look so dainty and cute.

002. YSL Cinema is one of my ultimate fave perfumes and it's been a while since I had a bottle but I've been properly craving this recently (if it's even possible to crave a scent!), it's a sort of musky smell but it's so good. It's one of those fragrances that properly lingers though and even I can smell it days after I've originally sprayed it. Expensive but worth every single penny. Maybe I'll treat myself.

003. Has anybody got/used this at ? Mine keeps tripping out when it gets too hot, even though I've had it less than a year! I'm a bit sad about it actually because it's really good but this TRESemmé one looks like it'd be really powerful and really good, if anybody has anything decent to say about it then I might pop it on my birthday list!

004. Ahhh, this MAC highlighter is out to ruin my life. I didn't even know about the In Extra Dimension collection until week after it was released, and then I fell in love with this after watching somebody's YouTube video and much to my dismay it was already sold out everywhere. I refuse to pay £40+ on eBay so if anybody can give me a heads up as to where I can find this for the RRP (£21.50 I think) then please, please holla! I'm desperate for it.

005. MY FAVOURITE EVER BLUSHER IS RUNNING OUT. I've had my original Dolce & Gabbana blush for almost a year now and I've recently hit pan, and as soon as that happens we all know it's not long before the whole thing disappears. Honestly, this is the most perfect contour blush and I don't have a single bad word to say about it. £31 is a pretty hefty price tag for blusher but we all know I'll probably end up paying it.

006. Travel straighteners, yay or nay? I'm kind of tempted but at the same time my GHDs aren't heavy to carry so it essentially seems pretty pointless? I'm so stupid sometimes. These straighteners at look pretty tacky which adds to their appeal but I can't help but think it'd be a waste of money. 

007. Obviously I need to jump on the latest beauty blogger's bandwagon, it's not a party unless I'm there. I had been tempted by this Beauty Elixir before it did the rounds but now I feel even more enabled by you lot, the fact it's a spray makes it even more tempting. I might add this to my birthday list too actually and then I'm not buying it myself!

008. BEST MASCARA. I got given one of these before Christmas while I was at Cosmo and I really need to splash out and get myself a replacement but I'm struggling to come to terms with spending £18.50 on a new mascara. Why do all my expensive things seem to run out at the same time? Stress. I should have bought it when Debenhams had their 20% (or was it 10%?) off not long ago but alas, I will never learn. Maybe on payday.

We Are Faux

My collection of false eyelashes is actually ridiculous, even more so for somebody who only actually learnt how to apply them about two weeks ago. I think I have a slight obsession with them, I absolutely love the way that a simple pair of eyelashes can transform your look completely. It really is incredible!

We Are Faux are a relatively new brand that launched in 2011, but I actually only discovered them when I was at the Superdrug press day waaaay back in February, and I also got to meet the creator, Ana Cruzalegui, who was possibly one of the nicest people I've ever had the pleasure of meeting. I was given these Rubia lashes* to sample, but obviously because I hadn't learnt to apply them yet, they sat in my bathroom collecting dust until last Saturday when I finally got to wear them!

They were so easy to apply (even by my standards) and for me, they were the perfect length; not ridiculous but long enough to make an impact. I did have to put mascara on them though to make them a tad more noticeable, although that's probably just me being too fussy as per usual. A couple of people commented on the gold strands that are on the top side - a detail that I adored in the packet but thought would, in essence, be pointless unless I walked round with my eyes closed, so I was pleasantly surprised when it didn't go completely unnoticed.

We Are Faux lashes are available from Superdrug and there's a range of incredible designs starting from around £6.99, which I personally don't think is too bad considering the whole collection is individually handcrafted. They're not actually available in my local store though which makes me very sad. Has anybody else tried anything from We Are Faux?

Laserlight

Massive apologies for the sheer hilarity and general hideousness of these "outfit" pictures, I don't think I'll ever master the art of self-timer AND being able to look alright at the same time. Also please excuse my disgustingly grotty and pale legs. In other news however, I had a very weird shopping experience today in that all three of these bits are from INTERNATIONALE. Who even knew that shop still existed? Well, I did but I always just walk straaaaaight past it whenever I'm in town because I thought it was just a more vile version of Primark in terms of cheapness and tack, but I was pleasantly surprised.

I went in because this pink top caught my eye. I'm a sucker for bat-winged, sheer tops so this one will be a nice addition to my collection! I don't usually wear pink but I quite like the shade, it was only £19.99 and it'll be alright for casual wear and easily dressed up for a night time too. 

I also picked up this sheer blazer-esque-cardigan thingy, again continuing my love affair with all things sheer. I was after the cream version of this in Topshop for ages but wasn't that like £40 or something completely ridiculous? This however was a proper bargain at £14.99 which I was well pleased with. I have a couple of boring black dresses that never get worn that I thought I could pair this with just to jazz them up a little bit. I think this is the purchase I'm most pleased with and definitely something that I'll get the wear out of. Perfect little summer jacket/cardigan/blazer/kimono(?!), WHAT ARE THEY EVEN CALLED?

Annnd finally, this black and white oversized dip-hem SHEER top. I'm not 100% sure I like this, what do you all think? Be honest now! I really like this dip-hem trend that's gwarnin' at the minute, although I know a lot of people aren't really feeling it. The back of this is really long though and I don't know if it just looks stupid. I imagine it'd look quite nice with a pair of wet look leggings but I can't find a pair that are bloody long enough, plus because I'm about 9ft7' the front probably isn't as long as what it would be on a ~normal sized person? I just don't know. I think this one was £22.99 or roundabouts, so it's still not a bad price really. Help me! I won't be offended if you think it looks shit and crap and lots of other negative words, honesty is the best policy.

Ummm what else? I don't think there is much else to update y'all on, mum and dad are currently on a plane to San Francisco and they're touring the west coast of America for the next two and a bit weeks so er, blogger's house party at mine? WHY NOT. Come on over. I'm a bit sad though because they're meeting my sister and her boyfriend in Las Vegas next week for a few nights so I'll be the only member of my immediate family stuck in rainy old England. Boo.

No letting go

This week has felt really hectic but looking back I don't seem to have done a lot. I was in Leeds on Tuesday for my sister's 24th birthday, and then in Leicester on Wednesday for my best friend's birthday and then I've just been working and doing general STUFF.

This bank holiday weekend I have mostly eaten cake. If you follow me on Twitter or Instagram (username is lucyparts) then you'll be sick to death of seeing those cupcakes! Anyway, on Thursday my parents celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary (how mad is that though? I can't even imagine being with anybody for a year, let alone 25. I'd much rather have a dog and handbags), so to mark the occasion we had a maaaaaaassive meal yesterday at a local golf club with lots of family and friends and it was really lovely. Dad even did a little speech! If I was hungover then the Sunday roast I had would have definitely cured it good and proper. We spent the afternoon eating, reminiscing, drinking and laughing. A lot of people admired my eyelashes too because I FINALLY LEARNT HOW TO APPLY FALSIES, what a magical moment that was. 

You know, I really do miss this ol' blogging lark when I have a days where I don't find time to update. I do have some posts in the pipeline but I'm running out of inspiration, although hopefully that'll be rectified in the next week or so when I have some time off work. I have quite a few bits and bobs planned for May too so if everything goes to plan it should be an exciting month!