SINFULCOLORS nail varnish // Review

Hey everyone!! Today shopping I finally picked up one of these. 'Sinfulcolors' is an American brand nail varnish recently launched in Boots in the UK.To be honest when I first saw these for £1.99 I just thought they were a cheap dupe to 'china glaze' as the packaging is quite similar. Since then I saw them on many occasions crop up on beauty blogs and how pleased people were that they are now available in the UK and how great the results are.

I got shade 24/7 as I have been looking for a bright neon for the summer and this looked perfect as well as being a great price. I love the formula of it as its thick and gives a lovely matt finish (I'm not sure about the others) which I really love with the neon. I'm obsessed with nail varnish and constantly adding more to my collection so I think these are definitely ones to look out for with a great price and colour range.

Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed it.

Love Ellen x

IMATS London 2013

Hey everyone!! First of I am so excited about this post and I have been dying to write about it!! 

So today me and my other make-up/blogger/you tube obsessed friend (!!!) took the train to Kensington Olympia in London where IMATS (international make up artist trade show) was being held, we didn't buy tickets as I couldn't justify spending £60 to wander round a huge hall. But we went in the hope of doing some beauty Guru spotting! We arrived around midday and waited around the entrance for about half an hour checking twitter every 2 minutes!! Then my friend spotted Fleur (FleurDeForce) Ingrid (missglamourazzi) Becky (TalkBeckyTalk) her sister Holly and Tati (GlamLifeGuru) going in the door behind us. So we quickly followed them and asked the security guard if we could pop in  to take a picture (he had no idea who they were but let us any way!) 

By this point I was shaking and so much more overwhelmed than I thought  I would be, it way crazy! I got pictures with Fleur and Ingrid and I was so glad as they are honestly both idols of mine and now I feel my whole summer is complete, my friend and I were so excited and shaky (hense the blurry pictures)! Luckily we got to meet them before loads of other people inside IMATS realised they had arrived so we didn't have to wait in any form of que. Even though I didn't say much to them as I was so overwhelmed by the whole situation they were so lovely and I feel so lucky to have met them, it was such a great day and I hope I get to meet them again soon!

Love Ellen x

Ingrid & I 

Fleur and I (left)

Garnier moisture match // Shine be gone

Hey Everyone! At the beginning of this year (Jan 2013) Garnier launched a new collection of 5 moisturisers suited to target whatever your skin type may be. I actually bought this within a month or so of them being released on introduction offer for £3.99 and I have used it a lot since so I thought it deserved a review!

I had a look at  the range and instantly knew I’d go for the Green  'shine be gone' as I have oily/combination skin type. It said it would help reduce the appearance of shine and give you a soft matt finish, as well as a cooling 'sorbet' texture feeling light and fresh on the skin. 

When applying this I found I only needed a small amount of the 'sorbet' texture as it went a long way. It absorbed straight into my skin and I could definitely tell any shine had been mattified. I feel this hydrated my skin perfectly without feeling sticky or wet and left it soft to touch. I also think this would work great as a make up base to prime the skin. 

I hope this review helped and I would  recommend this to any one with oily/combination skin if you have be disappointing with other 'mattifying' moisturisers, personally this one has worked wonders for me compared to all the others. I look forward to re-purchasing this at £5.99!!

Thanks for reading

Love, Ellen x

Collective empties // Things I've used up & review

Hey Everyone!! - Here are some things that I've used up in the past couple of months, and I thought I'd share with you what I thought about them after using them for a while and if I'm going to re-purchase!!

Batiste dry shampoo - floral & flirty blush (200ml) // £2.99
This product is a life saver! I use it in between washes in my roots to make my hair appear fresher and  sometimes more voluminous. I have repurchased this many times before in a lot of different scents and so far this one is my favourite!

Pantene Aqua Light nourishing mist // £4.99
I love this product so much! It is the perfect detangler for my hair and leaves it so soft light weight, and smelling amazing. I wish it came in a bigger bottle as I used it every day and didn't talk long to run out. I would definitely re-purchase this product however they no longer sell it in boots and can't find it anywhere which is incredibly frustrating!!

Simple soothing facial toner //£2.99
I really enjoyed using this product, it does exactly what is says. I used it in the morning to refresh and waken my skin and evening to take off all remaining make up and dirt from my face that I missed. I would re-purchase this as it's a reasonable price and does the job.

Nivea pearl & beauty deodorant // £2.50
Bit of a bazaar thing to be talking about but I really love this deodorant!! - One thing I hate is spray deodorant, I think the smell is so overpowering and makes me feel sick when it all lingers in my room. On the other side I'm also not a fan of roll on deodorants as I find the ones I've tried leave my under arms wet and take forever to dry. So the perfect in between these is this kind of cream base deodorant which is soft and comfortable and smells lovely!

Simple vital vitamin - night cream //£5.60
I'm not obsessed with this cream but I do like it, I applied it once I had washed my face in the evening before bed. It took away that tight skin feeling and when I woke up my skin still felt moisturised however I didn't notice a change in my skin over night. Personally I don't think I will re-purchase this as I think my standard nivea soft does the job just as good.

Rimmel Wake Me Up foundation - 100 ivory //£8.99
I started using this foundation a while back before it became a huge 'drugstore beauty must have' and once it became popular I didn't really understand why. I have oily to combination skin and I don't think it suited me well. It did not stay put all day and I had to keep re touching my powder. Also the colour match was not great yet the same as my current foundation which works wonders as you can see here. Personally I won't be repurchasing this which is so disappointing as it has worked so well for so many others.

Carex aloe vera hand gel //£1.45
Pretty much the bog-standard boring hand sanitiser, I usually buy this on offer at 99p which is great as I go through it by the gallon (not literally!!) does the job and a must-have for me taking it every where!

The Body Shop Pink Grapefruit hand gel //£2.50
Can you imagine my excitement discovering two of my favourite things ever? (body shop grapefruit and hand sanitiser) I love this so much and it didn't take me long to use it up it smells amazing and I will most certainly repurchase!

Nivea Hydro care lip balm //£1.99
I find it unusual to actually be able to say I have finished a lip balm, I have so many they usually go missing, loose their smell or I just get bored of them and buy a new one. But this one I did finish (having used it all day every day!!) it took quite a while but I did! There's no scent, it's extra hydrating and easy to apply. Not the fanciest but simply great!

Intimately Beckham perfume//(price varies)
I really love this scent, I was able to wear it casually or on an occasion all year round. It smells so luxurious or sophisticated (of course they're the Beckhams!!) yet it's not heavy or overpowering. I would love to get this again.   

Soap & Glory Righteous Butter (50ml)//£2.50
I really love all things soap and glory and I picked this up on a 3 for 2 offer with hand maid and hand food from the 'mini' selection, this was great as I could keep it in my bag and use it through out the day. The smell is so amazing and it's so softening to the skin! I will always re-purchase soap and glory!

The Body Shop Grapefruit body butter (50ml)//£4
As I mentioned here this is one of my all time favourite body shop scents if not ever, I currently have the big version but have bought the small version a couple of times to taking places with me, it's just so fresh and summery and so nice to use!

Thanks for reading!!

Love, Ellen x

Weekly wants // Make-up & more...

                            1.                                                            2.                                                     3.

                           4.                                                                      5.                                                             6.

Hey Everyone!! Just a few things I have my eye on, hopefully once I've done some saving up I may buy!

1. Sleek face form kit - light (This includes a contour powder, a highlight and a pretty blush) //£9.99

2. Topshop cream blush - Flush // £6

3. Models own nail varnish - utopia // £5 

4. Topshop lip cream - Witty // £7

5. Benefit Porefesional // £24.50

6. Real Techniques - Blush brush // £9.99

Love, Ellen x

My Summer Beauty Essentials // 2013

Hey Everyone!!

So I can't believe summer is right round the corner if not pretty much here!, however the weather in the UK is proving otherwise! Anyway, we have been lucky and had a few really gorgeous sunny days and I started thinking about all my must have beauty products for the holidays!

My summer essential nail varnishes 

Revlon Lip Butter 

Garnier BB Cream // Swatched & blended - Benefit Benetint // semi-blended & fully blended 

The Body Shop body butter // Mango & Grapefruit

Dove summer glow Gradual Tanner - light to medium 250ml // £4.99

I love this as it's so easy to apply and build able so multiple shades can be created. I like that it gives a really nice summer glow/natural tan, I don't have to wait ages for it to dry (like fake tan) and I don't have to worry about it going wrong. It develops gradually but can appear fairly instant depending on how often and the amount is applied.

Garnier Fresh Essential cleansing wipes // £3.99

I think in hot weather it's nice to have something refreshing, either to wipe away sweat, clean up smudged make up or cool your face/body down. These wipes in particular have a really clean refreshing scent and are great for carrying round in your hand/beach bag. And are handy for any summer related incidents e.g. melting ice cream, sand on feet etc!!!

Lacoste perfume - love of pink // (range of prices)

I love this fragrance for summer as it is light and fresh. I don't like having a strong musky perfume in summer I don't know why it just doesn't seem right!! I think all the lacoste scents smell sweet and floral but not too overpowering - perfect for a summer day!

Soap and glory hand maid // £2.50

Having hand sanitiser in my bad on a daily basis is a must have, and even more so on a hot summers day!, It's really uncomfortable when my hands get clammy in the heat, I just feel all gross!! After applying hand sanitiser I feel so refreshed! This one in particular from soap and glory is the best smelling one yet as its not overpowered by that alcoholic cleansing scent.

Garnier BB Cream - medium // £9.99

When I first got this BB cream (on offer at £4.99) the colour was too dark so I didn't wear it much, but in summer with a bit of a tan its perfect. A BB cream is good as it contains SPF so protects your skin from the sun and is really light weight compared to a full coverage foundation which can feel horrible in the heat.

Benefit Benetint // (sample)

I think using this kind of 'liquid' blush or cream blush in summer is nicer than a normal powder blush as it gives the skin a more 'glowy' effect which looks created by the sun. Benetint also works really well as it is build able so you can achieve a light natural effect or a bright glowy cheek!

Nivea sooth & protect SPF lip balm // £2.59

So, a few summers ago my lips got totally sunburnt on the first day of my weeks holiday, and it was so painful and uncomfortable just a huge inconvenience really! They turned red raw, they stung and tingled, they completely dried out at became so chapped and I had to keep licking them to cool them down which just made it worse! After having experienced this, now every day especially in the summer I make sure my lip balm has SPF, it really does help and prevents your lips getting damaged from the sun. Your lips are really sensitive so make sure to protect them as you would your skin!

Revlon lip butter - 047 pink lemonade // £7.99

This is one of the 4 new summer shades Revlon brought out recently and I love it, its such a perfect, cute summery colour I think 'pink lemonade' is the perfect colour/description for it! its really light weight and quick and easy to apply as well as being really moisturising. Its staying power isn't great but its easy enough to carry round in your bag to re apply during the day.

The Body Shop Body butter - mango & grapefruit // £13.00 each

(Look out as usually The Body Shop has offers on and you can pick them up for much cheaper)These for me are the ultimate summer must have, they're so kind to the skin, they moisturise dry skin from the sun amazingly and easy to lavish all over the body. The smell is the most amazing thing, I own more than these but mango and grapefruit are my favourite summer scents ever, I can't even describe how much love I have for smelling them! The smell lingers on your skin all day almost no need for a perfume. The fruity-ness of them is perfect for summer! 

Barry M - peach melba // £2.99

This colour compliments a tan perfectly or makes the skin look more tan than it is! it's like a pastel coral colour so pretty and wearable in summer.

Maybelline Colour Show - Cool Blue // £2.99

This colour had become my go-to summer nail varnish and its almost half empty (not usual for a nail varnish!) I find it compliments my skin tone so nicely and makes me look more tan! Its the perfect summer blue, half way between pastel blue and bright blue, I think the name describes exactly what it is! I also love the formula of this, it's so thick and easy to apply.

Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed and got some inspiration for the summer

Love, Ellen x

What's my everyday make-up look? //

Face

Eyes

Lip & tools 

Hey Everyone!! Just an insight to what I put on my face every normal day!! - enjoy.

Clear make-up bag // Superdrug £2.99
I love this bag so much! It's so handy for seeing everything inside, you can clean it, it fits as much or as little as you want and perfect for travelling as well as being a total bargain!

Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation - 001 ivory // £6.99
After countless disappointing  foundations this one is so far my favourite, I have oily/combination skin and I find this foundation stays on for a longer period than any others I have tried. This foundation really suits my skin tone (main point of 'match perfection') which surprised me as it is the same colour as my previous Rimmel Wake Me Up which did not suit me at all. I find it easy to blend and I really like the smell! So I will be looking to re-purchase this when I run out.

Collection (2000) concealer - shade 2 // £4.19 
I am surprised at the price of this as when I bought it it was £2.99!...Anyway this was so raved about on majority of blogs & YouTube so thought I must give it a try! I agree in that it covers well and long lasting and great for it's value, but I found as it dried on my face the colour didn't match very well, where my foundation began to fade during the day the concealer stuck, a down side of this is as the colour wasn't great and looked strange and patchy. I am continuing to try and work with this concealer under my eyes as it covers dark circles well but personally I won't be using it on spots/imperfections! I would still recommend this as it seems to work better for a lot of people and is rather cheap.

Rimmel Stay Matte Powder - 001 transparent // £3.99
I'll keep this one short and sweet!...I love this, does what it says. It matte-ifys my oily areas and keeps my foundation on longer. I have re-purchased this many times and will continue on into the future and I love how great it is for it's value. Every day must have.

MUA eye palette - undress me too // £4
I love this palette, this and the original are meant to be dupes for the urban decay naked palettes which I am not fortunate enough to own so this it brill! Its a whole range of neutral mattes and shimmers that are all so wearable, I like mixing it up day to day as so many looks can be created with this! (I also use the light matte brown for my eye brows) They're not the best pigmentation but I can't complain as it's such great value at less than 20p a colour!

Maybelline The Falsies - Black // £7.99
This is by far one of my all time favourite mascaras! I love the effect it gives and is so easy to apply with nearly never any clumps, I love that it's build able depending on how many coats you apply. I find staying power isn't great after a long busy day but I'm not too fussed about that!, over all I love it.
OR
Benefit They're Real // £19.50
At almost £20 it's a lot to pay for a mascara however I was fortunate enough to receive a benefit voucher for my birthday so only paid £5, I really love this mascara, I never get any clumps and doesn't move at all through out the day. I love the effect it gives and I can see why people love it so much. I like this product as much as Maybelline The Falsies, so it's a great cheaper alternative.

Maybelline Gel liner //  £7.99
I really love this as it is so versatile, I can wear it on my waterline or on my upper lash line  and it stays put all day. I definitely prefer it to the other liquid liners available as it's easier to apply and drys quicker. It can be used lightly to define the eyes, or can create a cat-eye effect and be smudged to create a smokey eye. I comes with a brush which works fine but personally I think using an angled brush works more effectively.

Bert's Bees lip balm - Mango // £3.69
I think this is quite a lot of money to pay for what is it, but I am very pleased with it. I am definitely a lip balm junkie and this has become my go-to lip balm and almost run out (which is rare of a lip balm!!) I don't tend to wear a lip colour on a day to day basis I just go for a balm.This one in particular is so nourishing, the Mango drew me to this as love the scent, it didn't smell as I hoped but I still really liked it.

H&M double ended eye brush // £1.99
This brush is great value for what is is, you get an angles brush at one end which I use for my eyebrows, then a 'smokey eye' brush at the other which is great for patting colours on the eye-lid and in the crease.

Real Techniques expert face brush // £8.99
I was so desperate to try real techniques brushes as they have been so raved about so finally decided on this one. I love this so much! it feels so soft applying foundation and as it is synthetic hardly any foundation is wasted in the brush. I use this all the time now and I am really looking forward to getting some more.

Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed or gained something from this.

Love, Ellen x

Sleek // Storm palette

Sleek // Storm palette

Hey Everyone!!

Now, if I'm honest I don't own a huge selection of palettes or eye shadows as I tend to stick to a couple of ones that I know will get used, for example every day neutrals and a couple of shimmers for occasions, so I've never really branched out in this area shall I say! 

However I do know how much Sleek is raved about due to their quality and for their price. This palette in particular has been mentioned numerous occasions in blogs and on YouTube so I was so pleased and excited when my best friend got it for me for my birthday! (she must have remembered me lingering round the counter admiring it when we were shopping!!)

And I have to say I was definitely not disappointed with it!  The range of colours are so workable and I think all the colours in the palette compliment each other so its easy to match them up to create a look. It is made up of mainly shimmers and a couple of mattes, this palette is capable of so many looks, from neutral day time to various smokey eyes!

I hoped this review helped and I would definitely recommend this palette!

Love, Ellen x