Revlon - Bewitching

I wasn't looking for a nail polish whilst browsing through my local drugstore, but as soon as I set eyes upon Revlon's - Bewitching (620), I knew I had to have it. It's my idea of Autumn/Winter in a bottle and is definitely something I would have on my nails on a regular basis. I know this as I already own a fairly similar shade which I love (273 Barry M's - Raspberry). Barry M's Raspberry is very similar although it's a shade or two lighter. Bewitching is a deep berry red - (very almost) burgundy shade. 

Revlon's polishes overall I think are good quality. They're priced at around £6-£7 which is great value considering the quality and quantity. I love the packaging and the variety of shades that are available. I find their polishes are easy to apply and are just the right consistency. I found that Bewitched looked pretty much opaque with just one coat which is great if you're in a rush, nothing worse then needing to apply coat after coat after coat. Not to mention you're not using as much polish. But for a much opaque look two coats is just right. This polish leaves a lovely glossy finish which I love. 

Barry M's polishes are a lot cheaper at just under £3 - bargain! But although Raspberry is easily a favourite of mine I think I prefer the slightly darker shade offered from Bewitching. You get almost 5mls more of polish with Revlon and a much better quality product. Barry M's polishes are affordable but I find they can chip quickly. It takes more coats to build a more opaque finish with Raspberry, I've included a picture below to allow for comparison. Not quite a dupe but I think they're very similar. Although the two shades look a lot alike in the bottle, once on the nails it's easy to spot the difference - especially in the sunlight.

{Revlon's - Bewitching, two coats}

{Middle finger is Barry M's - Raspberry, two coats}

What do you think of Revlon's Bewitching? Do you have any Autumn polish favourite's?

Photo Diary #3

{Starting from top left-clockwise}

-Never too old for one of these

-I picked up some Wonka nerds! These bring back memories!

-Look who my mum found in her suitcase whilst packing for holiday :)

-Cute little candle holder lantern that I picked up earlier this week in a lovely little shop

-Sparkly glitter iphone case from Accesorize

-My fish tail braid attempt

-My naughty rabbit eating all of the plants

-Eating a bit too many jelly beans - they're addictive!

-There has been so much rain this week in England! Makes me wish I was back here in the sunshine

Link Love

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Elephants are one of my favourite things, I absolutely adore them.  This picture is amazing - it makes me smile.

This glitter gradient manicure looks gorgeous, definitely something I'd like to try out. The 'How To' is really straightforward.

Keeping with the 'nails theme'... I've just discovered the blog  'Nailed It',  which is full of amazing tutorials and all things nails related. Great for a nail polish junkie like me :)

I really love this 1950's inspired ponytail look/tutorial from The Beauty Department. I shall be trying this very soon, I think it looks really girly and great for both a day time or night time look. I love it!

I've just recently downloaded the Pinterest app for my phone. So I've been going on to Pinterest quite a bit over the last couple of days. Probably one of my favourite picture of the week from Pinterest is this one. It's such a simple but personal idea for a loved ones birthday!

It's nice reading a heart-warming, honest lifestyle post like this one by Louise at Sprinkle of Glitter (Crayola Weekends). 

As sad as it may be I think it's time to accept that Autumn is definitely here, it's getting colder! Now as much as I love cracking out the bright nail polishes and the summery dresses I equally love winter bits. I'm talking over sized cardigans, woolly scarves, gloves and all the rest of it. I got quite excited when I popped in to Accessorize last week and discovered that they have their 'Winter Shop'  stock out now. They have some lovely bits in their which make me a bit too excited for colder days to come. 

How cute are these owl slippers from Next!

The Scripts last album 'Science and Faith' is a favourite of mine. I really want to pick '#3' up to! As well as P!nk's new album 'The Truth About Love'

MAC - Soft And Gentle Mineralize Skinfinish

Whilst browsing through duty free a couple of weeks ago I made a few purchases, one of those being MAC's Mineralize Skinfinish in Soft and Gentle. This has been on my wishlist for a while now, so I thought I'd grab it in duty free seeing as it would be slightly cheaper. I own MAC's Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Medium Plus and it's become a daily staple in my makeup routine.

This product just looks really beautiful both in the pan (I love the swirls and the colours) and when applied. Soft and Gentle is intended as a highlighter. MAC'S website describes this product as a "velvet-soft powder with high-frost metallic finish" which is a pretty accurate description. I'd describe the shade as a pearly/peachy champagne - it's gorgeous! Once applied it doesn't feel heavy on the face and stays on for the best part of the day. Soft and Gentle gives a really subtle dewy highlight which I adore. I've also noticed that it looks very natural once applied, unlike some products which can look quite cakey. It's easy to blend this in to the skin and create the finish that you're looking for. Some have argued that this product covers you in glitter when applied, I personally haven't noticed any chunks of glitter being transferred on to my face once applied. There can be at times a bit of a shimmer but nothing over the top for everyday use but of course everyone is different so it depends on what you like I suppose.

Like most highlighters you're free to apply this in various places. I personally dust a bit on my cheeks and under my eyebrows. Although this product can also be applied pretty much anywhere on the body. It's very versatile and although it's not the cheapest, Mineralize Skinfinishes (MSF) are priced at around £21.50, I know that these products can last a very long time. I'm yet to hit pan on my MSF in Natural which I have been using almost daily for over a year now. 

{I've layered this up a bit to demonstrate the shade and the lack of chunky glitter, this is easy to blend out to give a natural highlight to wherever you fancy}

If you're looking for a gorgeous highlighter to add a dewy luminous glow to your complexion this may be the product for you, I think it's beautiful product and definitely something I can see myself using on a daily basis.

Have you tried Soft and Gentle? What are your highlighter favourite's?

Stila - Stay All Day Liquid Eyeliner

I've discovered a new eyeliner favourite! Whilst browsing through Boots a few weeks ago I spotted Stila's liquid eyeliner, in 'intense black', and was drawn in. What appealed to me was the felt tip style applicator, something I haven't tried before in a liquid eyeliner. Although I love the look of them, I'm always wary that it means that the product will dry up quickly! So I swatched this on the back of my hands... a lot, expecting to see the liner fade or something. The eyeliner didn't in any way fade but what sealed the deal for me was trying to rub the liner off the back of my hand. It wouldn't budge for anything, this really impressed me, I had to have it!

I'm definitely an eyeliner type of girl. I use liquid eyeliners occasionally, but more often then not I'm either using pencil or gel. I do have L'Oreal's liquid super liner in 'black amethyst' but it's a metallic dark purple shade, so I was in need of a black liquid eyeliner.

I started using this eyeliner whilst on holiday and I love it. It's extremely easy to use and I find it stays on very well. I found the felt tip pen applicator gave me a lot of control when applying the eyeliner, the tip is nice and thin so it's easy to apply a precise thin line if that's what you're after, but equally you can go for a more bold look with a thicker line. I found this eyeliner a lot easier then most for winging the eyeliner due to the tip. The applicator is gentle on the eyes and doesn't pull in any way, obviously the skin around the eye is very delicate so this is important. 

The liner itself comes out a lovely, slightly glossy, jet black. I personally found that the liner stays on very well with no smudging or creasing. I wore this almost every evening on holiday and so at times the temperatures could be quite humid but this liner stayed put. At the end of the evening it looked pretty much as if I'd just applied it, even near the tear ducts which with some liners seem to disappear.

Unfortunately I haven't properly tested how waterproof this eyeliner is, I haven't swam with it on. I have noticed that it doesn't run when water has been splashed on the face, like some mascaras/eyeliners. But it does come off nicely when using a hot, wet flannel to the face. To be honest it would annoy me if I had to rub my face raw to get this stuff off as it can be a bit of a pain.

Overall so far I'm really happy with this product, I'll definitely be repurchasing. I love how precise it can be, that it stays on very well and looks lovely on. My only criticism is that I can see that the writing on the product is starting to smudge off slightly. 

Do you wear liquid eyeliner or do you prefer something different? I'd love to hear what peoples favourite eyeliners are... I like discovering new favourite's!

Stila's stay all day waterproof eyeliner can be purchased online at Stila (link) or in Boot's stores for £13.

Photo Diary #2

{Starting from top left - right}

 -The beach in the evening on holiday

-A yummy Pina Colada

-Camel ride!

-Window view from the plane on the way home

-A mini pampering session

-My little graduation bear :)

Thought I'd add a little photo diary post today. I'll probably add more very soon as I have a lot more photos on my actual camera, the above were just a couple that were on my phone. I love posts like these and creating collages (so feel free to leave a link if you have something similar on your blog). I think posts like these are lovely to look back on - scrap book comes to mind here. Not to mention that I love taking pictures anyway. I just need to find the time to organise my pictures file on this laptop... it's.a.MESS ;) 

The Return

Hello everyone! I thought I'd post a little update today as I haven't been around for a little while. Last night I returned home from a lovely week away in the sun. It was a hectic rush with last minute packing and lots of working to save up the pennies before I went away but it was all worth it in the end. I had a lovely week away and I'm definitely feeling the holiday glow. Whilst away I missed blogging but I kind of enjoyed recharging my batteries, so to speak, and having time away from the computer/internet/work/phone etc. Sometimes it's nice to just focus entirely on having a good time and relaxing.

It's my graduation tomorrow... the last three years have flown by. I remember thinking how far away this day felt, but it's here now (scary). So the rest of my evening will consist of unpacking, painting my nails, having a nice soak in the bath and charging up my camera. Until next time x