MUA pretty pastels eyeshadow palette review with swatches

Hi everyone. I usually host giveaways myself, but sometimes I enter the ones organized by fellow bloggers too. I was lucky enough to win a couple of bits and bobs in the past 7 months :) I think all of them were single item giveaways though. The most recent one was MUA Pretty Pastel palette. I was planning to buy it myself, but like I mentioned before, my local Superdrug stores are really bad at stocking MUA. The shelves are always empty and I don't like to buy makeup online, I like to swatch it before, see it etc..

First of all I need to say that I have been using Urban Decay eye shadows most of my adult life, so I am used to great quality and and an amazing colour payoff. I will add my UD collection post soon.

The MUA palette is a bargain, retailing at £4 for 12 colours. I didn't expect it to be amazing, but it is actually ok. The one I got contains pastel colours, very delicate powder pinks, violet, blue, lime green and some neutrals. You can see all the colours in the swatches below (All the pictures were taken in natural daylight). All shades except the first one in the top row are slightly shimmery, not very pigmented and a bit powdery. To get the best results, I would recommend using a primer. Surprisingly the colours lasted on my eyelids for most of the day without creasing , so if you are looking for a cheap eye shadow palette you should definitely give this one a go. Have you ever tried their make up?

NOTD- starting again

Hi everyone, 

I get many compliments about my nails in my NOTD posts, but most of the time I use fake nails to get a nicer effect. I don't even wear the fake nails to be honest, it is purely for my blog and to please your eyesight :) and mine obviously. I don't want to damage my nails with strong nail glue, so I use eyelash glue instead and it keeps the fake nails in place for a couple of minutes, it is enough for me to take the pictures and when I am done I just peel them off. I know... it sounds crazy :)

I recently filed my nails down to nothing, because I want them to become stronger, so here they are... my tiny, short nails with a glittery manicure. I used 2 nail polishes from the OPI NYC Ballet Collection: Don't Touch My Tutu and Pirouette My Whistle.  I am also using OPI nail Envy every day to make my nails stronger.

Accessorize lipsticks in shades Besotted and Head Over Heels

Hi everyone. 

When I heard about the new Accessorize makeup range I was very excited, but unfortunately my local Superdrug stores and even the bigger ones in Glasgow don't stock most of the products. The only thing I managed to find was a baked blusher, that I reviewed here. The prices are very affordable and I wish I could find the eyeshadow palettes somewhere :(

I received two Accessorize lipsticks recently and I am in love with the unique packaging. It is totally different than anything I have seen before.  I received shades 3- Besotted* and 4-Head Over Heels*. They are both very pigmented and the colours are gorgeous, but if I don't apply a lip balm first they are more on the dry side. The finish they give when applied on their own is matte, but I used a lip balm first to make them work for me. On the first picture you can see me wearing Besotted with a little bit of a Clinique lip gloss on top of it and I think it looks really nice this way. The colour stays on for over 5 hours! I don't think I've ever had a lipstick on for such a long time without reapplying.

Although I am not impressed with the formula on its own, I really enjoy wearing the lipsticks on top of a lip balm or topped up with some lip gloss. They cost £4.99 and you can get them in selected Superdrug stores. Have you tried Accessorize make up? What are your thoughts?

A cute little purchase

I really wanted to share some pictures of this lovely handmade scrabble cushion.

I bought it from Stacey from www.beautebelle.blogspot.co.uk and I absolutely love it.

Stacey is a very talented girl with an amazing blog and I would definitely recommend checking it out.

The cushion is very well made and the attention to detail is incredible. It looks lovely  on my living room sofa!

5 Ways to Stay Mentally Fit When Dealing With A Long Term Injury

https://unsplash.com/photos/lrQPTQs7nQQ 

Getting on the fitness train can be tricky, but staying on it is often harder, especially if you go too hard too soon. This approach usually results in an injury, meaning all your hard work feels like it was for nothing. Long-term injuries make it even worse, and you might be out of the game even longer than you think. A lack of activity is enough to drive anyone wild, which is why you need to know how to stay mentally fit when dealing with your injury. 

Homemade avocado and banana face mask

Have you ever tried homemade face masks? They are brilliant and easy to make. My favourite one is avocado and banana. Both fruits are full of goodness for your skin, avocado is highly moisturising and nourishing and banana is full of precious minerals that will benefit your skin. You can also add egg yolks, olive oil, yogurt or vitamin E. It is up to you, be adventurous! If there is any leftovers, freeze them and thaw anytime you need a face mask. This little skin treat leaves my face soft and nourished, gives it  a lovely glow and it is 100% natural! Use organic ingredients to make sure there is no nasty preservatives in them! I usually keep it on for 10-15 minutes for best results. Are you going to give it a go?

JULY EMPTIES

I really like writing my empties posts and the whole idea of using up products, to narrow down the product selection in my beauty cabinet. This month I managed to use up 4 full size products and 2 samples (foundation and a bb cream). Let's hope I can do better next month and use up more body products.

I already reviewed Jasons Super-C range, so if you would like to find out more click here. I really enjoyed using both products, they smell lovely and are perfect to use in the morning, to give my skin a boost of energy.

The no7 makeup remover is one of my favourite products ever and I also reviewed it before here. It is very gentle and removes all traces of makeup with minimal effort. Amazing! I already repurchased it :) and I will keep buying new bottles until it is discontinued. Let's hope it never happens :)

Vichy Normaderm anti-imperfection concentrate is my saviour! the 15ml tube lasted for over a year and it works wonders on breakouts! I need to buy a new one asap! I can't live without it, especially when my skin is going through crazy changes when I am losing weight. I tend to get more breakouts when I exercise and eat less calories :/

The UNE foundation is quite good, it is very light, gives medium coverage and a nice, healthy glow to my face. I don't need a new foundation at the moment, so I won't be buying the full size, but I will consider it for the future. You can get it from Boots for £12.49.

L'Oreal BB cream is ok, nothing special to be honest. It  gives light/sheer coverage and doesn't cover any imperfections. I thought that BB creams are meant to make your skin looking flawless...

Candy striped nails in white and blue

What do you think about candy striped nails? I tried blue and white this time and I quite like it. The stripes are not perfect, because I used the normal nail polish brush :)

If you would like to find out how I'm doing with my weight loss click here.

ASOS, Forever21 and topshop haul

I am addicted to jewellery and clothes and I can't stop buying new stuff... I really need to stop, but it is so hard! I have got no space left in my wardrobes, drawers etc... but here is another haul :) haha
I will try to link the items that are still available on the bottom of the post from Asos and Forever21.

White bedroom furniture

When it comes to interior design, I can spend hours looking on websites with beautiful furniture and dream about redecorating the full house again :) The room I am working on at the moment is the master bedroom. The colours I picked for it are white and gold and I really like this combination. If money was no object I would definitely splurge on new furniture, because the wardrobe I am using at the moment is far too small. I would also like to replace my dressing table with a new one and redecorate the guest bedroom.

I have been browsing through Oldrids & Downtown website and I picked my dream bedroom furniture. I like simple designs in white, because they look really fresh and make the room look more spacious. What are the colours you picked for your master bedroom?

1. Signature Mirror £179

2. Cameo Dressing Table £269

3. Cameo 3 Door Wardrobe £499

4. Paris Double Bedframe £299

5. Cameo 3 Drawer Bedside Chest £99

Snow Sprinkled Nails- Velvet Manicure in White

I am totally in love with this manicure! It looks like snowflakes sprinkled allover my nails. It is really beautiful in real life and hopefully on the photographs too :) I have never seen anything like this, I have seen other velvet manicures before, but not a white one. I will be trying other colours in the future. So far I used pink (here) and purple (here).
I have been asked many questions about this manicure, so here is a quick Q&A.
Doesn't it feel weird? No, it feels soft and fluffy.
How long does it last? About 3-4 days
Does the velvet fall off after you wash you hands? No, it stays on until you remove it.
Is it hard to remove? It takes about 10 seconds to remove the flocking from one nail, with normal nail polish remover.

POUNDLAND BARGAIN ALERT!

I had to let you know about these bargain makeup buys from poundland. I don't know what's available in your local stores, but the one I went to had shelves full of Stila spf30 tinted moisturiser and powder foundation. What a bargain!!! The RRP is over £20, so you can't go wrong.  I also picked up Rimmel lipglosses.  Amazing value for money! Have you been on a poundland bargain hunt recently? What did you get?