Mani Monday & Jungle Fever!

Hello (: Jenn here! 

We're really sorry about our lack of posts lately, we've both been stupidly busy so you'll just have to forgive us for the time being. 

Got a double whammy for you today, with a nail polish review (it's Manicure Monday!) and a quick outfit post which I haven't done for ages because the weather is so messed up ): 

Today our manicure comes in the form of Sinful Colors, an American brand which Boots stores all over the UK have now claimed. I've never heard of this brand or of their collection before so after spotting this absolutely lovely shade, and after seeing they are only £1.99 each, I was quick to grab it. 

 The colour of this caught my eye immediately, I don't have many greens in my own collection but this looked very refreshing and fit for spring. This one is called Pistachio and is slightly more vibrant than these photos suggest. 

Pro's 

• It's £1.99 and the bottle is quite big so you're getting a lot for it. 
• Highly pigmented, needs 1-2 coats (2 is really pushing it though)
• Dries reasonably quick, give it about 5 minutes. 
• I've done loads today and it still hasn't chipped, yay! 

Con's 

• Quite a gloopy consistency, so you have to make extra effort to wipe off the excess before applying. 
• Leaves slight track marks but it's quite easy to fix so that's not a massive issue. 

I really, really like this nail polish and I like it even better because it's so cheap and it doesn't lack in quality which most expensive brands seem to. There are 70 shades in the Sinful collection and they all look beautiful. You can find them here or at your local Boots store. Go, run! 

I also mentioned at the beginning of this post that I have a look for you, but it's just a really quick one (: So, it's stopped snowing (finally!) and the sun is starting to come out, kinda, and I can now go out without wearing my biggest coat which makes me very happy. 

Leopard print batwing t shirt- Topshop 

Jeggings- Next

Brown leather boots- River Island

Brown leather jacket- New Look

Alright, so it's not warm enough to go out completely without cover but my favourite leather jacket does the job perfectly. (I also wore it in this post!)

You can find it here in brown and mink for only £39.99. 

Have a lovely day (: 

XXX

A few beauty buys and Max Factor Colour Elixer review!

So, it's meant to be Mani Monday right? Right. However, I've done quite a few polish reviews and all things nails lately so I thought I would share you some of my latest beauty buys and give you a little review to read. You'll forgive me, i'm sure. 

It's actually been quite a while since I purchased anything hair and make up wise so I thought i'd treat myself whilst on my break at work on Saturday and this is what I ended up with: 

From left to right/ top to bottom

Max Factor Facefinity All Day Flawless Foundation: I've currently been wearing, either, a beauty balm or Body Shop Virgin Liquid Mineral foundation but i've been feeling a little run down lately so my skin is being a pain. I had a free sample of this in a magazine quite a few months ago and used it all up pretty much straight away, it's just so good. I'll do a proper review of this in weeks to come, but basically it's a 3 in 1 foundation (a primer, concealer and a foundation) so it's covers EVERYTHING. Superdrug/ £11.99

Collection Supersize Fat Lash Mascara: I've fallen out of love with my previous mascara and I needed a quick, cheap fix before I did proper research for a new one. This was the result. I've no idea how this is going to turn out so proper review soon! Boots/ £2.99

Lee Stafford Sunkissed Lightening Spray:  I love ombre, I really do, but i've been terrified of actually doing it myself with those box kits because I just don't think the whole blonde block of colour will do much for my ginger hair. I came across this a couple of weeks ago and I thought I would give it a go. It's a spray that permanantly lightens your hair GRADUALLY. Which means I have a lot of control about how much I stick in it/ how light it will go. I'm so excited to start using this so expect my full length review as soon as possible. Boots/ £7.99 

Batiste Dry Shampoo/ Vibrant & Red: Bit of an impulse buy. I am not Batiste's number one fan in the slightest, I would actually go as far as to say I don't like it at all. BUT, the dry shampoo I was using was leaving white residue everywhere and, quite frankly, the grey hair look isn't pretty. I picked this up right at the till because I wanted to see if the hint of red would solve my problem. We'll see. Superdrug/ £1.99 

Collection Lasting Perfect Concealer: I've heard so many good things about this product, I just had to buy it. This is for when I don't want to wear foundation and I just want a cover up. Can't wait to try! Superdrug/ £3.69

Max Factor Colour Elixer Giant Lip Pencil in Passionate Red:

 There isn't much information on this product anywhere, so I was intrigued when I got one of these free when I spent over £10 on other Max Factor products at Superdrug (my foundation was £11.99) 

There are 6 shades in this collection, including this one Passionate Red. The others are Blossom, Hot Chocolate, Princess Rose, Subtle Coral and Vibrant Pink, and they're £6.99 each. It is described as 'a chunky pencil with a precision sculpted tip for defined application and an intense slick of glossy colour', however as you may see from the photo above, it's not really a 'scultped tip' but more of a chubby one. 

I'm not overally sure on this product, it just lacks quite a lot of finesse which is a shame really. First of all, it's not very pigmented as I needed about 2-3 coats before it covered my whole lip evenly. Secondly, it has no lasting power at all, I don't even know how to describe this, you've only got to touch it and half it comes off. I did a 4 hour shift on Sunday and it hardly lasted an hour. Thirdly, it has that weird, gritty feeling that most of Max Factor lip products have (well, from what i've tried) and so it doesn't feel that nice. And lastly, I still don't know what it's trying to achieve! Is it a gloss, a lipstick, or a balm? It goes on like a standard lipstick would but it has the texture of a too-sticky gloss. Hm. Not Impressed. 

The only thing I like about this product is the deep cherry colour, which is the only reason I would wish to continue using it. However, I wouldn't pay £6.99 for it so i'm glad I had the chance to use this for free. 

Left- Just applied. Right- After ONE SIP of water.

I would love to know if any of you have used this product too, and how you felt about it!

XXX

Casual Tuesday- Outfit Of The Day

Hey guys (: I know it's been a while since I did an outfit post but I actually look half okay today so I thought why not! 

It's still mightly, mightly cold outside (boo!) so I can't break out my dresses and short sleeves without covering up with masses of cardigans and coats so you'll just have to bear with us whilst it's still chilly. 

Sometimes I find it really difficult to look casual, yet still relatively stylish, as most of the time I just feel like a massive tramp. I think the trick is to know how to acessorize, especially if you're just a jeans and t-shirt kinda girl. 

The tee trend at the moment seems to be the ones where the words 'GEEK' and 'DORK' and all that silliness, is 'adorned' across the front. I don't know about you, but I really don't like it. I much prefer my little, white, bike t shirt (Topshop, £20) Unfortunately, Topshop don't sell this anymore but here are a pick of my favourite alternatives. 

Grey 'Twin Peaks' T Shirt (Topshop £22)/ Green Bird Print T Shirt (River Island £15)/ Black Hand of Fatima T Shirt (New Look (£7.99)

SHOES

My black ankle boots are from New look here (they also come in khaki). They're only avaliable in the wide fit section but that just means they're that little bit more comfortable for your feet! I adore the paisley detail in the cuff and they're a bargain at £19.99 (: 

ACCESSORIES 

Aquamarine and white make a great pair, which is why i've chosen these accessories to wear with my simple t shirt and jeans. The earrings are from Primark (part of a set of 12 for £2.50) which Sophie reviewed in this post here. The ring is actually from Greece, and if you're planning a trip this year then definitely keep an eye out for stuff like this, it's everywhere and, most of the time, it's quite affordable. If not, have a mooch around your local Primark and River Island as it's a popular colour at the moment.

EVERYTHING ELSE 

 

 It's far to cold to be going out in just a t shirt, so don't forget your big, chunky cardigan. Mine is actually Sophie's (which I stole, sorry!) But I adore it so much, it's so warm and I love anything that's oversized so this does just the trick. 

My leather bag is years and years old so it's looking a little battered, but it was from Topshop and it was in the sale for £20. Bargain. 

 

Till next time!

XXX

 

slept-on hair, sepia shadow & oversized everything

Hey guys! It's Sophie.

Here I am.

I think one of my favourite types of days is when it's really bright and sunny, but still all crisp and Wintery. Today was one of those days, so I thought I'd share my outfit with you! It's not quite as cold in Plymouth as it is in the West Midlands where I think they've had snow, I love snow but we've stayed around 6 - 8 degress down here. My outfit today kept me warm, but was a bit lighter than the massive parka and ugg boots uniform I've been in for the past few days due to the constant rain!

My trusty black leggings were around £8 from Matalan a while ago, they are stirrup leggings and this is why I love them, nothing is worse than leggings riding up my leg! My plain black suede boots are from Primark and I'm pretty sure they were £8 too, they go with everything and are really easy to throw on, except when it's been raining because they literally absorb all moisture within a ten mile radius and I end up with soaking feet :( 

I liberated this jumper from my mom's wardrobe a while ago, she's had it for a long time and doesn't remember where from. I love nothing more than being swallowed by huge chunky knit jumpers in the colder months so this oversized fit is perfect. 

 I usually wear my hair up during the day, and I don't think you can ever go wrong with a messy bun. I washed my hair last night and put it straight into a bun, slept on it, and this is pretty much how I woke up, I just bobby pinned a few stray bits into place. I find the best way to achieve the effortless look is to not make any effort :p

I recently watched a brilliant video by Pixiwoo on YouTube, talking about how the makeup trends forecast for Spring and Summer features a lot of sepia. It may be a tad optimistic to think that there's the faintest hint of Spring in the air just yet, but I love sepia and it was sunny so I gave it a try. I don't have a true sepia eyeshadow, but really liked the effect I got from an orangey, yellowey, goldy, slightly shimmery shadow in my MUA Heaven & Earth palette. Remember camel? I think I'd describe it as camel. 

Heres my face:

 I also wore a really thin line of dark brown eyeliner on the top, just to define my lash line (Black Brown by Elizabeth Arden) and a dark brown, almost black but not quite mascara (Astonishing Long & Rich Mascara from Avon, in Brown Black). My lipstick is Hue by Mac - the perfect light, pinky, nudey shade that's not too light, too pink or too nude, if you know what I mean!

 

 I wore my beloved £10 New Look boyfriend coat, as discussed here.

 

 And a thick woolly loop scarf to snug it up a bit! My bag was £16 from Peacock's and my mansized rose gold watch is Michael Kors. 

Thank you for reading! Love love loves xxx

Brrr

It's been so cold the past few days, especially with the arrival of all this snow! I'm really not a fan of it, it's for difficult to get places because the buses just stop running (even if it's not bad!), it's wet, and it's especially horrible when it starts to melt and it's just grey sludge. But alas! It will not stop our plans so we must go on. 

My outfit today was quite a snug one, which seems to be a running theme with my last few looks. 

The knitted rollneck dress is actually a really dark navy, not black, and has horizontal blue glitter stripes running through it. It's so comfortable and lightweight as it's not a heavy knit, but a very thin one. It was from River Island several years ago so I can't remember the price exactly. My cardigan is from a charity shop, orignally from H&M. I really love the collar to this, it's so cosy and it looks really nice with a jacket as it hangs over it beautifully. 

My tights are some cheap woolen ones from Primark, which are also very comfortable and for two pairs for £4 I think you should all invest in some. 

My tan bag is from Matalan, also from a few years ago and my boots are suede and so lovely and warm! I've had them for literally years and years, so long that the brand has worn off so I don't actually know where they're from! 

 XXX