Mani Monday!

Hi hi hi (: 

Manicure Monday comes in the form of these little bargain buys from Primark Beauty. I actually got them quite a while back so these one's aren't readily available in stores right now, although if you search around on Ebay and Amazon you might find them. However, they are currently selling a pastel set and a lovely collection of blues so for £2, I think you should go and see for yourself. 

The set doesn't have a name, I'd say they were all jewelled colours. It includes a purpley blue, a blue/ pink/ purple glitter, a silver glitter which has various sequins in, and a glittered bronze. My favourite would be the silver polish, as it's really thick (gives the illusion of a gel nail) and it only requires 2 coats to get an even finish. 

They're all pretty different polishes in regards to consistency, texture and pigments which is quite odd but it is Primark and you get what you pay for. 

• Purpley Blue Polish- This is probably the one I wouldn't buy if it was sold seperately. It looks really rich in colour in the bottle but once it's on the nail it's almost invisible. It required 4 coats to get the colour in the photo, therefore took quite a while to dry. In fact, it took the best part of an hour to completely dry, this is no good if you're looking for a quick fix. 
• Blue/ Pink/ Purple Polish- I really like this varnish as it only took 2 coats to get an even finish and dried really quickly. It's a pretty standard glitter nail polish at the end of the day.
• Silver Glitter Polish- Not only is this my favourite of the set, but one of my favourite glitter varnishes in my collection. Like I said, it applies thickly so it looks like I've had it done professionally, but it also dried pretty quick. Bonus! 
• Bronze Glitter- I use this quite regularly because it's such an versatile shade to wear. It's easy to wear this from day to night and it doesn't chip that easily either. I wish they sold this individually!  

I'd definitely recommend getting yourself a set of these. Yeah okay, they're not the best quality but you get 4 pretty decent nail varnishes for a measly £2. 

£2!

XXX

MAY. Little Haul & Mini Reviews.

Hello little darlings, how are you all doing??

Is it just me that is slightly alarmed by how quick this year is going so far? Come on, it's May already! 5 months in and the sun has finally come out and you're all embracing it I'm sure. I spent the warmest bank holiday weekend of the year at work, boo ): 

I've spent a little bit (only a little bit!) recently so I thought I'd give you a peek of it today. It's a mix of beauty buys and clothing so here we go. 

Cíate Nail Polish in Pocket Money

So I cheated a bit here because I didn't actually buy the nail varnish, it just came as a freebie with last months Marie Claire (£3.50) and this was just a bonus. 

I've never tried any Cíate products before so I was excited to get this in my magazine. I've heard really good things about them, they're a high-end brand, and the bottle is adorable. Not only this, but Pocket Money is the PERFECT shade. I'll go as far as to say this is my all-round favourite colour in my collection, just because the caramel shade goes with anything. Anything. 

Pro's 

• The colour. 
• The brush is amazing, it leaves no track lines and application was so easy. I hardly had to concentrate.
• Highly pigmented, only needed 1 coat. 
• Hasn't chipped at all so far, woop! 
• Dried within 2 minutes, max.  
• It comes in the best bottle and I am a strong believer in making your product look as classy as possible. 
• Well, it was free but Cíate polishes are usually around the £9 price range. Normally I would say this is too much for a nail varnish but I'd pay it. 

No Con's!

Avon Perfect Kiss Lipstick in Smitten Red

Again, this is a Marie Claire purchase (£2.50 for this the June issue!) This time I got this Avon Perfect Kiss lipstick in Smitten Red, which is actually more pinkish than red. I've never purchased anything from Avon before but I've heard very good things about their make up range so I rushed to try this out. 

The results? I love it. 

Pro's

• Really nice, appealing packaging. It has a 'clicky' lid which I always look for because I've had many mishaps with the lid coming off in my bag and all of my belongings have been smeared with lippy. 
• Long lasting. I applied it this morning and since then I have eaten and it's all still on. 
• It's super moisturising, my lips feel really smooth and nourished instead of dry and chapped, which many lipsticks seem to make them. 
• Easy application, it glides on.

Con's

• Requires a couple of applications to get a block, all over colour.
• Maybe a bit pricey for £8.50. That's just my personal opinion though. 

Next Petite Vest- Charity Shop

I love charity shops as much as the next person, but I've got to be in the right mood to go through all the other rubbish that they sell in them. I was in the best of moods this day though as I got this little spotty vest and the jeggings below all for £3.50. This top was only £1.50, but can you imagine how much this was originally?! Primark do similar ones and they're not even this cheap. I like the fact it's light weight and floaty because it makes it perfect for the summer sun. 

Primark Jeggings- Charity Shop

I like Primark denim and I'll forever sing it's praises no matter what people say. Yeah, a couple of months down the line they kind of lose their shape but come on, the most I've ever paid for some jeans are £11 so you can easily invest in another pair. These were £2 from my local charity shop and they fit so well and they're comfortable. I couldn't ask for much else.

Grey Cardigan- Primark

Speaking of Primark, I spotted this grey and white, oversized cardigan on sale for £3 and snapped it up. I love it and I've found it goes with pretty much everything and it's a perfect cover up in the spring sun. 

Black Heels- Primark

My taste in shoes is going through a massive change. I used to love big platforms and sky scraper heels, and I still do for a big night out. However, they just aren't appropriate for a quiet night down the pub or having a relaxing meal with my friends. Here come these beauties, which are a really soft, mid heel, pointed toe shoe which I find I'm wearing everywhere. I can hardly take them off and they're only £10!

Oversized Grey Split T Shirt- New Look

I'm so glad I spotted this in amongst all the mess of the New Look Sale. I've been wanting a top like this for absolutely ages, but as I am skint most of the time I don't want to pay big prices for one. This one is super soft, has two splits down the sides so I can show off a nice bralet or top underneath, and only cost me £5. Yes, £5. 

Internacionale Oriental Shrug- Charity Shop

Another quality charity shop buy here for £2.50. I love the summery colours, how it hangs, and how it can completely jazz up a simple vest and jeans combination.

I'm so impressed with my bargain buys! 

Do you love charity shops too? Drop us a comment and tell us about your favourite second hand purchases (: 

XXX

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

Mani Monday! Nails Inc 'St. James'

I've got quite a love/ hate relationship with Nail Inc, here's why. Their average bottle is about £11, right? That's pretty standard for a high-end nail varnish these days and I wouldn't mind paying this in the slightest if the quality matched up to price but I just find that it doesn't. I'm not a pampered princess, I don't (and can't) sit around the whole day doing absolutely nothing, so I'm quite hands on. I have found with every Nails Inc polish i've used that it chips at the most mundane of things, like washing up for example. This isn't good enough for varnish over a £10 (I personally don't even think that's good enough for anything over £5!) 

But anyway, I got St James free in a magazine quite a while ago and the colour is divine. This is where the love for this brand comes from, as all of their shades are beautiful. So, throwing my issues aside for the moment, I thought I'd give this a go.  

 Pro's

• Every girl should have this shade in their collection. It's just the perfect red, end of. 
• Glides on without any problems. I'm quite a messy one when it comes to applying nail varnish but this went on with 3 swipes of the brush, without any of it going on my fingers.
• Highly pigmented. I've only applied one coat on all of these photos, it doesn't need any more.
• Because of the above, you don't need to use a lot so you get a lot of the bottle. 
• The smell isn't overpowering. I hate walking back into the room where I've just painted my nails and being hit with a cloud of varnish toxins and this doesn't happen at all. 

Con's

• You know that rant I had at the beginning of this post? Well I was totally justified as, yet again, it chipped. Instantly. I let it dry completely and I even applied a top coat and the second I put my hands into the sink to wash up, it chips. 

 It's a shame because I love this colour, it's one of my favourites out of all my nail polishes, which I why I continue to use this. It also helps that this was free, and I didn't pay £11 for it. To say I have polishes that I payed £1 for that stay on for days before I see any sign of damage proves my point about the quality of Nails Inc. 

I would love to know if any of you have the same problem as I have! 

 

XXX