Nars Dolce Vita Lipstick

Sorry another post on a high end item, but I promise to post some more things from the drugstore and tags. I just have been loving lots of high end products at the moment- due to the fact that it was Christmas and Christmas is a time for luxury and treats. One thing I never payed attention to from Nars was lipsticks. I wanted to try their bronzers, blushers, concealers and foundations before I even thought about the other products Nars sell. However after seeing a you tuber rave about a Sephora set she bought which included this lipstick I knew I would love it and want to buy it. I saw that Asos just before Christmas had a 20% off everything and I couldn't turn down such a good deal especially as they have free delivery. These lipsticks originally cost £18.50 however I got mine for £14.80 which was a great deal especially as you never ever usually get money off makeup.

 

Nars Dolce Vita is a cult classic shade which is a your lips but better colour. I would describe the shade as a dusty rose colour, the shade is very warm compared to the likes of a usual pinky colour. At first sight I believe the shade looks very off putting however after swatching and putting on the lips you can easily fall in love. The black matte packaging and white writing is typical for Nars however beautiful and simplistic its a shame it gets dirty so quickly. This lipstick has quickly become my favourite of all time, its a perfect everyday lipstick especially as its so creamy and easy to apply. However this is part of the sheer range, if you want a bold red lip or a bright fuchsia this range of lipsticks will not be up your ally. Although I am not interested in getting any others from the range I am so pleased and think its worth every penny.   

 

I love how luxurious this is to use and it gives that satisfying click sound when your close the lid, I would literally give this a perfect 5/5 and couldn't recommend this enough.

 

You can buy this here

 

Thank you for reading,

Livs x

 



Mac Haul

Something a beauty blogger can't resist is Mac, and I definitely can't. Even if I just buy one thing, I still feel the necessity. I actually bought these things just after Christmas, on a post Christmas shopping trip were I hit the sales. However unfornately the sales were disappointing so I trotted over to Mac as they never disappoint and walked away with two products which I have wanted for a while. I should probably see it as a blessing that the closest Mac is around a hour away. I thought I would do a haul as one everyone loves to be nosy and two who doesn't love Mac.

 The first purchase I made was a lipstick in the shade Sunny Seoul and is a cream sheen so essentially is creamy on the lips. I would call this a typical me colour- one day I may be adventurous- its a lovely mixture between a coral and a pink. A lovely colour for everyday wear as the finish is very natural and isn't opaque so if you prefer a shade which gives off a lot of colour this isn't a shade I would suggest. I absolutely adore Mac lipsticks and this is another shade I am glad to add to my collection, perfect for the Summer.

Another thing which I have wanted to try for a long time is Mac eye shadows. Everyone raves about them, I just couldn't ever make my mind up on whether to get them or not. I mean firstly there is so much choice down to the colour range and size of the palette and of course the price as they aren't exactly the cheapest. However I decided to bite the bullet and buy a quad, as you able to fit four eye shadows which isn't an unmanageable amount however is more than a duo would offer. After finally making this decision, I decided to pick up one shade Wood winked. Woodwinked is a lovely shimmery brown which is comparable to the Maybelline Color Tattoo in On and on bronze. So far I am impressed with the quality of this shade and can't wait to fill this palette. I think the empty spaces encourage me to buy more- always a positive and negative.

 

Thank you for reading,

Olivia x

Naked Basics Review

One of the presents I got for Christmas was the Naked Basics Urban Decay palette which I knew my friend Emma was getting for me and I really was happy to receive this. At first I never intentionally wanted the basics palette and had my heart set on the well known and loved Naked palettes. Although I started to see a large amount of reviews and comments talking about how great this palette is due to the pigmentation, quality and price compared to the likes of other eye shadows and it went onto my wish list very quickly. As I decided I didn't need any more eye shadows it seemed appropriate to buy it for each other for Christmas which seems far more justifiable. Luckily at the time the palette was reduced by twenty per cent which can make a difference when make up shopping.

 

The palette comes with Five Matte Shades and a subtle shimmer which has a satin formula in the shade 'Venus.' When swatching this palette for the first time I was blown away by the pigmentation, especially the black which I find can usually be disappointing however on this occasion I found it to be the most pigmented out of all the shades available. I find when creating an eyeshadow look I am limited to the looks I can create however the idea of the palette is a Basic Every Day Look which you can achieve using every single shade. Venus is a beautiful shimmery white which is perfect for a inner corner and brow bone highlight. Foxy is an off yellow matte shade which is perfect towards the inner corners of the eye. Walk of Shame is a perfect transition colour to help blend the other shades across the lid. I find Naked 2 to be a perfect eyebrow shade however those with darker brows could use the shade Faint. The shade Faint is a dark brown which is very appropriate for creating a smoky eye into the crease and lastly Crave which is appropriate for a subtle eyeliner across the upper lash line.   

 

Not only does the product offer Six beautiful shades it also offers a large mirror which you can apply your makeup with. I find mirrors in products to be extremely useful- less space taken up in your make up bag. I also love the packaging, not only is it simple and unique however it also protects the product and is guaranteed to keep the eye shadows safe and secure whilst travelling. Especially as these eyeshadow are very appropriate for travelling. I was thoroughly impressed with this palette and I am glad it has entered my collection, I really would like to get my hands on the Naked Three palette very soon as I am dying to try that out.

 

Thank you for reading,

Olivia x

Beauty Haul

Before Christmas- which seems like millions of years ago- I did some shopping however never got a haul up in time as I wanted to take a little break over Christmas to spend time with friends and family. This is quite a small haul as I am a little confused between what I bought and what I got given for Christmas. So I thought I would show you some of the bits I picked up over December. For this time of year I love blouses and I initially really wanted a blouse with a detailed peter pan collar however I couldn't find any I liked however I did see this light grey blouse from Primark which I loved. For £9 I couldn't exactly say no, I really wasn't sure about the hidden buttons however to my surprise it looks lovely with a dainty necklace or perhaps a jumper with the collar poking through. They did lots of other colours and I think this blouse may have made me fall in love with blouses again. I also finally picked up a Revlon Lip Butter in the shade 'Pink Lemonade.' I kept putting off this purchase for a long time and I really don't see why as they are a perfect every day sheer lipstick. I loved this and I can't wait to pick up more from the range.

I actually went into Mac to buy the Rebel Lipstick however chickened out at the last minute as realistically I would never wear it due to the colour being so dark and out of my comfort zone so instead I picked up something I have wanted for a long time, a Mac brush. I find Mac brushes to be ridiculously expensive so it took me a long time to justify the £18 price tag, however after picking up the 217 I don't regret this purchase in the slightest. This brush is perfect for blending eye shadows; whether that would be into the crease or just general eyeshadow application. I think I would love to pick up the 266 which is perfect for your brows as I am need of trying and testing new brow products.

If you read my Favourites of 2013 post you will know I love Models Own Nail Polishes. I have discovered and loved these polishes over the last two months and this was my sixth addition to the collection in Southern Lights. Southern Lights is a beautiful opaque purple/ blue glitter nail polish. It literally only requires two coats and the nail varnish is opaque. The only thing which annoys me about this is taking it off, which is a gripe I have with all glitter nail polishes. Is there any other Models Own nail polishes you recommend as I want to try some more out over the next year?

 

Excuse the state of this as I have been using this. This is another product which has been on my wish list for a long time, The Dream Lumi Touch Highlighting Concealer. I have never tried a Highlighting Concealer before and was intrigued to see whether it made a difference to my under eye circles however I was left disappointed. The product is light and does diminish dark circles without creasing however it doesn't compare to the likes of the Lasting Perfection Concealer from Collection. So unfornately I won't be repurchasing this once it runs as I really expected more from this however I will be trying other concealers. Also the colour range isn't the greatest as I picked up the latest shade in Ivory which I find to be slightly too dark and my skin is not the lightest so I wasn't exactly impressed.

 

Thank you for reading,

Olivia x

101 Things in a 1,001 Days

So Happy New Year! I can't believe 2013 is over I feel as if have just got use to it and it's gone already. I thought instead of setting myself unreachable new year resolutions, I would write a realistic list of 101 things I would like to complete in 1,001 days.

Start Date: January 1st 2014

End Date: September 28th 2016

Completed

Not Finished 

64/101

1) Start a Youtube Channel

2) Advertise on someone else's Blog

3) Eat Fruit and Veg every day for a week

4) Make my Mum and Dad a Three Course Meal

5) Don't Eat Chocolate for 2 Weeks
6) Get 10 GCSE's A*-C (3 A*'s, 3 A's, 4 B's)

7) Order off the ELF Website

8) Go to the Cinema 10 times (10/10)

10) Reach 100 GFC followers (23rd June 2014) 

11) Possibly 150 Followers (106)
12) Read 30 books I have never read before (30/30)

13) Watch 50 films I have never seen before (50/50)

14) Do something out of my comfort zone (started my first proper new job)

15) Have a Harry Potter marathon 

16) Read a book in one day  (The Color Purple) 

17) Do a Beauty Swap

18) Hold a Giveaway

19) Visit Selfridges 

20) Make a list of 100 things which make me happy (20/100)

21) Watch the Lion King at the West End 

22) Buy a YSL lipstick 

23) Get my teeth whitened 

24) Sell all my unwanted clothes on Ebay

25) Have a blog sale

26) Buy a Custom Domain

27) Buy a Large Yankee Candle

28) Buy some Jeffrey Cambells 

29) Buy a Christmas Jumper
30) Get a job in which I enjoy

31) Save £500

32) Bake a Cake/Cupcakes for a friend

33) Finish a Mac Lipstick

34) Go to Go Ape

35) Start watching five new TV series (5/5)
Modern Family, The Vampire Diaries, The Originals, Gossip Girl, teen wolf

36) Start letting others advertise on my blog

37) Make fudge

38) Still be Blogging in 1,001 days

39) Make/ Pay for a Professional Blog Layout

40) Visit America

41) Learn how to use Photoshop properly

42) Visit a Country I have never been to (Portugal July 2014)

43) Go to a Blogger Meet-up (23rd August 2014)

44) Have a Michael Kors Watch

45) Buy something from Chanel

46) Buy four things for my friends/ family for no reason at all (4/4)

47) Finish my Wreck this Journal

48) Buy a real Christmas Tree (2014)

49) Stop my Bad Habits

50) Make a Rainbow Cake
51) Make something from scratch (Frosted cookie bars)

52) Leave School feeling happy and making the right decision in terms of Colleges

53) Do well in my A-levels I got A in maths, B in media, B in English lit
54) Eat a whole Dominoes pizza to myself

55) Visit a Bath and Body Works

56) Go to TGI Fridays

57) Go to IMATS

58) Raise money for charity

59) Go to Winter Wonderland

60) Try and learn a new language (I am learning French August/September 2014) 

61) Identify 10 things I like about myself 

62) Get a Clarasonic 

63) Win something

64) Use my bike more

65) Write a letter to open at the end of the 1,001 days

66) Go to a Spa for the day

67) Watch a movie in the cinema at midnight

68) Blog everyday for a month 

69) Make a red velvet cake

70) Buy a Canon or DSLR

71) Create a savings account

72) Go to Prom (3rd July 2014)

73) Get into University

74) Say Yes more

75) Buy something from Etsy 

76) Try 10 products from Lush I have never tried before (3/10)
American cream, daddy-o, R&B

77) Kiss in the rain

78) Buy a Mac book

79) Try 10 new foods (9/10)
Crème Brulee, Frozen Yoghurt, Peppers, Vanilla Crown, Halluomi, Lemon drizzle cake, Cauliflower Cheese, Potato Gratin, Leeks

80) Make a cheesecake (Malteser cheesecake) 

81) Learn to Roller-skate

82) Buy my first car

83) Try out and test new skincare products

84) Eat at a Restaurant I have never eaten at before

85) Make lots of effort over the Summer of 2014 to do things (BBQS, Chelsea, Seeing Wicked, SEBLOGGERS meet-up, enrolling in college, collecting results, getting a job etc)

86) Go to see Wicked again (17th June 2014)

87) Face a fear

88) Finish decorating my room

89) Do some DIY projects for my room

90) Learn all the words to Les Miserables

91) Make more of a conscious effort to keep my room tidy

92) Have more songs on my iPod generally make more of an effort trying to find Music which I love and enjoy

93) Do a Selfless Act

94) Buy the Naked 3 Palette

95) Buy an American Apparel Bow

96) Visit the Sea Life Center

97) Spend a ridiculous amount of money in one shop and not feel guilty about it

98) Buy my mum and dad a gift

99) Don't feel guilty eat chocolate once a day for a week

100) Complete at least 50 things from my list

101) Be able to finish writing 101 things

Thank you reading

Livs x