This Weeks Happy #7

- Vicki 6 Comments

Me & my Niece Alyvia

Scottish Roadtrip

This past week we took 5 days off & headed north of the border to Scotland where my family live, we make the 300 mile drive about every 8 weeks & its always such a beautiful journey. We didn’t expect to see snow but it made all the hills look pretty. The scenery always looks so different each time depending on the season, even though I must have done the journey countless times I never tire of it. I love getting to see my family & especially my niece who is 6 & is growing up so fast.

Date Night True Romance Date Night

My husband & I celebrated 15 years together in February & we never do anything extravagant to mark the occasion. This year was no exception. I spotted that one of our favourite bars Kosmonaut in Manchester was showing our favourite film and we decided it would be a fun way to celebrate. Pizza, cocktails & True Romance = my ideal date night.

Vanilla Chai

Chai has become my drink of choice over the past few months, I love how spicy it tastes. It’s become so easily available too & most supermarkets have their own version. The Vanilla one I have photographed above is nice but I think the original Tesco version is nicer. If you have a favourite brand of Chai then let me know, I’d love to try more.

Deliciously Ella Cookbook

In the past 3 years since my dad had his Stroke my whole family has started to eat better. My mum juices twice a day & has stopped smoking & her skin is looking incredible. My husband & I eat a Vegan diet & we have never been more adventurous & excited about cooking & meal planning. We have discovered so many tasty meals and snacks since cutting out all the processed food. I have been trying to do more of the cooking these past few months and buying some cookbooks has really helped. Deliciously Ella is the newest book in my collection & I have found it so easy to follow & even a beginner like me has been able to follow the recipes & cook some edible meals.

I have a post planned all about my favourite Vegan / healthy meals and snacks, so keep an eye out for that.

5 From Collection Cosmetics

- Vicki 19 Comments

5 products from Collection

I thought I would start a new series on the old blog & over the next few weeks share with you 5 products from different brands. For week 1 I have picked Collection, I do own more than 5 products from this brand but these are the 5 products I have picked to share with you. Collection or Collection 2000 as they used to be known is a very affordable brand & I know most people know them for their Lasting Perfection Concealer & I must be the only person that doesn’t get on very well with that product. So that isn’t in my roundup.

Collection Cream Puff Lip Cream –  In Cotton Candy. The colour is a pretty dusky rose pink which applies evenly and creamy on the lips. It feels moisturising & it dries to a velvet matte finish. Despite this being a matte finish it doesn’t feel drying at all & wears off the lips evenly after a few hours. Its pretty, cheap & it smells so good! Thats 3 reasons you should buy it, if you haven’t already.

Collection Work The Colour Lip Butter – In Perfect Plum  This plum shade is really vibrant and is so easy to apply. I like that its not overly glossy and the formula doesn’t feel slippery or greasy on the lips. It wears really well on me & I think these are my favourite budget lip crayons, so affordable. I just hope they release a few more shades.

Collection 2000 Blush in the shade Trouble – This is a pretty pink blush with a slight shimmer. It gives your cheeks a flushed look and I love to wear it as a Summer blush. The blush is soft and the power feels very fine. I think it looks pretty on me when I have a hint of a tan. Have you tried any other Collection Blushes? I’d like to buy a few more if you have any recommendations.

Collection Lip Butter and Cream Puff Swatches

Collection Big Fake Curves Mascara – I think we need to address the size of the brush first, its enormous & a very odd shape too. I found it quite hard to use at first & often it ended in me poking my eye (very painful). If you persevere its actually a pretty decent mascara. The formula is quite dry but it was easy to apply and made my lashes look long, full and fluttery. After a full day wearing this there was a a little flaking under my eye but nothing that would stop me using it. If you like big brushes that coat each individual lash to give you voluminous lashes then give this mascara a go.

Eyes Uncovered Nude Bronze Palette – I’m a neutral palette ADDICT (which I have confessed on here many times)! This Nude Bronze palette is beautiful and for an affordable brand the colours are pigmented and very good quality. I have swatched the 6 colours below & all apart from the first swatch (which is a very first light cream shade) have shown up pigmented and even. All the shadows have some shimmer in them, so if you want a more matte palette then the Nude Palette might be the one for you. The colours are easy to blend & have a little fall out but nothing that tapping your brush off won’t solve.

All three of these new palettes retail at £3.99 & I think that’s incredibly good value for money. If you have bought any of them let me know what one you went for & how you’re getting on with it.

Collection Eyes Uncovered Bronze Nude Palette

Let me know what products you would recommend I try next from this brand & let me know if you have tried any of the products I’ve mentioned.

February 2015 Favourites

- Vicki 8 Comments

My February Favourites

DHC Virgin Olive Oil Swabs* – At first I thought these would be a little gimmicky & not anything to write home about , but I was so wrong. If like me you wear liquid liner & are terrible at getting both eyes to look the same, or if you make a little mess when applying mascara then these swabs are so handy to have. They come individually wrapped & look like cotton buds (but they’re magic cotton buds) so if you’re travelling you can take a couple with you. You get 50 in a box & they’re double ended. One swipe with these and your liner or any mess that you’re trying to clean up has disappeared. No rubbing or tugging literally one light swipe & you’re good to go.

DHC Olive Virgin Oil Swabs

RMK Vintage Candy Cheeks in 01 Candy Pink* – I use this as a highlighter as it’s a little too shimmery to be a blush. It gives my cheekbones a pretty peachy glow & it look gorgeous when the light hits your face. I think the packaging is beautiful, it’s rose gold & comes with the a little mirror inside too. So elegant. I posted about the Vintage Sweets Collection a few weeks ago. It is limited edition so be quick if you have your eye on anything.

Burberry Body Body Mist– I haven’t tried a fragrance from Burberry before & I have no idea why, I have been using this one since December & simply adore it. The Body Mist is a lighter version of the iconic Burberry Body fragrance. I am TERRIBLE at describing scents so this is what Burberry has to say about it

‘Top notes of fresh green absinthe, illuminating elegant peach and refined freesia. Floral bouquet of natural rose absolute and iris blends gently with subtle warm tones of sandalwood to form the heart notes. Woody cashmeran, creamy vanilla, sensual amber and musk compose the base.’

Because it is a body mist it’s the perfect scent to wear during the day, it lasts a good amount of time. The packaging is beautiful too, the frosted glass bottle is tall & slim with a rose gold lid. It looks pretty on my vanity.

Burberry Body

NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Rust – I have three of these NYX pencils but this is the one I use the most. I’m a big fan of cream shadows & find these jumbo crayons the easiest to apply. No dipping fingers into pots, you simply glide them over your eyelid and either use a brush to blend the product in or I find using my ring finger just as effective. This Rust shade is stunning metallic red toned bronze, it looks so pretty on. These never crease on my lids & they make a great base for powder shadow, especially if you want your eyeshadow to look more pigmented & last longer. NYX is so affordable & now stocked in many NEXT stores in the UK.

OGX Hydrate + Defrizz Kukui Oil Anti-Frizz Hydrating Oil* – Earlier this year I reviewed the Kakui Oil Shampoo & Conditioner and I have been using this leave in oil alongside them. This range uses the natural nut oil which is hydrating and locks in moisture as well as leaving the hair glossy and lightweight. l like to spray on to damp hair & it leaves my locks feeling so soft, it never looks greasy. If like me you have quite thick wavy frizzy hair you will love it, it really calms fly aways & makes my wavy hair look so healthy. It gives it bounce without the frizz. Its a wonderful addition to my haircare routine.

Collection Eyes Uncovered Nude Bronze Palette – I have the Little Mix palette which is similar but when I saw that Collection had released 3 more palettes I had to get one. I am a neutral palette ADDICT! This Nude Bronze palette is beautiful and for an affordable brand the colours are pigmented and very good quality. I have swatched the 6 colours below & all apart from the first swatch which is a very first light cream shade have shown up pretty well. All the shadows have some shimmer in them, so if you want a more matte palette then the Nude Palette might be the one for you. The colours are easy to blend & have a little fall out but nothing that tapping your brush off won’t solve.

All three of these new palettes retail at £3.99 & I think that’s incredibly good value for money. If you have bought any of them let me know what one you went for & how you’re getting on with it.

Collection Eyes Uncovered Palette

So February was over in the blink of an eye. Let me know what you have been loving this past month.

Products that are marked with an * have either been sent to me for my consideration or I’ve received at events. I’m under no obligation to review them on my blog. However if I do, the reviews are 100% my own.

Nailberry 50 Shades Nail Polish

- Vicki 8 Comments
Nailberry nail polish

Nailberry Nail Polish

Nailberry is a nail polish brand that is proud to be a 4 free & that means free of Formaldehyde, Toluene, DBP and Camphor. These chemicals can weaken your nails & are often toxic. Also, their new L’Oxygene & Les Beiges spirituels collections are 5 free, So no nasties hidden in their products which means your nails are in good hands.

The colour I have been using is called 50 shades* & for someone that isn’t a fan of the book (or film), I’m a massive fan of this polish. Its pretty, great quality & has some staying power. I have been packing boxes and getting ready to move house & this polish withstood all of that without chipping. That gets extra brownie points from me.

First off I would say the packaging is nice & elegant. It’s a nice to see a slightly different style of bottle. Its slim & tall and feels lovely. The brush is a very good size, its quite long & the brush covers almost all the nail so you don’t need to go back over the same spot more than once which is a bonus if you’re doing your nails in a rush.

The formula is a little runny but I would say that although the formula was slightly thinner than I’m used to the colour was still opaque in 2 coats. The polish was quick to dry & it is a beautiful grey (almost black) with silver iridescent flecks running through, almost like mother of pearl, it’s really pretty and looks quite dramatic on the nails. I also loved how glossy the finish was too.

So if you like your polish on the dark side but with a subtle touch of shimmer, this is for you.

Nailberry is also It is also cruelty-free which is another tick in the box.

Nailberry SwatchNailberry

Let me know if you have tried any polishes from Nailberry and what colours you’d recommend.

Nailberry polishes retail at £14.50 from www.nailberry.co.uk or www.lovelula.com 

Products that are marked with an * have either been sent to me for my consideration or I’ve received at events. I’m under no obligation to review them on my blog. However if I do, the reviews are 100% my own.