Highstreet Beauty Haul

I have been fairly well behaved the past month and didn't really treat myself to any new beauty bits or makeup, so come payday i decided i deserved a few treats. I haven't done a haul post in ages so i  thought i would share with you some bits i picked up from Boots and Superdrug a few are new buys and there are a few re-purchases as well.

John Frieda Full Repair Hydrate+Rescue Shampoo and Conditioner-
I got sent these to review a while back and i enjoyed using them so much i had to buy them again, they are both are really lovely and leave my hair feeling great. (Full Review)

Essie Good To Go Topcoat-
Topcoats make such a difference to the overall finish of your nails, they make your polish last longer and if you like doing nail art like i do its an absolute must. I've been practically scraping the dregs out of my Nails inc. topcoat and thought it was time i bought a new one, i like Essie polishes and i love their Matte topcoat so I'm hoping this will be hit too.

Batiste Dry Shampoo in Original-
I know dry shampoo is not the most exciting thing to have in a beauty haul, but for me it is a necessity. I have tried this one before, but since then have used Batiste's blonde and their XXL Volume dry shampoo which i didn't really like, i find the volume one makes my hair feel matted and a bit strange so i decided it was time to go back to the original, an oldie but a goodie!

Maybelline Brow Drama in Dark Blonde-
Having just ran out of my Benefit Gimmie brow i was looking to try and find a slightly cheaper highstreet alternative, a few brands have brought their own versions out and this Maybelline one seemed as good as any, i've used it a few times so far and I'm a bit unsure of it, i will do a full follow up review soon for anyone interested.

Bourjois 123 Perfect CC Cream and Concealer-
Another couple of repurchases, i have been so impressed with both of these products and i had to buy them again. I used to wear foundation most days, however since finding this CC cream its taken the place of my everyday skin base and i feel like its so much better for my skin than wearing a heavy foundation. The concealer also works wonders at brightening up my under eye area, definite power duo! (Full review)

Rimmel Apocalips Lip Velvet in Orange-Olog and Meteoric Matte-
Being a massive fan of the original Rimmel Apocalips i was so excited when i spotted their new Matte collection. I am loving the matte lip trend and i have high expectations for these, there is also such great new colours Orange-Olog was a stand out for me and i am looking forward to testing them out properly.

Revlon Colour Stay Moisture Stain in La Exclusive, New York Scene and Parisian Passion-
More lip products i most definitely don't need, yet do still definitely need! I'd had seen Fleur de Force rave about them so i knew i had to try them out. There is a massive colour selection so it took me forever to narrow it down to just three (Boots 3for2) i decided to go for the plum and the deep red as their great A/W shades and a pretty light pink shade.

I hope you enjoyed seeing what i have treated myself to, i will do full reviews on the new products soon. 

The Pink Biker Jacket

Jacket- Missguided

Top- River Island

Shorts- River Island

Shoes- River Island

With it now being officially Autumn and it starting to slowly get a bit cooler i expect this will be my last summery outfit post for the year, I always do try and drag out the Summer months for as long as humanly possible but i think its finally time to say goodbye my favorite summer pieces and make way for slightly warmer Autumn wear. Luckily this gorgeous pink biker jacket is the perfect transitional wardrobe piece and great to throw on now its getting colder and wetter. I was actually really impressed with the quality of the jacket considering that at £44.99 it is massively cheaper than similar jackets you would find in River Island or Zara its a really thick padded pleather material and is really comfortable to wear, of course i am in love with the colour, such a nice dusky pink. 

The shorts have been a summer staple for me the last few months, i was so happy when i found them as i had been looking for a while and struggling to find nice pair (that didn't reveal my bum cheeks), and the high waist has made them the perfect accompaniment for all the crop tops i have been living in! Of course I'm not going to stop wearing my denim shorts and crop tops thought A/W they will just be layered up with warmer pieces and tights etc, better start shopping for my Autumn/Winter Wardrobe now then hadn't i...

Bourjois Volume 1 Second Mascara

I rarely find myself getting excited about mascara's and thats not because I'm not too fused about wearing them believe me i feel pretty naked without it, i've just never been so massively wowed by one that it became my holy grail cant live with out it mascara. I do have a few that i have liked and enjoyed using in the past Benefits There Real being one and Estee Lauder's Sumptuous Extreme is also another lovely one, however neither of those are the cheapest mascara's on the market and having pretty much used them up even though i really liked them i was still in no massive hurry to repurchase. 

Having been really impressed with all of Bourjois latest new products i decided i would give their new Volume 1 Second Mascara a try, and i am really glad i did as i fell in love with it instantly. For me Volume 1 second Mascara ticks all the boxes, what sometimes annoys me with mascara's is they rarely do everything you want it to do i mean why pick between volumising and lengthening can i not have both? Well yes it seems finally i can, i find it lengthens, volumises and doesn't clump my lashes together another massive bonus as i like to end up with more than three when i've applied a few coats!

The brush is plastic which is usually a down side for me i find they can be quite spiky and uncomfortable to use (huh hum there real..) and i prefer natural mascara's brushes so i was a bit surprised to find i don't mind this one at all, its quite large but i find this means it easily coats my lashes really evenly and i can get right to the root of my lashes and get a good bit of volume. 

Like said previously i can get a good amount of length and volume from this mascara it also curls my lashes well, its also easily built up with extra layers for a more dramatic look, great for amping up your lashes for a day/night look. 

Finally i've found a mascara i love and i couldn't be happier thats it a highstreet one, at just £9.99 Bourjois Volume 1 second mascara is comparable to high end mascara's double the price and even comes up trumps for me, i will definitely be repurchasing. 

Have you tried the Bourjois Volume 1 second Mascara? What did you think?

Warm Natural Autumn Makeup Look

What I used-

Face-

Benefit The Porefessional,

Nars Sheer Glow Foundation (Fuji)

Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer (light)

Collection Lasting Perfection Powder,

Nars Laguna Bronzer,

Sleek Pink Lemonade Blush Palette,

Mac Mineralize Skinfinish (Soft and Gentle)

Eyes/Eyebrows-

Sleek IDivine Palette The Original,

Rimmel Professional Eyebrow Pencil (Hazel)

Benefit Gimmie Brow (Light/Medium)

Collection Extreme 24hour Felt Tip Liner (Black)

Bourjois Volume 1 Second Mascara (Black)

Chella Ivory Lace Highlighter

Lips-

Rouge Bunny Rouge Lip Gloss (Blameless)

Model Co Illusion Nude Lip Liner 

I found myself in the mood to play around with my makeup the other day, as soon as i start to get the Autumn feeling i find myself starting to want to change up my makeup to suit the new season. I no were only just entering into Autumn and the weathers still fairly good for this time of the year so i thought i would do a bit of an inbetween look, a transitional makeup look if you will, as the weathers still quite nice I'm not quite feeling the more heavy vampy Autumn looks yet. What i came up with is quite a natural look using warm brown and copper tones and i really like how it turned out. 

I started off with a bit of Porefessional to get a nice even base, i then applied my favorite Nars Sheer Glow followed with a light concealer under the eyes to brighten. I set the base with my Collection powder,bronzed and lightly contoured with my Laguna and then applied a dash of my all time favourite Soft and Gentle highlighter to my cheekbones. 

The eyes are the main feature in the look, i wanted something earthy and warm so i used the Sleek The Original eyeshadow palette which contains a selection of gorgeous metallic shades to create it. I will insert the link to my review of the palette here if you want to see the colours) I used the lightest champagne colour in the inner third of my eyes and softly blended then i applied the copper shade in the middle of my eye and using a different fluffy brush i lightly blended into the inner colour colour. For the outer third of the eyes i used the dark earthy bronze shade also gently blending it into the socket and blending it again gently into the copper colour so the colours all seamlessly blend together as you don't want harsh blocks of colour. To finish the eyes i lined the top lashline with some black liquid liner and applied a few coats of my favourite new mascara from Bourjois.

For the lips i went down a slightly different route than normal for me and went for a brown nude. I think i must be finally feeling the whole 90s brown lip vibe, as i've had this lipgloss for a while now and sort of sworn it off as a horrible brown i would never wear and not a "me" colour, anyway i thought i would just try it out and i actually really like it, its not massively brown just a nice nude and different from the pinks i usually go for, I'm even tempted to go and buy an actual brown lippie now, Kylie Jenner eat your heart out! 

I&K Clip In Extensions/ Hairtrade

*I&K Gold Clip Extensions 22" £72.99

I've Been into clip in extensions for years now, their just a simple way to change up your hair and make you feel glam particularly for occasions and nights out. My old extensions had seen better days so i was really happy to be sent some new ones from Hairtrade, i got the 22" I&k clip ins in the colour 613 they are the lightest blonde colour you can get. The first thing that stuck me when i received the extensions is how long they were, it says on the website that the extensions are actually two inches longer that stated (this is incase you want your extensions cut in if you have layers so you don't lose any of the length), so my extensions are actually 24" which is super long but i really love the extra length, i mainly wear extensions on nights out now as my hair has finally grown to a decent length but in my eyes the longer the better! 

The extensions come in 10 clip in pieces, 2 large pieces each with 3 clips, 2 slightly smaller pieces also with 3 clips and 6 single pieces to cover the whole head. Putting them in is really simple you section the hair (starting at the bottom of the head is easier) open up the clips and place near the root and then close the clip section off a new piece and repeat. I use the two smallest 3 clip pieces near the bottom of the head and the two largest above sort of ear level and one above, and the smaller single pieces i use around the sides. 

The hair is 100% human hair so it can be styled, washed and dyed just like you would with your own, you get a good amount of hair with the extensions, it feels and looks good quality very soft and shinny even for blonde hair. When I'm wearing the extensions they feel secure and not too heavy, and i have gorgeous thick and long hair which is exactly what i want from my extensions. 

Like i said previously i chose the colour 613 which is called light blonde, the colour is a light blonde but actually has quite a yellow tone to it which was far too warm for my hair as i get ash blonde highlights. However if like me you have a more cool toned blonde colour to your hair there is a simple solution to rectify this without having to dye your extensions and thats to use a purple shampoo on them, simple and cheap and it works. 

If you want to give this a go this is what to do-

1- Wet the extensions,

2- Fill a sink/bowl with warm (not too hot) water and add the purple shampoo to the water and swish around until completely mixed.

3- Piece soak the piece in the diluted water, don't leave it in for too long about 20-30 seconds each piece.

4- Rinse the piece in warm water to wash off all the shampoo water, apply conditioner leave for a few minutes while you soak all the other pieces.

5- Once all the extension pieces have been soaked, rinsed and conditioned rinse all the extensions again to wash off the conditioner.

After that you should have noticeably lighter extensions, it worked really well for me as you can see in the pictures the product shots of the extensions are how they were before and in the pictures of me wearing them they have been toned and the colour is a great match for my hair. 

I put a picture in above of me wearing the extensions on a night out, as you can see they are a great length and i felt so glamourous that night with them in all curled and pretty, i love them!

I&K Gold Clip ins are available from Hairtrade

The Bloggers Festival

Olivia, Me and Albertine (Photo- Albertine www.dippywrites.com )

On Saturday the 6th of September i attended the Bloggers Festival in London hosted my Scarlett Dixon who writes Scarlett London. Living down in Devon it involved a fair bit of traveling but i felt like i wanted to really push myself by attending a London event. I caught the train to London where i met the lovely Albertine, who i had previously met at a few previous events in Devon, its definitely nice to have someone to go into the event with i find it really helps with nerves. The idea of the Bloggers Festival is a networking event to basically meet and interact with other bloggers and brands. The event was held at the Paramount event space in Center Point up on level 31, where we were each greeted with a glass of strawberry champagne and boy did we have some amazing views out over london!

The space was literally packed with bloggers and the walls full with the different  clothing and beauty brands showcasing at the event, including Quiz, Urban Outfitters, Ted Baker, Very, Ecco, Minimum Fashion, Want Her Dress, Lee Stafford Hair, Oriflame makeup, Cloud 9, Bee Good, Izabelle Hammon and  Search Laboratory. Sweet Pizza's also had a stand where they served out little slices of sweet heaven it was really delicious! Celebrity makeup artist Gary Cockerill was at hand giving make overs to some lucky bloggers, and Cloud 9 were styling hair, i was lucky enough to get mine styled by the talented Angel who used the Cloud 9 Waving Wand to give me big bouncy waves. 

There were various competitions and a raffle to join in with for the chance to win goodies from some on the fab brands and plenty of goodie bags to take away with some amazing bits in, we really were completely spoilt!

Quiz Clothing

Bee Good products

Ecco footwear

Iz Beauty of London nail wraps

Oriflame Makeup

Gary Cockerill doing makeup

Goodies from Urban Outfitters 

Very's new season party dresses

Olivia, Me, Nadja, Albertine and Angelica (Photo- Albertine www.dippywrites.com)

I met some lovely new bloggers and caught up with a few i had met previously which was nice. A massive thank you to Scarlett who I'm sure you can agree did an amazing job at organiseing such a fab event. I had a really good time and the journey up to London was well worth it!

What i wore to the Bloggers Festival

Shirt- Missguided

Shorts- Missguided

Jacket- Missguided

Shoes- Topshop

Please excuse the slightly scared looking facial expressions in these pictures, as much as i may be used to getting my pose on for outfit pictures this was the first time i've taken them in such a busy public place and believe me Trafalgar Square was pretty busy last Saturday afternoon!

Anyway getting past my awkward posing and onto the outfit, this is what i wore to the Bloggers Festival on Saturday, the shorts and shirt combo are from Missguided's A/W collection and the minute i saw them online i knew i had to have them. I am never one to shy away from a bold print or a bit of colour and i just absolutely love the print, checks are a massive trend for A/W and i think it looks great combined with a floral pattern. The colours are also bang on trend as dusky pink is another big trend this season. Paired together i think its got a bit of a pajama ish vibe but i love the style and i like that i can wear the shirt and shorts separately with other pieces to get a completely different outfit. The jacket is also from Missguided and I'm obsessed with it, i've worn it so much already and i loved how it went with the outfit, super pink and super me! The shoes are from Topshop and i thought they would be great as i didn't no weather to go for heels or flats for the event so the little heel on these shoes was the perfect compromise, i had been wanting some open toed boots for a while, and these ones will go with so much over the coming Autumn months. 

L'oreal Gel Intenza Eyeliner

When it comes to eyeliner believe me i am still novice at best, after years of using the liquid and felt tip liners i have pretty much got the jist of a basic line but still struggle with wings and cat-flicks. However in spite of this i had been wanting to give gel liner a go, yes it looks more difficult but i was interested to see how different it was to use.
I picked up the L'oreal Gel Intenza in black, inside the box you get the little pot of gel liner and a brush to apply it with. The brush is not really the sort of brush i would personally apply liner with in my opinion its a bit thick and completely the wrong shape, but i thought i would have a go with it anyway. Like i expected the brush is pretty useless if your after a nice slick line, i would not use the brush provided i found it very messy to use and in the end after my first attempt i just took a fluffy eyeshadow brush and blended the liner to create a smokey liner look as it was the only way to salvage the situation.  The next time i attempted to use it i use my own angled flat eyeliner brush to apply it, this worked a lot better and even though i found it slightly more tricky to apply than liquid liner i was still pretty impressed with the result, the colour is a very black black and it looked smooth and clean. You do have o be careful you don't smudge it as it does smudge very easily but once dried i was so impresses with how long it lasted, i tested it out on a day  had a thirteen hour shift and the liner was pretty much the only thing that lasted until i took my makeup off that night.
I do still need a bit of practice applying Gel liner but i do like how it looks, and I'm actually loving that you can smudge it out for a smokey look and i have been wearing it a lot like that lately, it just gives a bit of soft definition to the eyes grunges up the look.

I would recommend the L'oreal Gel Intenza liner, its a good colour, applies well and last forever, and although its £9.99 for a relatively small pot i've used it a fair bit and barely even dented the surface so as long as it doesn't dry out i can see this lasting me a while.

Have you tried the L'oreal Gel Intenza Eyeliner? What did you think?

L'oreal Glam Matte Gloss

As soon as a makeup brand brings out a new type of product, you can be pretty sure the rest shall soon follow with their own versions. Limecrime originally brought out the massively popular Velvetines, a bold liquid lipstick that dries to a matt finish, with the highstreet brands soon bringing out there own versions. Having tried a few types myself and being particularly impressed with Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvets, when i spotted L'oreal's Glam Matte range in some fabulous bold and Summery shades i was eager to give them a try.
There are four shades in the Glam Matte collection (in the UK anyway) i picked up 508 Coral Denimista a bright coral shade that stood out to me the most. I like the packaging it's pretty simple but still sleek, the applicator has the same heart shaped tip as the other L'oreal glosses which i personally really like, its quite large but i think the shape makes precise application a lot easier and with a bold shade like this its not a shade you want to make a mess with!
The formula feel really nice on the lips its got that velvety soft feel thats very light and unnoticeable, and for a product designed to be matte it feels incredibly moisterising. The Glam Matte glosses are designed to be worn in two ways dabbed onto the lips for a more sheer wash of colour, or applied straight to the lips for a bold full look. When blended onto the lips for the more sheer option the finish is pretty matte i wouldn't say 100% but its good enough and still gives a decent pop of colour to the lips without drying them out like some of the other matt lip products do, however when applied with the applicator the finish has left me slightly disappointed, its really not matte at all, the first time i used this i remember thinking how long is it going to take for this to dry, and well it didn't. I have heard the finish described as semi matte, but really what does that even mean? surely with a lip product with Matte in the name thats what you expect it to be?! I find i have to rub some off my lips to get that dry matt finish meaning you loose some of the colour, not good really. I do like the L'oreal Glam Matt glosses they have some great shades they really do feel amazing on the lips but i cant help but compare them too the Bourjois ones, which in my opinion are what you would call a matte gloss, and compared to them their just a bit so so really!

Have you tried the L'oreal Glam Matte Glosses? What did you think?