Topshop Best of Makeup: Sale Pick

So I have never tried any of the Topshop makeup myself but I have always wanted to, so when I saw the 'Best of' Makeup Kit in the sale for £15 instead of £40, I couldn't help but take it to the till! I have heard amazing things about their lipsticks and I was keen to try the 'Glow' highlighter so I was thrilled to see these in amongst the makeup goodness. You also get a mascara, a kohl liner, a cream blush in 'Head over Heals' a bright coral shades and a gorgeous deep toned eyeshadow palette in 'Tuxedo'.

My favourite pieces have to be the gorgeous pink lipstick in 'Innocent' which is perfect for everyday wear and the 'Glow' highlighter, because you do know I LOVE a strong highlight. I am also really looking forward to using the palette to create some smokey evening looks, so I'm sure you will see me using that in a makeup tutorial post very soon!

Im not 100% if this is still available in the sale, I went in to my local Topshop again last weekend and there were still a few up for grabs but I have noticed a lot of the sales are coming to and end so grab it if you can!

Have you ever tried any of the Topshop makeup? Did you pick up any gems in the January sales?

Sam xx

Sparkly Pink Ombré Chevron Nail Art

Today is the turn of girly pink ombré nails with some added chevron sparkle! If you want to find out how I created these nails keep reading...

To create this nail look I used Models Own 'Coconut Cream' and 'Sun Hat', Illamasqua 'Trilliant' and Rimmel  'Ultra Violet'. I also topped my nails with Seche Vite fast drying top coat (which is AMAZING if you haven't tried it).

I began by painting my nails in a base of white just to create a blank canvas on the nails and make the ombré more vibrant. Then taking my pink and purple polishes onto a small makeup sponge I created the ombré design on all nails. I then applied a top coat just to speed up the drying process.
To create the sparkly chevrons I used some nail vinyls which I got here. Once my nails were completely dry I pressed three of the chevron vinyls onto my ring and index fingers and painted the champagne glitter over the top. Before this dried, I quickly removed the vinyls to reveal the girly design.
Finally to add even more sparkle, I placed a gem on each of the remaining nails and added a top coat to seal them into place. I didn't add a top coat to the ring and index finger and I love the textured glitter finish.

What do you think of this design? It might be a bit summery but I like to brighten up the winter months with my nails!

Happy Nail Art-ing! Sam xx

Tangle Teezer Review

Ok, so I know I'm slightly late on the Tangle Teezer bandwagon but I was never in a 'go on treat yourself' mood when they caught my eye in the shops. However, my lovely mum surprised me and I definitely regret not getting my hands on a Tangle Teezer sooner! It has so many benefits aside from the amazing neon pink shade!

You may be thinking whats the difference between a Tangle Teezer and a normal hairbrush, this was my first thought as I LOVE a paddle brush. It glides through the hair so easily and even when my hair is not particularly notty I still notice the difference compared to a regular hair brush. It is amazing for the tangle mess of an after shower hair-do, you don't feel any excessive tugging and pulling and the amount of hair it pulls out is next to nothing!

The compact size fits perfect into the palm of my hand and makes it very handy for travelling around and another bonus is its very lightweight meaning you can chuck it into your handbag and not feel like you're carrying a rock!

The only real negative I have to say is the bristles are reasonably short - this is fine if you have reasonably thin hair like me, but if your hair is thick and curly, it may mean putting your hair in sections to give it a good brush. 

Have you ever tried a Tangle Teezer? What are your thoughts?

Sam xx

Avon Stardust Glitter Polishes: Nail Art Video Tutorial

I have created a nail art tutorial for Avon using their new Stardust glitter polishes*. They are stunning to use for nail art designs as they dry to a textured finish and they come in a gorgeous array of colours from deep plum and barbie pink to bright orange, with a mixture of colours within each glitter to make them super sparkly.

To check out my video tutorial head over to the Avon YouTube channel or Blog 

I really enjoyed making this video and I am thinking of starting my own YouTube channel for little nail art and makeup tutorials. Let me know what you think in the comments below!

Sam x

OPI Sheer Tints: Review and Nail Art

So for Christmas I was lucky enough to get some OPI Sheer Tints from santa, which have been on my wish list for a long time. If you haven't heard of these before, they are basically coloured top coats  which you can use over the top of other polishes, or on their own for a sheer wash of colour. I have seen so many different nail art designs using these tints, so I wanted to give them a try for myself!

I got the mini pack which comes with 4 tints (3.75ml bottles) and is priced at a purse friendly sum of just £7.95. They come in the shades 'Im Never Amberrassed' (yellow), 'Be Magnetale with Me' (pink), 'Don't Violet Me Down' (purple) and 'I Can Teal You Like Me' (blue) - I just LOVE OPI shade names!! The colours are all quite bright and slightly different to how they look in the bottles. I found the blue and yellow to be vibrant with just one shade, but the pink and purple look slightly better and brighter when you add a second coat.

As far as drying time goes, they are reasonably quick. They dry with a semi-glossy finish but I went in with a top coat just to add a little bit more shine!

So onto the nail art I created ... I didn't want to be too adventurous with my first nail art using the sheer tints, so I went for a simple glitter base, using Illamasqua 'Harsh' and added the sheer tints over the top to create a fun water colour, rainbow design which reminds me of a glittery unicorn scene! I think this looks really interesting and I can't wait to create some different looks using the tints!

I would highly recommend these to anyone wanting to try something a bit different, or if you can't think of a birthday gift for a nail art lover in your life, these would be perfect!

Have you ever tried OPI Sheer Tints? What do you think of my nail art design?

Sam x

FOTD: A Pop of Pink Lipstick

I'm back with another face of the day post and today I was feeling a pop of pink lipstick to brighten up the miserable cold weather in the UK! All the products I used are listed below...

Lips:

To line my lips I used Nyx lipliner in 'Sand Pink' and topped that with the Bourgeois Rouge Edition Velvet Lipstick in 'Pink Pong'.

Eyes:

To begin the eyes I took my Illamasqua 'Neutral Palette' and added the dark brown shade to my crease, flicking it our slightly in the corner. Next I took Illamasqua 'Furore' Pure Pigment and pressed this onto the lid. To create my dramatic winged liner (as always) I used the Maybelline Gel Liner and finished it off with lots of Maybelline 'Falsies' Mascara and some individual lashes. I defined my brows using Illamasqua Eye Brow Cake in 'Peek'.

Skin:

As always I started with Illamasqua 'Skin Base' Foundation. I then added the Collection 'Lasting Perfection' concealer under my eyes, around my nose and on any blemishes. To contour I used Illamasqua 'Sculpting Duo' and adding a pink blush to my cheeks using the Collection 'Shimmer Shades' quad. Finally I went in with the Seventeen 'Shimmer Brick' to add a strong highlight to my cheek bones!

What do you think of this look? Have you been adding any pops of colour to your makeup looks recently?

Sam xx

One Line A Day: 5 Year Memory Book

What better way to kick off the new year than with a new diary! However this diary has a slight difference... 

Noting down memories and funny moments is something I don't do enough, but now I don't have an excuse! For Christmas I got this lovely keepsake memory book 'One Line A Day' where you do exactly as the name suggests, write a line about your thoughts of the days events - good or bad. A lovely thing about this book is each day has five sections: a space for you to note down a memory for each day over five years.

The teal covering and gold edged pages give the journal a luxurious feel and would make a perfect present for a friend who likes to treasure memories.

I am really going to try my hardest to keep this up as it will be lovely to have in the future to look back on!

What do you think of 'One Line A Day'?

Sam xx