Versatile Blogger Award

Hello lovelies!!

Just a quick post because I was nominated for the Versatile Blogger Award by TWICE in the last week by the lovely ladies Rianne, and Chelsea. Thank you very much girls, I'm still pretty new to all this, and these awards seem like a great way to network and get some of the newbies known, so very much appreciated. Thank you to those following me also, and reading my rambles and reviews :-)

Rules:

1. Nominate fellow bloggers who are relatively new to blogging.

2. Let them know that you have nominated them.

3. Share 7 random facts about yourself.

4. Thank the bloggers that have nominated you.

5. Add the Versatile Blogger Award picture to your blog post.

My 7 random facts:

1. I'm left handed (all geniuses are)

2. I've been ran over by a car... twice!

3. I'm lucky enough to work in a job where I read about cosmetics all day, and also get some freebies, allowing me to test them out and write reviews to all you lovely people

4. When I was a little girl, I once dressed up as Baby Spice for a school disco (but who didn't want to be Baby Spice when they were 10 years old?!)

5. I recently learnt to snowboard and can't wait to go again next year

6. I'm a really awful singer

7. I love KFC gravy :-)

I have nominated the following blogs for this award, in no particular order

VS Doll 86

High Heels, Lipstick and Glitters

Beauty Marked Blogger

Channel HMC

The Secret Life of a Porciuncula

Beauty and the 'Middle East'

Happy Easter!!!

I hope you all had a lovely Easter and ate so much food that you couldn't move! Just thought I'd post a little pic of Easter girly cuteness!! :-)

Physicians Formula pH Matchmaker - pH Powered Bronzer

Physicians Formula pH Matchmaker pH Powered Bronzer is said to feature a pH Power complex, which senses your natural pH level and adjusts in sixty seconds to the perfect shade for your skin (blah blah blah). So, of course, when I read this I thought, 'yeh right?!', and I just had to test it out!

When I got the compact, I couldn't believe how cute it was! You open it up to find a nice sized mirror, a beautiful shimmering powder that when lifted, nicely cases a brush applicator underneath, and my most favourite part of all, the LED LIGHT! It has a tiny switch by the side of the mirror to turn the very handy little light on and off. Just brilliant.

When applying the bronzer I found that you couldn't really see it too well, but then it ACTUALLY DOES ADJUST and gets a little darker... like magic ;-)

It definitely takes longer than sixty seconds to change, but the colour it gives is a really nice bronzing glow. I usually use bronzer to contour the face and add definition to the cheek bones, but this is more of an all over bronzer, to illuminate and add colour to the whole face and neck, and the lovely soft bristled brush provided makes application nice and easy. Therefore it hasn't replaced my beloved MAC Bronzer, but I do love to take this out (yes, another one of my handbag essentials) as it is great for a little pick-me-up at the end of a long day at work. My only complaint about this product is that the powder is a little too loose, so when you rub the brush over it, it tends to dust powder everywhere and sometimes on your clothes if your not careful.

It is hypo-allergenic. fragrance free, paraben free, fragrance-free, non-comedogenic, and dermatologist approved, to be nice and kind to your skin also!

Two shades are available: Light Bronzer (the one I have); and Bronzer.

Further available in the pH Matchmaker range are a Blush in shades Natural, and Rose; and a Lip Gloss in shades Pink, and Light Pink, and before you ask, yes it also has a little LED light and a mirror :-)

Spring Nails...

So, I added a few Spring shades to my ever growing nail polish collection, and I just couldn't decide which one to try first, so I tried them all!!

Products used...

O.P.I Nicki Minaj Nail Lacquer - Did It On 'Em

Nails Inc Nail Polish - Holland Park Avenue

Butter London Spring/Summer 2012 Collection 3 Free Nail Lacquer - Bossy Boots

Zoya Professional Lacquer - Kristen 

Let me know what you think! I'm loving these shades, my favourite is Zoya, Kristen, it applies really nicely with a gorgeous colour. 

Too Faced Natural Kiss

So, I was lucky enough to get my hands on Too Faced Natural Kiss Neutral Lip Color Collection. It's a cute, portable palette containing four shades in cream, gloss and shimmer finishes that are said to complement any skin tone. The palette features a nice, big built-in mirror and a lip brush, for easy application on-the-go. The formulas are hydrating, apply nice and smooth for even coverage, and are relatively long-lasting.

I think this is going to be one to add to my handbag essential collection!

RMK Sprinkling Colors

I'm loving the bright colour collections that are popping up this Spring. One of which I came across recently is RMK Sprinkling Colors, the new collection for Spring/Summer 2012.

It features Sprinkling Eyes, a four shaded palette designed to create three different looks. The palette contains a creamy base, and three powder colours in different shades and textures to use on top of the base. The gliding base is designed to magnify the lucent, pearlescent powder for a clear shimmering finish to open up the eyes. It is available in shades 01 Brown, 02 Green, and 03 Gray.

Sprinkling Cheeks is a duo for the cheeks with a base colour to be applied first to correct the skin tone, and a powder to be applied on top. The two hues are said to work together to deliver a soft, crystalline finish. Available in three shades, 01 Pink, 02 Orange, and 03 Brown

A selection of four new shades have been added to the Irresistible Lips C collection, two of which are seasonal limited edition shades - 26 Natural Beige Pink, 27 Orange, EX-04 Beige (Limited Edition), and EX-05 Rose (Limited Edition).

Four new vibrant Spring shades of Nail Color EX are available - P-27 Holographic Orange, P28 Holographic Coral Pink, P-29 Holographic Blue, and P-30 Holographic Purple. The nail polish is infused with polarized pearl to give a clear glimmering finish.

A new addition to Ingenious Natural Eyes is 07 Purple. The eyeshadow quad palette is said to have a special formula the prevents each eye colour from obstructing another shade when blending for a vibrant, bright finish.

Ingenious Powder Eyes is available in two new shades inspired by Sprinkling Colors - SH-09 Gold, and SH-10 Greenish Gray.

Spotty Spotty!!

A little inspiration taken from the Irregular Choice shoes.... 

I managed to do the spots with a toothpick! They are not particularly even, but still, not bad for a first attempt ay! - Also please ignore the blob on my thumb... forgot to sort that out before the picture, d'oh! 

The red I used is L'Oréal 307 Target Red, and any French manicure white polish is fine for the little spots :-)

Irregular Choice Shoes

Would you just look at these beauties!! I think I may have to treat myself to these come payday...

Irregular Choice, Flick Flack  £64.99

Essence Colour & Go Nail Polish - 60 Fateful Desire

Essence have added 28 new shades to their Colour & Go Nail Polish collection, making 56 in total so it is hard not to find a shade you like! The name, Colour & Go, is to reflect that the polish is fast drying, features a wide brush for fast application, and only needs one coat. I only disagree with the last statement. It is fast drying, the brush is perfectly wide making application very simple, but two coats is needed, well at least for shade 60 Fateful Desire, which I used. This could be due to the fact that it’s such a dark shade, and maybe the lighter shades only require one coat (who knows?!), but to be honest, the fact that it is fast drying and easy to apply means that applying two coats really isn’t a hassle. 

I always use a top coat, and with this I find it lasts around three to four days without chipping - but please note, I am lucky enough to own a dishwasher, so my little nails never go into the dishwater to do the washing up! ;-)

The pictures below are the shade is shot without me wearing a top coat.

Make-Up Looks I Love

I always have, and always will, love the dark eyes, light lips make up look. It's such a versatile look that can be adjusted ever so slightly to give a dramatic or soft look suitable for any occasion. You can also play with the colour ever so easily as all shades will match light lips, such as in the top right corner of the picture below.

Another great look with focus on the eyes, is the cat eye. Again, there are SO many ways to play with this look, ranging from dramatic to subtle.

I really want to try the dramatic cat eyes in the top left corner (think I may struggle to get that one right though, you need a steady hand for that one!), and I'm definitely going to be trying the blue eyes look in the bottom right hand corner. I have a great blue pencil that I think will help me achieve this quite easily!

One celebrity whose make-up I love is, Gwen Stefani (I do have a little girl crush on her too). She often goes for dark, bright lips and subtle eyes, but dark eyes, light lips too, and then also very natural looks using neutral colours throughout. She looks stunning in all of them!

Maybelline Great Lash Lots of Lashes Mascara

So, Maybelline decided to give their famous Great Lash Mascara a revamp. Lots of Lashes Mascara features a brilliant heart shaped wand, I say brilliant because it manages to catch each and every lash, making it simple to reach all bottom lashes too. The mascara applies evenly, no clumps, no smudging, just lovely! I do find that after a day of wear however that it can start to flake a little, but this is after hours of wearing. 

I would recommend this, it's a great affordable mascara. On a night out recently wearing Lots of Lashes Mascara in shade Black, my friend thought I was actually wearing false lashes (she was a little drunk, but still, that's got to be a good thing?!).

See below my before and after shots.

Handbag Essential

I recently got Clarins Instant Light Blush in shade 02 Coral Tonic (£19), and I really love it. Just the same as every other blush, it is claimed to give the face a natural healthy looking glow, but I have to say, this one really does! The liquid blush is designed to illuminate the cheeks giving a radiance boost, and has a satin finish. Not only does it give the face a gorgeous natural glow, but it also contains plant and mineral ingredients to care for the skin… aaahh…;-)

I have quite a light skin tone, and this shade is pretty perfect for me, giving my cheeks a really nice natural looking rosy glow. The blush can be layered for a darker colour, making it perfect for the daytime at work, and then layered a little darker for the after work drinks! It is also available in shades 01 Vitamin Pink, and 03 Brown Fizz.

The perfect handbag essential as it comes in a 7ml pack that fits nicely into a small handbag, making it great for touch ups on-the-go on a night out.