... which I happen to likey a lot. Yay =]

So these sponges have been been causing quite a stir in the world of beauty for some time now, but are they actually worth the hype? 

I bought these two Beauty Blender dupes from ebay, and after a while of using them I can confirm that they are most definitely worth it! Top 3 reasons I love them - they give flawless results, leave skin breathable and minimal effort is required.

To use them, wet with water and squeeze until just damp (I like to squeeze the sponge within a towel to get rid of excess water quickly and easily). Then simply dip the bottom of the sponge into whatever base you prefer to use and dab, dab, dab away! Don't swipe like a normal sponge, it doesn't work effectively like that. Once all the dabbing is done, use the pointed end to reach into those smaller areas of the face, like under eyes and around the nose, and et voila, you're done!

I chose to get the tear drop shaped (pink) and bottle shaped (cream) ones, to compare to one another and see if either worked better than the other.
The pink one is softer than the cream one which makes it easier to bounce on the skin and apply makeup more smoothly. The cream one has indents which make it much easier to hold and gives better control when applying foundation. Both give the same finish, but I feel that the pink one achieves these results in a much quicker time than the cream one, probably due to its softness.

I was worried that these sponges, being extremely cheap, wouldn't work too well, be a wrong density, poor quality and that the dye might bleed when washed. However this wasn't the case at all and every fear I had about them ended up being a distant nightmare as soon as I touched them onto my face. These are better than I thought and honestly I don't know why I didn't give into the hype a very long time ago! 
If you haven't tried sponges like these, you are missing out big time. Go out there (or not actually out there...) and order these right now!! You need one. Or two. Maybe more.

I can't say how they compare to the original Beauty Blender, since I just couldn't bear the thought of spending £16 on a single sponge... and now that I realise how well these work I'l probably never need to spend that much on one anyway!

Have you surrendered yourself to the Beauty Blender, or a just-as-brilliant dupe of one? If yes, what do you think, worth it? And if not, are you tempted??

♥♥♥

Hiii all!

My amazing friend Deeja came into uni one day rocking these seriously awesome gradient nails so I literally begged her to take photos of them so I could share with all you lot =]

She used Accessorizes Bronze and Topshop's Glimmer to create the gradient by applying both polishes onto a sponge and then dabbing onto the nails. 
I was surprised to learn that she didn't paint a solid base before doing the gradient - this way it seems to be a much easier and quicker process without any excess drying time! I'l definitely try this technique out soon!

Thank you doll for snapping these gorgeous pictures. I love the colours you used and the way you did the gradient =] Don't you think her nails are so cute?!
Deeja doesn't have a blog (yet ;]) which I could forward you all too, but hopefully she'l make one soon and post amazingness onto it about all things beauty!


And on a completely different topic, something I'v been ranting about the past few days:

I tried posting a couple of gift and swap packages the other day through Royal Mail and they refused to send them as they each contained nail polish. I was told that from last Monday they changed their security measures and are now mega strict on the sending-polish-overseas rule. I'm actually really upset by this as it could potentially mean I can't complete a swap i'm in the middle of and also that I cannot do anymore in the future. I feel really bad for the person i'm swapping with too as she has spent money on buying the things I want and then shipping it out to me... and I can't send her stuff in return. 
Now i'm also worried that the her end of the swap may not even reach me, if these security laws have become so tight recently God knows what could happen! =/
Has anyone else had the same problem recently? Has anyone found another shipping company that maybe isn't so uptight about polish??
Please let me know as it could seriously help me out!

Thank you =)

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Ok its official. I freaking love MUA!!

Amazing, new, on-trend pretties all at an affordable price?! Count me in!

Just as a warning, you're going to be seeing a lot.... and I mean a lot more MUA on here. I keep hoarding they'r beauties and will be sharing them with all you lovelies =)
(Really hope you don't mind!)

Ok so onto this pretty little thing I picked up recently. Meet Miss. Kiss Proof =]

She's a felt-tip marker pen who stains lips with a soft berry pink hue, which looks really soft and pretty. I chose the shade Fabulicious, which is one out of three shades available.

The stain lasts for an extremely long time, however it must be topped with a lipbalm/gloss because on its own it is quite drying. Its super easy to apply but does take a layer or two for this particular colour to properly show up. I love that I can just apply it and not think about touch-ups, since I know it'l last me the entire day. 
Also worth noting, this one smells of sparkling apple! A nice surprise for me because I wasn't expecting that!  

I love this and plan on trying out the other shades soon! Its also a much cheaper alternative to revlons lip stain pens, however if you prefer brighter, more colourful shades, I think the revlons are better suited for you =]

Have you tried lip stain markers? What do you think of them?

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Hey hey friends! =]

I''v been ridiculously busy recently and every time I paint my nails I end up forgetting to take pictures of them! But luckily for this design, I managed to capture a few photos late at night, the day before I removed the mani... as it was a week old by this point!

So apologies in advance for not the best pictures, hope you still enjoy the post!

This was my very first attempt at doing a skittles mani, and I was inspired by a dress i'd bought during the boxing day sales. This dress was grey and purple but with flowers, and I decided to stick to the same colours but mix up the design a little more =]

The polishes used were OPI Siberian Nights (deep, vampy plum) and China Glaze Pelican Grey (subtle shimmery grey). I used a dotting tool for the polka dots and little silver beads for the bow.

Usually my first attempts at anything end up disastrous, but this turned out really well, even though I created it on a complete whim! 
I'm so happy with how it turned out and even got a few compliments from random strangers in the street! *blush* =)

What do you think of these kinds of skittle designs? Ever created any yourself? =)

♥♥♥

My first Paul and Joe anything comes in the form of this extremely pretty little thing - a nail polish from the "A Midsummer's Night Dream" collection, called Pixie.

Yeeepers! Isn't it just gorgeous?! 

I love everything about it, from the packaging to the polish itself. I wish the sun would show up some day soon, because the holographic effect would have shown up so much better in these pictures than what it has done.

I'l be showing you more of this soon, when I get round to sporting it on my tips =]

What do you think of Paul and Joe? Have anything by them? Lusting after something instead? Let me know!

♥♥♥

This is certainly pretty but not little by any means!

Its huge! Easily the biggest sized compact powder type product in my entire collection =]

The packaging is lovely, sturdy and not cheap looking at all. I especially love the embossed design on the powder, even if I was too afraid of using it at first because I didn't want the design to get messed up! 

The shade of this bronzer isn't dark, orange or muddy at all. Its probably the lightest bronzer I own too. But its not so light that it isn't workable! I only use bronzer for contouring or as a very natural blush when I'm in a hurry, and this works amazingly well for doing both.

However, because it is a lighter shade of bronzer, it probably won't show up much on darker skinned beauties, but for people with fair to medium skin tones this is perfect. I have a light/medium skin tone with yellow undertones and this builds up nicely to the perfect amount of colour I need for natural contouring etc. I think MUA should come out with more shades in this though, its a wonderful formula which would be such a hit with everyone!

Bronzed Perfection is a matte bronzer, which is what I always prefer to buy as personally I find shimmery bronzers really strange to contour with. I think i'd end up looking like a total glitter ball with a shimmery bronzer and sparkly hightlighter put on together!

Overall I love this product a lot and recommend it to everyone looking for a decent bronzer which won't break the bank either! Did I mention this was just £3?! Yes really! I love MUA... seriously they are quickly becoming one of my go to brands with all the amazing products they keep releasing! *Hint hint fur nails - which is what I got my mitts on recently! I'm looking forward to trying them out asap and telling all you lot about it as soon as I do!*

Talk soon =)

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Happy New Year everyone! Hope you all had an amazing time celebrating, or like me, sitting at home in my pajamas all day =P
Well I would have made an effort if I didn't feel so ill! Caught a cold from my aunts place up north, gosh it was freezing there and my cousin was sick... =/

Anyway, even though I wasn't feeling my best, I thought hey it's a new year, lets try to get off to a decent start eh?

So I proceeded to paint my nails like so =)

All pretty and sparkly! And pink! 

Yay =]

Sending out good wishes for a beautiful 2013 - hope you keep your new years resolutions and make the most of this year, and the many more to come! 

Talk to you soon!

♥♥♥