We're going "Au Naturel"

Not gonna lie, before I bought this little palette, I was living off a cheap little palette from claires (i know, right?) and a couple of MUA eyeshadows. Now don't get me wrong, I love the MUA eyeshadows, they are unbelievable for the price! (A quid each from superdrug) The claires palette on the other hand, I didn't actually like it that much, just had it for this one beauty of a colour, which is a gorgeous plummy browny colour. So basically, that run out, and I was lost. 

But when my gorgeous best friend (and writer of KathyBeauPeep) whipped out a new palette she had just bought, I spotted the  lovely dark purple and other lovely colours and and fell in love.

Next stop, Superdrug! (£6.49)

So this is packaging, nothing too fancy, but decent enough!

It would be amazing if they designed the palettes to go with the theme of the makeup!

There's a lovely big mirror inside, so handy for touchups.

The applicator isn't too bad, but I don't use these so doesn't bother me either way.

Now don't panic, for the swatches and close up on the colours, I haven't done any editing that effects the colour like in my other photos!

So here they are in their little pans, untouched, still neat and tidy.

Cappuccino is my new favourite base colour. I love Honeycomb, but it's a bit yellow for me, so need to mix it with other colours. Toast is lovely too, a peachy, orangey colour. In the pan, Nubuck looks gorgeous, a lovely matte grey, but unfortunately the pigmentation is pretty poor in this colour so it's difficult to use.

My favourite shimmer shade is Moss, this is really lovely. Its a goldy, browny colour which goes on wonderfully. I like to use this and then shade with bark so I'm not too sparkly! Conker, like Nubuck is lovely in the pan, but difficult to use, It's not the pigmentation, its just so difficult to blend out. nice for creating a very defined cut crease though.

And of course there is the lovely Regal. I beautiful dark purply plummy colour. Not as browny as I would like, but I can use it with the other colours to get my desired look.

As you will notice, there are only four metallic/shimmer shades our of the twelve in the palette. Personally, this was a selling point for me as I'm not usually a fan. However, I do get allot of use out of them, and they have changed my views on the shimmery world. 

Here are all twelve shades in all their glory.

I'm pretty pasty so the lighter shades don't show up too well ( I seem to be the exact same colour as Nougat), but to be honest, the lighter shades were not as pigmented as the darker anyway. I find this in allot of palettes, that matte shades aren't as pigmented as shimmer, and this is soo frustrating. They're not that bad though, but I would recommend using a primer underneath help them along a bit!

So this the first look I got out of my new palette. 

this is pretty much how I wear my makeup everyday, with some slight variations depending on what I'm wearing, what my hair's doing etc.

I think i used pretty much every colour in the palette, just played around with it for a while. Think the colours we can see here, are most probably Nougat on the inner part, with a mixture of  Regal and bark used elsewhere. Might have even stuck a bit of

Noir in there for extra definition.

Overall, this a fantastic palette! I would highly recommend those of you who, like me cannot afford to splurge on Urban decays Naked palette. ( I actually prefer this for having more matte colours)

All work and no play....means retail therapy for Selina

Ok, so I still haven't managed to fit blogging into my daily to do list, but I have been taking pictures and taking notes of all sorts of odds and sods to save up for blogger frenzies when I do find the time. 

now I'm gonna share a few bargainous treasures I found on my trip into town this week!

I planned on Christmas shopping, but forgot that the teachers were on strike, and so there were children and all sorts running around everywhere, so I didn't last long!

First up, Primark, of course.

Now I'm not a fan of clothes shopping in Primark. No snobbery here, I'm just to lazy to look for the good stuff. Can't deal with sales either. However, shoes and accessories I can deal with. 

I actually went in to find a new bag. One that was just big enough to fit my book and  makeup essentials in. 

And I found these!

You'll never guess how much these were?

THREE QUID EACH!

Yup!

I wish i had taken a picture of the inside cos they're pretty inside too!

The brown one is absolutely perfect for work, and the red, well I couldn't leave it there could I?

The red one is actually a kinda similar to my favourite bag from Topshop (should have taken a picture of that too, I know) But that one is black and cream, and costed £30. (Birthday present, I don't ever spend more than a tenner on pretty much anything)

I also picked up these little lovelies for 75p! They will  do just nicely for sitting in my little beehive.

Next up, good old Wilkinsons AKA Wilko.

I think I just popped in to get something boring like, a bottle of Fairy and some toothpaste, but low and behold, I left with this giant cupcake treasure!

This was less than half price so was only four quid!

Absolutely perfect to keep all my sweets and treats in.

(I'm a complete addict of all things sweet)

I actually have a whole kitchen cupboard dedicated to my habit, but all the loose sweets and chocolates needed a home, and I well and truly found one.

I found a couple of other bargains, but nothing particularly interesting enough to take pictures of and talk about. 

I did buy the Sleek Au Natural palette,  as recommended by my loveliest of friends, and writer of the beautiful blog KathyBeauPeep and my review and pictures of that will be coming up as soon possible!

Creme Brulee Vaseline? Get on my lips!

I nearly died when the ad for this little treasure popped up on my trusty Facebook side bar last night. (Yeah, I know, I think I found out about this a about three hundred years after everyone else) So after work, I practically jogged to the station to make sure I would catch a train that would get me into town early enough to buy it. Oh it was soooo worth it! The smell...mmm. It's  yummy caramelly, vanillerelly scumptiouselly edibelly mmmmm.

As for the formula, I don't know if it's just because I love the smell so much, but I'm sure it's a little better than your bog standard, plain Jane Vaseline. Maybe.

 I will definitely be stocking up on this before they stop selling!

November glossybox First.Ever.Post.

I have been subscribed to glossybox since...July I think? I can honestly say I am never disappointed. I get so excited to see the postman on glossybox day!

If you haven't heard of glossybox, it is a monthly subscription (£12.95 inc p+p) to receive 5 luxury beauty samples (although it seems you get at least one full size product) in a lovely pink box which I love almost as much as the products themselves. you also get a little info card about the products you've got, which also includes a few discount codes. It is most definitely worth every penny. If there's anything you don't want, try selling it on eBay (I have done this and got double the price of the box back!) or finding a good swap! I found a good beauty box swap page on facebook! http://www.facebook.com/GlossySwaps I used this just to swap a horrible colour nail varnish I got.

So, this months box!

Obviously the first thing that caught my little eye, was the nail rock. Not only because the packaging is pretty striking itself, but no lie, I was gonna buy this in Boots the other week! Sooo glad i had a little will power that day. 

So, glossybox says:

NAIL ROCK Designer Nail Wraps. (Full size £6.65)

The new Nail Rock designer nail wrap range is deigned to last up to 7 days on nails and 8 weeks on toes. They won't chip or stain the nail, require no drying time and deliver on trend style in just 15 minutes.

  

Ok, so I haven't actually tried these out yet, sorry! I just can't bring myself to put them on, knowing that they will be wrecked after a day at work. I will use them eventually, and will post about them again when i do. 

But, I have done a little research for you! First thing I noticed, is that unfortunately, this is a sample size. In a full pack, you get 24 nail wraps, this pack is just 16. However, the foils themselves are pretty big. I think this is so they are suitable for big long fake nails. I have little dinky hands and dinky little nails, and I will no doubt be able to get two nails done out of each wrap. Yay for me :) I am far too clumsy for life itself, so plenty o'backups will be needed.

So as for the reviews, they are pretty mixed!

Application seems to entail a bit too much faffin' about. you HAVE to buff your entire nail before applying, otherwise it just wont stick. You are more than likely going to have to trim the wraps, you have to get your hairdryer out, and then you got all the trimming and filing to do once the things are on. It looks like your gonna need a mate to help you out with this one. I read a review written by someone who considers herself very good with all things nails, and even she managed to end up with bubbles and creases ( no hope for me then). Apparently, once they are done and finished, the edges are a bit annoying :/ Because they are made from vinyl type stuff, the edges don't smooth properly. One girls mentioned them pulling at her hair when she ran her hands through it, another had issues with her tights? 

Most importantly, how long do they last? Well, as far as i can gather, anything between 2 and 5 days? So much for a week eh? Also, this was coming from girls who don't tend to get their hands dirty.

Although, our girl with the hair issues, said she didn't actually wait to see how long they would last cos they annoyed her so much. 

Ok, so you might be thinking, what  happened to mixed reviews Selina? These all sound terrible! Well, apart from them being finicky and annoying, all these girls said they really loved the look of them, were constantly complimented, and they get easier to apply as you go on. So hey, you gotta make sacrifices I guess?

Next up,

 ARBONNE Hydrating Hand Creme 15ml  (Full size £19.00 118ml)

Soothing creme moisterises hands, leaving a healthy appearance and skin feeling smooth and refreshed.

I was pretty excited for this, as I've been meaning to buy a new hand cream. I have oily hands but they get crazy dry at work, so I like, yay a hand cream worth nineteen quid? This is gonna be good.

Well, it's not bad? But i don't think there is such thing as a bad hand cream. 

Its just, nothing special I guess. If i had paid nineteen quid for it, I would be soooo disappointed.

I have just used it, and the smell, eugh the smell.  Ok maybe I'm exaggerating a little. But smelling is always the first thing I do, whether it's beauty stuff,  food, drink, whatever it is, it goes under my nose first. And this, well, it says it contains kiwi, which would be a lovely smell, this just smells like... dishwasher. Yup, that's what it is. Dishwasher. 

Nothing else to say about this.

DEAD SEA SPA MAGIK Delicate Boosting Mask 25ml (Full size £8.80 75ml)

A creamy mask containing pure dead sea mud in a gentle formulation, showing immediate and remarkable results.

I was looking forward to trying this one out as we received a Dead Sea product in a previous box. It was a moisturiser and i loved it!

This says it is for dry/sensitive skin, so wouldn't have been suitable for everyone. (Hopefully Glossybox will have their beauty profile up and running sometime soon)

Fortunately for me (kinda) I do have some dry skin issues on my face.

This is another product with mixed reviews. I have used it, and do like it, but I certainly don't see anything remarkable happening to my face. It does smell good though ;)

I'm not gonna lie, I did forget to take off my makeup before using this, so it probably didn't work quite aswell as it could have, sorry! I will try it again properly next time! Although my face didn't feel particularly clean (my fault) it did feel a less dry, but not really smooth like you get with some masks. I think this is just one of those things that is different for everyone. I read up on some reviews, and one woman was like obsessed with it, hasn't used anything else for 3 years. Another thought it was a waste of her precious pennies. At £8.80 Ithough this was quite cheap,  well it's not too pricey compared to some of the stuff people put on their faces anyway, so can't complain too much.

ILLAMASQUA Freak Eau De Parfum (Full size £59.00 75ml)

Celebrate the night with Freak, the dangerously exotic first fragrance from cult British beauty brand, Illamasqua.

I'm never that excited by the perfume samples because I have been wearing the same perfume (DKNY Be Delicious) for over 5 years. Can't go changing my smell now can I?

Also, Glossybox seem to have dodgy noses, cos apart from one other (Plum) I have hated every perfume sample I've received. This on the other hand, is actually really nice! I also love that it's in a proper mini spray tube, because I can not stand those little tubes where you have to attempt pulling the top off without losing everything iside it, then having to work out how to get the stuff on your neck.

Anyway, the packaging does tell us all the lovely scents they've put into this.

Top notes: Black Davana, Opium flower and Belladonna

Heart notes: Poison Hemlock, Datura and queen of the night

Base notes: Frankincence, Oud and Myrrh

Overall a lovely perfume ( and I am very fussy )

Last but not least...(My favourite from this box)

PHILIP KINGsLEY Elasticizer 40ml (£52.10 500ml)

Intensive, super-mositerizing pre shampoo treatment for all hair types. Adds elasticity, manageability, bounce and shine.

This excited my boyfriend Marcus more than it did me, he's a hairdresser you see, so he just looks through my box for the hair related paraphernalia. 

First thing he came out with suprised me, mainly because it was exactly what  I was thinking "Elasticity? Is that a good thing?" We all know that horrible elastic feeling you get when you've over done it with the hair dying and straightening, and whatever else you've been up to.

However my friends, we obviously got something wrong here, cos this stuff is just so lovely!

I actually found out that this stuff was actually made specifically for the one and only Audrey Hepburn! She needed something to give her hair a helping hand when it become dry and damaged through constant colouring and styling between jobs. If its good enough for Audrey, it is oh so definitely good enough for me!

I have fine, over coloured, reeallly damaged hair that lacks in everything hair really should have, and this little guy came and gave me a little bit of all those things. It says leave it in for 10-20 minutes, so naturally I left it in for half an hour maybe 45 minutes. Might even leave it in longer next time, leave it to perform miracles. Oh and if your wondering, it does smell nice, but not strong enough! I like my hair products to smell yummy all day long, but I guess it's used pre shampoo so wouldn't make much difference?

I am sooo happy with this! Now don't be scared off by the price. I don't really know why, but glossybox decided to state the price for a much larger size than standard. For your standard 250ml pot, its under twenty-five quid. Yeah this is still a little scary for my poor little purse, but honestly, even I would consider paying that for my hairs new best mate.

Overall, not a bad box :)

That's all folks.

I  hope you enjoyed my first ever post, on my first ever blog.