Top 5 Essie Picks For Spring

From left to right: Bikini So Teeny, To Buy Or Not To Buy, Neo Whimsical, Penny Talk and Mojito Madness 

Recently I have been really loving Essie nail polishes. I wanted to share with you my 5 favourite colours for spring. Most Essie nail polishes only need 2 coats some of the darker shades however only need 1 coat. They dry really quickly which is good as if you're like me and you hate waiting for nail polishes then these are perfect for you.

The shades I picked are:
To Buy Or Not To Buy- a gorgeous lilac colour with blue shimmer running through it
Penny Talk- a rose gold colour, this colour is so unique I love it
Bikini So Teeny- a beautiful powder blue colour that has some shimmer running through it
Mojito Madness- in my opinion this is spring in a bottle this colour remind me of spring when the flowers are growing and the grass is green
Neo Whimsical- this is a lovely lavender colour and I my opinion perfect for spring

Starting from the thumb: To Buy Or Not To Buy, Penny Talk, Bikini So Teeny, Mojito Madness and Neo Whimsical 

What are your favourite spring colours?

Prettylittlefashionista xxx

P.S On the top left their is a poll for which celebrity style post you would like me to do next Sunday, please vote for the one you'd like to see. If none of them appeal to you let me know what you would like to see in the comments.

MUA Starry Night Palette Review

I was lucky enough to get the MUA Starry Night palette from my friend. My friend isn't very interested in makeup and spends a lot of time listening to me go on about the different makeup items, so she knows my love of MUA. The colours in this palette are not colours I would normally go for, I prefer browns which can be found in the Undressed and Undress Me Too palettes. 

The packaging of the palette is very simple, it has a black plastic case with a see through lid so you can see the colours. It has 12 shades all of which are shimmer shades. I prefer shimmer shades to matte shades as they are more pigmented. 

This palette is great for creating a smokey eye, something I've never really done before but I've really enjoyed experimenting with this palette. My favourite shades in the palette are shades 3,4,7 and 8. All the shades are off a fantastic quality, they are pigmented and are easy to blend. Around the packaging you get quite a lot of fall out but once on the lids the eyshadows last quite a long time. I do find that if you want them to last all day then you should use a primer first. I currently use the ELF primer which is really good, has anyone tried the MUA one as I'd love to know your thoughts. Although the ELF one is really good, MUA is easier to get hold of in the UK. 

This is the swatches from the palette it starts with shade 1 and goes through to shade 12. Unfortunately the shades aren't named as this is one of their older palettes. MUA have started to name there products though which makes it much easier to identify shades.

What's your favourite MUA palette?

Prettylittlefashionista xxx

NOTD: To Buy Or Not To Buy

This polish by Essie (from the Spring 2012 collection) is a lovely lilac colour which is perfect for spring. In the bottle this has a lot of shimmer which doesn't translate to the nails. You need about 3 coats to get it to become opaque which is quite good considering it is a very light colour.

What's your favourite Essie nail polish?

Prettylittlefashionista xxx

Bourjois Eyeshadow in Tabac Blond Review

I got this eyeshadow from Fragrance Direct for £1.99. Bourjois is not a brand that I have tried much from so I didn't know what to expect from the eyeshadow. I know a lot of bloggers love the foundation from Bourjois but I have yet to try them although I really want to.

I want to start by saying how cute is this packaging. I love the floral design on the lid and the pot itself is small and it just looks so cute. In the lid there is a little mirror as well which I think is really handy. 

I love the colour of this it is a golden brown colour. I have been wearing this nearly most days as it is very simple and easy to wear. The pigmentation of this eyeshadow is slightly disappointing, however I have read that these eyeshadows work better when they are applied wet. I have not tried applying this with a wet brush yet but I do use a primer underneath it which does make the colour more pigmented.  

Have you tried this? What would you recommend I try from Bourjois?

Prettylittlefashionista xxx

April Empties

This is my April empties, I am trying to do them monthly now as I seem to use products up every month now. Some months however there won't we as much, this month I've used a fair amount of products so lets see what I've used.

Sure mini deodorant (£1.30 for 150ml) 

I bought this travel size deodorant to use when I went on a trip. It isn't really anything special it smells ok and does an average job. Not much else to say really.

Would I repurchase? No

Impulse body spray Paris (limited edition)

This wasn't my favourite scent from Impulse. Some of their scents are really nice but I didn't particularly like this one. 

Would I repurchase? No

Garnier Clean Sensation deodorant (£2 I couldn't find a link online though)

I really like Garnier deodorants I've tried most of them. I liked this one as it had a clean scent to it rather than a heavily floral scent like some of the other deodorants. 

Would I repurchase? Yes 

Superdrug extra gentle apple detangling spray (don't think they do this any more but L'oreal does one that is similar)

I really liked this as it helped get rid of some of the knots in my hair after I washed it. It made it easier to comb my hair. I wasn't keen on the scent but luckily it didn't linger on the hair. 

Would I repurchase? Yes (obviously from a different brand)

Tresemme Split Remedy sealing serum (£5.69)

I love this I use it ever time I wash my hair. I ran some through the ends of my hair and I noticed a difference in the amount of split ends I had. I definitely recommend this if you want more information you can read my review here.

Would I repurchase? Yes

Tesco wild peony and pomegranate handwash (£2) 

I wasn't impressed with the smell of this. It claims to be a luxury handwash but it isn't really. I was quite disappointed with this. 

Would I repurchase? No 

Vaseline hand cream (£3.41 for 75ml)

This hand cream was quite runny and I found it to be quite greasy as well. Although looking online it seems that the packaging has changed so perhaps the formula has as well.

Would I repurchase? No 

Royal Jelly body wash (part of a gift set)

This was an ok body wash, I wasn't a massive fan of the scent I found that it was quite strong. 

Would I repurchase? No 

Dirty Works body butter (£4.99 for 300ml)

I loved the smell of this and I found that it was quite moisturising. It sank into the skin really quickly as well. I won't be buying this at the moment as I have a lot of other body butters but I may get it in the future. 

Would I repurchase? Yes

FCUK bodywash (£1.25)

I loved the smell of this. It smelt so good and it was a really nice body wash. 

Would I repurchase? Yes

Prettylittlefashionista xxx

I Heart Drugstore Makeup Tag With Bows, Beauty and Becki

Me and Becki from Bows, Beauty and Becki decided to do the I heart drugstore makeup tag. I love drugstore makeup most of the makeup I own has come from the drugstore. Becki's answers will be underneath mine and will be labelled with a B. So onto the first question. 

1. What is your favourite drugstore make-up brand?
Now this is a really tricky question as I like lots of different products from different brands. If I had to pick I'd probably say Rimmel as I like a whole range of their products from their face products to eye products.

B- This is rather easy to answer especially as this brand has been on fire recently with new products realises. Rimmel has been amazing within the last six months with bringing out new products from the Apocalips Lip Lacquers to modifying their foundations like Match Perfection which is one of my all-time favourites and will of course be featured in this post.

2. What are your favourite face, cheek and lip products?
For concealer and foundation they are both from Rimmel. They are the Wake Me Up foundation and concealer. These are amazing products and work amazingly by themselves but when they are used together they look really lovely. My favourite blusher is the NYC colour wheel in plum passion it is such a lovely colour and love how it looks on my skin. For lip products I have 2 the Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Honey which I wear everyday and I have used so much of it. The second product is the Revlon Colourburst lipgloss in Bordeaux which is a new find for me but it has completely converted me. Before I tried it I never used to like glosses as I found that they were sticky and lacked the pigmentation of lipsticks. But Bordeaux isn't sticky and is very pigmented I also find that for a gloss it is very long lasting.

B- So I’m going to keep this simple by only mentioning to products for each category I know I have restrained myself!) For face products it has to be Rimmel – Match Perfection Foundation, it has a medium coverage, suits my skin tone perfectly which is rare for high street foundations and it leaves my skin looking healthy. The next product has probably featured in almost every single post of this sort but it is well worth it Collection – Lasting Perfection Concealer, enough said! For cheek products I picked Maybelline – Dream Touch Blush – 02 Peach and Natural Collection – Peach Melba both blushes have great pigmentation and look great on. Now this was probably the hardest to narrow myself down to two products as I had originally picked about ten so maybe I will do a post in the future all about my favourite high street lip products! Anyway I have picked Rimmel – Lasting Finish by Kate Lipstick – 101 and Revlon – Colourburst Lipgloss – 002 Crystal Lilac, these are both great products that give an amazing finish to my lips (separately!).

3. Least favourite product?
I don't like the MUA Shimmer Kiss blusher. I really like the mosaic blush, the single powder and cream blushes, but this blush is horrible. I find that the formulation is really chalky and it feels really cheap. It also has the unpleasant smell of PlayDoh which I personally don't like.

B- I am going to mention two products because they are basically the same apart from ones a blush and ones a bronzer. This is a product that you either love or hate – I hate it! And I really don’t understand how anybody could like these products! For some people this is in their “Holy Grail” products!? But for me I only keep it for posts/ questions like this and it has a permanent place in a bag that all my disappointing products go or the bag of disappointment if you will! These are the MUA – Mosaic Blush/ Bronzer, you might wonder what’s wrong with them and well here go’… They are incredibly shimmery, they are rather sheer and the colours aren’t flattering on the skin at all – I have tried this on other skin tones and it has never looked nice. They are cheap that’s about the only positive!

4.What is your best make up bargain?
My best makeup bargain is the lipsticks from ELF they are only £1.50. They have quite a big range to choose from they have colours ranging from nudes to reds. All of their lipsticks are fantastic quality and last quite a reasonable amount of time. They aren't drying either which is a common problem I find in cheaper lipsticks.

B- My best make-up bargain is from the same brand that my least favourite product is from so that just shows some products just miss the mark. Anyway this is a must for me and I will re-purchase for a long time to come and it is the MUA – Mega Volume Mascara this beauty is only £3 and it gives your eyelashes volume, length and defines them. I love this so much and I always go back to it, it works just as well if not better than the hyped about high end mascaras!

5. What is your favourite underdog product?
(Something you love that often gets overlooked)
This has to me by single eyeshadow by Bourjois in the shade Tabac Blond. Not many people talk about Bourjois but when they do they talk about the foundations. No one ever seems to mention the eyeshadows which in my opinion are amazing. They are really pigmented and very blendable. I definitely recommend their eyeshadows another plus is the packaging is super cute.

B- This without a doubt has to be the Soap & Glory – Supercat Liquid Black Eyeliner Pen, I swear this is amazing it’s pigmented, lasts all day, is easy to use and is just an overall great product. It’s only around the £5 mark and I would recommend this to anybody wanting a black liquid liner whether you’re new at make-up or if you’re an experienced make-up artist – just try it!

6. A drugstore product that is overpriced?
I personally think the Revlon lip butters are overpriced. I love the lip butters but I feel that £7.99 is quite expensive for what they are. Some of the colours in the range aren't fantastic especially the lighter shades which come out patchy. If they were priced at £5 I think that would be a more reasonable price.

B-This was quite tricky as if the products has been too expensive I have just not bothered getting it, but when I was doing my research for this I discovered I paid £8.19 for L’Oreal – Rouge Caresse Lipstick – 101 Tempting Lilac. Now I do like this product but the texture and finish is much more of a lip butter or a highly pigmented lip balm than a lipstick however I do still love it.

7. Show your best drugstore dupe(s)!!
This has to be MUA's Undressed palette not only is it a great dupe for the Urban Decay Naked palette it is a fantastic palette on its own. The colours are really pigmented and are great to work with. Another good dupe is the ELF contouring kit in St Lucia which is a dupe for the Nars Orgasm and Laguna duo. The quality of the blush and bronzer is very good and for £3.75 it's a steal.

B-I’m going to share with you two dupes both for your face – ones a face powder and the other is a highlighting concealer. I love my MAC – Mineralized Skin Finish Natural but even though I love it I dis like the price tag! So I decided to give a go at a pressed powder that everyone was talking about and that was really cheap this would be Rimmel – Stay Matte Pressed Powder, I personally think there very similar as they are both light powders that can be built up without looking cakey or powdery especially since I have dry skin and I don’t need a powder to control excess oil on my skin as well there is none! My next dupe is for the YSL – Touché Éclat I again loved this product but dis liked the price tag, especially since I do like to use a highlighting concealer under my eye most days especially when I have slept well, so therefore I needed a product that was cheaper as I felt I was wasting my gorgeous gold pen of magic so that put me onto the search for a highlighting concealer and well long story short I found Maybelline- Dream Lumi Highlighting Concealer. First of this is darker than my Touché Éclat and next time I will get the lighter shade but they both give a similar effect. It is really easy if you do your research to find dupes for high-end products as the high end brands also own the cheaper brands so the products are very similar you just need to do your re-search.

8. Drugstore product that isn’t worth the hype?
This is going to be extremely controversial but I don't think the Rimmel Apocalips are worth the hype. I bought the shade Big Bang and I've been extremely disappointed. Everyone has raved about how good they are and I don't think that they live up to the hype. They smudge easily and often end up on my teeth and I can't understand why anyone would like them. Perhaps it's the concept I don't like seen as everyone else seems to love them or perhaps I'm applying them wrong either way they didn't live up to the hype.

B- This is really difficult to answer as I just can’t think of a product that has a lot of hype around it that didn’t live up to my expectations so I am going to go back to my answer for question three and say I really can’t understand how anyone could like the Mua – Mosaic Blush – 3 English Rose and Mua – Mosaic Bronzer in 2 Sunkissed Glow. It just baffles me!

Have you done this tag? Leave me your links as I'd love to read your answers.

Prettylittlefashionista xxx

Huge Collective Haul

So recently I've gone a little crazy and bought quite a few bits and pieces. I've bought things from Fragrance Direct, MUA, ELF and many other places. 

Lets starts with what I got from MUA:

I picked up the gorgeous MUA Undress Your Skin highlighter. This is a lovely highlighter that I have been loving using recently. I also picked up their new concealer as I'm always interested in trying different concealers. When I made my order MUA had a sale and I picked up one of their plumping lipglosses in Pin Up Pink which was only £1. Also in the sale was a mosaic bronzer for £1.50. I chose to get the shade Sunkissed Glow. I picked up their cream blush in Bittersweet as I don't own many cream blushes and want to experiment with them. I got 2 of their new Power Pouts which I am very excited to try. The Power Pouts are dupes for the Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stains and the Clinique Chubby Sticks. I got the shades Broken Hearted and Runway. 

I then got some stuff from Fragrance Direct possibly one of my favourite websites. If you don't know Fragrance Direct sells a lot of well known brands at discount prices. I picked up another Dainty Doll blush as I loved the last one I got. I chose to get the shade You Are My Sunshine which is a dupe for Nars Orgasm. I then picked up 3 Essie nail polishes: All Tied Up, Mojito Madness and Neo Whimsical. 

I made an order from ELF which I haven't done in a very long time. When I made this order they had an offer that if you spent more than £15 you could get a free mystery bag. So I ordered 3 of their lipsticks in the shades Flirtatious, Sociable and Fearless. I love ELF lipsticks as they are great value for money. I decided to pick up their eyelid primer as well as it was only £1.50. ELF brushes are amazing quality so I picked up their Stippling Brush. From the Studio line I picked up a blush in Twinkle Pink and I got the contouring kit in St Lucia which is said to be a dupe for Nars Orgasm and Laguna duo. In my mystery bag I got another lipstick in the shade Fantasy. I got a mineral bronzer which I'm excited to try. I also got one of their nail polishes in Smoky Brown which looks like a lovely neutral shade. 

I got some jewellery from Dorothy Perkins in the sale. I love Dorothy Perkins for their jewellery as they have some fantastic pieces. As you can see I went a little rose gold crazy as 4/5 items I bought were rose gold. I really like the spike bracelet and heart necklace. I got some great bargains here and I am very pleased with them. 

Lastly I went to The Original Factory Shop I love looking at all the beauty stuff as they sell it at discount prices. I picked up a Revlon Colourburst lipgloss in the shade Bordeaux which I love and it only cost me £2. I picked up the eyeshadow quad in Coffee Bean for £3. I have been using it daily since I bought it. I got a 2 pack of the Turbie Twists. These are basically hair towels which you can twist around your head and they stay in place. I have the Soap and Glory version and wanted to get another but they are £7.50. This set of 2 only cost me £3. I then picked up 2 Essie nail polishes for £3 each. I got the shades Good As Gold and Nothing Else Metals. 

I am excited to try all of my new products and I will be reviewing them soon. I'm sorry for the really long post but I really wanted to share with you what I bought.

What have you been buying recently?

Prettylittlefashionista xxx

NOTD: Penny Talk

Sorry I've got a little behind with my posts this week. I will hopefully be back on track soon. This week I will  be posting on days that I don't usually post on so that I can catch up with my schedule. I also want to apologise for my lack of celebrity style post today I've got so behind that I haven't had time to plan one for you. If you have any suggestions then please let me know. 

Today I wanted to share with you this gorgeous shade from Essie. It is from the Mirror Metallics Collection. I am completely in love with this shade which is called Penny Talk.

Ever since I saw this on Miss Budget Beauty's blog I have longed to have it. This is a collection from last year I believe so it was no longer available in stores so I din't think I'd ever be able to get it. I was lucky enough to find it in a discount beauty shop for only £3 so I quickly snatched it up along with No Place Like Chrome and Blue Rhapsody.  

I am very pleased with this colour as you only need one coat and dries really quickly. I love the colour and think it is perfect for spring/summer. 

What are you wearing on your nails?

Prettylittlefashionista xxx

Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation Review

I bought this foundation with my birthday money from Fragrance Direct.  It was only £3.99 so I thought it was worth trying especially because I love the Wake Me Up foundation.  Rimmel do make great foundations and I think they are great value for money. 

This foundation claims that it will 'adapt to the colour and texture of skin' This I've found to be true as the colour match is amazing and when I wear this it doesn't look like I'm wearing any foundation. This makes my skin look flawless. This foundation offers a light coverage which is very build able. 

I love the packaging of this the glass bottle makes it look much more expensive than it is. It also has a pump which is something I look for in a foundation and is one of the main reasons I have't tried the Revlon Nearly Naked foundation as it doesn't have a pump. 

All in all I really like this foundation and I think I will be using it a lot this spring/summer as it is very light on the skin.

Have you tried this foundation?

Prettylittlefashionista xxx

Prettylittlefashionista's 1st Birthday

So yesterday was my blogs 1st birthday how quickly a year has gone by. I want to say a massive thank you to all of my followers and anyone who has ever commented on any of my posts it really does make my day. I have written 209 posts in a year which is pretty amazing I think. I look forward to many more years of blogging and I hope you continue to support me. 

Prettylittlefashionista xxx

Liebster Award #4

I was nominated for the Liebster Award by El at ElDeliciaMUA. I have already been nominated for this before so I won't be nominating anyone new but I thought I would still answer the questions. 

1. If you could only use 3 make up items what would they be?

I would chose mascara as I love how it makes my lashes look, concealer so I could cover any blemishes and lipstick so that I could add a bit of colour to my look.  

2. Name one positive impact blogging has had on your life.

I have met some great people through blogging and I have made quite a few friends.

3. What celebrity is the most inspirational to you?

If we are talking about fashion then I would have to say Ashley Benson as I love pretty much everything that she wears. But more generally I think it would have to be Mila Kunis as I thing she is an amazing actress and her style and makeup always looks amazing. She seems like quite a friendly and natural person

4. What social media site do you promote your blog on the most?

I use Twitter quite a lot I always post about my new posts on their. You can follow me on Twitter here. I also use my Facebook page to post about new posts. Here is the link to my Facebook page I always update it with new posts.

5. What is your skin care routine?

I use a face wash, cleanser and toner and moisturiser in the morning. At night I use a hot cloth cleanser, toner and moisturiser. Here is a link to my skincare routine post (I noticed that this is slightly out of date so I will do an update soon)

6. Do you follow trends or prefer timeless pieces?

I always try to follow fashion trend but they change so quickly that it becomes hard to keep up. I like to have some timeless pieces that I can wear all the time without having to worry about them being out of date.

7. What are your favourite make up brushes?

I love the Real Techniques brushes although I have one MUA brush that I really love I need to try some of the others though. I love the Buffing Brush and the Contour Brush from Real Techniques they are probably my favourite brushes.

8. What is the best advice you have ever gotten? 

Always do what you want to do rather than what other people tell you to do. This was said at a meeting at school when we chose our GCSE options and  I think that this is great advice.

9. What would you like to learn the most, such as language or a make up technique etc and why?

I really want to be a makeup artist when I’m older so I’d love to learn how to apply makeup properly. I pretty much taught myself how to do it so I’m sure I’m not doing it right. I would love to learn the proper techniques.  

10. Colours or neutrals?

I love neutral eyeshadows  that’s all I ever wear but I love to wear colour on my lips and nails.

11. Where would you like to be in 5 years time?

I would like to have done a makeup course and have a job working within the beauty industry.

I hope you enjoyed reading my answers. I want to thank El for nominating me and I hope you all had a good weekend.

Prettylittlefashionista xxx

Dainty Doll Concealer Review

I got this from Fragrance Direct with my birthday money along with some other makeup goodies which I will be reviewing shortly. I thought I would start with the concealer as this was what I was most looking forward to try however it is the product I am the most disappointed with.

I chose the shade Abracadabra 002 as this is the second lightest shade as I thought the lightest shade would be too pale. Dainty Doll is a brand that targets pale skin so I thought it would be perfect for me as although I am not extremely pale I am quite pale and usually have to have the lightest shade of foundation. This is actually a good match for my skin which I was really pleased with. 

I love the packaging of this as it is very sleek and feels high quality. It is in a very sturdy case and has a decent size mirror  which makes it great to apply on the go. 

The texture is meant to be creamy. It says that it can cover blemishes and  under eye circles. The concealer contains shea butter, vitamin E, antioxidants and anti inflammatory properties.  

However I find the concealer to be quite dry and difficult to blend. Once it is blended though it does look really nice. It covers blemishes and dark circles really well. I will use this but I will only use it when I actually have time to apply it. This does take awhile to blend in and at times if I haven't probably moisturised then it can be a bit dry. 

I'm really glad that I didn't spend the original price (£14.50) and only spent £1.99 on it because I don't think that it is worth the nearly £15. 

Have you tried this? Are your thoughts different to mine or the same?

Prettylittlefashionista xxx

Real Techniques Starter Set Review

Ever since I got the Core Collection for Christmas I have been lusting after the Starter Set. I was lucky enough to get this for my birthday. I have been using these brushes for a little under a month now and I thought I would review them for you. I have to say that I prefer the Core Collection to this it’s not bad but in my opinion it isn’t as good as the Core Collection.  The starter set is designed for the eyes had has a purple handle whereas the Core Collection is designed for the face and has a gold handle.

There are 5 brushes in this set. The base shadow brush, deluxe crease brush, accent brush, pixel point eyeliner brush and brow brush.  Just like the Core Collection it comes with a handy case that can also be used as a stand.

Base shadow brush: I really like this brush; it picks up eyeshadow really well and it blends eyeshadow really well. I also like it because it is super soft.

Deluxe crease brush:  This is way too big to be a crease brush as it makes the eyeshadow go everywhere rather than just in your crease.  I have heard that people use this for concealer so I will give that a try to see if it works.

Accent brush:  This is great for applying shadow to the inner corners of the eye. It works really well at smudging colours together.

Pixel point eyeliner brush: I find this brush very easy to use. It is   without being too flexible and I love to use this with my MUA gel eyeliner. The application of it has vastly improved because of this brush.

Brow brush:  The brow brush is great. It is angled which makes it perfect for applying powder to the eyebrow.This has changed the way I do my eyebrows as before I used a pencil but now I have a proper brush I have been using my MUA brow kit.

You can get from Boots(£21.99) but I recommend getting them from Amazon as it is only £17.59 and you can get free delivery.

Have you tried this? What other Real Techniques brushes would you recommend?

Prettylittlefashionista xxx