NOTD: OPI Diva of Geneva

I don’t have a lot of OPI nail polishes and the ones I do have I have bought from places such as Fragrance Direct and Poundland. Although they have a really impressive shade range I don’t think that I would ever spend £11.95 on one polish unless the shade was really unique.

Diva of Geneva is a really pretty colour it’s a sparkly plum colour. It is a bit like a duo-chrome polish. In different lights the colour looks different. I really like the colour and think that it is a lovely colour for this time of year. 

The colour reminded me a bit of NO7 Damson Dream unfortunately I don’t have it with me at uni to compare the two. Like the one from NO7 I found that this chipped really quickly. I find that a lot of the OPI polishes I have chip really easily compared to other polishes. 

I like the brushes of OPI polishes they are the wide brushes which makes application so much easier. The wear time of them really does let them down though this lasted me about 3 or 4 days before it started to chip. Most polishes I wear usually last a week on my so it is quite disappointing when it chips so quickly.  This shade was part of the 2010 Swiss Fall Collection so if you wanted to pick up this shade you’d have to look on Ebay and other similar websites to find it.

Although the shade range is impressive OPI nail polishes are just not my favourite. My favourite more expensive polishes are from Nails Inc as they have a wide range of colours and finishes although I wouldn't get them full price. I am always really reluctant to spend more than £5 on a polish unless it is really special am I the only one?

Prettylittlefashionista xxx

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Winter Essentials

 Today I thought I would share with you some of my beauty and random winter essentials. In the past few days it has been very cold so I thought now was the perfect time to share my essentials that I reach for when the weather is colder.

First thing is body butter, I use body butters and lotions all year round but in winter I use them a lot more as I find my skin is a lot drier. The one I have been reaching for is the Sanctuary Body Butter. It is so moisturising and the smell is amazing. I love applying this after I have had a shower in the evening as I can smell it for ages after applying it and smells so luxurious that it feels like I am at a spa. 

For me hand and foot cream is essential especially when the weather is windy like it has been as my hands get so dry. My favourite hand cream to use at the moment is the Yes To Carrots Hand Cream this has a lot of natural ingredients such as carrot seed oil and sweet potato. It has a light scent and it leaves my hands feeling so soft and not at all greasy. I apply this throughout the day but I really enjoy applying it before I go to bed as when I wake up my hands are lovely and soft.  The foot cream that I have been using is Soap and Glory’s Heel Genius this is quite a thick cream so I apply it overnight and wear fluffy socks so it can absorb and my feet feel very smooth in the morning. 

I change my nail polish all the time so my favourites are always changing. At the moment I am loving Nails Inc Marylebone Mews and OPI’s Diva of Geneva. 

The Body Shop Chocomania Lip Butter has been a favourite of mine for quite a while but I especially love it during the winter as it is very thick and hydrating. 

During the winter months I like to use a thicker moisturiser and I am currently really enjoying the L’Oreal Triple Active Day Moisturiser. I find that this really helps to moisturise my skin. I like this moisturiser as although it is thick it sinks into the skin really quickly and does not leave my face feeling greasy. 

My favourite lipstick to wear at this time of year is the Revlon Lip Butter in Candy Apple. It is the perfect sheer red which I feel comfortable wearing during the day. It is really hydrating on the lips and isn't too bright.  

Now for some random favourites. At the moment I am obsessed with the Nescafe Millionaire’s Shortbread Mochas I love a lot of these Nescafe sachets but these are my favourite at the moment. Hot drinks are a must for me all year but especially when it is colder. During the winter I love curling up in the evening and watching DVDs or reading a book. I have just finished The Last Anniversary by Liane Moriarty and I really enjoyed it. I got quite a lot of DVDs for Christmas so I am making my way through those on my watch list is Maleficent and Oz the Great and Powerful. I am also making my way through the True Blood box set and I am loving it.

What are your winter essentials?

Prettylittlefashionista xxx

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NOTD: New York Noir Shattered Pink

I love Nails Inc polishes the quality of them is fantastic and whenever a magazine offers them as a free gift I often snap up all the colours. I got the entire Kate Spade collection when Glamour magazine offered them. One of the colours that I was most looking forward to trying was the black shade New York Noir as I haven't had a black nail polish for a while as my last one went gloopy and I never replaced. I don't often reach for a black nail polish as I much prefer to wear bright colours. I really liked the black nail polish on my nails but I thought I would add my OPI Pink Shatter just to add a little something to my manicure. I bought a lot of the shatter nail polishes when they were on sale in Poundland as they were such a bargain and I knew even if I only wore them once that it would be worth it. 

I quite like the shattered nail effect. It is not something that I would wear all the time but it is a nice alternative from a simple one colour look. I think the black and the pink worked really well together and I really enjoyed wearing a black nail polishes. I think I will be wearing black nail polish a lot more now as it looks very simple but it is has a little edge to it which I like.

What have you got on your nails at the moment? 

Prettylittlefashionista xxx

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Best of 2013

Today I wanted to share with you my favourites products from last year. These are some of the products that I discovered during 2013.

You may have noticed when reading my blog that I don't write much about skincare or haircare and that is because I always use a skincare/haircare product until the end so I don't try new skincare out all the time as I like to finish a product before starting something new. However last year I did get into using skincare a bit  more and hopefully this year I will get even better a sticking to my routine. Last year saw Nivea bring out their In Shower Body Moisturiser this was a product that I thought couldn't possibly be moisturising enough but I was mistaken. This product has been a life safer I use it when I am in a rush and wouldn't have time to use a body butter and this has kept my skin really soft. The next product is the Aussie Miracle Hair Insurance Leave in Conditioner this product protects my hair, leaves it feeling and smelling great plus it acts as a detangling product. I love this and I use it every time I wash my hair. It lasts a really long time as well so I don't need to constantly repurchase it. I have also really enjoyed the L'Oreal Micellar Solution I love these types of products for removing my eye makeup and this is really great. It removes even the most stubborn of products and it doesn't sting my eyes. This has quickly become a staple in  my skincare routine which I will be posting about in a few weeks time. 

Now onto makeup favourites. First off is the much blogged about Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer I was extremely late to the party with this one but I love it. It covers all my imperfections and under eye circles. It lasts all day and it doesn't look cakey it quickly became a staple in my everyday routine. A product that I used pretty much all through the summer was the MUA Undress Your Skin Highlighter this is such a gorgeous highlighter and looks beautiful in the summer. It is a unique product to find at the drugstore as not many brands sell highlighters but this one is lovely and works really well with my next favourite. After hearing many bloggers talk about Natural Collection's Blush in the shade Peach Melba I really wanted to try it but when I looked at it in the shop I didn't like the colour so instead I opted for Pink Cloud  and I am glad I did because I love it. It is a gorgeous matt pink which looks beautiful in spring/summer. Now onto eye products strangely these are all from the same brand. Last year I really got into winged eyeliner and when I started practising I bought a cheap felt liner as I didn't want to spend a lot of money in case I didn't like the look and also I needed to practise. I bought the Collection Extreme Felt Liner and I love it. It took me a long time to perfect my technique but now that I have this looks really good. It glides on really easily and it is a deep black. It dries really quickly once on so it doesn't smudge and it lasts the whole day. My last makeup favourite is the Collection Work The Colour Eyeshadow Pencils many brands bought out eyeshadow pencils last year but the Collection ones are by far the best out of the ones I've tried. I love the shade range as the majority of shades are neutral colours. The product is very long lasting on the lids and works as a base for other eyeshadows or by themselves. I have worn these a lot to school as they are so quick to apply. My last 2 favourites are nail favourites. Last year I tried OPI for the first time and I fell in love with their polishes. The one in the picture is I'm All Ears  which is a gorgeous sparkly pink but this represents all of my OPI polishes as I love them all. My last favourite is another range of nail polishes represented by one polish. The Barry M Gelly Hi Shine range was a must for me during the summer. I love the shade range of these and the texture is amazing. I am so glad that I tried these polishes as I wasn't going to originally as I thought I had to many but I just had to try them as I kept seeing them appear on blogs and I'm so glad I did as I love them.

What were your favourites in 2013?

Prettylittlefashionista xxx

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Haul November 2013

Recently I have bought quite a few things and I want to share with you what I have been buying recently.

So I have bought quite a few things in Poundland recently. I picked up a Revlon Nail Polish in the shade Sweet Tart which is a bright pink. I love this colour and it was in my October Favourites. I am a massive fan of pink nail polishes and this one is perfect. Next I picked up an eyeshadow from the brand NKDSKN which I have never heard of. I tried to do some research on this brand but I struggled to find anything. I picked up this eyeshadow in the shade Cinnamon because it looked so pretty. I picked up a nail polish from Famous which I have tried a few things from before. I saw this nail polish Scarlet Sparkle and it looked like the perfect colour for Christmas so I knew I had to have it. I picked up some more Calvin Klein Cream Eyeshadows, in another haul I showed you Bare Silk which I really liked so I picked up 2 other shades. I got Snakeskin Silver and Cashmere Plum and so far I really like them. On another trip to Poundland I picked up 2 nail polishes. I picked up the Maybelline Forever Strong Polish in Ceramic Blue which is a beautiful pastel blue. The other polish I got was an OPI Shatter in Pink Shatter I already own quite a few of these as they were in Poundland a few months ago and I picked them up.   

In Superdrug I picked up the Rimmel Eyebrow Pencil as my MUA one was running a bit low. I really like this eyebrow pencil as it lasts all day and the colour is really good. I also picked up the Maybelline MNY nail polish in 261. I think I got this in somewhere random  like British Heart Foundation for 99p. MNY is a range that was bought out by Maybelline for teenagers but I think it has been discontinued as I have seen it in Poundland. I love pink polishes and this one is gorgeous. I got a Rimmel Lasting Finish lipstick in Sweetie for 89p. Which was a complete bargain I think they'd labelled it wrong though as the other lipsticks that had been reduced from the same range were £4.89 however I am not complaining this is a gorgeous colour and I will wear it lots.  

I got these 2 pieces from Ebay. I have been wanting some nail dotting tools for the longest time and I finally bought some. I got them from here they were only £2.49 with free delivery. I have been loving experimenting with them as you will see in upcoming posts. I also got a Yankee Candle Sampler in Fireside Treats which smells amazing. I always buy the samplers to try the scent out before I buy and big jar.  

A few weeks ago Tesco had a 3 for 2 offer on Clean and Clear. I needed a new face wash which was £4 so it made sense to pick up some other products as well. I got the Morning Energy Daily Facial Scrub I had the face wash of this which I really liked so I thought I would give it a try. I got the Advantage Clear & Soother Foaming Wash which I quite like. Lastly I picked up the Advantage Spot Treatment Gel as my skin has been a nightmare recently and this has helped reduce my spots.

I got this burgundy Geek jumper from Ebay and I love it. I have worn this jumper so much recently I usually wear jumpers as tops and I often wear them with leggings or disco pants. The only problem I have with it is that I got it in a medium but I'd say it is quite small for a medium so I'd recommend getting a larger than you normally would as they seem to come up small. 

Lastly I have seen this bag on so many blogs over the last year and now I finally own one. I love this bag it is the perfect size not too small or too big. I can fit everything I need in it.It is so cute and it comes in loads of different colours, I think I may get another one because I love it so much. You can get one from here.

What have you bought recently?

Prettylittlefashionista xxx

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NOTD: I'm All Ears

Today I am going to share with you an NOTD featuring OPI's I'm All Ears which is from the Vintage Minnie Mouse Collection. So as I am sure you are all ware I love pink nail polishes  in fact I love anything pink. I got this polish from Fragrance Direct for £399 and although I don't think this particular shade is on there any more there are still plenty of shades to choose from. 

I love the colour of this, it is a sparkly pink with a blue shimmer running through it. The polish was quite sheer so I needed 3 coats but it lasted a week which is very impressive.The finish is jelly-ish. I love this colour and I think it will become a favourite of mine. 

Prettylittlefashionista xxx

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NOTD: Neon Art Shattered

A few weeks I shared with you an NOTD using Collection's Neon Art. It is a lovely vibrant pink colour and I thought it would work perfectly with the OPI Black Shatter. I never used to be a fan of textured nails I used to prefer a glossy shiny colour but recently I have been loving the shattered effect. I picked up a few of the OPI shatters from poundland. 

I think these two work really well together and they lasted a really long time as well. I got at lot of comments when I wore this as well so you know it's a winner when people comment on it. 

What have you got on your nails?

Prettylittlefashionista xxx

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NOTD: Maximillian Strasse Her and Silver Shatter

I got Essie Maximillian Strasse Her from Fragrance Direct for £1.99 and I thought I would try it with one of the OPI shatter I got from Poundland.

I applied OPI's Silver Shatter on top and I really love the effect it gave. I really liked the shatter look as it was something different from my usual glossy nail colour. Maximillian Strasse Her is an unusual shade and not one I'd usually go for but I'm really glad that I did as it is something different and it made a change. 

What have you got on your nails? Would you like to see a nail polish collection post?

Prettylittlefashionista xxx

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Holiday Haul

Whilst I was away on holiday I picked up a few beauty items and I thought I would share them with as I love reading haul posts. Most of this stuff was bought in Boots or Superdrug.

Firstly I wanted to pick up the new Collection Eyeshadow Pencil to give them a try and see how they compare to the Rimmel Scandaleyes Eyeshadow Stick . I got the shade Vanilla Sky which is a metallic cream colour. I haven't tried it yet but from the swatches I have done I am very excited to try it. I also picked up the much loved Lasting Perfection Concealer I am going to say something that may shock you but I have never tried this concealer despite all the hype that it has. I don't know why I've never tried it I think it may have been scared that it was over hyped and wouldn't actually be very good but I am impressed. I have only used it once but I really like it the coverage it gave was really good and I can see why so many bloggers love it. At the time they had an offer on if you spent £4 you got a free nail polish and I choice the shade Neon Art I love the nail polishes as they are amazing quality for such a low price.

Next I picked up 2 new Barry M Gelly Hi Shine polishes because I have become a massive fan of them. After trying Greenberry  and loving it I knew I'd have to pick up some more shades. Whilst I was in Boots I noticed that they were on offer buy one get one half price so I snapped up 2 colours and I plan to pick up more. I got the shades Passion Fruit (you all know I love red polishes) and Blueberry which I saw on the shop assistant in Argos and I knew I had to have it because it is such a pretty blue colour. 

I didn't actually need these 2 items but the offer was too good to refuse. I have never tried a Seventeen mascara and when I saw that they'd bought out a new one I thought I would give it a go this was helped along by the fact that if you bought the new Back Lash mascara you got the Back Lash eyeliner for free so I thought it was a great deal so I picked up the mascara not that I actually need a new mascara as I have tons on the go already. 

Next I got the L'Oreal Micellar Solution I've heard a lot of people comparing this to Bioderma and I love this sort of product to remove my eye makeup so I thought it was worth giving it a try. 

I got the last few items from Poundland. As you can see I picked up 6 OPI nail polishes for a £1 each. They are shatter ones but that doesn't bother me and they were worth getting as they were such a low price. I also picked up a Milani blush and bronzer duo I picked this up as I liked the colour of it and the bronzer was matte and since I don't have many bronzers I thought it was worth getting. 

What have you picked up recently? 

Prettylittlefashionista xxx

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Fragrance Direct Haul

I made an order from one of my favourite websites Fragrance Direct . You can find some great deals on there. They sell a range of products from perfumes to makeup and all at bargain prices. 

I picked up 2 Essie nail polishes for £1.99. I got Maximilian Strasse Her and Avenue Maintain which are both lovely colours. I have about 15 Essie nail polishes in my collection and they have all been bought at discount prices. I picked up 2 OPI nail polishes for £3.99. I love OPI nail polishes and I really like pink nail polishes. I got Nothing Mousie Bout It which is a lovely top coat made up of pink hearts which is so cute. The other colour I got was I'm All Ears. I can't wait to try these polishes out. 

I picked up the W7 Eye Primer as my ELF one has nearly run out so I thought I'd pick up this one to give it a try. I then picked up a Rimmel lipstick in Sweetheart Tulips. I love the colour of this and I can't wait to try it out. 

I then picked up some products from Zuri Skincare which is made by Sleek Makeup. I picked up the Face Mask as I need a new one, The Brightening Skin Renew Night Serum and the face moisturiser. I can't wait to try theses products and I will be reviewing them all soon. 

Have you bought anything from Fragrance direct recently?

Prettylittlefashionista xxx

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Nude Nails With a Glittery Twist

The Nude Nail Trend is something I've always been a little nervous about. I love brights and pastels on my nails so nude is very new to me. Also with me being quite pale I'm always unsure whether nude colours compliment my skin tone. When I got Ciaté's Pocket Money I knew I'd be trying out the nude trend. Instead of having just a plain nude on my nails I chose to add OPI's I Juggle Men on top of it. I Juggle Men is a pretty blue shimmery top coat that just added a little something to my nails. 

I really like this look and I really like Pocket Money and I think it suits me really well.

What have you got on your nails?

Prettylittlefashionista xxx

NOTD: Thanks a Windmillion

Recently I picked up 4 OPI nail polishes from Fragrance Direct for £3.99 ( I think I did quite well at restraining myself to 4). OPI usually retails at about £11 so you are getting a very good deal.

I chose the colour Thanks a Windmillion which is from the Holland Collection. On the OPI website it is described as a 'breezy sea green'. 

I love this colour, is is unique and I don't own anything like it. This applied really smoothly and needed 2 coats. I found that it lasted a really long time before it started to chip. 

What have you got on your nails? 

Prettylittlefashionista xxx