First Impressions: Fairydrops Mascara

Hi Everyone,

I recently invested in the Fairdrops Mascara having heard about it first on Vivianna's blog. I am fortunate enough to have quite long eyelashes, but the problem I have is that they are dead straight, and so this mascara really appealed to me as it promises to lift and separate lashes (like a bra for your eyes!).

This is a Japanese mascara originally designed by Japanese celeb Aya Yasuda, and as such it is not the easiest to track down in the UK. I managed to find it in stock in the Topshop flagship store in Oxford Street in their new Beautymart section which is filled with lots of exciting makeup products from overseas!

First impressions of this mascara is that the packaging is really cute, yet feels quite luxurious. The gold mascara tube reminds me of high end mascaras like YSL Babydoll, but at £18.50 the Fairydrops mascara is a little easier on the pocket. The wand itself is separated into three thick 'bulbs' and is slightly bent which makes application nice and smooth. The above photo is taken without using eyelash curlers and I was quite impressed with the level of curl I achieved- I have since used the mascara with eyelash curlers and was even happier with the results.

The problems I've encountered with this mascara so far is that it is not 100% waterproof and does have a tendency to run slightly, although it is stubborn and is not the easiest to remove at the end of the day. I also find that the solution is quite thick and makes my lashes a bit gloopy looking, although I have managed to reduce this by using less product.

I feel the price is a little steep for what it is (the tube was a bit smaller than I expected) but then I am not a fan of spending a lot of money on mascara generally as I find it quite an unexciting product to splash out on!

Overall I like this mascara for the much needed curl that it gives my poker straight lashes and for its staying power. It will probably become my go-to daily mascara, although for nights out I'm not sure it will give me the volume and waterproofness (if that's a word!?) that I'm looking for.

Have you tried Fairydrops? Let me know what you thought of it!

Rosie x

Haul Post: Topshop Makeup

Hi Everyone,

I hope you're all having a great week! Just a quick post today to share with you a couple of new bits and pieces that I picked up recently from Topshop. I have been having a real love affair with Topshop makeup recently and decided to try a couple of products that have been on my wishlist for a while.

First up is the Topshop Bronzer in 'Sandcastle'. This is a lovely, matte bronzer which is perfect to give an everyday glow. It also works really well for contouring and I have been cheating on my previous favourite (the Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Bronzer) with this new purchase ever since I bought it last weekend. I also really love the packaging of this bronzer- the silver compact is very simple but chic, and I'm sure that this will become a full time handbag favourite of mine. The colour Sandcastle I would say is a good choice for lighter skin tones, but apply sparingly as a little of this product goes a long way.

I also managed to get the Topshop Glow Highlighter in Polish. I have wanted to try this for a while but couldn't seem to find it in my local Topshop store- fortunately the one in Westfields had it in stock. This is a really lovely highlighter product; I have been applying it with my Real Techniques Blusher Brush along the top of my cheekbones to give a subtle glow. For daily use I would apply under foundation, but I'm looking forward to going for a more dramatic look on a night out. I am also desperate to try one of the MAC Mineralise Skin Finishes, so hopefully this will be one of my next purchases!

Finally, I stocked up on my favourite: the Topshop Lip Crayon in Wave Goodbye. I won't bore you by going on about this product yet AGAIN, but it's safe to say that it is a permanent fixture in my makeup bag.

These are the things I picked up recently- have you tried any great Topshop makeup products recently?

Rosie x

This Month's Empties

Hi Everyone,

Firstly I need to apologise as I have been a very bad blogger this week. I have been so busy with work that I just couldn't bring myself to organise a new blog post, so I'm sorry for the radio silence since last weekend. On another note, I've now reached 250 followers which I'm absolutely over the moon about! Hello and thank you to all of my followers (new and old)- I promise to try and post more regularly from now on!

Today's post is one of those 'empties' post where I let you know the products that I love sooo much that I've used every last drop/squeeze/spray. I seem to have finished everything around the same time this month which is strange but also a bit annoying for my wallet! The products in this post are a few of my absolute faves that I will definitely be repurchasing.

The first product is the Organix Moroccan Argan Oil Penetrating Oil for hair. Firstly, to state the obvious; the one in this photo is clearly not empty. I did finish this product but must have thrown the packaging away as I can't find it anywhere, and this has become such an essential to my hair routine that I repurchased immediately. I have had to put the newer one in this photo, but let's just pretend that it's empty! This oil is very thick and more serum-like than many Moroccan/Argan Oil products that I've tried, and I love to slather it onto the ends of my wet hair for a lovely soft, glossy feel. It is quite reasonably priced at £6.99 and a little goes a long way. As someone that regularly suffers from dry, split ends from endless hair colouring this product has done a lot to make my hair a lot smoother, glossier and more healthy-looking.

My second empty is the Garnier 2-in-1 Make-Up Remover Purifying Gel. I have mentioned this product before and it is a favourite of mine for effectively removing make-up in one simple step. It is essentially a face wash that is able to remove even stubborn waterproof mascara, and I love using this product when I'm feeling lazy as it feels like I have removed my make-up without spending too much time on it. I usually follow with either Bioderma Micellar Solution or Clearasil Rapid Action Pads to make sure my skin is squeaky clean.

I also finished my Witch Anti-Blemish Skin Clearing Primer this month. This had become such a make-up staple for me since I first discovered it a few months ago as it contains ingredients to prevent spots whilst still keeping make-up in place all day. In its place I have been using the Roche Posay Effaclar Duo which I find also works well as a base under make-up, but I will definitely be re-purchasing Witch's very reasonably priced primer.

The V05 Smoothly Does It Tame & Shine Spray has been a favourite of mine for a while. It is my secret weapon when blow-drying as I find it leaves my hair super shiny and soft with minimal frizz. I usually spray this on dry hair just before straightening, and it even contains ingredients to protect hair against high temperatures from hair straighteners. I would be lost without this product (not to mention frizzy!) so I will be repurchasing very soon.

Clarins' Eau des Jardins perfume is my all time favourite scent and the one that I tend to use for everyday. It has a very fruity, floral scent, which sort of reminds me of grapefruit, and I have yet to find a scent which tops it. I have used this one down to the very last drop, but I already have a new one on the go which lives in my handbag for emergency spritzes.

MAC's Strobe Cream is a product that I have had for AGES- so long that I think they've actually changed the packaging now- and I've finally finished it. I really loved this product at first but then seemed to forget about it and it lived, unloved, in a drawer somewhere. I rediscovered it again recently and have been getting a lot of use out of it again. I like to use this product under foundation as a subtle highlighter, or mixed into blushes to give a subtle glow. Now that I have finished it I am going to try a new highlighter for comparison purposes, but I am sure I will be repurchasing this again at some point.

Finally, the lipstick that I am obsessed with- Topshop's Lip Crayon in Wave Goodbye. I won't go on about this too much as you can read my rave reviews of this in previous posts, but I would give this lipstick the rare label of My Favourite Lipstick Ever. I can't remember ever using a lipstick right down to the very bottom before, but I have already bought two more of these to see me through the winter. This lipstick is a pinky nude shade and very glossy. The packaging is a little messy but I'm willing to overlook that because I just love this product so much! It is back on the shelves after a brief spell of being unavailable, so I would recommend giving it a go if you haven't already.

Phew, this ended up being quite a long post! I hope you enjoyed reading about my September empties and as always please feel free to leave me a comment below on any of the products mentioned or with any recommendations for me!

Rosie x

If I had £100...

Hi Everyone,

I know that £100 to spend on makeup may not even seem like much of an extravagance for some, but I have been saving solidly towards my upcoming holiday to Australia over the past few months and £100 seems like quite a luxury to me! With that in mind, I have decided to do a post of what makeup products I would buy IF I had 100 quid going spare. This was quite a tough task actually- £100 won't necessarily get you as much as you think it will, and a couple of these are treats that I have had on my lust list for quite a while!

1) MAC Eyeshadow in Cranberry (£12.50, so £87.50 left!)

I have been wanting a pink toned eyeshadow for ages and I absolutely love the colour of this one. I first saw this on Milly's blog at Pearls and Poodles and it just looks so amazing on her, so this would definitely be one of my first purchases!

2) Mineralize Skinfinish Powder in Adored (£22.00 - still £65.50 to spend)

Another MAC product, I have seen these Skinfinishes on SO many different blogs now and they always look so gorgeous. I really want to try the Adored shade, which is described as 'Coral with light pearl beige'. These products seem to work really well as either a blush or a highlighter so I feel that they are worth the slightly high price tag for their multi-tasking abilities!

3) Zuri Skin Chapter Nine Skin Renew Night Serum (£2.99 on Fragrance Direct, leaving me with £62.51)



To make sure that I got my money's worth I'd also need to stock up on a few less expensive products, and I have had my eye on this serum for a while. I have never tried any Zuri products before but I really love the packaging, and the product itself is described as a 'Concentrated brightening serum'. It is supposed to even skin tone and encourage uniform skin pigmentation, both of which I could really do with, and the fact that it is only £2.99 is definitely a plus.

4) Urban Decay Naked Flushed Palette (£20.00, still £42.51 to go!)

I'd love to try this palette, especially after I was left so unimpressed by the Revlon Sculpting Palette (review here). I am so keen to find a blush, highlighter and bronzing palette that I really like as I think it would be a fantastic handbag staple and I have high hopes of this being the one that ticks all the boxes for me. I love Urban Decay products and think the packaging is so beautiful in its simplicity! One thing I really like about this product in particular is that they seem to have got the proportions just right and made the bronzer much bigger than the blush or the highlighter. I really want to try the Benefit Watts Up! highlighter as well but didn't want to put ANOTHER highlighting product on my £100 wishlist as 3 seems a little excessive!

5) Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation (£34.50- only £8.01 left!)

I would need to have at least ONE extravagant purchase on my list, and I think this would have to be it. I have heard such good things about this foundation and the swatches I've seen just look absolutely beautiful on the skin- this is a definite wish list fave for me. I am a bit of a foundation obsessive anyway and I'm constantly on the look out for the next product that is going to change my life forever! This product feels quite luxurious and I've heard that it is a bit of a celebrity favourite as well, which makes it well worth £34.50 in my book!

6) Topshop Sheer Lipstick in Swirl (£8.00 exactly, leaving me with just 1p change from my £100 budget)

I love a lipbalm and I love a lipbalm even more when it has a splash of colour! My final £8 would be spent on one of Topshop's newest makeup offerings- this gorgeous, coral coloured, sheer, balmy lipstick. The colour of these is quite subtle which suits me perfectly for daily use. I like the sleek, silver packaging and I have yet to find a topshop lipstick that I don't like, so all in all I think that this would be a great final purchase without blowing my £100 budget!

So, there you have it- if I was given £100 tomorrow these are the products I would be nipping out to buy. If you fancy doing the same challenge then by all means feel free, just be sure to let me know so I can have a look on your blogs!

Rosie x

Please note these are not my images I'm afraid!



Current Lust List!

Hello!

Today I am doing another Lust List post, as once again my eyes are bigger than my wallet and there seem to be a million things that I'm lusting after at the moment!

The first thing on my list are these amazing studded boots from New Look. Like so many people, I'm a huge fan of New Look shoes as they're so reasonably priced and very on trend, even if the quality isn't built to last a lifetime. I would wear these either with tights and a floaty dress or punk it up a bit with skinny jeans, a leather jacket and a huge scarf (another one of my current obsessions!).

I also currently have a big clothes-crush on this Topshop dress, £36. I am not particularly edgy in my style and often find Topshop clothes a bit too 'trendy' for me, if I can say that without sounding like my grandma! In fact, I usually spend hours browsing and coming out with 3 plain vest tops and a necklace or two- I prefer to keep things simple and accessorise to dress an outfit up. This dress though I really like- I love all things lime green at the moment, and I think the splash of colour really jazzes this dress up and makes it ideal for nights out or even for work.

I've had a full basket on Fragrance Direct and Feel Unique for ages now, just laying in wait for payday! On my current wishlist is the Bare Minerals matte foundation in Medium Beige, which I still haven't tried yet. Recently in this hot weather I have been favouring a lighter coverage during the day and I'm hoping this will be the perfect everyday foundation for me that will last out on my oily skin.

I'm also dying to get my hands on one of the YSL Rouge Volupte lipsticks, preferably this one in Nude Beige. These lipsticks seem to be absolutely everywhere at the moment and I've heard nothing but good things, although at £24 each this is definitely an end-of-the-month type purchase!

Finally, to wear for work I also have my eye on this skirt from ASOS. I love the detail on this, from the hi-lo hem to the orange, leather-look stripe along the side. I would like to wear this with a white boyfriend tee, heels and a statement necklace for during the day, and maybe a cami and blazer in the evening. I really struggle with dressing for work in the warm weather and pencil skirts have become something of a staple for me recently as they can be worn so many ways.

That's the end of my Lust List for now, but I could go on and on as there are so many products that I'd love to buy if only my purse would allow it! Let me know what you're lusting after though as I'd love to hear.

Rosie x

PS. Please note that the images here are NOT my own.

Lipstick Lovin'

Hi Everyone!

I hope you all had a splendid weekend- I know I did! On Saturday I treated myself to a cheeky manicure in the morning before having loads of friends over in the afternoon for a bit of a BBQ. The weather was a bit hit and miss but my lovely boyfriend put a gazebo up in our back garden to make sure it didn't rain on our parade. We had LOADS of food and it was really good to catch up with all of our nearest and dearest.

I just wanted to put a quick post in to tell you about my new MAC lipstick in Creme Cup. I mentioned in my blog last week that I bought this when I was out with my friend and I am in love with it already! I know it is not exactly a new shade, but for anyone that is looking for a nice, natural pink lip then this is fast becoming one of my favourites.

I am a bit lipstick-obsessed at the minute, and here is why. Last year I discovered one of my favourite lipstick shades OF ALL TIME- the Topshop Lip Crayon in colour Wave Goodbye. Sadly, Topshop are no longer producing this gorgeous shade and my original purchase is now very much on it's last legs....

RIP to Wave Goodbye... Boo hoo!

See what I mean?! I am completed heartbroken as it was such a gorgeous, natural pinky shade with a really nice, glossy finish. So now with what's left of my lovely Wave Goodbye lip crayon I am trying to find a suitable matching alternative.

So, Creme Cup came along. This is one of MAC's 'Cremesheen' lipsticks so is nice and glossy which I think I prefer in a lipstick rather than being overly matte. The colour is quite similar to my beloved Wave Goodbye, although I would say it is a slightly paler shade of pink- definitely more of a nude shade ('your lips but better!' kind of colour, as people say). I have been wearing it a lot over the past few days and I really do love it as an everyday lipstick, and I find that the creamy finish leaves my lips feeling really nice and soft. I have also had numerous compliments at work about it! Although I love it in its own right I'm afraid it hasn't quite lived up to my favourite Wave Goodbye crayon however, so as Roy Walker would say, 'It's good, but it's not the one...'.

MAC lipstick in Creme Cup

Ho hum, my quest to find the perfect replacement for Wave Goodbye continues, and I would love to hear your suggestions! I would definitely recommend Creme Cup and its already becoming a make-up bag regular for me, although unfortunately it just hasn't quite hit the mark to become my go-to perfect lipstick.

Also well worth a mention is another of my favourite shades at the moment- the Too Faced La Creme lipstick in 'Naked Dolly'. These lipsticks do not come cheap at £16 a pop, but Naked Dolly is well and truly one of my favourite nude lip shades for everyday, and the creamy texture makes it a real treat to wear!

Right, that's all from me today, but I would love to hear about your favourite natural lip colours and whether you have any suggestions of a good alternative to Wave Goodbye?! Have you tried any of the Too Faced lipsticks??

Rosie x