MAC Plumful Lipstick | Swatch & Review

MAC Lipstick in Plumful: £15.00 via maccosmetics.co.uk -

I was lucky enough to win this lipstick in a giveaway hosted by the lovely Katie over at Beauty & The Baker Blog http://beautyandthebakerblog.blogspot.co.uk. I got to choose the shade of lipstick or paint pot I would like, so I picked Plumful! 

Plumful is a shade you may have heard about recently, as loads of bloggers seem to love it! MAC describe it as a "blossoming rose-plum", which is pretty spot on; it's a gorgeous plummy pink. It's a lustre finish so moisturises lips nicely, and it does have good pigmentation. The lasting time isn't amazing but thats to be expected when the lipstick isn't a matte finish! The only near dupe to this is the Revlon Lip Butter in Sugar Plum, which is very similar but a smidgen darker and more purple.

I really really love this shade, most of my MAC lipsticks are incredibly bold and 'out there' colours, so it's nice to own something more 'everyday' from the brand. This is definitely a lipstick you can just slick on and go, and I'm looking forward to wearing it more!

Fiona xox

July Favourites | 2013

Inglot Palette: This is my second Inglot 10 palette, which contains mostly purple colours! I absolutely love Inglot shadows, I think the quality and the price are brilliant! They also have some great dupes for MAC, Sugarpill and many many iconic eyeshadow shades. I've been wearing the 3rd and 4th colours from the bottom row a lot. They're both matte and it's a little different from my usual neutral eye looks.

MUA Blushers in Cupcake and Lolly: These are recent additions to my collection and I love them! I've always been scared of peachy blushes, and I have no idea why. I really suit them! Cupcake is a browny neutral peach and Lolly is full on peach. They cost a pound and you really can't go wrong as the quality is great. I'll definitely be less scared of peach blushes now. 

Rimmel Apocalips in Celestial: Lots of people have dubbed Celestial a 'granny' shade, but I've really been liking it! It's a really wearable pink that's perfect for adding a finished look to your make up. Sometimes you need a lip colour but don't want to go for anything bold - Celestial is your man! The Apocalips are great and I can't wait for the new shades to come out! 

Maybelline Fit Me Foundation in 135: This isn't a tester I've nicked from Boots, I swear! This is the generous sample I requested from the Maybelline website. They didn't have my shade left so I ordered 135, which was way too dark in winter but with a summer tan is perfect! The finish of this foundation is fantastic, not the most long lasting on oily skin but has good coverage and is just glowing! 

Fiona xox

LUSH | Superbalm

LUSH Superbalm Scalp Treatment: £12.00 - 

Superbalm is a relatively new product from LUSH, designed to treat all sorts of scalp problems including dandruff, psoriasis and seborrheic dermatitis. I was so excited when they brought this out, as I've suffered from dandruff since my early teens, and in the last few years developed seborrheic dermatitis. It's not pleasant to talk about so I won't, but safe to say I needed a miracle product as Head & Shoulders just wasn't cutting it! 

Although it's pricey at £12.00 for a teeny tub, this stuff really does work. All you do is rub Superbalm onto your scalp 20 minutes before washing your hair. I usually leave it on a little longer and make sure I part my hair so the balm goes onto my scalp properly. The only downside is I find it difficult to apply to the back of my head, I may end up asking my Mum for a hand! After two or three applications the flakes around my hairline have all but disappeared and that part of my head is almost itch free! Result!  

If you suffer from any sort of scalp problems I would highly recommend trying this! It's saved me a visit to my GP and being prescribed potentially nasty steroid shampoos.

Fiona xox

Philosophy | When Hope Is Not Enough Skincare Collection

Philosophy When Hope Is Not Enough Skincare Collection: £33.34 from OVC Beauty (will normally be £37.00)*

Philosophy are a skincare brand I've often longed after but never tried, so when I was given the opportunity to sample their When Hope is Not Enough collection, I was thrilled! The set contains 4 beautifully packaged products and is available from QVC Beauty! It contains the hydrating cleansing balm, smoothing cream for neck and decollete, replenishing oil and replenishing cream. For the amount of products you get, £33.34 is an absolute bargain. QVC say: "When Hope Is Not Enough skincare collection from Philosophy features a selection of beauty regime essentials including a neck cream, a cleansing balm and more. Upgrade your daily beauty routine with this sumptuous set from Philosophy".

Philosophy Smoothing Vitamin C/E Peptide Cream for neck and decollete: This is the product that intrigued me the most, as although I don't have any wrinkles, I have some lines and quite rough textured skin on my neck. It comes out as a thick white liquid that has to be applied to the neck and decollete when the skin is completely dry. I haven't been using these long but I would say my neck appears smoother already.

Philosophy Hydrating Cleansing Balm: The cleansing balm is absolutely lovely. It has a really thick consistency and a lovely smell. It takes make up off nicely and leaves the skin feeling really clean. 

Philosophy When Hope is Not Enough Replenishing Oil: This is the second most exciting product for me, as I'd never tried a facial oil before. The packaging is absolutely beautiful; a dinky blue glass bottle with a dropper. You apply 4-5 drops to the palm of your hand and rub into your face. It feels nice, smells nice and leaves my skin moisturised, and surprisingly not greasy.

Philosophy When Hope is Not Enough Replenishing Cream: This product is applied after the replenishing oil and is again, lovely. Perhaps a little greasy for my oily skin during summer, but in winter or for those with drier skin this cream would be perfect! It made my skin feel plump and was the perfect end to the skincare collection!

I really liked these four products and think they're a great bargain! I can't recommend the set enough, I thoroughly enjoyed using these products and they continue to be a part of my skincare regime. QVC also have lots of other Philosophy products available at great prices and you can check them out here: http://www.qvcuk.com/Beauty/Philosophy.category.1.html?refine=1000008%2b4294967151&brand=Philosophy

Fiona xox

*these products were sent for the purpose of review

Bailey's Bit | #2

Hello everyone! A few of you said you'd like to see more updates from Bailey, so your wish is our command! Last week we (me and my parents) took Bailey to the beach. The weather in Scotland has been unusually good so we packed the car with a picnic (and lots of doggy treats) and headed to Elie in Fife. 

He absolutely loved it! We had to be careful he didn't overheat, but we made plenty of stops and Bailey had a splash in the water! He's not too sure about swimming yet, but he had a paddle. We're planning to take him up there for a few days next month, so it was reassuring that he enjoyed it so much. As you can see, the cheeky puppy got a lick of my Mum's ice cream, and he was a very tired boy when we got home! 

Fiona xox

Constance Carroll | Shimmer Glimmer Shimmering Powder

Hello everyone! Just wanted to begin this post by apologising; I've been a bad blogger. Over the last couple of weeks I lost my blogging mojo and just let it slip. But I'm back! With a quick review of these Shimmer Glimmer powders from Constance Carroll:

Constance Carroll Shimmer Glimmer in Nude Shimmer & Pink Shimmer: 95p each available here 

I picked these up in my local Watt Brothers for 99p each, but you can find them online for as cheap as 95p. Truthfully, I had never heard of Constance Carroll before, but these Shimmer Glimmer powders looked lovely. And for 99p who can complain? 

I bought the shades Nude Shimmer and Pink Shimmer, although there are another 3/4 colours. Nude Shimmer is my favourite of the two. It has three semi-matte shades and one more shimmery gold strip. It creates such a natural highlight and can even be used all over the face if you like a shimmery (but not too glittery) look. Pink Shimmer is definitely a blush on me, but those with darker skins could use it as a highlight. You could even use the two darker strips as a blush and the lighter two as a highlight, they really are multi purpose products.

If I was an MUA I would snap up all the shades of these and depot them into a palette! They have such good pigmentation considering they only cost me 99p I'm very pleased. Have you ever tried any Constance Carroll products?

Fiona xox

MUA 2013 New Blusher Shades | Cupcake, Bon Bon & Candyfloss

In recent times, I've become a bit of a make up snob. Thats right, I started to turn my nose up at high street beauty and found myself coveting high end only products. Bad Fiona. But, due to being an unemployed student with a make up addiction, I found myself attracted to these new shades of  blush from MUA! And boy am I glad I picked these up! 

from l-r: MUA 2013 Blusher in Candyfloss, Cupcake and Bon Bon: £1.00 each -

I seriously love these blushes. Especially at the very budget friendly £1.00 each! MUA have released six new shades of blush in 2013 with shiny new packaging. Candyfloss, Cupcake and Bon Bon are the three more 'wearable' shades in the range. 

Candyfloss is a purpley pink with shimmer, Cupcake is a matte nude peach and Bon Bon is a matte peachy pink, almost coral. They're all pigmented, but you do need to work with them a bit otherwise they can look patchy on the cheeks! Nothing a little blending won't fix. 

Cupcake is definitely my favourite from the bunch and has inspired me to try more peachy shades in the future. And at £1.00 I can repurchase it again and again. These are pretty small with only 2.4g of product, but again, they're only a pound, and perfect for popping in your handbag. These are definitely coming on holiday with me as I won't worry about losing them, I may even pick up the rest of the shades when I'm away! 

Fiona xox

Barry M | Gelly Hi-Shine Nail Paints

Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine Nail Paint's in Greenberry and Prickly Pear: £3.99 each - 

 I recently received these as part of a summer beauty swap with the lovely Laura from Petit Moi - Big World  and have been loving them ever since. I'd been meaning to try these Gelly Hi-Shine polishes from Barry M for ages, but never got round to it. But, they are brilliant.

I can see why so much hype surrounds them. The colours are amazing, especially Greenberry and Prickly Pear which are my two favourites. Greenberry is an incredible aqua colour that is perfect for summer, and Prickly Pear is a gorgeous lilac.

They have a massive shade range from darker more wintry hues to some seriously bright summer shades. They apply really well, are super shiny and last a good bit longer than other nail varnishes from that price range. I'd definitely recommend these and will for sure be buying more! 

Fiona xox

Hair Extensions | My Story & Tips

Over the years, I've sported some good 'looks', and some really dodgy ones (see make up in left hand pic!) but I've often relied on hair extensions to extend the length of my hair when I've had it cut short. 

I have naturally curly hair, that I sometimes straighten then curl again with tongs, and I've bought sets of real hair extensions in order to style them to match my real hair. That's the great thing about real hair extensions, they won't melt like synthetic ones, so you can curl, straighten and blow dry them to your hearts content! I've   rocked them straight, very curled and 1950's styled and I've even bought pre curled extensions to match my natural curls. I've always bought clip in extensions as I've found them the easiest to care for, but real human hair weaves are also another option! I've often wondered about getting a weave but it's something I've yet to try! We'll see what the future holds.

Obviously, you still need to care for these extensions like real hair, because they are real human hair, so make sure you wash and condition them regularly. You wouldn't want hairspray and styling products just left in your real hair, so don't do it to your poor extensions! Extensions really are a great way to get long hair fast, without the serious haircare routine that goes along with having longer hair. It means you can change your hairstyle easily and create hairstyles only achievable with long hair. 

You might be thinking clip in real hair extensions are uncomfortable and not for you, but I can honestly say if you clip them in properly you won't even know you're wearing them. Except when people compliment you on your gorgeous new do! 

Different types of extensions do different things.Wavy real extensions are also a great way to add volume and texture to your hair without getting the curling tongs out. Longer extensions will help you to achieve up do's that are difficult to do with shorter hair. Large messy buns are currently bang on trend, but so hard to create with shorter hair! Extensions are your answer. 

www.besthairbuy.com offer some fantastic deals on real hair extensions, including clip in extensions, human hair weaves and much more! They currently have 75% off some of their real hair extensions, including a wide range of lengths and colours! They have reasonable international shipping charges and free shipping on orders over $99! I'd definitely recommend checking them out for all your hair extension needs.

Fiona xox

Wednesday Wishlist | #9

Revlon Super Lustrous Lipgloss: £6.99 each - These are the new reformulated lip glosses from Revlon. They've done up the packaging and I really want a few shades! I'm not a big lip gloss fan, but I bought Laura from Petit Moi - Big World one for our beauty swap and loved them when I swatched them in store.


Laura Mercier Oil Free Primer & Tinted Moisturiser: £28.00 & £33.00 - These are super pricey, but I've heard so many good things about Laura Mericer! Perhaps a wee post birthday treat  for myself in August, we'll see. The oil free versions would be perfect for my oily skin.


Rimmel Scandal Eyes Shadow Sticks: £4.49 each - I haven't made my mind up about these, I've heard good and bad things but I've been meaning to try them for a while.


Sugarpill Heartbreaker Palette: £24.95 - I'm trying so hard to wear more colourful eyeshadows and experiment more. I've totally fallen in love with the colours in this palette!

NARS Creamy Concealer: £19.00 - Again, super pricey but I've seen and heard so many good things about this concealer and I really want to try it.


Sinful Colours Nail Polish: £1.99 each - At £1.99 each I can't believe I haven't tried these yet! The only problem is they never have the colours I want in Boots, boo!


Fiona xox