Current Favourite Camera App

I recently discovered the iPhone app called VintageCam and it is amazing. I was browsing the top 25 free apps and since I have about 239039 camera apps already, I decided to try it out and it is gorgeous. You take a picture, and it has a sort of vintagy camera background, and after you've taken a photo, you can change the effects and there are some lovely ones on it, too. My favourites are Neptune, Dark Knight and Crème-Brulée. In total there are 15 effects.

A few snaps I took earlier:

Neptune

Dark Knight

Rainbow

What are your favourite camera apps? I love trying them all out!

A Golden Touch

Hey guys! I thought I'd do a quick FOTD because surprisingly I haven't been wearing much make-up lately, because I've been sick, and now I'm working, and I feel more comfortable without make-up on (it also means I get a tiny lie-in). I tried out my new ELF brushes, and they're great! They work really well and do exactly what I want them to do. Apologies for the lighting, today was my day off and I slept until stupid o'clock, and it got dark so quickly. Grr.

I've just noticed that the darker colours in the outer corner of my eyelid don't show up on the pictures. It just looks like a shadow, but they are there!

not sure what the pink blurry dots on my head are supposed to be

Eyes:
MAC Paint Pot in Indianwood all over lid
Urban Decay Naked Palette: Sidecar in the middle of the lid
Urban Decay Naked Palette: Darkhorse & Creep in the outer corner
Urban Decay24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Zero to line my eyes and waterline
Maybelline The Colossal Volum' Express Mascara one coat
(because I hate when I put too much on)

Face:
Lacura Beauty Blusher from Aldi
Benefit Brows A-Go-Go Brow And Eye Shaping Kit

 Which is a lot more than what I used to use when I first started blogging! Crazy!

this one's a bit blurry because of the dodgy lighting and my shaky hand

I went shopping (Review)

After work, we went to the supermarket and I couldn't resist buying some bits, it's an addiction I swear! My boyfriend and I needed to get some light bulbs and we left with a bunch of new toiletries. By "we" I mean I did, although he did get new razor heads. I'm this bad on a daily basis, what will I be like when I get paid?! Also, I might, possibly, maybe, with a bit of luck be going to England in February. I'm planning something a little bit big and exciting, but I don't want to mention it yet, just in case it doesn't work out. But let's be positive!

Anyway, onto what I purchased/repurchased and what my mum also picked up for me.

First up, a few Dove products. If there's one thing I can never have enough of, it's shampoos/conditioners. I have about a billion, and I love trying new ones, because I feel I've been getting closer to the perfect hair products that work a treat with my hair. I remember my sister saying she was content using her Dove shampoo and conditioner, back when I was getting Lee Stafford stuff in December, and after she left to go back to England after Christmas, I noticed Dove products in the shower. My family would say I'm know to, ahem, borrow other people's shampoo without asking, but the last few years I kicked that habit of wanting what others have, but these looked so lonely. And almost empty anyway. So I used them and my hair felt so, so soft and lovely, even when I let it air dry. It usually goes frizzy and horrible but I really noticed a huge difference using the Dove products. They also smell really nice and the packaging, which is white with gold, is very elegant, if shampoo can be elegant. The ones I got today, the same as the ones left abandoned it the shower (let me just note, if they belonged to my mum or other sister: sorry for using the last bit!), are called Dove Hair Therapy Nourishing Oil Care, which claim to "revitalise and smooth dry, rough and frizzy hair with weightless nutri-oils". That's my rough French translation anyway, because I'm too lazy to google what Dove has to say about it. But I'm sure it says pretty much that in English. So I got the shampoo, conditioner and a deep conditioner. They also had a leave-in conditioner, but I have my Bed Head Ego Boost for that. anyway, you're supposed to leave the deep conditioner in for about 3-5 minutes, which I did, and my hair is very soft and feels sort of light, but that could just be me thinking it feels like that. It definitely doesn't feel full of product, which makes my hair feel heavy and horrible, which is great! So far, I love this stuff.

Next, I asked my mum if she could find me bebe Relaxing Care Day & Night Cream, which is my moisturiser, and if she could find the bebe face wash, to get that too, please. Problem was, I was at work at the time and didn't have enough time to describe the product in detail, and the shop she went to only had my cream and a toner. Which is great because that means I get to try out a new product! So she got the bebe  Shine Control Oil-Free Face Lotion, which promises a "shine-free complexion, with lemongrass and fruitextracts and it cleanses and gets rid of dirt and excess oils that are on the skin". Again a rough translation, this time from German to English. Using my decent language skills, like a boss. So yeah, I had a bit of a mishap when I opened it and spilt it all over the place, over than that it's great. My day&night cream is great too, I've really seen a difference since I started using it, I get less spots (hardly any now!) and my skin feels really soft and is less patchy. My face wash, which we couldn't find (I looked too, when we went shopping), has also contributed to my improved skin condition. I really love these products and would recommend them to anyone who can get their hands on them. They have something to do with Johnson products, but I'm not sure if they're available in England, or if they're named differently. If not, try www.amazon.de or www.amazon.fr, because it's made in France apparently but is also translated into German, so I think you'll probably find it on one of those. More on my bebe experiences here.

And finally, a deodrant, Fa Mystic Moments Seductive Fragrance*, which I've repurchased because it is a very nice smelling deodrant indeed, probably the best I've ever smelt. My boyfriend loves it, probably because it smells quite "sexy" if that makes any sense?*(I noticed it had seducative fragrance after having written this sentence) It's so nice, and works well, it claims to have "24 hour reliable protection", and this really is a first, I actually believe that. Unless of course you do nothing but sport all day, therefore sweat like a pig, because the only thing that will help you in that case is a shower. It also says "no white marks & skin friendly" which is also very true. No translation needed because it's all in English (apart from the back, that's all in French and Dutch.Grrr) But yeah, this deodrant is great! I love it.

Have you tried any of these products? What are your thoughts?

ELF Haul

My make-up brush collection at the beginning (until November) of 2011 consisted of maybe two or three brushes. One of which I stole borrowed from my sister, the other two I got from Primark. Why not? 

So I figured it was about time I updated my brush "collection" (perhaps "small group" is a better description?) so, after having been introduced to ELF by my cousin Naomi, I decided to browse their website, and had a mini-heart attack while doing so. It's so cheap! And by cheap, I don't mean bad quality. Just cheap! Which is great if you love a good bargain, which I think everyone does. Apart from people who feel the need to prove themselves and define themselves by buying pricey things just for the sake of it. Once in a while and making a big deal out of it because it's a luxury? Absolutely, because it is. But constantly banging on about how expensive and wonderfully exclusive your pricey crap is, just for the sake of wasting money, and not actually caring about the product itself, therefore showing off? Not good. I don't mean to offend anyone by this, it's just I actually know a person(not a blogger) who is like this and it disgusts me. Especially because when it comes to important stuff, they are really stingy. Urgh. Which is why I love reading blogs. I haven't yet come across a braggy kind of blogger, only the ones who use and review drugs store and the occaisonal high end products, which is good because that way we learn things. Rant over!  

Anyway.

Here is my haul! I won't review them yet because I haven't used them yet properly, but a review will come one day!

Daily Brush Cleaner - £2.45

Brush Shampoo - £3.50

Eye Crease Brush - £1.50

Small Angled Brush - £3.50

Eyeshadow Brush - £1.50

Blending Eye Brush - £1.50

Defining Eye Brush - £1.50

Smudge Eye Sponge - £1.50

So far, I like them all. They're really soft and good quality, as far as I can tell. The Shampoo and Cleaner both smell really nice, and the first thing I did was wash my good old trio of brushes. The small angled brush works a treat for filling in eyebrows, it applies very softly and doesn't leave any harsh lines, which is great! I'll update you after having used them a bit more!

Have you bought any ELF brushes before? Would love to hear your thoughts!

My Make-Up Collection Just Grew A Whole Lot Bigger

As promised, here are the eyeshadow palettes I got for Christmas. I don't use much else, like foundation or bronzer etc. and Christmas day was the first day I've actually worn lipstick (apart from when I was a child and stole borrowed my mum's lipsticks.) Anyway, everyone in my family knows this which is why they got eyeshadows, which is great because I can never have too many! Yes, the Naked palette is also on here again, because I got it with the money my parents gave me. Excuse the swatches, I'm not very experienced and also the lighting could have been better. 

l-r: Virgin, Sin, Naked, Sidecar, Buck, Half Baked, Smog, Darkhorse, Toasted, Hustle, Creep, Gunmetal

1. Urban Decay's Naked Palette

I know, everyone and their mums has this palette. And there are about 828249059589 blog reviews, so I'll keep this short. I love this. End of.

Just kidding. For anyone who doesn't know this neutral palette, it's the first of two so far, and is considered the warmer palette of the two. It has two matte colours, Naked & Buck. The rest are all sort of creamy, shimmery colours. I'd the say the least used ones, generally, are Creep and Gunmetal, which is a shame because they are gorgeous, especially for a nice smokey look. My favourites are Toasted, Half Baked (duh), Buck and Sin. And Smog and Naked and, and and. Yes ok, all of them. The downside is it cost me 40€. Gah. But I think if you look hard enough, you'll find a bargain. I haven't yet tried the Naked2 palette, but it looks gorgeous and I've heard good things about it!

 2. MAC Paintpot in Indian Wood

I got this lovely gem from my sister's fiancé and oh.my.god. I have no words. It is the most gorgeous, beautiful, amazing colour everrrr. It's so soft and creamy and lovely. Also, I find it changes shades all the time, it really depends. Sometimes it's a dark bronzy colour, and other times a light gold. I think it depends on your skin colour, too maybe? 

3.Sleek Storm i-Divine Palette

My sister Naty got me this and it's so gorgeous! They are mineral eyeshadows and are very pigmented and they're so soft and velvety. There are two matte colours and the rest are all shimmery. You can't really tell when looking at the swatches, but there are some lovely colours too, like the dark blue and the green, which is a nice difference compared to just browns and neutrals. Love this palette and it gets a big thumbs up from me.

Warning! The following swatches are ridiculously awful.

4. Eyes Lips Face Warm Palette

My cousin Naomi got me this and is therefore held responsible for my current ELF obsession. This palette is amazing, like the others (I have no favourites).It's a mix of matte and shimmery shadows, and they feel so lovely and soft. It also contains some gorgeous purple-y colours with gold shimmers and I love them so much, purple being my favourite colour. It's amazing and I now love ELF. A lot. Which is my reason for the next post. I refuse to feel guilty.

Soapy Haul

As I said in the last post, I wanted to keep the bathy type stuff separate, so I can review the products too. Some of these are things I picked up when we were in London, and the rest are presents I got from my family. The stuff I got in London are technically also presents, because I bought them with the money my parents gave me.

1. Hotel Minnie Washbag

I saw this in Boots and I had to have it for obvious reasons (my name). It's so cute and I love the design. It came with a shower gel, a body lotion and a cute mouse-shaped brush. I haven't used the stuff yet, so this will be a crummy review, but it smells so nice. The bag itself is quite big, but not too huge, I use it as a travelling make-up/wash bag. It has a strip of pink and white striped fabric which is so cute and a little black bow too. I think it cost about £10-£12, I can't really remember. I also got a small make-up bag from the same brand from my boyfriend, which is really cute, but I'll save that for a what's in my make-up bag post.

2. Soap & Glory

2.1. The Righteous Butter

I was a Soap & Glory virgin before London. Dani and I went into Boots and saw the huge bag with 10 Soap&Glory products for £25. We immediately had the same thought: buy it and split it between us! So we spent £12.50 each for 5 products. And I am so glad we did! This stuff smells bloody amazing and the only reason I haven't used it before, is because it doesn't exist in Luxembourg (typical). But now I have and urgh nothing will ever compare to this stuff. Just the smell alone! Anyway, the product itself it a body butter, and I picked this because everytime I shower, my arms and legs itch so much. So I use this after I've showered and it works so well. The stuff I usually use (a mishmash of whatever isn't empty) soothes the itch for a few minutes and then it comes back. But I find this stuff works really well and I don't itch at all after using it.

2.2. Clean On Me

This is a shower gel, which works like a shower gel. Not much I can say, apart from once again it smells like heaven. I love it so much so, that I try to avoid using it so that I don't waste it which is absolutely ridiculous, isn't it? 

2.3. Off Your Face

These are make-up removing, cleansing face wipes and they work a treat! They're soft and smell good (of course). I bagsied these but unfortunately Dani forgot that tiny little detail and used most of them. So she'll be paying me £2.50 for them. Grr.

I also got the Soap&Glory Sexy Motherpucker Lipgloss in Candy Gloss, which I've already posted about, and the 125ml version of Hand Food, which is a non-greasy hydrating hand cream, which I gave to my mum as one of her Christmas presents, because she loves hand creams.

3. Lee Stafford Products

3.1. Lee Stafford Poker Straight Shampoo & Conditioner

I love these products, I've used them before and they make my hair a lot easier to handle, which is the most that I can hope for what with my wavy hair. It smells so nice, I can't describe the smell, but it's just so amazing. And although it works wonders with my hair, it doesn't with my sister's hair. She said it makes her hair greasy, and she prefers Aussie stuff. I've only used certain Aussie products a handful of times, and I thought that those products make my hair greasy. So that just shows that, things that work for me won't always work for everyone, even my own sister!

3.2. Lee Stafford Heat Protection Spray

This is the first time I've used this product, and I don't really know how I can tell if it works. The ends of my hair are dry and broken already so I just can't tell. But it smells great, so yeah. Haha. I just spray it on my damp, almost dry hair, before blowdrying it, and then again if I straighten it.

 4. Bed Head Ego Boost Split-End Mender

I'd read a lot about this leave-in conditioner one and have been on the lookout for it since March 2011 (while trying not to resort to online shopping because of the ridiculous prices). So when we were in England, my mum and I went all around to find Moroccan Oil for my sister, Dani, and the nearest place was a village away, in a little hair salon. So we got there and my mum bought it and then I spotted this. I asked the woman how much it was, and expected it to be £20 or something (I'm not very price-savvy) and was surprised and happy when she said it was £12.50. I bought it and I'm so glad I did, because it is amazing! It doesn't make my split-ends disappear completely, because the only way to do that is to chop 'em off. But it does make them less visible, and it makes my hair super soft and easy to manage. It also smells like sweets! I love it!

5. Coco

Not sure what this brand is called, it was a stocking filler from my mum(or father christmas) and it's all coconut smelling products which I love! The smell reminds me of holidays and pina coladas. It came with a perfume, a body lotion and a shower gel.

6. Caudalie Travel Bag

I got this from my boyfriend's sister, and it's a little travelbag which contains body lotion, make-up remover, a lipbalm, shampoo, shower gel and a moisturiser. I haven't tried anything yet, apart from the lipbalm and the moisturiser, and they seem quite good.