Brand series - month 1, week 1

Welcome to part one of my new mini series that will be on going for a few months. 

Basically each month i will choose a brand and then mention some of the best products from the brand, and worst.. if i've really disliked something. It also gives me a reason to try out some new things! Which of course makes everything good when you have a reason to buy make up. I thought it would be quite interesting. Every Saturday there will be a post about this, so here is number one.. Enjoy.

MUA- Make up Academy 

One of the cheapest make up brands out there, which of course is a great thing because you can try different shades of things for next to nothing before you splash out and buy something from a different brand. Like a lipstick, you never know what type of colours suit you until you try them.. and it must be very disappointing to spend £10 on a colour that does not suit you at all! 

It's a great brand, that is sold in superdrug's. Every one i have been in stock this brand because i know smaller stores dont stock as many make up counters but luckily this one is everywhere. If you haven't tried anything from this brand, or haven't heard of it. Where have you been?? 

The product i'm talking about today is an eyeshadow trio and i have mention it before but it was quite a while ago. 

http://www.superdrug.com/MUA/Make-Up-Academy-Trio-Eyeshadow-Pink-Sorbet/p/267664#.VKWmbYqsW1w

How cute are these little trios, and only £2.50, they have lots of different shades avaible to make the perfect eye shade. one colour for the crease and then all over shades. I think they are a great idea. You do get a small applicator with it, but i wouldnt reccomend it because i dont think they are the best quality. 

Products of 2014

I have a feeling as i start writing this it's going to be a lengthly post mentioning some of my true favourites from the year. Things that have stood out that i can say wow that saved me in 2014, and hopefully will do the same in 2015. 

Body shop oil cleanser

Starting with skin, because i think it might be the smallest category. I've always been quite lazy with my skincare which is why i can't complain when i have spots, but things that have helped me in tricky situations, or just that i think have made an improvement is a cleanser . It is the body shop oil cleanser, its really nice, its the first oil i have used and i really like it and would be without it and will be sure to buy another when it runs out 

Rimmel Stay matte liquid

I haven't really had that many holy grail products of this year, but looking through my make up bag i thought i would mention some products that have been great all year ( or as long as i've owned them '

Foundation wise i've had 2 that i've really liked, and both of them i'd buy again. They are also quite different too, as one is more of a summer foundation and one a winter ( in my opinion ) 

First up is ' Rimmel stay matte liquid ' it was a very weird product to try, as i've used mousse foundations before like the famous matte mouse, but this one came in a tube. It was great throughout the summer, because i had quite oily skin so i thought it really helped combat that oil. 
Rimmel lasting finish

It is a very nice foundation and is reasonably priced too. 

The second one i used; am using now is ' Rimmel lasting finish ' this foundation is a liquid so personally for me is better in the winter because thats when i tend to get slight dry patches, and obviously a mouse type is drying and clings to all the dry bits of skin. 

 Benefit Porefessional

Staying with face, i wanted to mention a primer and i only have one and yes it can only be benefits porefessional. This product has been amazing whenever i have really needed something extra this has helped, with long nights out or hard days at work when i know i've needed to try and look my best i have applied this before my foundation. Its slightly pricy ( not expensive ) but it cost me around £28, and the tube isn't huge but you need the tiniest bit and it goes a very long way. It has to be in my 2014  best ones.

Soap And Glory Shower Gel 

I have to add a shower gel, not everything could be beauty related could it? I have hardly used any of these bottles through the year though because they last forever! Soap and glory shower gels. I love the Sugar Crush one, because it just smells so fruity; but i have tried many of the others scents and still would keep trying others. I love these and always will i believe.

Real Techniques Expert Face Brush 

In January i got the real techniques expert face brush. I use it every day to apply my foundation. I love it, it helps to blend everything in really well. I now couldn't imagine my life without it. It also washes really easily and dries quickly too. Its around £9.99 everywhere sold. 

Tresemme Hair mask

I love Hair masks, but i'm going to mention the one i'm currently using at the moment because i love it. The Tresemme reconstructing deep conditioning hair mask.  The smell the consistency, even the amount you need. I have very long and thick hair and i dont need much for it to be effective. The size of the product is good too because you get a hell of a lot so you can make it last a long time. 

I hope everyone has a great 2015, and hoping it is better than the last for everyone! 

Happy New Year

Body shop sale!

The best time of year is january ( well if you like to spend a lot of money on basically everything you dont really need ) So this post is about exactly that, The Bodyshop sale.

Body Butters at £6.50 wow! 

It is also 30% normal priced items too, so surely you can find something and still get a good deal out of it, and really thats what we all want. 

www.thebodyshop.co.uk

Also like i have mentioned before you still get your 10% if your a love me beauty card holder, and if your not like i've mentioned before you really need to spend that £5 because its worth it. thats 10% all year round, and then other promotions, like 40% its to good to miss out on. 

http://www.thebodyshop.co.uk/sale/sale-10-and-under/raspberry-body-butter.aspx

I have posted a link to my favourite product range from the sale, but there is also products from the peach range which i would love to try. 

Cleanser

I've been using a new cleanser recently; you'll know this due to my shower post. It's the body shop oil cleanser, and is lovely! I think it's going to last a really long time too, as you need one or two pumps and thats all. When you first apply it obviously it makes your face greesy and oily, but once it's washed off it doesn't leave your skin feeling horrible. It makes your skin softer. 

http://www.thebodyshop.co.uk/shop-by-range/camomile/camomile-silky-cleansing-oil.aspx

You can buy it from the link above for £10, or obviously in body shop stores. There is also a balm cleanser available from the same camomile range; so you could try that instead that is £12 so not much difference. 

I am really impressed with this product. And will most definitely repurchase when it runs out. 

Ciate advent calander- day 13

Today's colour was a nice pastel shade of yellow, very pretty. I think this is a summer colour and would lovely with a golden tan, ( hard to get in this country ) so maybe a fake tan. 

I think you would need a good few coats to make it opaque and noticeable, but nice to say the least. 

' Loop the loop' every day i opened my calendar i get surprised, and i love all the cute little names that ciate give to their colours, some are very random and dont suit the colour in the slightest. Someone has obviously spent a lot of time thinking of good creative names that no other company has used and i think they achieve everything they are after. 

Men's Gift guide

I find men so hard to buy for, but it depends on the man because obviously some are easier to please than others. Some men are happy with a bottle of alcohol and that's all, easy enough. But others aren't that easy to please. 

I have thought of a few ideas all quite different so hopefully you can find some ideas. 

You can always go for clothes or shoes depending on the person because some men or fussy, or some wouldn't appreciate that. 

Playstation or xbox games are a safe bet most of the time and there is enough out there to please people.
GTA 5 has just come out on playstation 4 and xbox one, so thats an idea, or call of duty. 

There are a lot of fragrance sets available, you could buy just a aftershave or in a gift set, some times that is the better deal to do. 

on superdrug you can get a bottle of one million, the best smell ever, for only £46 at the moment. That is a very good deal. 

http://www.superdrug.com/Paco-Rabanne/Paco-Rabanne-1-Million-Eau-de-Toilette-Spray-100ml/p/521195#.VITkXKSsWkg

There is also a gift set which is the 50ml version with a shower gel and that is £41. It comes in a very nice tin, which he could keep if he wanted. 

http://www.superdrug.com/Fragrance/Fragrance-Gift-Sets-For-Him/Fragrance-Gift-Sets-For-Him/Paco-Rabanne-1-Million-50ml-Edt-Gift-set/p/326401#.VITksaSsWkg

A good website to look on is 
www.fragrancedirect.co.uk
It's cheaper and you can find a lot of good deals on there for anyone, or you can just hunt around if you have the time in shops and the internet to find a good deal. Some cities or towns have small independent shops that sells these sort of sets so if you have one of them check it out first. 

I have found some really nice skin care gifts for men, but i know some men are too proud to admit to using moisturisers and face scrubs, but if you know someone who would appreciate that sort of thing here are a few suggestions. 

There is a really nice set from Clinique for £34, which is ok price wise depending on who its for and what budget your on. 

http://www.clinique.co.uk/product/13561/32905/Holiday-2014/Great-Skin-for-Him?cm_mmc=GoogleBase-_-ShoppingFeed-_-Holiday2014-_-GreatSkinforHim&gclid=CIbgtYHNt8ICFW3ItAodv20AQA

It includes a scrub a shaving gel, a post shave soother, a moisturiser and a nice little bag to put it all in. Overall i think it's a really nice set that includes a lot for the price. 

On the other end of the scale there are cheaper altentives out there like this Nivea men set that is only, £6.67 at the moment on sale, at boots but it is only £10 originally anyway. 

This has less things than the clinique but it depends what you want to spend.

http://www.boots.com/en/NIVEA-MEN-Cool-Calm-and-Moisturised-Gift-Set_1484986/

It includes a shaving gel a face wash and a moisturiser. A very good deal i think. 

Most men love gadgets, so why don't you buy them a gadget if they are more of a manly man. What about a nice phone case, or now everywhere you can find portable chargers, cool little chargers. Get your hands on one! 

Ciate advent calandar - day 10

Today's colour is the first type of grey I've got, pillow fight. It's really nice, I love grey to have on one finger or all grey and one glitter. I like shades like this, because they go with any thing you wear and suit any time of year. It's a simple yet really beautiful colour. I'm sure grey must be one of the most popular colours now a days, yet it has a slight purpleness about it.  I see this type of colour everywhere. 

It's a nice shade of grey too, nothing to dull. 

Ciate advent calandar -day 9

Today's colour was a very nice pink, kiss chase. It's a nice darker pink, if you go back a few days this isn't the first pink, hoopla was the other one I opened, but this one is darker.

It's very nice, and I look forward to using it. Mainly in the summer, that's when pinks are the best. Unless they are glitter. Pinks are nice and they always make everyone feel girly. 

I think this colour is a happy medium, it isn't super bright like rave pink, ( yes there is such a thing ) and it isn't pale, that you need ten coats. As i said, a nice happy medium

Ciate advent calander - day 8

Today when i opened my advent calendar i got some caviar pearls.

Deck the halls. I'm not a fan of these at all, because i think they are messy and never work. I can never get them to stay on my nails.But i'm sure at some point ill give them another go. 

They are a nice festive colour though, red and gold. Thats always a nice thing at christmas time. Because the calendar comes with a funnel i'm hoping it'll be easier to use than any other time i've tried it. I'm hoping so because other wise its a waste of a product. It does split the days up though getting something a little different, 

ciate advent calendar - day 7

This is by far the best. I was so pleased when i opened this day. So happy with it, 

It is called fit for a queen, but honestly the photo doesn't do it justice. Its beautiful, and i cannot wait to paint my nails with this colour.

I'm trying to give my nails a break and some tlc because I've been naughty recently and have been biting them. This colour will look good on everyone!! no doubt about it, its got a shimmer to it that makes it a stunning colour. I cant tell you how nice this shade is, check it out for yourselves its wonderful!! 

Ciate advent calendar- day 6

Today's colour was a very nice pastal purple, a lilac shade. its a very nice colour. called sugar plum. 

This type of colour is my favourite nail vanish. i own so many different brands and shades of purple. I think its really suitable and nice. I think its really nice and fresh and very girly. Also the type of colour you could wear all the time. Very pretty and i'm very pleased with this colour. Its beautiful. 

Ciate advent calendar - day 5

Today's colour is hoopla. It's a really nice peacy pink. It's a beautiful colour. The type of colour that would love very nice on tanned skin, but i'm sure it would suit anyone. It's a very pale color, that is more like a summer colour than a winter. But i guess some people dont mind what time of year they wear colours. 

Christmas Nail Guide

I thought i would put together a few different ideas for christmas, for a nail lover. If you know anyone who loves their nails then this is for you. 

You could always put together a bundle of their favourite colour, or even just a few ones from a certain brand. I think even though it takes a little more time and effort, you can spend whatever you like and it makes it a lot more personal and shows you know them well. 

Or you can simply buy a gift set, 
There are lots around on the internet for lots of different brands. 
Ciate have some very nice ones for sale, 
They do one called ' Candy Cane House' it has 4 of the glitter minis, all very suitable for the christmas period ( or all year round ) 
It's £25, but if you search the internet i'm sure you can find a bargain, if some sites are having sales. Because places like john lewis will be selling these sets.

Also very nice from Ciate is their tree trinkets, These are £8 or 2 for £12, so you can buy 2 people a gift and save a little money. These are more of a stocking filler or a secret santa, or if you are short for money and working on a budget these are lovely. They are a plastic bauble like thing that holds a glitter mini inside it, perfect to hang on the tree or is just a nice way of presentation. 

As you can see there are quite a few different shades available, all beautiful, but there will be one that everyone likes. 

O.P.I also does some very nice gift sets around christmas time. There is a lot of different sets you can get but a nice one that you can split into 2 gifts is the take ten one. 

This is a very nice one because as you see you get a variety, the reds are all very nice and festive, gotta love festive nail vanishes. This set though is in different packs, so you can split them both up and give 5 to each person if you wanted to, if you know someone who would use the lighter shades and would never touch the darker ones, some times it better to not bother giving them something they wont ever use anyway. 

There is so many different prices everywhere but i have found it on lookfantastic for only £17!! its a bargain. 

Essie do a few little nice gifts, the duos are very nice. 

This one is the best in my opinion the glitter is purely beautiful. There are lots of different ones available, some without glitters if you know they wont like glitter. 

Around £13 each. Boots sell these. 

I hope this helps you find something for your loved ones at christmas. 

Love Nicola xx

Lush Bath Time

I have actually finished used one thing from my lush gift set that i mentioned a while ago. it's the 12 days of christmas one;so as you would imagine there is 12 different things in the box. 

When you open it you can see everything which is a little annoying but i guess what you expect because it isn't supposed to be a surprise. So it was my choice what i wanted to use first.

I went for a bath bomb, all the bath bombs are christmassy as you expect so i chose at random. 

' Dashing Santa ' is the one i chose, and if you didn't know it is shaped just like a little santa claus. 

It's a really cute little one that obviously smells like christmas. It  doesn't claim to do anything extra special like some of them do, its just a bath bomb.You can buy this one individually  for £2.95, but it is only on sale around the christmas season.  It did make my bathroom, and the whole of upstairs smell very nice and it also sent the water red as you imagine it would. Bath bombs are more like something luxury that just smell extra special. So it was quite nice but nothing overly amazing to comment on. 

soap time

soaps are hardly heard of, or used anymore. But you cant beat a nice soap. So yes i purchased some of the body shops. I bought a pink grapefruit one, yes i know its no shock there. I also chose the honey one.They smell beautiful. Just like the hand creams that i bought for my friends stockings, i got them a soap to go along with the matching fragrance. 

These are only £2 each and the limited edition christmas ones are £2.50 each so are easily affordable. And are quite reasonable in size too. 

Hand creams

I love the body shop, and when i realised they did a hand cream in ' pink grapefruit ' i knew i had to buy one.NOW! As your all fully aware, i'm like a crazy person about this scent. So i put one in my basket and then thought i would get a hand cream for a few friends and family for christmas. 

I got some of my friends the coconut one, and my sister the frosted cranberry one which is a christmas limited edition scent.

The packaging is really nice, it comes in a nice tube and is nicer than the usual plastic packaging. The product is heavily scented of the flavour of choice. They are also reasonably priced as well. I think they are a great stocking filler for someone who likes to take care of them selves. 

I cant comment on the product because i think for a cream to work you need to use it for a while first. 

Ciate advent calandar- day 2

This colour is a much easier one to use alone, and i think its a very nice all year round colour but one that mainly suits this season. Some people can never pull of a red ( or so they say ) but i think this colour would look lovely on anyone, from light to dark skin. Its a good all round colour. I think you could buy this for someone as a gift and i'm sure they would love it. Boudoir. 

Ciate advent calendar- Day 1

Yes this is a day late and i'm very sorry for that.. It wont happen again i promise, It Just means you get to see 2 vanishes in one day!

Because i have decided to post every day about every colour i get in my advent, some days there will be 2 posts.. which is all exciting, but obviously it does take more time.

I also have lush products to review for you all through out December, so it's going to be a very busy month! How exciting.

Sooo.. back onto the nail subject.

I got Snow globe!

This is more of a top coat then a colour. Glitters are harder to take of your nails, and with it being some a light shade, its harder to use. This colour will go with any colour, but with it being christmassy i think at the moment a nice deep red and a green, just to get in the festive spirit. 

It has nice big flakes in of silver and very light blue. A beautiful shade for this season. 

Sanctuary spa

5 day moisture cream body oil

I've heard great things about this product and finally persuaded myself to buy it, i'm a little disappointed in the packaging because i always think a pump dispenser is nicer to use and definitely would save on usage of the product, but that didn't put me off. The packaging and scent is just the standard sanctuary products.

It tells you to put on dry clean skin, and also states you can use it on damp skin if you prefer. I guess people have different times of the day when they apply it, and maybes its easier to do just after a shower, or for some its easier to do just before bed. 

It retails in boots for £7.00 but very often 3 for 2 is on a lot of the bath and body brands so you can get a good deal. 

Its a soft product that makes your skin feel very well looked after, and not sticky and oily like you expect it to do. Its a very nice luxury product for the price, so its worth a buy. 

Real techniques

Duo fibre make up brush set

This is a lovely gift idea or something to treat your self with, which is obviously what i did. I really tried to fight temptation but I've been defeated, and found myself at the time, with my purse open!

For the price i couldn't complain, this set cost me £20 for 5 brushes, which considering some of the real techniques brushes are around £10 each, how can i feel guilty for getting such a good deal?

Most people have tried real techniques brushes, and if you haven't have you been under a rock? or just unable to commit to buying one. Go out now and buy any! Some of them are better than others. The blending brushes is my favourite, but it depends if your really into foundation, some people prefer the eyeshadow blending brushes;each to their own. 

These 5 are silver handled rather than gold or the other colours available, and they are beautifully soft to the soft. 

You get a few different brushes from blusher to eye shadow. 

Go on treat yourself today

Normally it retails for £30, but its on sale in superdrug for only £20!!