Pinterest!!

Hello everyone!

I am SO excited right now. I've been trying for HOURS, DAYS well basically since last night to get some form of Pinterest button on my blog.

Nothing at all was working. I was going mental. Code upon code and just nothing changed! It was so frustrating! 

Alas! I have finally managed to get a Pinterest button to appear when you hover over my pictures. Ideally, I wanted a button at the bottom of my posts but I just wasn't getting anywhere with that. I'm disappointed because I'm usually quite good with codes and what-not but this was getting right on my last nerve. I read that there was problems if you have a Dynamic View template but mines a Simple template argh! 

Anyway, I've finally managed to get SOMETHING to work haha. So, now, if you hover over the images on my posts and click on them you can Pin the images! Woo! *Dance Dance*

It seems trivial, but I've been staring at codes for hours :|.

If you're interested, I used THIS tutorial :)

'Gillette Venus and Olay Razor' - Review

Hello everyone!

As the weather's getting warmer, the sunless tan is out and shorts are on I thought it was time to treat myself to a new razor. I usually use a different Venus razor, it's blue and green but I can't remember the name of it. This time however, I decided to opt for this one, it's relatively new and I got it at the promotional discount price of around £5.50.

On the back of the packaging it says, 'Just wet the razor to activate the built-in Olay Moisture Bars, releasing a light lather that contains Olay skin conditioners, to help replenish your skin's moisture'.

I have to say, I think this razor really does work wonders on your legs. With just a little water the moisture bars lather up and the razor just glides over the skin. I'd say it doesn't take more than 2 goes over the skin to rid the hairs, the 5 blades give you a really close shave, leaving your skin smooth, soft and moisturised. You probably wouldn't even need another moisturiser afterwards. It only takes 2 minutes to go over your legs and you're done! It's actually enjoyable to shave your legs with this razor!

The moisture bars are a nice size so you will definitely get a lot of use out of the razor. You can also buy refills for £10.99 HERE. 

The package comes with the razor handle, one razor head, which you attach yourself, and a holder which has one of them sucker things you can place on glass/ tiles etc. A great deal IMO. I would also recommend leaving it out after use to dry before you store in it a cupboard or draw just to keep it clean and everything. I leave mine on my windowsill to air out.

I think it's definitely worth treating yourself to this razor to prep your legs for the summer months, it is also on offer at the moment in Superdrug for £5.49 as opposed to the RRP of £10.99 so get in there quick!

Price: RRP £10.99, £5.49 at Superdrug ATM (31/5/13) you can view/purchase that deal HERE. 

Would I recommend this product? yes.

Would I repurchase this product? yes.

Let me know if you have any thoughts/questions in the comments, I'd love to hear from you!

Thanks for reading!

P.s. Look at Hector sunbathing this afternoon, it's he a cutie? :)

OOTD and Face of the day - 31/5/13

Hi everyone! Are we enjoying the sun? I am :)

Here's today's OOTD and Face of the day. Nothing fancy just casual, enjoy!

Top: Republic

Leggings: River Island

Shoes: Authentic Vans in the colour 'fig'

Arm Candy: International (they sell these everywhere though)

Sunglasses: Topman you can see them also here. 

Face

Foundation: MaxFactor Lasting Performance Foundation. See a review here.

L'Oreal Super Liner, MaxFactor 1000 Calorie mascara.

MAC Viva Glam Nicki Lipstick. See a review here.

Thanks for reading!

Follow my blog for more ootds, hauls, 

reviews and tutorials! Also, link your blog below, I'd love to have a read!

NEXT 'Cashmere Eyeshadow Palette' First Impressions

Hello everybody!

Whilst in York on Wednesday, I picked up this nude eyeshadow palette from Next. I didn't know Next had a cosmetics range. I know they did fragrances and creams and what-not but not makeup! It was a pleasing find! 

I just thought I'd do a little unboxing/review/swatch kind of post showing the colours and my initial thoughts then I plan to do a post showing a few looks with the palette. 

The palette has a really nice array of 12 different nude shades including your typical bronze colours along with come light cream and white shadows but it also has some purple and grey shades in there too which I like. I think this makes for some diversity, you could create some really nice warm looks and some cool looks with this palette.

The first 6 shadows here include the larger shades. One of the large colours is a really pretty shimmery cream colour, I think this would make a nice highlight colour under your brow bone if you're not in to exact white or even on your face.

This first set of swatches starts on the right going anti clockwise around the palette. I really like the second shade along, the peachy colour. I think it's really nice for summer. I'm actually debating taking this on holiday for my eyeshadows as I think there's enough range there to find something different everyday.

The pigment isn't amazing at first, you can definitely build the colour up to make it more vibrant though. I haven't tried them wet yet but I'm sure that would make a difference too. I'll let you know if I ever use them wet.

Below are 6 of the smaller shades. These actually run left-right along with the swatches.

The first shade is very shimmery. When swatching them I definitely thought this was the most pigmented of them all. It's a nice golden/coppery shade which I think would look lovely in a smoky eye look. The third shade along is a matte brown shade which is also nicely pigmented.

Overall I think this palette offers a decent amount of good quality shadows. It's very compact and sturdy which is another reason I'm considering taking it on holiday. I think you could create a variety of looks including warm, cool, smoky, summery etc without the fuss of using all different products. Additionally, the palette includes matte and shimmer shades to choose from depending on what you like. There is definitely something for everyone. It even comes with 2 sponge applicators (not to be disregarded IMO) and a mirror! 

The price: £6 (How brilliant is that?!)

Would I recommend this? definitely 100%.

Would I repurchase? yes.

Have you tried this palette? What are your thoughts?

Thanks for reading!

Wednesday, Thursday + Bargainous IKEA Mirror

Hello everybody! How are you?

If you haven't already noticed, I have joined Twitter! Well, I already have a Twitter account but I've had it for 4 years and it's just not beauty related or anything to do with my blog and I have lots of people I know on it so I don't really want to be posting things about beauty topics on there and maybe them people don't want to read it. So yes, new Twitter. You can follow me @MystNeonLights. Mysterious was too long and NeonLights was already taken damn it! I've only just started that account so it's just getting it's feet on the ground. Visitors and followers would be appreciated (and I usually follow back) :D 

Yesterday, my Mum, Sister, Cousin and I visited York for the day. We had a ticket to go in the dungeons so we did that and had a walk around the shops. It was good fun and the dungeons were interesting (not particularly scary as they're made out to be) but worth a visit. I think my favourite part was the mirror maze. Has anyone been? I found that fun haha. 

It rained pretty much all day and getting up early for the train and getting back late tired me out. Plus, Caitlin wasn't on her best behaviour -_- she smashed a bottle of perfume in Next. Other than that though, it was really good. After I've been on holiday (8 days!) Tom and I want to go to Liverpool which should be goooood.

Today, my H&M order FINALLY arrived. I placed the order on the 7th May and I've only just received it. I'm rather shocked I paid £3.90 for that delivery. But never mind. It's here now. Keep your eyes peeled for a haul because them items with probably be in it!

Also, we went to Ikea today, I picked up a mirror in the sale for £3.50! We were in M&S just before and I was contemplating picking up a mirror around the £15 mark. So glad I didn't haha. It's not the poshest thing in the world but it does the job. I also picked up some tea light candles!

Today for dinner, I'm being healthy for once and I'm having a sandwich which I picked up from M&S today! Ham, Cheese and Pickle. How nice are M&S sandwiches? They are in a league of their own!

Has anyone been on any trips recently? Let me know, I'd love to hear from you!

Thanks for reading

'Viva Glam Nicki' - M.A.C Lipstick - Review

Hello everyone!

I have a MAC lipstick review for you today. I purchased this lipstick back in February during my trip to York for Valentines day, you may remember that post if you've been here a while. Anyway, this is my first (and only) lipstick by MAC and I'm here to tell you what I think!

I really do love this lipstick, it's quickly become a favourite of mine and I wear it almost everyday. It's such a unique colour and is so enjoyable to wear. It's a 'satin' finish and when you apply it it's so smooth and it just glides on. As it's such a vibrant colour I was a bit dubious about wearing it just for a normal day but lets face it, we're not all out partying every night and I didn't want it sitting there doing nothing. 

Despite my initial doubts, through wearing this lipstick, I have had so many compliments (Not that I love getting compliments and I wear it just for that reason, it's just something I've noticed). I was having my eyebrows waxed last week and one of the beauticians was asking me about it and where it's from, she said it's a very 'feminine' colour, if you're wondering haha. It just seems to be an all round winner.  

I can see this colour suiting the vast majority of people, if you're in to wearing bright lipsticks. As I'm quite lazy and don't wear eyeshadow everyday I do enjoy whipping on some reds and pinks to brighten  my complexion. 

Additionally, for such a smooth 'dewy' lipstick, I find the staying power extremely good, another reason why I like to wear it day-to-day. It doesn't claim to be a stain (that rhymed! haha) and you do have to touch it up occasionally but I've found that even after washing all my makeup off I still can't get it all off my lips.

Price: £14, you can buy/view it HERE.

Would I recommend this product? yes.

Would I repurchase this product? yes.

Thanks for reading! 

Do you have any particular MAC lipstick you love? I definitely want to try some more vibrant shades, let me know in the comments :)

MaxFactor 'Max Effect Mini Nail Polish' Review

Hello everybody

I have here some of MaxFactor's mini nail polishes to show you. I really love these nail polishes, the first one I got was the red one called 'Red Passion' I got this free in one of them boxes they do occasionally, you know where if you spend £15 you get a free gift? One of them.

'Red Passion' is my favourite one of the 3, the colour is absolutely gorgeous, it's a vibrant red with pink under tones. You can apply a thin layer to clearly see the pink tones or you can apply a thick coat to get a bright, kind of strawberry looking red. It's such a flattering colour.

The other two colours I have are 'Candy Blue' and 'Lacquer Black'. The blue is a deep, almost navy blue and the black is just a plain black colour. I really like black nail polish but my skin is so fair it sometimes looks too black. I find the blue a good substitute, it's dark but not too dark for my skin. 

Alone, they dry quite shiny, they don't claim to have a shine finish but they do have a nice finish on their own. If you want to add a top coat this will probably make them look super shiny. I just don't bother with base/top coats because I find waiting for it all to dry too tedious!

Usually the nail polish lasts around two/three days before it really starts to chip, again, this would be longer if you wanted to add a top coat. 

I think overall these are very nice nail polishes. They are mini sizes which I like because if you get lots of product they don't last well anyway. 

They are £3.99 each and you get 3.6ml. You can buy them HERE.

Would I recommend this product? yes.

Would I repurchase this product? yes.

Thanks for reading!

Tutorial - How to shape your eyebrows!

Hello Everybody!

A few months back, I bought and completed an online Makeup Artistry Course with Trendimi. I bought it at a highly discounted price from Groupon. If I remember rightly, I paid about £30 for it and the RRP price was hitting the £300 mark. I would not have paid £300 to complete it. And had I paid that amount I think I'd have been quite disappointed. However, it did allow me to learn some new techniques and pick up some information along the way. (I did actually pass the course btw haha).

Within this post I thought I'd share some info I gained on eyebrows. 

Eyebrows create a frame to your face and can effect your facial expression, it's important to recognise what eyebrow shape best suits you in order to create natural alluring looking brows.

Eyebrows have 3 sections: 

The Body of the brow -  from the inner start point to the highest point. 

The Tail of the brow - The outer part and the narrowest part. 

The Arch of the brow - the highest point where we often pluck. 

Types of Eyebrows:

Raised Brow - Creates a happy expression. This is what you want to aim for when shaping/ filling in your brow.

Short Brow - Can easily be lengthened by adding pencil to the inner and outer edges.

Long Brow - Can be plucked in order to bring them to the ideal length.

Thick Brow - Can be plucked either above/below the arch to reach ideal thickness.

Thin Brow - Augmented by filling in with pencil or powder.

Drooping eyes - Can give the appearance of sadness. To correct this, pluck the ends of the brow and fill in a higher arch with a pencil.  

Wide Spaced eyes - if the distance between your eyes is longer that the distance between the tear ducts of your eye, you can correct this by making the start point of your brows closer together.

To Create The Ideal Frame

Step 1 - Create an imaginary line from the edge of the nostril to the inner corner of the eye, continuing directly upwards towards the eyebrow. This is the ideal 'start' point for your eyebrow.

Step 2 - Create another line from the edge of the nostril to the outer edge of the eye extending to the outer part of the eyebrow. This is the ideal 'end' to your eyebrow.

Step 3 - Create a line from the outer corner of the lips which runs through the iris and up towards the eyebrow. This is the ideal 'arch'.

To do this, you could use the handle of a fine brush or a pencil etc. This makes plucking the eyebrows easier to determine.

Different Products 

To fill in the eyebrows you can use:

Pencil - If you have very sparse eyebrows you can draw in additional hairs to make them look fuller. Using a pencil you can create eyebrows very precisely. 

Powder - With powder and an angled eyebrow brush you can fill in your eyebrows and add colour. Not as precise as an eyebrow pencil.

The best way to determine which way you prefer is to fill one eyebrow with pencil and the other with powder and see which you think looks best.

Eyebrows and Eyes

Sunken eyes - Eyebrows should be thin.

Protruding eyes - Make eyebrows look wide.

Eyes set close together - Make eyebrows wide and a little further apart.

Eyes set wide apart - Make eyebrows start closer to the centre.

Round eyes - Lengthen eyebrows towards the temple.

Droopy eyes - Make eyebrows thick and raised at the arch.

Small eyes - Make eyebrows long and with a high arch.

Eyebrows and Face

Round face - Create a slight point in the eyebrow shape at the arch.

Elongated face - Eyebrow is best kept horizontal with not too high arch.

Square face - Eyebrows should be rounded and arched but not pointed.

Rectangular face - Keep eyebrows rounded and horizontal.

Triangular face - Eyebrows should be short in length and arch should be emphasised. 

I hope this was useful to anyone looking on how to get the perfect brows! 

Any questions leave them in the comments below and I'll get back to you, thanks for reading!

Footnotes

Disclaimer - All images are taken from Trendimi Website http://www.trendimi.com/userCourseModules.php?id=3

I own no rights to these photos.

Liz Earle 'Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser' Review

Hello everyone!

Here, I have for you my thoughts and opinions on the infamous Hot Cloth Cleanser from the Liz Earle range.

I picked this product up a few moths ago and mentioned it in THIS post. Over 2 months have passed and I think I'm ready to express my views having been using it over that period of time.

There is no doubt in my mind that this is a luxury product. It feels very thick and lovely on the skin as if you're really giving it a treat.

The cleanser is supposed to rid your skin of makeup and dirt to prevent your pours from clogging which I definitely think it does however, I really don't see the massive hype and 'to-do' surrounding this product.

Now I'm not saying I don't like it,  I'm just not 100% sure of what it actually does. Having used the product quite a lot over the past few months, I don't get the same feeling after using this as I do after using my Soap & Glory 'scrub your nose in it'. I'm well aware that these two products don't claim to do the same thing but I feel as if the scrub does more for my skin in the long run.

In my opinion, the Hot Cloth Cleanser is a very very good makeup remover but it doesn't actually do anything for my skin and when I'm paying £14+ for something I like to see a difference.

I know the majority of people swear by this product and use it every day however for me it's been a different story despite my best efforts to really enjoy it. I didn't actually buy the product, I saved up my Boots advantage points because I had an incline I'd find it to be not my thing.  

I'm going to keep using the product because I'm not all the way through my bottle yet and I really do hope my opinion changes. On the other hand, I do enjoy using this product the day after a night out to refresh my skin but I just think the price is too high for something that doesn't do much for my skin. 

The price: £14.50 for the Starter Kit. You can buy it at Boots.

Would I recommend this product? yes.

Would I repurchase this product? unlikely.

I hope this was informative to some people. Let me know what your views are, am I the only person who's not too keen?

Thanks for reading!

This or That - Tag

Hey everyone!

I've had this tag post chilling in my drafts for so long so I thought today was the day to make it happen, enjoy!

Makeup

Blush or Bronzer? 

Definitely blush, bronzer looks silly on my pale skin in day-to-day life. I use bronzer if I'm on a night out though. For the sake of the pictures. How vain? haha

Lipgloss or Lipstick?

Lipstick. I wear my hair down a lot and there's nothing worse than your hair sticking to your lipgloss! Also, I think lipstick stays on longer. 

Eyeliner or Mascara?

Mascara. I have blonde eyelashes so I look mental if they don't have mascara on them.

Foundation or Concealer? 

Foundation. A good foundation can cover up blemishes as well to an extent. 

Neutral or Colour Eyeshadow?

On an everyday look I go for neutrals. I tend to dip in to colour on a night out. Generally though I would say neutrals.

Pressed or Loose Eyeshadows?

Pressed. I prefer everything pressed. It's so much easier.

Brushes or Sponges?

Brushes. I don't have many of either but I definitely use more brushes. 

(I'm looking for a good brush set to buy at the moment. One that's not going to rob me of £60/£70/£80 like they tend to cost. If anyone has any recommendations, let me know! :D)

Nails

OPI or China Glaze?

I can't comment I haven't used either.

Long or Short?

Long

Acrylic or Natural?

Natural, just because of the ease of it. I think some acrylic nails look gorgeous.

Bright or Dark?

Dark, I do dip in and out of light colours but I definitely prefer dark.

Flower or No Flower?

No Flower.

Body

Perfume or Body Splash?

Perfume

Lotion or Body Butter?

Lotion AND Body Butter, for different uses.

Body Wash or Soap?

Body Wash, such as shower gel etc.

Lush or other bath company?

I enjoy Lush but I don't ever go there so I'd have to say something else. Maybe Soap & Glory.

Fashion

Jeans or Sweatpants?

I wear neither but probably jeans if I had to wear one.

Long sleeve or Short?

Long. It's always freezing in the UK.

Dresses or Skirts?

Skirts. Dresses can look too funky on me.

Stripes or Plaid?

Stripes

Flip Flops or Sandals?

Sandals, I find them flip flops which go between your toes too uncomfortable.

Hats or Scarves?

Scarves

Studs or Dangly earrings?

Studs. 

Necklaces or Bracelets?

I typically wear more necklaces. But I enjoy wearing both.

Heels or Flats?

Flats. Just for the ease of life.

Cowboy Boots or Riding Boots?

I have owned some cowboy boots in the past. I also have riding boots. In general life I just wear ordinary boots though.

Jacket or Hoodie?

Jacket, my sister has well and truly robbed my only hoodie. 

Forever 21 or Charlotte Russe?

I've only ever visited Forever 21 so, Forever 21.

Abercombie or Hollister?

Neither.

Saks 5th or Nordstrom? 

I have never visited these shops unfortunately, we don't have them.

Hair

Curly or Straight?

My hair is curly but I prefer it straight.

Bun or Pony Tail?

Pony Tail

Bobby Pins or Butterfly Clips?

Bobby Pins

Hair Spray or Gel?

Hair Spray (Elnett Strong Hold!) 

Long or Short?

Long

Light or Dark?

Light

Side Sweep fringe or Full fringe?

Sweeping

Up or Down?

Down

Random

Rain or Shine?

Shine

Summer or Winter?

Summer (When we get one in the UK)

Fall or Spring?

Spring

Chocolate or vanilla?

Vanilla

East Coast or West Coast?

West (of the UK)

Hope you enjoyed reading this post. I tag everyone who has read it. Leave a link to your answers in the comments and I'll definitely read them!

P.s. Hi Tom! 

Soap & Glory - 'Scrub your nose in it' Review

Hey everyone!

Hope you're all enjoying the Bank holiday Monday. I'm using my time to blog, make up for the lack of posts I wrote during exam season!

I have been using the Soap and Glory 'Scrub your nose in it' for such a long time now. I don't know how I haven't written a review on it already. It even made it into my March Favourites post which you can see HERE.

The product claims to 'help refine large pores and prevent blemishes', it is a 'multi-tasking scrub and mask marvel'. 

I don't just scrub my nose in this product, I tend to scrub my face in it. I love it so much. I use it either in the shower at night or when I wash my face in the morning. I just put some in my hands scrub it on my face and leave it to sit there for a few minutes while I go about brushing my teeth etc. 

The product is green in colour and has them little scrub ball thingys in it. You don't need a lot of it, a little goes a long way. The scent of it is very minty and resembles the scent of tea-tree. It's so refreshing whether you use it in the morning or at night. 

It leaves my skin feeling very soft and awake. When I apply it at night, the next morning my skin is so smooth which creates a nice base for makeup.  

This product became quite an addiction of mine for a few weeks and I got in to a routine of using it night AND day regularly. As the product can be quite drying I wouldn't recommend doing this as I had to stop using it for a while as I developed very dry skin under my eyes and on my forehead. I would say only use it once a day.

Additionally, you can use this product as a mask. Just apply a thin layer and leave it for 3-5mins then rinse it off. I probably wouldn't recommend this if you have very sensitive skin. The product is quite strong and can start to sting if it's left on too long.

Overall, I really love this product. Despite it being quite drying and stingy for me that's because I have very sensitive skin so I just use it in moderation. The product really does do what it says, it minimises your pours and leaves your skin smooth, soft and awake; a brilliant base for your makeup. I can see myself buying this product over and over again. 

The price of this product is £7.50 and you get 125ml.

You can buy it from Boots in store or online HERE.

The majority of the time, Boots have deals such as 3 for 2 on Soap and Glory which is a great deal if there's a few items you have your eye on.

Would I recommend this product? yes.

Would I repurchase this product? definitely.

Thanks for reading!

Any questions/thoughts? Leave them in the comments, I would love to hear from you!