Monday 28 February 2011

Fragrance Direct

Hey everyone,
I thought I'd do a little post about an online order I made from one of the many discount cosmetics websites out there. It's a website that's only recently just came to my attention, so I thought some of you might not have heard about it either and that this might be helpful. The website in question is fragrancedirect.co.uk, they sell other things such as perfumes and skin care, but I only ordered 3 make up items. All of the make up is drugstore, but at surprisingly lower prices than they already are. Here are the few bits I ordered...


























Rimmel Lasting Finish lipstick 'Birthday Suit'
I put this in my online shopping cart, purely because it was such an unbelieveable bargain! I ummed and ahhed about this shade many times in Boots or Superdrug but always shrugged it off because most likely, I have something similar sitting at home. The RRP is £4.99 but on this website it was a mere 99p! How amazing is that? Obviously shades are limited, but they have quite a wide range. You can find this lipstick here.

Maybelline Pulse Perfection mascara
I've always wondered whether this is purely a gimmick or whether the vibration really does make a difference to application. However, I was not willing to pay the £15.49 that they charge... I think you'll all agree this is extremely high for a drugstore mascara. A few more quid and I could get myself YSL Faux Cils. I snapped this up at £3.75 which is a big saving. I'll let you know what I think about it! You can find this mascara here.

NYC Smooth Skin Bronzing Face Powder 'Sunny'
Again, another product I've always wanted to try... I'm not a massive fan of brozer, but if it's matte I'm definitely interested! I'm not sure why I've never picked it up before because it's only £3.99 but this website gave me a great excuse because it's only £1.99. You can find this bronzer here.

Now, when I got to the checkout I thought this was going to be the catch... that they were going to charge some extortinate ammount to bring the stuff to my house. They don't! The delivery charge is £1.95, which is pretty decent for any online store. It only took 3 days from the day I ordered (although it says it can take up to 5), and they were all in perfect condition.

The website is certainly worth a look... There are plenty of other things I wanted, but I'm trying to save money and also wanted to see what the website was like first. They even have Revlon Colorstay on there! Of course all shades are limited for everything, but they have some popular ones on there too.

Have you ordered from this website before - am I just late finding out? Lol.
natalieslovex

Sunday 27 February 2011

Months Most Wanted

Hey ladies,
I haven't actually been lusting over much this month... which is a bit odd. But these five things I've been wanting a lot.





















Faux Alexander Wang Rocco: I am absolutely in love with these bags, and always have been since I first laid my eyes on one. It's so simple but the studded hardware bottom is sooo gorgeous! Although I would never be able to afford one (and I wouldn't want to spend all that money on one either), I wouldn't mind at all getting a 'fake' or look-a-like. A little while ago Victoria did a post showing one that she got on ebay, I have to have one of those babies!
[£20.00 approx]

D&G 3 L'Imperatrice: I was browsing the perfumes in Boots a few days ago and spritzed this D&G fragrance on one of those little pieces of cards... it was gorgeous! Really fresh and fruity, so of course I sprayed it on my wrists and off I went home. When I got home I could smell something really good and couldn't work out what it was, and it was this! I really like the simple, sleek bottle too.
[100ml, £35.75]

Accessorize Baked Bronzer 'Golden Sand': I really overlooked the Accessorize make up when it first came out, I just wasn't interested. When I was in Superdrug I saw the baked bronzer and they looked so pretty. I swatched this shade and it was stunning, it would made the perfect highlight. I don't own any MAC MSF's but this is what I imagined they'd be like!
[£6.00]

New Look Button Dip Hem shirt 'Sand': I mentioned recently that I'm absolutely loving sheer shirts and shirts in general. New Look are doing some really good affordable alternatives to those that Topshop are offering. I love the collar, I love the colour and I love the gold buttons. Great for layering whilst the weather is still warming up but will look great in the Spring/Summer also.
[£15.99]

New Look Pleated Blouse 'Cedar': Again, loving shirts and this is another brilliant one from New Look. I'd probably buy this in a size bigger so that it's longer on me and can wear it with leggings, it's such an effortless look but still on trend. I think this would look good paired with a vintage style silk scarf.
[£19.99]

What have you been lusting over in the month of February? It's such a 'blah' month isn't it?!
natalieslovex

Friday 25 February 2011

Everything that glitters is not gold [NOTD]

Hello lovelies,
In my recent haul, a lot of you seemed interested in the 17 High Gloss nail polish 'Sphinx' a gorgeous glittery gold. I was really excited to try this out, it's so beautiful in the bottle and I had high hopes that it would on the nails too. So this is a post to showcase my new, golden nails! It retails for a mere £3.49 which is pretty decent...


























Firstly, this applied like a dream, three swipes of the brush and the nail was done. This was actually three coats, but you could definitely just do two and still get the same effect. Drying time was pretty average, it wasn't speedy but I wasn't hanging around for ages picking things up with my toes in a bid not to smudge my nails either. I love the sparkle it gives, without having big chunks of glitter. I can't comment on the staying power because I've only just applied it - but so far I'm super happy. I can't wait to wear this with a tan in the summer... it's going to be epic ;)

What other gold nail polishes would you recommend?
natalieslovex

Wednesday 23 February 2011

Small 17 haul + Boots skincare

Hello ladies,
I hope you're all enjoying your half term if you're currently on one, if not... I hope you're having a great week! Of course, none of my weeks are complete without a voyage to Boots. It's heaven to me? I first went in to pick up some vitamins and noticed that 17 are currently on 3 for 2... I'm a sucker for offers! After I went home, I just couldn't resist going back to pick up a few more bits. These are the bits and bobs I got...


























Blusher 'Brickie' £3.49
Mirror Shine lipstick 'Belle' £4.59
Mirror Shine lipstick 'Purple Haze' £4.59

In all honesty, the blusher was just to make up the three items... nothing else was catching my eye and I don't own any 17 blushers, and I've been looking for a dusty pink/brown blush for a while so I thought I'd pick this one up. I love the 17 mirror shine lipsticks, I actually already owned three and I couldn't help myself from picking up 2 more. The one on the left is 'Belle' which is a really pretty natural pink and on the right is 'Purple Haze' a beautiful fuchsia plum, the camera doesn't pick it up but it has a beautiful blue iridescence.


























High Gloss nail polish 'Sphinx' £3.49
Lasting Fix nail polish 'Mint Choc Chip' £2.99
Fast Finish nail polish 'Pink Lemonade' £2.99

I've been really loving the look of the Miss Sporty metallic gold shade that many seem to be donning, but I couldn't find it in my local Boots or Superdrug! Instead I decided to pick up 'Sphinx' which is a shimmery golden shade. Last summer 'Mint Choc Chip' was everywhere, and in the lead up to spring/summer I decided I need to have it in my life. 'Pink Lemonade' is a really pretty milky peach shade, I don't think I own anything quite like it.


























Foaming Face Wash £3.56
Cleansing and Toning lotion £3.56

My skin has been playing up lately... I think my skincare routine (which I was absolutely loving) had worn off, and it wasn't having the same effect that it once had. I thought I'd go back to basics... The Body Shop tea tree range worked really well for me so I thought I'd try the Boots cheaper alternative. These were also on 2 for £5! Result :) We shall see how it goes...

Have you had a chance to check out the 3 for 2 17 offer? What is your favourite 17 product?
natalieslovex

Tuesday 22 February 2011

Waaaasted

Hello lovelies,
Nope it's not me that's wasted, it's my cat! No not really, but she is definitely enjoying some catnip right about now. I was really sceptical about catnip at first and thought it must actually do some kind of damage - a google search later and I felt content lol. Peanut absolutely loves it, she loves rubbing her face on it and sticking her legs in the air. I really could not resist showing these photo's, they make me go gooey inside!






























It's the cutest thing watching her! What cute things do your animals do?
natalieslovex

Sunday 20 February 2011

Earn your stripes

Hello everyone,
Today has been a super lazy day. Rolled out of bed at around 10am, watched a bunch of Youtube videos whilst the boy played on COD and had Sunday lunch at his Nan's house... nom nom! It's half term next week too, which means I'm probably not going to be doing much more than that for a whole week! Some well deserved lay-ins though I think. So the post today is going to be an OOTD, I don't do half as many as I'd like to... I kinda feel like I don't really have many 'interesting' outfits to show you guys... plus I find them really hard to photograph. I think I've mentioned before that I absolutely love stripes... here's some evidence ;)













































































Striped Tunic - Primark
Leggings - Peacocks
White pumps - TU at Sainsburys

Sorry about the major scruffy shoes... They are literally years old and I spent pretty much the whole of last summer in these bad boys! Plus, I'm not really keen on bright white shoes... they always look a bit better when they're worn - well that's what I tell myself ;) The buttons on the tunic have a really detailed ship on them, my camera was never going to pick it up. It's a really great touch from Primark :) Hope you found this post at least a little bit interesting... lol.
natalieslovex

Tuesday 15 February 2011

Weekend in London

Hey everyone,
So if you didn't know... my boyfriend and I spent Friday, Saturday and Sunday in London. I've been to London a bunch of times and I love it there - I could never get bored of it and all the touristy sights still impress me! So of course, I lugged my boyfriend around London and did lots of walking (I lost 2lbs even though I ate crap!) and seeing everything. Walks through Hyde Park, St James' Park, Buckingham Palace, Nelson's Column, London Eye, River Thames Cruise, Arsenal match and the Aquarium. We stayed in the Hilton Hotel in Green Park and had the most amazing weekend. All in all I took 503 photo's! But I've managed to narrow them down ;) and thought I would share some picture's with you guys. This is going to be a picture heavy post... so be warned!






































If you want to see the pictures enlarged, just click on them. I didn't want to flood you with millions and millions of photo's so I just stuck them all on paint to make it easier on the eye, lol! Hope you all had great weekends... are there any places which you could never get bored of?
natalieslovex

Monday 14 February 2011

Valentine's

Hello my lovelies,
And a very happy valentine's to all of you! I'm not really a big fan of Valentine's... I just don't think you should do something special for your loved one just because its Feb 14th, but it's a good excuse to go out with your boyf/girlf or for the singletons to get dressed up for a night on the town or to be happy that they're not feeling the pressure! Me and Dean just went to the cinema, no biggie. We saw the new Simon Pegg film 'Paul' and honestly? It was freakin' amazing. It's a funny and unpredictable film right from the get go. I definitely recommend going to see it, I was not expecting to like it (I let the boy pick) but it was really enjoyable.



























I'm very lucky that my boyfriend is actually a florist, so I'm sometimes quite spoilt and given flowers. But these Valentine's flowers were beaaaaaaautiful! White and red roses with lillies, he did good! And just for the cute factor that every Valentine's post needs - the card I got him...



























I will put up some photo's from my weekend away in London up as soon as possible... but I actually took a total of 503, seems like I got a bit snap happy, haha. It's hard to pick my favourites, I'll get there! And it will probably be in 2 separate posts because I don't want to flood you with a very picture heavy post.
natalieslovex

Sunday 13 February 2011

That Sunday feeling

Hello beautifuls!
I had an absolutely amazing time in London, definitely an unforgettable trip... there is a pictures post awaiting but I got back about 2 hours ago and I'm exhausted, it's been a busy weekend lol, so it's a bit of a chilled post tonight. Now I think we all agree... Sundays (evenings in particular) are not the greatest, you get that 'Sunday feeling' of eurghh work/school/college/uni tomorrow... you know what I'm talking about right? But Sunday nights, I always enjoy getting into bed. It's that feeling of fresh sheets, washed hair, new pyjamas - makes me feel all cosy! Someone else that loves Sunday nights is actually my hamster, lmao! I always clean his cage on a Sunday and when I put him back in he goes berserk running around in his fresh sawdust. I couldn't resist showing you these cuuuuute photo's...






























In this post here I introduced this cute little Chinese dwarf hamster as 'Cesc' buuuuut I didn't feel like it suited him, so since then he has somehow been renamed as 'ping ping' don't ask how, because I don't even know? I was keeping him at my boyfriends flat, but he had to move and couldn't keep him :( So now he lives with me, and my cat. Yeah, that's not a great situation lol, Peanut just sits in the same room all the time. We have to shut her out at night though... otherwise ping ping could end up a gonner!
natalieslovex

Wednesday 9 February 2011

It's an addiction...

Hello ladies,
I went into town today to pick up a Starbucks (that's a whole seperate addiction!), and of course I just couldn't resist popping into a few shops. It's literally an addiction right? The feeling when you have a successful shop is LOVE. But no, I'm not really addicted - it's not as serious as that lol. Also, I don't know if I'm the only one who does this... but when I have a bunch of laundry to do and I'm running out of clothes I actually like, I must subliminally tell myself to buy more clothes to avoid the chore. Enough rambling, this is the stuff I got...



























Checked shirt, Primark £7.00
I have quite a few checked shirts, I really like them... I know they're not to everyone's taste and admittedly they do make you look like a bit of a lumberjack. I just think they're super easy to wear and take minimal effort. Plus I really liked the colours of this one, I know it sounds stupid but it doesn't look distinctively 'Primark'?




























Slouchy top, Primark £8.00
These types of tops are so hard to photograph! You know, the ones that are really slouchy... I love them! This one has a really pretty bird in the middle surrounded by a bunch of decorative, fancy stuff. The entire pattern in actually a velvety material, which I thought was a cute little twist. This looks so cute on!




























Jersey basic top, Topshop £16.00
Another similar slouchy top, I told you I'm loving this style! Topshop has them in a whole range of different colours, I actually want to go and pick up another one in the blue marl. But I fell in love with this colour! Topshop describe it as 'Cranberry'.



























Shopper bag, New Look £14.99
I felt like I was in need of a new bag... when aren't I? ;) My satchel that I bought from Primark just wouldn't allow me to carry all the crap that I want to. So off I went searching for a new bigger bag, especially as I'm going to LDN at the weekend. I found this really simple bag in New Look, it goes with everyhing and, anything with plaits/braids are a winner to me! It has more of a peachy tone that the camera didn't really pick up :(



























Scrub Your Nose In It, £7.40
Heel Genius, £5.11
Flake Away, £6.64
No trip to town is complete without a pit stop in Boots. I haven't bought any Soap and Glory products in a while and they're actually 3 for 2 right now. They all smell delicious and look so girly and retro. Reviews to come most likely, even though I have tried the small versions of Flake Away and Scrub Your Nose In It before (and loved them).

What have you been buying recently and could you ever go cold turkey from shopping?
natalieslovex

Monday 7 February 2011

Indulgence

Hello lovelies,
I've been super good on my diet, I don't actually think I've deviated or eaten something bad since I started - very proud! Lol. So today I thought I'd give myself a little treat and popped into Sainsburys to pick up some cookie mix... I've been having the urge for them lately. And from a freshly baked cookie I made my snack... if you're gonna be naughty, at least do it in style right?




























Double chocolate chip cookie, peanut butter spread on top with some chopped banana. A bit of nutella would've really made this heaven, but meh we don't have any :( I've had trouble selling this idea to the fam... but it was honestly delicious. And now I'm back to salad...

On Friday me and the boy are going to be going up to London for a nice weekend away. I'm really looking forward to it! One of my sister's veryyyy kindly bought  us Arsenal tickets for the Saturday as our Christmas present, but other than that we're just gonna go with the flow. London eye will probably get a visit, as will the museums. But do you know what's on my mind? Oxford street <3 Of course... expect a post full of pictures ;)
Hope you've all had a great start to the week.
natalieslovex

Saturday 5 February 2011

FOTN

Hello treacles,
I went out for dinner with one of my best friends Kelly, in one of those all you can eat buffet style restaurants - you know, the ones which are unbelievably cheap. It was horrible. And that's all I have to say lol! Afterwards we went for a couple drinks. Strawberry Woo Woo's are love, you must try! Anyways, I thought I'd share my face of the night... I'm sorry that my post titles are so boring, but meh I'm not creative enough, ha!




























My 'night' make up really isn't all that different to my daytime make up, I like to keep it really simple, especially if I'm going to be wearing heels or a dress... I quite like to let my hair do the talking when i go out to. Is this just me?

Maybelline Dream Satin Liquid foundation
Bourjois Mineral Radiance powder
MAC Harmony blush as contour [very light]
MAC Well Dressed blush
Elf Golden Bronzer as highlight [cheekbones, brow bones]

Elf Cream Eyeliner in black
L'Oreal Million Lashes mascara
Ebay False Lashes
Urban Decay 'Vorpal' lower lashline

MAC The Faerie Glen l/s

Yes, I'm wearing falsies! I popped my fake eyelash cherry ;) I'll do a post about them maybe... they're just the ones that are from Ebay, I'm sure you've seen them all before!
natalieslovex

Friday 4 February 2011

Schwarzkopf home dye

Hello :)
So a couple of months ago my niece Chloe went through a phase of wanted the 'Cheryl' red/plum coloured hair. She's never dyed her hair herself, so I offered to do it for her... I must've used more box dyes than had hot dinners! She loved the result, but we all know that red is notorious for fading quickly. So we popped to Sainsburys where she picked up a new colour to liven her hair up again and get rid of her roots. She picked up a Schwarzkopf dye in the shade 'Cyber Purple'.




























I've used some Schwarzkopf hair dyes before, and I really like them - in fact they're probably my 'go-to' box dye! They make your hair extremely glossy and soft... and I find the colour doesn't fade as quickly as some other brands such as Clairol. Here is the before shot...



























So the application is pretty much the same as any other dye... yup, with that horrible smell too! But it's easy to mix up, and it's easy to apply. However, I think we could've done with another bottle... It did manage to get all of Chloe's hair, but only just about. And as you can see, her hair isn't all that long (just below her shoulder).



























Don't let the colour of dye in the bottle put you off, Chloe got a bit freaked about when she saw this pale pink solution (which oddly looked like yoghurt) going into her hair. It comes in the usual nozzle bottle, over some other ones which come with some kind of comb on the end. Is it just me who finds those ones tricky to apply??




























These are the after shots - the dye turned out a bit darker than the box indicates, but that always happens really doesn't it? And within a few washes, it will fade out to the colour it's supposed to be. You can see the shine this stuff gives!! The only complaints I have about Schwarzkopf dyes is that it's really noticeable when it washes out, I'd say you'd need to use a dark towel (or one you don't mind ruining) for about 5 washes afterwards, because it really does still run out! I would totally recommend Schwarzkopf dyes, although I'd say the colour range is quite limited and they seem to specialise in bright colours.

What brand is your favourite dye? What do you think about the new foam dyes on the market?
natalieslovex

Thursday 3 February 2011

Sum-up #2



























-- Thought I'd get onto my second summary style post now I've actually got time to blog! I had my last exam yesterday, which is a complete weight off my shoulders... just going to have to wait until March to get the results back and see if I did as badly as I'm expecting, lol!

-- I've been craving a Starbucks for absolutely ages but with my diet going so well I really didn't want to mess it up... maybe I'm being a tad extreme?! But I thought I definitely deserved one so got on a bus, all the way to town to pick up this badboy. Peppermint mocha that's how I roll ;) Yummiest thing other than the hazelnut hot chocolate... what's you favourite Starbucks drink?

-- Think I'll take this chance to quickly go over my diet and how it's going, but I don't really want to call it a diet if I'm honest. I've been sticking to kind of 'healthy eating' type plan for about 4 weeks and I've lost 7lbs, which I was super happy with because I normally don't get passed a 3lb loss. I used to eat a bunch of white bread and snacked a lot. I've stopped eating white bread completely and rarely ever brown bread... I've been eating wholemeal pittas, getting lots of fruit in and making sure there is always a bag of salad and healthy snacks in the fridge so I don't pick the wrong foods. Jelly is a really good tip, it fills you up and feeds your sweet tooth.

-- I've got a few posts lined up, I did a bit of shopping before venturing into Starbucks, only a few bits. As my make up spending ban is now over I of course, went to go and pick up some cosmetics! Also treated myself to some Soap and Glory beauts <3 Hope you're all having a fab week!

natalieslovex

Tuesday 1 February 2011

Elf - Desert Haze

Hello ladies,
I haven't done a nail of the day in absolutely ages, and in my last Elf order I got a nail polish in the shade 'desert haze'. I've never used an Elf polish before so I'm gonna share my opinion on the consistency and application as well :)




























Okay, so this is what it looks like in the bottle - a pretty beige/nude. I like the packaging, it's quite sleek and doesn't look out of place with my other nail polishes. So this is what it looks like on the nails...




























As you can see, the colour in the bottle is pretty true to life and is almost exactly the same to how it dries on the nails, which is actually really rare! This is three coats of the polish, although you could probably get away with just two. The brush is good, it's a nice size and easy to control, however the consistency is little bit watery and runny - but not unmanageable. It dries quickly so there's no sitting around for ages waiting until your nails dry. I think it's a really flattering shade that would look good on any skin tone and I'm really loving it! It's great for this time of year when it's coming out of winter and into spring and you don't quite know whether to put away the dark colours and pop out the pastels. I can't comment on lasting power as I've only had it on for a day... but so far so good!
natalieslovex