Collective Haul: March 2013

HI!
Today's post is in a bit of a different format as I thought that it would be a lot easier to show the stuff that I have accumulated for the past few months into a video!

It took a while to film and edit etc and it was especially annoying waiting for a good sunny day so that I can get better lighting to film this. These are items that I have bought since  January so don't be too shocked at the amount I've bought.:P Quite a lot of the things I've shown was bought in the sale so I'm so sorry that you probably won't be able to get it anymore! Overall I hope you enjoy it and please leave us a comment!:D

I think the stand out product from this haul is probably the Topshop Joni Jeans. A lot of people have raved about these jeans and I think it's definitely worth the hype! Like many others, I have wanted the American Apparel Easy Jeans for a while but I honestly could not justify spending £64 on a pair of jeans that apparently doesn't wear very well. Therefore when Topshop came out with these jeans and I tried it on...it was love, I tell you. I have been looking for a pair of high waisted jeans for ages so when I found this and saw that you can get them in different lengths.. I was sold. 

I got mine in an indigo colour and a 30L and it is the perfect length for me! (For reference I am about 5ft 4) I am still quite shocked when I wear them that I don't have to roll up the jeans etc. However I did read that people found that the seams kinda started to be seen at the side after a few wears but I haven't had that problem and I've worn them religiously since I got them last month and have washed them a few times.

I am looking to get them in the vintage colour now..;)

Okay enough about jeans, I am on my Easter break now for a couple of weeks so I am loving being back home! 

How's your week going?(:

Lots of love, Dee x

End of winter favourites: Lipsticks

Hello lovely people!
Sorry for the hiatus but we're back now and hopefully blogging shall occur more consistently.(:

So as the title suggests, I am going to show you my top picks of the lipsticks I have been loving for the winter. I know it technically should be spring now but judging from the snow/rain we've been having, I doubt that it will brighten up that quickly. Also I have been meaning to write a post about this for a while and finally have got round to it. (Even if it's a couple months late!)

I never actually use lipsticks that often but for some reason, recently, I have been loving how it can change your look instantly. It's also perfect for those days when you're feeling lazy or don't have enough time to do your make up but still want to brighten up your look as people will generally be more focused on your lips.(:

Here's a summary on each lipstick.

Vivo Deepest Plum: 

This was my first lipstick which enabled me to venture into the darker shades of lipstick. I randomly got this in Tesco whilst doing my grocery shopping. I had been lusting for the Revlon Wine Not for a while now but couldn't find it anywhere at that time. So when I swatched this colour and found it was quite similar to Wine Not but it's more on the purple side. (Sorry I'm not very good at describing lipstick colours!) It was also a steal at £1.99! It has a matte finish which I quite like but it isn't amazingly pigmented though it is definitely buildable.

Rimmel Kate Lipstick in 107:

Ahh, this was a blogger/youtuber favourite when it was first released and I could definitely see why. It's a gorgeous colour on the lips and perfect for the winter time. The price was pretty reasonable too and it was really pigmented too which was a bonus!

Revlon Wine Not:

This was another purchase that was inspired from one of my absolute favourite youtuber, Jenn Im from clothesencounters. When I saw how lovely it looked on her, I was sold. It's a gorgeous dark vampire red colour and is highly pigmented too! However this colour was quite hard to find here in the UK as I don't think the drugstores sell this colour anymore? (Correct me if I'm wrong, though?) After lusting after it for a couple of months, to my delight, I finally found a seller selling it on eBay! 

Revlon Lip Butter in Berry Smoothie:

When these lip butters were first released in the UK last year, there was such a hype on it and being a sucker that I am, I was lured into the hype. I think, in total, I have about 4 in my collection. I absolutely love these though. Although this isn't really a lipstick, I think it's great for anyone who still wants a splash of colour on their lips. They're moisturising too which is definitely a good thing!

From L-R: Vivo Deepest Plum, Rimmel Kate in 107, Revlon Wine Not, Revlon Lip Butter in Berry Smoothie.

Sorry that those aren't the best swatches but I hope it gave you a general idea of the colour.(:

Love Dee x

Review: The Body Shop Hemp Moisture High Balm

Hemp Moisture High Balm- £1

Hello, it's Dee here. Today I want to share my thoughts on this amazing product that have helped my skin survive this winter! (Note:I am not really sure on the "correct" format on writing a review so  do let me know whether you like this format or prefer another way for this information to be presented.)

Texture: To describe it quite simply, the texture is similar to when vaseline but this has a thicker texture.

Smell: It has quite a bizarre unpleasant smell which I eventually got used to. I can't really pinpoint the scent this relates to but if you have the chance to check it out instore, do have a whiff of it.

Price: At a mere pound, you really do not have much to lose. It's definitely worth a try.

Advantages: Awesome price so get it whilst you still can because I think it's being discontinued. It's also the most moisturising product I've ever own that works on my face, hands and body. Yes it's multi-purpose! Just another note, I do have very sensitive skin and my skin haven't reacted badly to this, at all. Furthermore, I used this on the eczema patches on my arm and saw a massive improvement within a week of using it daily. 

Disadvantages: The oiliness of the product makes it a better product to use during night time rather than in daytime. Also, as I had mentioned before, the smell might take some time to get used to..

Overall thoughts: I absolutely LOVE this product. Although there are a few bad points about it, but this isn't anything major and the best thing about this product is how much it has helped reduce my eczema. In the winter, I also get this awkward patch of dry skin in my T-zone area and I have used a lot of products but nothing seems to work to moisturise that area until I used this product on it. Boy, it's that good. I do use this product on my face, body and even my nails to help moisturise the cuticles.:D I am actually quite sad that they've discontinued this product because it has been such a staple product in my skincare routine nowadays. (I did stock up on a few extra tins.;) ) 

NOTE: These opinions are based on my own personal experience so what might have worked for my skin may not work for everyone else.

Preview: BB Cream Reviews

Sorry about the slow pace atm guys, who knew blogging was so time consuming! But anyways we have a really exciting list of BB creams to review for you throughout the next few weeks! These are some that i've bought over the last couple of months, find out which ones surive British weather and the ones which don't..

From Left to Right:

• SKIN79 - Super Blemish Balm
• SKINFOOD - Red Orange Jelly BB 
• Dr.Jart+ - BB Beauty Balm
• THE BODY SHOP- All-in-one BB cream
• Lioele -Triple the Solution BB cream

WHICH ONE WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE FIRST?

REVIEW: BarryM Gelly Hi-Shine in Blueberry

Guess what folks?! Barry M is having a 3FOR2 Offer at Boots & Superdrug!

I decided to grasp this opportunity to buy their new 'Gelly Hi-shine' nail varnish for you guys as well as get my favourite glitter varnish and a 'mint green' colour to compare it with. 

Barry M's nail varnish come in a vast range of colours and cool effects! My favourite at the moment is the 'yellow topaz' glitter varnish.The glitter chunks are huge and it takes only about 2 coats to cover your whole nail in sparkly glitter! Another time for that later as the star of the show today is my new Blueberry Gelly. This new nail varnish is supposed to give an 'extra glossy finish'.

Names are 'Blueberry','Mint Green' and 'Yellow Topaz'

 The Gelly Nail Varnish has an individual top like all the 'nail effects' nail varnishes in their range.

 ^ So this is after the first cover of paint, Both nail varnishes are rather runny though the blueberry looks pretty fine with just one coat, whereas the mint colour looks pretty bad. * The instructions say to put on a basecoat before you apply the nail varnish.I forgot!

After Coat number 2! (Yes, I don't moisturize my hands (>,<))

The finished look! No top coat.

* I tried the Gelly nail varnish again but with my NailsInc basecoat and only one coat of nail varnish was needed! I must read the tiny instructions more often.

THOUGHTS out of 5 compared to 'Mint Green' 

Drying speed:3/5 

This is not a fast drying nail varnish, its not slooow though.In the early stages just after application, it looks quite matte, so I touch it.I was wrong (-.-) You need to give it as least 3mins before you start using your hands, i'd say it was just a tad faster than the 'mint green'.                        

Shininess: 1/5

 Compared to the mint nail varnish, I wouldn't say there was any extra shininess going on. They are both equally shiny, since this is what the gelly nail varnish was made for. I'd say this was a bit of a fail.

  

Thickness:4/5

 I think what makes this nail varnish better than the normal stuff is that its thicker, so less streaky application, and it makes the nail look solid and strong!

Price: 3/5

The Gelly Nail Varnish is £3.99 and the Mint is £2.99. That £1 extra isn't for the shine, but it could be for the thickness. I guess you save more if you apply 1 coat rather than 2, so the nail varnish lasts for longer.

Altogether I think its a good nail varnish, its true to its colour on the bottle, you only need 1 coat with a basecoat. Its really easy to take off with nail varnish remover, doesn't stain your nail without the basecoat and its quite difficult to pick off! 

Tell us what you think down in the comments below, we'd love to hear from you! :D

Akikik

A little introduction

Hello! We wanted to take this opportunity to write an introduction about us and our blog as our first post.(: We are Akikik and Dee. Two best friends that have combined forces to work on this blog. Our blog is something that we have been working on for a while now so it is nice to finally have it up and running. (Although there will still be things to add in the future!So please bear with us.(^_^) We will be blogging about a wide variety of things from beauty products to food!

To enable you to get to know us better, we'll start off with 5 facts about us! So without further ado, here we go.

Dee:
1) Seashells belgian chocolates are my absolute favourite.
2) I am currently studying at university.
3) I do eat quite healthily. Ask any of my housemates and they would be able to tell you which shelf in the fridge belongs to me. (It is the one that is filled to the brim with fruit and vegetables..)
4) I have quite an unhealthy collection of cameras.
5) Last but not least, I like to shop. A lot, in fact.

Akikik:
1) I tend to overuse the exclamation mark. 
2) Currently on a GapYear, hoping to find my true calling~
3) I love sweet things. Anything chocolaty is my thing! 
4) I daydream a lot.
5) I too love to shop, whenever Dee and I meet up, we usually shop till we drop, or until we get a headache from walking around primark for too long!

That's all for now and we hope that you discovered a thing or two about us. Let us know what you would like us to post about or improvements we can make to our blog! We're happy to listen so leave us a comment.:D