No7 Vital Brights Review

Hello!


Another day, another load of procrastinating - but uni related so I guess that is okay (maybe).
No7 has had a range of makeup called 'Vital brights' in its stores of late, and I purchased a couple of sale items from this collection to try out.

The first is a lipstick, in the colour 'Blooming Pink'. This is a bright light pink colour that is very smooth to apply, with medium pigmentation. It's quite glossy too! I'd say this is a new favourite of mine - I love the colour, the look, the feel and the wear (because it is a medium coverage and is very glossy with a gel-like feel it does not have that irksome tendency of some lipsticks to deteriorate into a patchy mess - the nature of the colour helps with this too). Also the packaging of both of these products is nice - simple and bright. And I appreciate that the lipstick is rectangular rather than cylindrical (making it easier to stand up)

The second vital brights product is a cream blush in an intense bright pink tone, from the same collection and also called 'Blooming Pink'. It is easy to apply, and too much never comes off on the brush - helping you make a more accurate job of your blush application. The packaging is pretty, and neutral, and its shape makes it an easy item to store. I like this because it has staying power too! And suits the lipstick well, creating a pretty, bright look from these 2 complementary products.

The Vital Brights collection at No7 is available in store and on the website: http://www.boots.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/EndecaSearchListerView?storeId=10052&langId=-1&catalogId=10551&stReq=1&searchTerm=vital+brights&newDepSearch=&x=0&y=0#container 


xo


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Too Faced Lashlight Mascara Product Rave

Hello!


Here I have for you a profession of love from me to a makeup product: 
Too Faced Lashlight Mascara in 'Black Vinyl'

 I would not be showing off by saying that I have tried a lot of makeup, so many different brands, and countless products. Because lets face it - we all do, in the quest to find those single irrefutably perfect ones. And when it comes to eye makeup, I am a bit of a mascara whore. I wouldn't want to count the number of different mascaras I own... lets say around a dozen, that I will occassionally pick up and try out for a look. Mascara is tricky: do you want a traditional wand, or one with plastic bristles? To curve or not to curve? Lengthen, exaggerate or thicken?!  
.. Well. I have tried them all, and often find one that I'll use for several weeks, when suddenly my love for it vanishes. Last weekend I stumbled across the makeup section of TKMaxx. Not usually one to check out the often obscure products here, I decided that today was the day for a glance. And I'm so glad I did. I picked up a couple of mascaras and a few false eyelashes sets - all bargains at under £4. 


This mascara in particular caught my eye: simply because it lights up! I love quirky makeup, so it had my attention. At £2.90 for a £16.50 product it found its way pretty quickly into my basket. This is my first product by Too Faced.
I cannot stop raving about this product. Firstly, the mirror. Helpful to the max - I often forget a mirror on my travels, and this is big enough to be of use! 

Secondly, the light.. When I showed my mum her reaction was simply "Ah, so now you can retouch your mascara in the cinema" No mum..pahaha. But it's fun to switch on! And I guess useful if in dim lighting. 

The button on the lid which you click to switch on the light

Next the consistency - this product does not clump AT ALL. Infact, it is one of those 'your eyelashes, but better' products, and totally does the job of lengthening, separating, and darkening, and is really nice to apply.The general packaging is nice too. grown up.

Okay, so do you get how good this mascara is yet? Hope so, and here are some links where you can buy it
http://www.boots.com/en/Too-Faced-Lash-Light-mascara_1046022/
http://www.lookfantastic.com/too-faced-lash-light/10304080.html


rachael xx


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Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion Review

Hello


Another makeup review: something irrefutably essential to one's makeup bag. UD Primer. This savvy little tube has saved the life of many a makeup look, removed the incessantly approaching threat of creased eyeshadow, and let many a woman feel more confident that her makeup will stay where it should be. 

Looking slightly worse for wear...

This little tube of POWER costs around £14.50 (depending on rising inflation!) - in the UK you can find UD in House of Fraser and Debenhams:
http://www.houseoffraser.co.uk/Urban+Decay+Eyeshadow+Primer+Potion+-Original/153359865,default,pd.html
http://www.debenhams.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/prod_10001_10001_123932101999_-1?breadcrumb=Home
My tube which I am displaying to you is one my friend bought me last June. That's almost a year of almost daily use! And still alive - if not slightly battered, grubby and aesthetically less pleasing that before. This stuff LASTS. You only need the tiniest of amounts per eye - do not make the rookie mistake of squishing loads out! You shall regret it! 

Around the amount you need for one eye

As you see it's not coloured! So any eyeshadow goes over it unnoticed

Do not over do it, and be careful where you put it. This thing really helps, and so I use it every day, not just nights out. But put too much on (or mix it with your foundation at the edge of your eyes..) and its noticeable. Less is more!
UD sells 4 eyeshadow primers. To keep things simple, I got the purple packaged one which rubs out to a transparent film. Best tip before buying is to sample it in store - test it on the back of your hand and see if you want one of the more shimmery pigmented ones. I think one day I shall.. But they do limit the colours and textures you can apply on top!


Consider it!


Rach xx


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BodyShop Lip & Cheek Stain Review

Hello Lovelies!

Post publication note: If you're interested in the Bodyshop Lip and Cheek stain please take a look at my updated review here! (but you can go ahead and read this one too!)  

I'm in a blogging mood, so here's another. I have one friend who likes to keep me up to date on the freebies that come out with popular women's magazines - something very welcome to me, as I'm not often in the magazine isle of stores.
Let me set you straight: my favourite magazine is Cosmopolitan - a magazine focused on love, sex, fashion, hair and beauty..and more sex, or so it is attributed by most. But let me tell you, flipping through this magazine is a joy because unlike almost every women's magazine out there (and I have delved into many), this magazine is almost entirely the written word. For a magazine this may not seem strange, but any woman who is a buyer of marie claire, in style, or elle for example will appreciate that most of what they have payed for is model photos and advertisements, substituted by the occasional column. The January issue of Cosmo, which I had close to hand whilst writing this, has 51 articles, spanning from love, sex & success, to news & real life to you you you, amongst an array of cover stories. No wonder it sells big time - thank heaven for written stuff. 

Back to topic (as I'm sure I began to write a review.. haha) This girl friend of mine mentioned that Marie Claire was giving away BodyShop lip & cheek stains this month - a bargain at only £3.70 for a product worth £10. This was quickly added to my mum's shopping list... And a few days later I was the proud owner of the 'Bronze Glimmer' stain. 
I'd never purchased makeup from BodyShop before - though had always been interested in these. (And their super soft kabuki brushes!) But .... I love it! Firstly, I really enjoy having a product that does both my face and lips. As a disorganised teenager, I do my makeup on the bus to school every morning. The regular travellers are not fussed. Other people stare. But I get through this slightly awkward experience by congratulating myself on giving yet another makeup on-the-go tutorial to the people on my bus - soon they shall all be apt at winged eyeliner.
A 2 in 1 product saves time and space in one's makeup bag. This thing also tastes good - it doesn't have a chemically adapted fruity flavour, but what it does taste of is nice. Also, I hate lip gloss. I appreciate it on others, just not me; I cannot stand having sticky lips all day and always end up wiping it off pretty quickly. This limited me to plain lipstick - until the trend of lip stains began. 

A tip for this product: if you apply it directly to your cheeks in a line then buff it in, the line is still there. Faint - but that section of skin is most definitely more pigmented than the rest. And no one loves that. I've got round this by simply applying it to my angled blush brush instead (then applying this to my face.) Ta da!
It comes in another colour too - a bright strong dark pink, called 'Rose Pink'. I think I may be back in the magazine isle picking up that one soon as too! But what I do like about this one is the golden tint to it, which I thought would look too much - but thankfully no.

Okay, so my makeup is quite rushed. I was walking around my house in pajayjays, no makeup and my hair is an unusual style most representative of a pineapple, when in walks a 13 year old boy. This boy was not my brother, but someone I had never seen in my life. So I had to abandon my tea and leg it upstairs. I did work out from the commencing shouted dialogue coming from downstairs that my brother had a friend round - thanks for telling me mum! - and so I quickly made myself look as acceptable as possible and went to rescue my tea.

Rachael XX

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What I should be doing...

Hello world
You should know that the reason I have a blog all of a sudden is that I am first and foremost a procrastinator. I don't mean to be.. But as any of you who procrastinate for a living will know, it is very tempting and in fact inevitable to have sudden new interests come obsessions, at certain points in your life. Such as at exams..
Being in the last year of high school, May is such a time for me. So I'm blogging. And reading blogs. And watching youtube, and buying magazines, and shopping and spending entire days with my friends. study? No thanks! My first (of three) exams is on the 25th, if you're interested.. So expect a whoooole lot more blogging before then! 
Currently I'm also waiting for my camera battery to charge so I can plug it into my computer and rescue some photos I took this morning for beauty product reviews.. for afterall, this was what this blog was supposed to be for pahaha! 
I like to chat.
xo


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Creativity is sweet

Hello!


So a few years ago I had a dilemma. I'd been shopping and picked up two bounties - the milk chocolate one and the dark chocolate one; but just one was for me.. the other for my dad. The Dilemma: which to have? Having pondered for a wee while I cut each in half (the benefit of there being two bars in a packet) and stuck opposing sides of each bar to that of the other bar. 

Immediately very impressed with myself and the resulting products, I took this photo and decided to email Bounty chocolate makers and suggest they make this commercial! (I think at this point I was still in a semi-arrogant I've-just-achieved-great-things sort of a mood) Except I had to email Mars, because Bounty is owned by them.
To jump forward a few days, the reply was that Mars do all their commercial and technical thinky stuff themselves, so to leave them be.


Well.. I still think they're missing out on a great opportunity. Do you? :)


Rach xx


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Cameras, flowers and photography tips

Hello!


I was flicking through old photo albums on my laptop today and found one album of shots I'd taken in my grandparents' garden up in the Scottish Highlands. These were mostly pictures of flowers - all taken with the Macro setting on my camera.

For those of you who have never taken any interest in this setting (found on most if not all.. digital cameras) LISTEN UP! You can find this setting as usually a flower symbol. And let me tell you, it is a blessing.


This setting allows focus up close and personal with your subject of photography, and focuses on one aspect. And the results are amazeballs! Much better than your basic zoom. 


If you're interested, since I shall be starting posting reviews soon - all with product images taken by myself - my camera is a Canon Digital IXUS 860 IS (what a mouthful!) Here's a link:
http://www.canon.co.uk/For_Home/Product_Finder/Cameras/Digital_Camera/IXUS/Digital_IXUS_860_IS/  


I didn't buy it, I won it around four years ago in a National Geographic Kids Magazine competition! I had to draw a picture representing an eco world.. and came 1st! Four years on this is still one of my top achievements (I'm not generally one to win things..) and I still have the memory of delight of being delivered a huuuge cardboard box, around half a metre cubed in volume - with my camera, a camera photo printer, a mousemat and a polar bear adoption pack. wow. 
Most of my friends have heard the story..


Anyway! Go, run to your cameras and choose the macro option - I commandeth thee! And tell me if you liked these photos from the garden


rachael xx


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Hello blogging world; my views on girl/boy best friends

Welcome! I'm a new blogger and although I think I'll aim to cover quite a wide variety of things from friendships to makeup & beauty to fashion and product reviews, I thought I'd start this blog off with a topic very close to me this year.


Mixed gender best friends.


So throughout my childhood and teenage years I have had a barrage of best friends, all with a commonality of being female. This year, however, through circumstance, I happened across a close guy friend. This is not to say I've never had male friends before - I'm not that sheltered! But through the first few weeks of this friendship it was obvious that we were really hitting it off. 
I'm not entirely certain how or when this became underlined as being a best friend relationship, but many 3am phonecalls, hundreds of texts daily (well, it's best to take full advantage of unlimited texting) and having classes together, has lead to me being able to tell you that 9 months on we're pretty open about it being so! 
Now, immediately I'm sure some readers will be questioning the reality of this being just a friendship. I've heard it all, from "you're emotionally dating" to "you act like a couple" to "but you must surely be in love!". No! And I shall tell you why.


Firstly, I myself have read multiple blog posts on the topic, most referencing a film called "When Harry met Sally". The theme of this film is embodied in the line:
"Men and women can't be friends - the sex gets in the way."
 Intending to watch this film and instantly see its flawed misguidances, I rented it and sat down to take it in. And let me tell you... It is a really good film! Haha. However, love it though I do, I still disagree with the basic ideology. Men and women can be friends, even best friends, because not all inter-gender relationships have to be based around lust! Surely this can be seen from the rise of sexuality - bisexual and homosexual people. You would not automatically be convinced that your close homosexual friend secretly wants to get with you, and all your other friends, and this certainly would be unlikely to get in the way of your friendship with them; (And if this is an issue you are perhaps a bit homophobic). 
So why then do guys and girls who hang around eachother not have the same lifeline?! Why accuse them of emotionally dating?


Reflecting whilst reading others' blogs, I considered that perhaps were I married to a man with a female best friend, or had a partner in the same situation, my own jealousy and misgivings on the relationship might make me rethink my attitude. However, both me and my best mate are in our late teens, and as neither of us are in such a position, it doesn't really apply to us!


I think I should share some very good reasons for you to have a best friend of the opposite gender!
Firstly, from my side of things, guys are not bitchy. And they are almost never gossip-seekers. This my friends is a breath of fresh air when you life has been so far saturated with the crazed personalities of teenage girls (And yes, it does take one to know one..) This also means that he dampens my own wish to occasionally 'bitch', and so I think that's a positive all round :)
Next, stepping away from your girl friends makes you realise how much time you spend discussing all things makeup, hair and clothes related, and how really you should be obsessing over these a little less, and the other things in life a little more. When faced with a male best friend, your relationship is pretty much just each of you being you, with much less generic stuff in the middle. This makes your friendship a lot more of an achievement! As more of the 'real you' is available to your friend.
Thirdly, guys are much more inclined to come up with nicknames. And interesting ones at that! Though I have complained at each new and ...unique name I have been called this year, as another unwelcome one arises (The most recent being 'Filby') I realise my love of the previous one! Though my attempts to convince him to revert to them are, alas, in vain. This has let me see that deep down, I do enjoy them - nicknames are a clear show of affection.
Next, I have had endless fun showing him 'girl' things. Simple things like tights, and how these have an alien concept called 'deniers'; also makeup - upon taking him with me to Boots or Superdrug, my hands do come out with pretty much every tester featuring somewhere on them.
Next, you should know that a guy's perspective is very different to a girl's one. (And if you are male, then females think very differently to you too!) Females are very emotion-led, whilst guys tend to have a more rational approach to life. fact. Girls also tend to overthink everything! as I well know! So often a guy can give a clearer opinion!
Lastly, a selfish one. The sheer fact that many of our friends don't fully understand or accept that we can be best friends (because surely, surely we will be a couple at some point..) makes me feel like more of an achiever for having a guy best friend. Not everyone has one! But I would seriously recommend it!


Okay, that was a very long blog post, especially for a first ever one.. hmm. Well done if you got to the end!
What are your experiences with mixed-gender friendships? :)


rivasoave xx


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