Nail Art Weekly Project - Week One, An Outfit

Hello my lovelies! Today I am excited to share with you my first post for the #nailartweeklyproject that Danni at gingerbread smiles is hosting. The idea is that each week you are given a theme, and you have to create a nail art look based on that theme each week. Monday marked the first day of the project and the first theme is a mani based on an outfit or item of clothing, so I just had to choose my favourite item of clothing in the whole of my wardrobe: my red velvet leggings.

These leggings are absolutely gorgeous and I actually find them really easy to pair up with a lot of different looks. So wanna see the results I came up with for my mani?

I stuck with OPI's Vodka and Caviar on every nail and then made my ring finger an accent nail using some velvet powder intended for manicures that I picked up on eBay. They're basically a copy of the Ciate velvet powders, just a fraction of the price! I had so much fun with this manicure and it surprisingly wore really well. If you'd like any more information about how to create this, let me know in the comments and I'll go into more detail :)

Thanks for reading!

Kerry x

January 2014 Glossybox - Back to Basics Review

I've no doubt that you guys have read a million and one of the reviews on the disaster of the January Glossybox. I absolutely love my Glossybox subscription. Receiving five surprise beauty products a month really brightens my day, and I can't wait to rip open the box and dive right in to sampling and testing this and that. It's one of the highlights of my month, which is why when it goes bad, it goes really really bad. So let's see what products I received inside my box, the price of them, and my opinions.

The big hype this month was about the box redesign itself. Instead of the shallow, matte looking box with just the logo in the centre of the lid, the whole box is now bigger, deeper and has a glossy finish, and as you can see, the full name is now on the lid. I don't like the box redesign all that much, but really it's not about the box it's what's inside the box that counts.

As usual, the box had the Glossy magazine and the Back to Basics guide to the products inside your box, including where to buy and how much the full sized items are. These are nice touches, although I rarely ever read them (oops!). I did read them this time, though, to try and work out the price the box is worth.

Another change to the box design itself is the ribbon, which now has the Glossybox name and symbol instead of just a plain pink ribbon. I know a lot of people have a problem with this because they used the ribbon inside to wrap other people's gifts as well, which now can't be done. This ribbon is much thicker, so I think it looks a bit messier when you open it. But onto the products!

1. Yu-Be Moisturising Skin Cream - ''This multi-use cult moisturising cream from Japan revamps your skin, enriching it with vitamin E, vitamin B2, camphor and a uniquely high glycerine content. It's an essential for all skin care regimes.''  Full size £13.50 for 33g, I received 2x3g tubes worth £2.45, however it clearly states on the tube that these are testers and so are not intended for sale whatsoever, so the actual worth is £0.00

2. Anatominals Puffy The Eye Bag Slayer Wake-Up Under Eye Patches - ''Looking like the walking dead? These under eye patches by Anatomicals will help reduce the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles and revitalise the delicate skin around your eyes!'' Full size £6.00 for 3 pack, I received a 2 pack worth £4.00

3. Balance Me Super toning body wash - ''With a blend of juniper, bergamot, gernaium and lavender essential oils, Balance me's Super toning body wash is the best way to start your day!'' Full size £10.25 for 250ml, I received 50ml worth £2.05

4. Vaseline Essential Moisture Lotion - ''Is your skin weathering the elements? If so, then you need the Essential Moisture Lotion from Vaseline. Its non-greasy formulation and multi-layer complex absorbs quickly leaving your skin silky smooth and looking healthy.'' Full size £4.99 for 400ml, I received 50ml worth £0.62

5. The Vintage Cosmetic Company Floral Slanted Tweezers - ''Get rid of boring brows with these pretty floral tweezers by The Vintage Cosmetic Company. These high quality, stainless steel must-haves are the perfect accompaniment for every vintage doll's make up bag'' Full size £8

The total of this box is worth: £14.67

So what are my views on this box?

Well honestly I think it's a bit of a disaster. I know the theme was supposed to be "back to basics" but Glossybox promises "a diverse selection of 5 beauty treats that include niche, high-end and emerging brands" and we get given a sample of Vaseline. Let's face it, every girl, their mother, and their dog will have some form of Vaseline moisturiser in the house. I don't consider it to be niche, high-end or emerging. The moisturiser smells like a chemical factory and feels awful on the skin, leaving a greasy film that's unpleasant to the touch. I smelt like a Barbie doll, but not in a good way. In a plastic way. The cleanser is alright but the sample is so small compared to the free sample given away in a popular beauty magazine only a short while ago. The tweezers are pretty but that's it. They're absolutely awful at plucking anything because the tips don't press together properly. The little eyebrow hairs just slide right out. They'll make a nice decoration, though.

In fact, the only thing I'm even a little bit excited about is the under eye treatments. I have dark circles all of the time (darn you stupid genetics!) so I'm hoping this might help a little bit. Plus the packaging is fun and the catchphrases and blurbs are quirky and funny. 

The Glossybox team have spent more time on the box design than the products inside it. I feel that this "back to basics" theme was just an excuse to throw all of the old crap they no longer want into the box and ship them all out. I've since cancelled my subscription and am going over to Birchbox instead!

What are your opinions of Glossybox? Or Birchbox? Are there any other beauty boxes around that are worth checking out? Let me know! :)

DIY Face Masks for Dry Skin!

Hi lovelies, today I'm going to be sharing my top three DIY face masks that you can make at home and really do work! I've suffered from extremely dry skin since I was very young and have done a fair amount of research into what benefits the skin as a result. These are my top three favourite recipes, and I'll be sure to do a segment on oily skin within the next few posts.

1. Milk Mask
This recipe will make enough for two people so it's great if you fancy a face mask with a friend, but personally I just cover what's left and put it in the fridge until the next day when I then use it again. This is my personal favourite mask because it's so hydrating, plumping and refreshing all in one!

Ingredients:
1 teaspoon of powdered milk
1 tablespoon of runny honey
1 teaspoon of aloe vera gel
2 drops of essential oil
1 tablespoon of pulverised almonds (this is optional though)

All you have to do now is mix it all together, put it all over your face, leave for 15 minutes, then rinse off! It really is as simple as that :)

2. Avocado and Honey Mask
You have to use a really ripe, incredibly soft avocado for this, and this particular recipe is great for maturer skins because it has firming properties as well.

Ingredients:
1/2 a very ripe avocado
1/4 a cup of honey

Mush the avocado up to a pulp in a bowl, stir in the honey, apply onto the face, leave for ten minutes and then rinse off. Another easy recipe there!

3. Dark Chocolate Mask
Despite popular belief, dark chocolate is actually incredibly good for the skin if applied topically. This one does take a little bit more work than the other two, but if you fancy trying it, go for it!

Ingredients:
1 bar of dark chocolate
3 tablespoons of salt
1 cup of milk

Mix your salt and milk together in a small bowl until the salt dissolves. Then melt the chocolate by putting a saucepan filled about a quarter full of water over a hob, and placing a small bowl above the water making sure it isn't touching the water at all. The chocolate then goes in the bowl and stir until fully melted. Stir the milk-salt mixture into the chocolate slowly until it is all combined and leave to cool to room temperature. You then apply to the face (the chocolate can get drippy so I suggest going shirtless or using a towel over your clothes), leave for 15-20 minutes, then wash off.

So hopefully some of these work for you :) Are there any other good facial mask recipes you guys recommend?

My MAC Lipstick Lust List

On my recent blog-hopping marathon I came across two posts. Now I know what you're thinking - "oh well blog-hopping is going to leave you coming across posts. That's what it's about". But these weren't just any posts. I had found two MAC lipstick lust posts, one from the lovely Beauty Lover and the other from the amazing A Scottish Lass. Lipstick is definitely my "thing", if you will. For some people it's blush, some it's palettes, but for me it's lipsticks. I already have six MAC lipsticks in my collection and am showing no signs of stopping yet! So here are my top seven wished for at the moment.

1. Impassioned (Amplified Creme) - Amped-up fuchsia
2. Show Orchid (Amplified Creme) - Vivid hot pink
3. Costa Chic (Frost) - Frosty light coral
4. MAC Red (Satin) - Vivid bright bluish red
5. Ravishing (Cremesheen) - Clean light peachy coral
6. Morange (Amplified Creme) - Loudmouth orange
7. CB 96 (Frost) - Bright pinky-orange with pearl

If it wasn't obvious, I mostly prefer amplified creme finishes because I love a bold lip. I normally have a very neutral eye and love to go all out on the lips. Show Orchid is definitely my tip of the top most wanted right now, though!

So tell me, what's on your MAC lipstick lust list?

Tag: 10 Beauty Mistakes I Used To Make

Oh here we go. The most embarrassing of secrets a beauty lover could make. The oddest make up anyone had ever seen. And now I bear all to you. I was tagged by the lovely Belle over at Mascara and Maltesers and just knew I had to take part. It's such a fun tag! So here it goes:

1. Wearing more eyeliner under the lower lash line than on the top of the top lash line. 
Basically wearing more eyeliner underneath my eye than above it. Yep, I used to try and pull this look off, and to this day I still don't understand why. It was during my gothic phase, but still can't think of why I'd wear more underneath than on top. Ah well.

2. Wearing red eyeliner on my waterline.
I looked ill. Or incredibly tired. Or both. It wasn't a good look, and I don't recommend anyone else do it either. My dad used to tell me not to do it, and now I wish I'd listened to him.

3. Go out with mascara all over my eyelid.
We've all been there. Opening your eyes too quickly after applying your mascara, and getting eyelash imprints on your brow bone from the mascara, or maybe you've accidentally pressed against your eyelid when applying it and it's gone everywhere. I never used to bother cleaning it up, and just used to go out with it all over my face. Not a good look at all.

4. Not blending my foundation down my jaw/neck.
Yep, I was one of those. Having a distinct line where my foundation ended and my neck began was one of my daily looks. Not that it was intentional, mind you. I just didn't know I had to blend it down my neck/jaw. Oh how I cringe now thinking about it.

5. Wearing way too much blusher.
I always looked like I'd run three miles while coating my face in beetroot juice or something. Nowadays I'm not afraid to wear a bold blush and think it can look stunning if applied properly, but wearing so much blush that it looks as though you're in a constant state of embarrassment isn't for me. I blush easily anyway, so add that to too much blusher and you have a recipe for disaster.

6. Never shaping my eyebrows.
I think this is the one that embarrasses me the most. Naturally, I have quite a nice shaped brow, but I have a really thin outer corner naturally and quite a few stray hairs that just go every direction and whatnot. This meant that it looked as though I had less hair on the actual brow than I did on the surrounding areas of the brow. It looked like a negative space brow, which was really odd.

7. Not getting my hair cut for 6 years.
Nope, not even a trim. I loved my long hair that I could actually sit on, and refused to get my hair cut for a good six years. By the time I eventually got a trim, I had to have about 8 inches removed from the bottom of my hair just to get to the healthy and non-split parts. Nowadays I get my hair cut religiously every month.

8. Buying whatever shampoo/conditioner was the cheapest.
I always thought that every shampoo was created equal, the same as every conditioner was created equal. So I just used to go to the supermarket and buy whatever was on offer or whatever was cheapest. Nowadays I stick to my Dove Hair Therapy Nourishing Oil Care shampoo and conditioner, even if it isn't the cheapest around.

9. Never cleansing/toning my face.
Yep, I never used to cleanse or tone my face. I mean, I shower every day and always have, but you still don't get that lovely fresh faced feeling of a fully cleansed face. I didn't even use to use soap on my face in the shower, so really my face only ever had water trickling over it and the odd slick of shampoo that ran down it. Eurgh that sounds so gross to me now.

10. Putting on waaaaaaaaaaay too many coats of mascara.
Six inch thick, 20lb eyelashes were my forte back in the days of high school. Okay that may be a little bit of an exaggeration, but they were pretty thick, and pretty heavy to boot. I used to put so many coats of mascara on my lashes that you could literally snap them in half. Although I do love a dramatic look, I'd rather just put on some natural looking fake lashes for day time than ever go through that again.

So there we have it! My 10 beauty mistakes I used to make. I tag anyone and everyone who wants to take part, so lemme know what yours are! I'd love to read about them :)

London Haul! Lush, MAC and More!

So on Wednesday I took the train into London for a spot of shopping at Westfield. Well that's not the only reason I went, but that's beside the point. I've never been to Westfield before and didn't quite expect the vast amount of stores that are actually there. So many blisters later, and I got quite a nice selection of bits and bobs. Here's my haul! If there's anything you want to hear about in more detail, let me know in the comments, and I'll do a full review for you.

The Body Shop

I absolutely love the Moringa scent. It's so fresh and refreshing, and yet it's also really feminine and floral at the same time. It reminds me a little bit of cucumber, but more floral. I just knew I had to have both of these. I suffer from extremely dry skin so both of these will be great for my skin.

Lush

Just some every day skincare products from Lush. They're my favourite brand for skincare, partly because I love that the products are natural and smell absolutely incredible, partly because they don't test any of their products on animals, and partly because the stuff really really works! My skin feels better than ever when I use these.

M.A.C

Just two lipsticks from MAC this time since I was pretty much all spent out by the time we got there. Both colours I've been after for a while though, so I was thrilled that they had both of them. Rebel is a satin finish, and Girl About Town is an amplified creme finish.

Boots

Just a few things I've been interested in trying and finally managed to get hold of. The three mascaras are for a new mini-series I have coming up, and so is the Clinique Chubby Stick. The bronzing primer is for contouring since powder just dries out my already too-dry skin. I finally managed to grab hold of the Color Tattoo in Pink Gold which has been sold out in all the local stores to me, and Revlon Cherries in the Snow lipstick has been on my radar for a while as well.

So that was my haul from Westfield in London! Will definitely be going there again in the near future to pick up everything I didn't have time to pick up before. So pleased with everything, and more in-depth reviews will be coming up soon! Anything you're interested in seeing? Lemme know in the comments.

Oh! And look at my awesome bath courtesy of a Lush bath bomb. Isn't it pretty?

List of products mentioned with prices and links:
The Body Shop Moringa Body Scrub - £12.50
The Body Shop Moringa Body Butter - £13.00
Lush Angels on Bare Skin Cleanser - £6.35 for 100g or £15.87 for 250g
Lush Eau Roma Water Toner - £3.95 for 100g or £7.50 for 250g
Lush Celestial Moisturiser - £11.95 
Lush Full of Grace Facial Serum - £8.25
Lemony Flutter Cuticle Butter - £6.50
Skins Shangri La Moisturiser (Sample) - £28.50
MAC Rebel - £15
MAC Girl About Town - £15
Bourjois Bronzing Primer - £9.99
Max Factor Masterpiece MAX Mascara - £9.99
Max Factor False Lash Effect Mascara - £10.99
Benefit They're Real Mascara - £19.50
Revlon Super Lustrous in Cherries In The Snow (440) - £7.49
Maybelline EyeStudio Color Tattoo 24hr Cream Gel Eyeshadow in Pink Gold - £4.99
Clinique Chubby Stick Intense Moisturising Lip Colour Balm in Plushest Punch - £17

Illamasqua Vice | Review

If you'll excuse the incredibly poor painting job and the minor chips (this had already been on my nails a couple of days), but my nail of the day has got to be Illamasqua Vice! It's such a gorgeous colour that works so well with my skin tone, and I also really like the finish of it which Illamasqua describe as a "rubber" finish. I'd definitely say that was an accurate description. I love the finish of it so much, I didn't even put a top coat on because I didn't want it ruined! The formula is gorgeous and is opaque in two coats, and I get so many compliments when wearing this red-toned maroon that I honestly can't fault it. Terrible application aside, anyway haha.

Illamasqua Vice is available for £5 in the sale here and is normally £14.50 available here

Spring Collections 2014

It seems that Christmas is hardly over and already there's a buzz in the beauty world for announcement of the spring and summer collections being released this year. One of my most eagerly awaited is the new Essie spring 2014 collection.


This is a picture of their annual 4 polish "resort" collection being released this spring, rumoured date is February. Transdesign already has them available for preorder here for $4.25 a bottle.
Resort Fling - A gorgeous pearlescent peach.
Cocktails and Coconuts - A stunning pearlescent white (silver?...)
Find Me an Oasis - A pretty pearlescent baby blue.
Under the Twilight - A lovely pearlescent smoky purple.

Also up from Essie this spring is their main spring collection of which there appear to be six shades. The rumoured launch for this collection is April.

Left to right: Style Hunter, Spin the Bottle and Romper Room

Left to right: Truth Or Flare, Fashion Playground and Hide And Go Chic.

I'm most excited about Romper Room and Hide And Go Chic! I love Essie polishes, their colour range is fantastic and the quality is always fab, too, so I'm really excited for both of these collections. I'm sure I'm going to end up with way too many, as usual.

Another collection soon to be hitting the shelves is the Kelly and Sharon Osbourne collaboration with MAC Cosmetics (one of my all time favourite make up brands), so I'm really excited for these! They've released a couple of sneak peaks at some of the products, but the full line hasn't yet been announced. The full collection will be released in June.





What collections are you guys most looking forward to this year? :)

Jelly Pong Pong Fairy Lashes Mascara | Review

Hey again, beauties, DTG here with my first proper review on a product. It isn't one I've seen mentioned too much around the beauty community, and what I have seen has been split pretty 50/50 down the love it or hate it junction. Here's my personal views on the mascara in question.

Jelly Pong Pong Fairy Lashes Mascara - £15 available here
I received this mascara in my Glossybox back in May but only opened it today, and so far I'm not convinced. I so wanted to love this mascara purely for the name of it. Fairy Lashes is both adorable and girly enough to appeal to my girly girl nature. The packaging is lovely, incorporating a lovely font and a pretty purple together. The box it came in was also lovely but unfortunately got thrown away a few months ago when trying to make room for new beauty essentials so I didn't get the chance to snap a pic!

The wand is okay. It's a traditional bristle brush instead of a rubber brush, which I traditionally get along better with (although the MaxFactor Masterpiece Max is an exception to that rule). Jelly Pong Pong claim that this mascara is supposed to make eyelashes thicker and curvier, but as you can see the wand is neither thick for volumising or a good shape for curling, so I find that neither the wand nor the mascara lives up to either of these claims.

Now onto the mascara itself. The formula is really dry and thin, which is good normally because it means no clumps, but for some reason this just really doesn't work for me. Because it's so dry, it doesn't really coat lashes as much as cover them in flakes of thin mascara. It also dries to a really odd consistency where if you rub your eyelashes, the mascara comes off in very strange rubbery strips. I also found this flaked under the eyes after a day of wear. I applied this first thing this morning and found the wear time to be pretty poor and the end result to be disappointing. I then reapplied this this afternoon just before taking the pictures you see here, and both times the results were poor. It almost looks like the mascara is drying up, but it was only opened today so it wouldn't have been possible. It also made my lashes look thin and scraggly which, I think we can all agree, is not a good look. I won't be repurchasing this and definitely think it is not worth the price. Here are some before and after pictures so you can see the full effect. 

Before

After

Before

After

Before

After

What do you guys think? Love it or hate it? Lemme know :)

Best Lip Products of 2013

Oh boy was this hard to narrow down. Instead of doing a collective "my entire favourites of 2013", I thought I'd group them into types of products so that I could explain them all in more detail and choose my top products in each category, lessening the chance of missing a favourite out. Today's topic, if you hadn't already guessed, is lips! I've chosen 5 lip care products and 6 lipsticks to show you today, so I hope you enjoy reading and get ready for a major pic-fest! Let's start with lip care products.

L-R: Lush bubblegum lip scrub, Body Shop pink grapefruit and mandarin lip balm, Watkins Soap Company cherry lip balm, Figs & Rouge Coco Rose lip balm in blush pink, Lypsyl in strawberry

With the cold weather sweeping the nation, my lips have really needed some TLC. I don't normally suffer from dry or chapped lips, but even so, it's nice to keep your lips hydrated and feeling soft and smooth. Even during Summer I like to wear lip balms, just a lighter form instead of a heavy lip balm. These five have been my go-to products for last year.

Lush bubblegum lip scrub - £5.50 available here
I love this lip scrub. I will never use any other exfoliant for my lips, as this is just bursting with moisturising goodness. One of it's main ingredients is organic jojoba oil which is one of the most nourishing and beneficial ingredients for dry skin. Add this to the castor sugar and you have a magical wonderland of lip scrub. It's well worth the price, and you only need a little bit of it to work wonders. And then you can just lick it off! Magic.

The Body Shop pink grapefruit and mandarin lip balm
I have no idea how much this was and it doesn't seem like you can still get it (sorry guys). I've had this for years but only recently started using it and it is heavenly. It doesn't just sit on the lips like many other lip balms, you can feel it sink into your lips and just immediately hydrate them and it lasts for a good few hours. I put this on before bed and I wake up to silky smooth, hydrated lips. I love this and will be gutted when it runs out. It also smells divine.

Watkins Soap Company cherry lip balm - £7.50 available here
This lip balm is utterly gorgeous. It contains hemp and shea butter which are both fantastic moisturisers, and it smells absolutely beautiful. It has a really natural cherry that isn't overpowering when on your lips and manages to smell gorgeous, instantly hydrate and last a pretty long time. Again, it doesn't sit on the lips, it actually sinks in. I also use this as a night time lip balm when going to sleep if I fancy a change from the Body Shop one and it does the same thing; I wake up to smooth, soft and non-dry lips. This one is still available and I'd really like to try out the other scents, too! I have my eye on the honey one next.

Figs & Rouge Coco Rose lip balm in blushing pink - £4.95 available here
I absolutely adore tinted lip balms. What's not to love about providing moisture and also a lovely wash of colour? The thing I love most about this one is that it's 100% natural and it's petroleum free which means it's not slimy or sticky at all, it's almost silky and glossy but is still hydrating on the lips. It's also really cheap and it smells exactly like roses! Blushing pink is a gorgeous wash of soft neutral pink, but if that's not your scene, it also comes in lots of different colours. I love my pinks, so this is a staple in my lip balm collection. I use this as a day balm as it's glossy and makes your lips look lovely. Your lips but better in a lip balm! Love it.

Lypsyl lip balm in strawberry - £1.35 available here
Lypsyl has been a staple in my make up drawer for years. Ever since I was around 6 I used to carry one of these around with me in one of the many flavours available, but the strawberry one has always been my favourite. In my opinion the Lypsyl lip balms are the best lip balms of all time, and they are so cheap! They last forever as well. I wear mine every day and reapply multiple times and so far this has lasted me three months. This sinks in instantly, never ever feels like it sits on top of the lips, is so hydrating and tastes and smells amazing. It contains Aloe Vera and Vitamin E which are both hydrating and feel amazing on the skin and lips. I'd definitely suggest this one to everyone. It's my daily go-to and I've never been disappointed.

So onto lipsticks! Excuse the poor application, I was trying to do it quickly before the light faded outside.

L-R: L'oreal Rouge Caresse in Rebel Red (401), Revlon ColorBurst Lip Butter in Pink Truffle, Avon Ultra Colour Rich in frozen rose, MAC Plumful, MAC Hang Up, MAC Fabby

L'oreal Rouge Caresse in Rebel Red (401) - £7.99 available here

This lipstick is really lovely. It's silky on the lips and is actually quite glossy. This is very sheer and gives just a light wash of colour on the lips, but creates such a gorgeous effect that I can't get enough of. I've repurchased this multiple times and plan to again in the future. It's quite expensive for what's considered a "drugstore" brand, but it smells gorgeous, feels gorgeous and looks gorgeous, so I honestly can't recommend it highly enough!

Revlon ColorBurst Lip Butter in pink truffle - £7.99 available here

What can I say about the Revlon ColorBurst lip butters that hasn't been said one hundred times by other bloggers? Creamy, pigmented, moisturising, has such a wonderful colour range. Everything about these is near perfection and I, personally, have around six colours and want the rest of them. Pink Truffle is my favourite shade, though, as it's a gorgeous "your lips but better" colour for me which pops but still looks natural. Can't recommend these highly enough.

Avon Ultra Colour lipstick in Frozen Rose - £7.50 available here

This is a pretty recent discovery of mine. In fact I didn't even know I owned it, but when going through my make up drawer a few months ago I stumbled upon it and immediately tried it on. I adore this colour. It's frosty and shimmery but not obnoxiously so. I adore frosted lipsticks and this soft, pretty pink frost is absolutely one of my favourites. It's one of those lipsticks where I sit there and wonder "where have you been all my life". The formula is creamy and hydrating and isn't at all sticky or dry, so this is a "must repurchase" item when I run out.

MAC Plumful - £15 available here

This is the perfect "your lips but better colour" for me. It's very very similar to my natural lip colour, but a little bit brighter and more pop-y. It's a lustre finish which means it's semi-sheer but with a sort of glossy finish and it's very hydrating on the lips. Wear time for this is between 1-2 hours for me then I have to reapply. This is one of my favourite lipsticks of all time, and my main lipstick for if I am wanting a more natural look. It's definitely a beautiful neutral pink on me, but it's one of those colours that looks SO different depending on the natural colour of your lips, so you should try it out in store before committing to a purchase.

MAC Hang Up - £15 available here

Ahh my favourite fall/winter lipstick. I love pairing this with a neutral eye (although applied a lot better, of course haha) and find it is a gorgeous deep berry shade on my lips. It's a cremesheen so is ultra creamy with a gloss-like shine when worn, and also the most hydrating lipstick of all of them. Unfortunately the wear time for a cremesheen is about 2 hours, but this particular shade leaves a lovely berry stain on the lips long after the initial lipstick has worn away. This is fairly full coverage and I utterly utterly adore it. Warning though, the shade makes your teeth look more yellow than they actually are.

MAC Fabby - £15 available here

I don't see much written about Fabby over here on the blogging community, and I think I've only ever seen it mentioned once by the beauty gurus over on YouTube, and I honestly don't understand why. I find this gorgeous pale, blue toned pink with a subtle gold shimmer my absolute favourite lipstick of all time. It's a frost finish so it has a decent coverage and a sort of icy shimmer to it, which I looooove being the girly girl that I am, and the wear time is around the 2 hour mark. This is very hydrating on my lips and very comfortable to wear, and I also get more compliments wearing this colour than I do any of my other lipsticks. I adore this and more people should try it!

So there you have it, my top 5 lip care products and my top 6 lipsticks of 2013. Any of you guys love any of these? Or maybe they just weren't for you? Lemme know in the comments, I'd love to hear from you! :)

The 3 Best Smelling Products of the New Year!

Hi everyone and welcome to Dull to Glam! I'll be your host for this evening (and the foreseeable future) so feel free to pull up a chair and relax while we delve into the world of beauty.

At the moment I'm really really into things that smell utterly divine. With the beautiful cinnamon and gingerbread scents slowly disappearing now that Christmas is over, why not pamper yourself with some heavenly smelling beauty products instead? I've chosen my top three for this month, so let's get cracking!

1. Possibility Marshmallow Frosting shower gel (complete with marshmallow frosting recipe)

Oh my goodness, this is the epitome of heaven. Heaven in a bottle. If you like sickly sweet scents (which I am personally a huge fan of with my major sweet tooth) then you will adore this. The predominant smell is vanilla, which is obviously the marshmallow scent/flavour itself. I really can't describe the smell of this other than "marshmallow" because it really is exactly what it smells like. And the recipe for the vanilla frosting on the front is a nice touch.

The texture is quite smooth and silky, and more on the runny side than a creamy shower gel, but it lathered really well and made my skin silky soft and smelling great after the shower, but not in an overpowering way. It was subtle and as I caught hints of it throughout the day it was a nice, soft marshmallow smell. I also really like the pearlescence of the shower gel. I got it from the 99p shop, so it's super cheap, too! I will DEFINITELY be trying out the other scents of this.
Overall I'd rate this product: 9/10

You can buy Possibility shower products from Amazon UK here but US folks may have to dig around eBay to find them. You can also make a wishlist on their website here and send it to them, then wait to hear back! I'm desperate to try their lip balms, too.

2. Nip+Fab Pistachio Sundae Dry Fix Body Butter

I'm going to be honest here, I've never been a body butter sort of girl but I got this little gem in my GlossyBox a good few months ago now and I only opened it the other day. I think I must have spent a good ten minutes just sitting here smelling it, it's that delicious. As in good enough to actually eat delicious. It's only a little pot, but I've nearly finished the whole thing within a few days and so far everyone has complimented how I smell.

As you can see, it's thick and creamy and when massaged into the skin, it soaks in pretty quickly. Unlike a lot of other body butters that felt like they just sat on top of the skin, this one you can actually feel sinking in and moisturising down to your very core. It left my skin feeling smooth and hydrated literally 24/7 which is unheard of for my incredibly dry, flaky skin. I adore this product and am definitely going to repurchase.
Overall I'd rate this product: 10/10

You can grab this body butter from Boots for only £4.24 by clicking here.

3. Awapuhi Wild Ginger Styling Treatment Oil by Paul Mitchell

Yet another GlossyBox item (I actually think it's from the same box as the body butter) that I use every time I wash my hair. It definitely smells like ginger, but it's not an overpowering smell, just a soft and almost delicate ginger that I love my hair smelling of afterwards. Every time I swish my hair, I catch a little of the ginger scent and smile. It's so fresh smelling that it's just a gorgeous one to pamper your hair with! It also comes with a pump to stop you getting too much product, which is a really nice touch.

No picture of the texture because it's just a normal oil so it's very hard to photograph. I use it by getting one pump in the palm of one hand, then rubbing both hands together and then run them through my hair when damp from root to tip. I then blow dry my hair and brush it. This makes your hair feel weightless and smooth but not greasy, which I've found with a lot of other hair oils. It softens, nourishes and my hair even feels stronger after using this product, so maybe it repairs hair as well? Regardless, I love both the scent and this product. It's definitely worth the price tag, which is £7.50 for 25ml or £25.95 for 100ml.
Overall, I'd rate this product: 9/10

It's currently unavailable on Amazon UK but you can find it on Amason US here. Alternatively you can find an Awapuhi salon near you by clicking here.

So that's all for today! These are my top three scented products of the month, lemme know yours in the comments below. Thanks for reading, and have a great day!