Friday 27 April 2012

✶ Recent Beauty Purchases ✶

Hello guys, so sorry for the lack of posts this week, I've been really busy with revision has I have exams very soon *stress*
This is just a small haul of a few beauty bits I've purchased recently. I hope you all enjoy! :)



Marc Jacobs Daisy Eau So Fresh Perfume 75ml - Boots - £48
Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder - Boots - £3.99
Maybelline 24hr Colour Tattoo in On and On Bronze - Boots - £4.99
Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Foundation - Boots - £10.99
Rimmel Lasting Finish 1000 Kisses Lip Tint in Nothing but Nude and Carry on Cherry - Asda - £4.98
Botanics Face Soothing Cleansing Balm - Boots - £4
Stile Stain Lip Rouge in something, Convertible Colour Dual Lip and Cheek Cream in Gladiola, Shadow Pots Eye Mousse in Taupe  - Tkmaxx - £7.99 


I was soo excited to see a tonn of 'Stila' products at Tkmaxx! They come in bags with 3/4/5 products in them that are either £7.99 or £9.99 depending on what's in them. I've been lusting over the convertible colour lip and cheek cream for ages! But it's £16 at boots and I got all three of these things for £7.99!? Bargain. If your a stila fan definitely check your local Tkmaxx for any of their stuff! 


Hope you're all going to have a lovely weekend and hopefully I'll be posting daily again soon :) 
I'm on the hunt for a new concealer too, leave your favorites below! 


'Til Next Time,
Carys xoxo



Tuesday 17 April 2012

☺ LUSH Fresh Face Mask Review - BB Seaweed ☺

I have been a massive fan of LUSH ever since I first stepped into the store 3-4 years ago. I adore their skincare and I love treating myself to a bubble bar or a bath bomb!
One of my favorite skincare products they make are their 'Fresh Face Masks'. I've tried almost all of them but today I am reviewing the mask "BB Seaweed".

BB Seaweed Fresh Face Mask - £5.75

 I was recommended this face mask when I went into the store a few weeks back, initially looking for the well loved 'Brazened Honey' mask. One of the girls they sat me down next to the face mask counter and chose 3 face masks she'd recommend for my mostly normal but sometimes dry skin. She placed each one on my hand waited a few minutes and then washed them off so I could feel the effects of the masks before choosing one. She explained that the brazened honey mask would irritate my skin (as I explained I'd been breaking out) as it has high amounts of lime in it and recommended I should try it when my skin was feeling it's best, and that's when I decided to go with BB Seaweed as it left my hand feeling very soft indeed. (The people in lush are so so helpful and lovely to chat to and I totally recommend that if you want to purchase anything from there ask them to help you out!)


BB Seaweed is aimed at being a face mask for softening, cooling and reducing redness. 
It says on the website that it's mask made with men in mind but does not exclude women, but on the packaging it claims it's a mask for everyone, a tad confusing but I would recommend this mask for everyone although I don't know how it would work on a male but it works really well on my female skin. 


So, what's in BB Seaweed?
Lush say that:
There's honey, seaweed and aloe vera to soften and soothe. Olive oil to moisturise.  Fresh rose petals and rose absolute to reduce redness. Rosemary oil to regenerate the skin. All of this is held together with kaolin, ground almonds and millet flakes – so when you wash this off you are also gently exfoliating and removing dead skin.


I would personally agree with everything LUSH claim this mask to do (that's why I love LUSH, they're honest folk).
I've been loving using this mask 1-2 times a week as I've been a little stressed over exams and revision and I find everything about this mask relaxing and calming. I love how cooling and refreshing the mask is when I apply it on my face due to the fact you have to store it in the fridge because of the fresh ingredients although I still feel as if it relaxes me due to the rose floral and porriagy smell. Doesn't sound to great but I actually quite like it, the scent of a product never usually bothers me though. I do advise smelling this before purchasing as I can imagine some people not really enjoying the smell. 
The mask itself is thick and feels like porridge, it also has some fair-sized chunks of seaweed within it. When you wash the mask off it turns into a paste and the chunks of seaweed and other bits exfoliate the skin which removes any dead skin cells, dirt or traces of make-up from the skin. The exfoliating effect leaves skin feeling smooth and perfected. I love using this mask because I feel as if it re-news my skin and it's great as a pick-me-up on a miserable day. It also leaves my skin feeling and looking hydrated, healthy and naturally beautiful (although sometimes my skin can feel slightly tight after use.)
I have also noticed that this mask also reduces redness on my face, after use my skin is even and the redness around my chin, nose and on my cheeks has gone. Unfortunately these effects do not last for more than around an hour/2hours. 
I would recommend this mask for people with normal, combonation and oily skin types. I wouldn't recommend it for very dry skin types as sometimes it can leave my skin feeling tight, although that is my personal opinion and you won't know how it'll work for you until you try it. A mask I would recommend for very dry skin is the 'Oatifix' mask which I used to adore when my skin was very dry, it also smells delicious as it contains organic banana's, fine oatmeal and ground almonds, yum! LUSH also claim it's good for sensitive skin which I agree with as it did not irritate my slightly sensitive skin. The only downside to this product is that they have an expiry date (usually 3 weeks-1 month after purchasing) which is a bit annoying as you need to use the product up by then to gain the feel effects of the fresh ingredients .. but I'm willing to lump it for a great mask that makes my skin feel naturally beautiful and contains natural and fresh ingredients! 

So I hope you enjoyed this review and if you have any advice or feedback on how I could improve my reviews or the format of my reviews I'd love to hear it, I'm all about constructive criticism! 

Have you tried any LUSH Fresh Face Masks? Which are your favorites?

'Til Next Time,
Carys xox

Sunday 15 April 2012

♪ My Week In Photos #1 ♪

 Starbucks and friends // Casual day // Biology revision sigh // New jeans from mama bear // New favorite snacks // Off to the bank // Face mask time // Wearing my hair up for the first time in ages // Pastel nails // ASOS shopping // Cinema with mike // Sunny Swansea visiting family // Mysterious half a letter // Friends and revision day at school // Literature revision // Blogging // America's Next Top Model All Stars // Catching up on YouTube

Hey guys! I've always wanted to do one of these posts, although I don't get up to much, and now I've found a way how to (and I've been addicted to instagram!) I can. This is just want I've been getting up to on my 2 weeks break from school, nothing that interesting really. Hope you've all had a lovely weekend and look out for a haul posts and a review coming soon! :) 

Follow me on..
Instagram: caryslloyd
Twitter: caryslloyd_
Tumblr: sweet-disp0sition.tumblr.com


'Til Next Time,
Carys xox

Wednesday 11 April 2012

☁ A Little Collective Haul ☁

Hello guys. Just a small haul of a few bits I've picked up recently. I haven't done a haul in a very very long time   so I really wanted to post one (even if it is only small). 

Topshop Leigh Super Soft Ankle Grazer - £38
Newlook Stripped Bandeau - £3.99
Collection 2000 Cream Puff Moisturising Lip Cream in Fairy Cake - £2.99
Collection 2000 Metallic Cream Eye Shadow in Gold Rush - £2.99
Collection 2000 Shimmer Shades in Blushalicious - £4.19
Rimmel London Wake Me Up Concealer in Classic Beige - £5.99
Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish - £12.75
Boots Botanics Pore Perfecting Deep Clean Mousse - On sale £2
Cuticura Hand Gel - £1.30
Superdrug Vitamin E Skin Oil - £2.99
Lush Cosmetics Breath of Fresh Air Facial Toner - £3.75
Lush Cosmetics BB Seaweed Fresh Face Mask - £5.75

I hope you enjoyed this post and tell me below if you'd like to see more collective hauls. Also, if you'd like a review of any of the products just tell me below, I'd love to review some of the stuff here (especially the bb seaweed face mask and the vitamin E skin oil).
I'd also love to hear if you have any advice on how I can improve the look of my blog? I feel it looks a bit messy and I need to change a couple of things. Links to helpful blogs below would also help :)

Thank you so much for taking the time out to read my blog!

'Til next time,
Carys xo

Saturday 7 April 2012

✹ Face of the Day: Shopping with Mama-Bear ✹

Hello guys,
My first "face of the day" post (how exciting). I didn't do anything too thrilling today. I went shopping with my mum and she treated me to some cute jeans from Topshop (thanks mum!) and I picked myself up a deep pore cleanser by botanics as almost everything by them is on clearance as I think they're being discontinued. I love botanics so I recommend you pick some things up from there whilst they're cheap and before they're discontinued! 


My make-up was pretty natural today but I liked it, and I mostly used make-up from the high street for a change so I thought I'd share it with you guys, I hope you enjoy and I hope you've all had a great weekend :-) 





Face
Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation
Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer
Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder
Maybelline Dream Touch Blush in Peach
Bourjois Delice de Poudre Bronzing Powder
Jemma Kidd Dewy Glow All Over Radiance Creme in Iced Gold
Sleek i-Divine Eye Shadow Palette in Au Naturel (Dark matte brown for my brows)
MUA Clear Mascara 

Eyes
Urban Decay Primer Potion
Sleek i-Divine Eye Shadow Palette in Storm and Au Naturel
Topshop Kohl in Saddle
Max Factor False Lash Effect Fusion Mascara
Benefit Bad Gal Lash Mascara

Lips
Botanics Face Super Balm 
Benefit Ultra Shines Lip Gloss in Spiked Punch


Do you have any fotd posts? Link them below, I'd love to see them :)
Also, I'm beginning to sell things on my eBay so I'd appreciate it if you checked it out :)http://myworld.ebay.co.uk/carys.lloyd

'Til Next Time,
Carys xo

Wednesday 4 April 2012

☼ Favorite Spring Nail Polish's ☼

I was going to wait until I ordered some nail wheels to do this post so you could see how pretty all the nail polish's are but I'm too impatient and I wanted to get a post up.
 Today probably isn't the best day to be writing a spring post as it's snowing right now (Typical as I'm off school for the Easter holidays) *sigh*
So here are my favorite spring nail polish's of the moment, most are pastels as I am in love with pastel's on my nails right now as are most people! I hope you enjoy and tell me if you'd like to see the type of post every season e.g Summer, Autumn etc. :)
Collection 2000 Sparkle Top Coat // OPI Nail Lacquer in Fiercely Fiona // 17 Lasting Fix in Sherbet Lemon
Barry M Nail Paint in 304 Mint Green // No7 Stay Perfect Nail Colour in Minty Fresh 320 // No7 Stay Perfect Nail Colour in Lucky Lilac 50

Topshop Nails in Eyes of Steel // Barry M Nail Paint in 318 Peach Melba // Revlon Nail Enamel in 440 Siren 


I hope you all enjoyed this quick post and I hope you all have a lovely week :)

What are your must have nail polish's for Spring/Summer? Favorite brand of nail polish? 

'Til Next Time, 
Carys xo

Sunday 1 April 2012

❀ Up-coming posts ❀


Hello there, just thought I'd let you all know about some posts I'm planning to do soon! I'm trying to get my blog 'up and running' again as I love writing posts as there's no where else I can share my unhealthy obsession with beauty!

  • Favorite Spring Nail Polish's
  • Outfit Posts (I now have a tripod yay)
  • Favorite Perfumes/Perfume Collection
  • Colourful Spring Make-Up Look/Spring Ready Make-up
  • Spring Wishlist
  • Haul!
Any recommendations would be very helpful! 
What posts are you looking forward to, if any?

'Til Next Time, 
Carys xo

♡ March Favorites ♡

Hello there! It's been such a long time since I last blogged and I have to say I've missed it, a lot. I had a bit of  trouble with not being able to import images on to my computer but I've (kind of) found a way around that now so yay.
So here are my 'March Favorites'. I've only included make-up this month as I've bought a few new bits that I absolutely adore and I've been dying to share with you and Spring is definitely my favorite season make-up wise!  


Face
Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation - £9.99 - (Shade 51)
As you can see by the amount I have left of this, I absolutely love it. It's been my favorite foundation since last summer and I've barely used any others since. I have especially been loving it for this month as the weather has been warmer and this foundation is ideal for that. It leaves my skin looking healthy and hydrated without looking shiny and feels light on my skin. It has a light to build-able coverage which is perfect for my skin as I only need to cover redness and the odd spot here and there. I've had this foundation since the end of last summer and only now it is running out (although I do not use a lot of foundation but I do use it every day) which is great as it's only £9.99 and will not break the bank. A great summer/spring foundation and I totally recommend it!




Bourjois Delice de Poudre Bronzing Powder - £6.99 - (Shade 52) 
I love love love this bronzer. I've had this since last summer also and I've barely made a dent in it! I had been using Benefit's Hoola all of last month and decided I wanted a change so I went back to this.. and I haven't put it down since. I use it to contour my face (by sweeping it lightly on my temples and then added more the the hollows of my cheeks). The colour is perfect for my pale skin, even though it's not the lightest shade, as it doesn't give off a heavy pigmentation so it looks subtle and natural. Even though the product has slight gold specks of shimmer within it it doesn't appear on my skin so I would class it as a matte bronzer. I definitely recommend picking this up and for £6.99? It's definitely a bargain with the quality of a higher end product.



MAC Sheertone Powder Blush in Peaches - £17.50
This is definitely my all time favorite this month! I received this from my lovely boyfriend for valentines day I haven't stopped wearing it since. It's the perfect shade for spring/summer as it's a gorgeous light peachy colour which compliments my skin perfectly. It really brightens up any make-up look and looks natural for school but it also looks really pretty if I'm going somewhere a little bit nicer. I can't see myself putting this down any time soon!



Jemma Kidd Dewy Glow All Over Radiance Creme in Iced Gold - £17
When I first bought this product I wasn't the biggest fan, in fact I put it as a product that I love/hate on my 7 Deadly Sins of Beauty post.. but since then I've found a way to use it which looks amazing on my skin and highlights my cheek bones and other areas of my face perfectly! I've been using it with my Real Techniques Contour Brush (which I should of included in my favorites). This brush applies it effortlessly and naturally to give my skin a healthy glow which I've been adoring for this sunny weather. I've also been using it as a cream eye shadow for my school make-up or whenever I'm in a rush (thanks to this video by the beautiful Tanya Burr). 


Eyes

















Benefit Eye Bright
I had this free in Glamour Magazine last year and I don't think benefit do this anymore *sigh* but 
I've been using it on my water-line for it's looking a bit red. It makes me look much more awake and really brightens up my eye area. It's running out though and I don't know where I can get another one, so if you know of any similar eye pencils that I could use on my water line that aren't white then I'd love to hear your recommendations! 

Max Factor False Lash Effect Fusion Mascara
I've been trying out a few different mascara's lately as I am on the hunt for a holy grail mascara. I really like this one, not quite holy grail material but I've been really enjoying using it. The brush is plastic, which I've recently found out that I prefer, and chunky. It really adds volume to my lashes and doesn't cause them to clump together at all. It's just quick and easy to use and leaves my eye lashes looking pretty great!























MAC Palette £6.50 - Ricepaper and Cork £10 each
I haven't put the palette down since I got it. I love "Cork" for my eyebrows if I'm in a rush or on the outer area of my eye for subtle definition, it's the perfect matte brown for my skin/eye colour. My favorite of the two is definitely "Ricepaper". It's a pretty goldish highlight colour which I love swept across my eyes for a quick and natural eye look. The both shadows compliment each other great! As you can see I haven't filled my palette yet, any recommendations of MAC eye shadows? I'm thinking "Vex" as my next purchase! 


Sleek 'Au Naturel' Palette - £6.49
I got this palette a long time ago and I haven't really used it until now! I've been loving the peachy light shades as they really bring out my blue eyes and I've been loving the darker shades either in the crease or as liners. I can't believe I hadn't used the palette sooner, definitely great for spring/summer and the quality of the shadows are amazing for only £6.49!


Lips
Revlon Colour Burst Lipstick in Peach 075 - £7.99
I love love love this lipstick. It's the perfect peachy everyday lipstick for me! The formula is creamy and moisturizing although if I have very dry/cracked lips it can sometimes stick to it and it doesn't look too pretty, but I look after my lips well and they are usually in good condition (luckily!) If you're looking for a pretty, natural, everyday, good quality lipstick then this is the perfect one!


MUA Love-Hearts Lip Balm in Kiss Me - £2
I love this lip balm for when I don't want to wear lipstick (like for school etc) as it gives the prettiest tint to my lips! It's glossy and moisturizing and it's easy to apply and carry around. Definitely worth £2 and I plan on getting the other shades soon :-) 



I hope you enjoyed my favorites this month and I hope the post wasn't too long (oh dear it was very very long haha) 


What are you favorites for this month? // Would you prefer if I wrote a mini review of each product (like in this post) or would you prefer a brief favorites next time? // What posts would you like to see from me next?


Til next time, 
Carys xo