Revlon Super Lustrous Gloss in Kiss Me Coral ♡

I've been addicted to lip-gloss lately. I never thought I'd say that considering lipstick has a special place in my heart but the glossy finish and the ease of application means that I'm reaching for glosses over lipsticks this summer. A long time favorite of mine has been the Benefit High Shine Gloss in Spiked Punch - a pretty peachy pink in a sticky-free, smooth formula gloss which I mentioned on this blog just as it was beginning, aw. 

Revlon's offerings on the gloss front have been my current favorite, though. Their Super Lustrous Gloss in Kiss Me Coral had me at hello, especially in the new, super chic packaging *ooooo*. The colour caught my eye first and then the beautiful sparkle had me running to the  checkout at Boots. Revlon have aced the smooth formula I need in a gloss and have also earned some massive brownie points in the pigmentation department. This gloss is called 'Super Lustrous' for a reason as it has the most pretty, sheeny finish which helps enhance my pout - which I most definitely need. All this wonderfulness for only £6.99, how could I say no?

I'm definitely thinking about picking up one of these glosses in the near future - there's plenty of shades to choose from so I may just come home with them all (I wish). 

Have you tried these glosses? If so, are you gushing over them like me?

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New In: Zara Box Messenger Bag

Hello strangers.

It has been far too long since I've blogged properly and I have missed it so much. Exams are finally over and the dreaded wait for the results begins *boo*. I hope everyone's exams went well and I wish you all luck on results day, I have my fingers and toes crossed for all of us.

Since exams have finished I've been on a bit of a shopping spree (haul post soon maybe?) and I picked up this beautiful little bag from Zara. Zara never disappoint in the bag department and with this gorgeous piece being only £23.99 I couldn't help but fall in love with it. My boyfriend very kindly got this for me as a little after exams present which was incredibly kind and I haven't stopped wearing it since.
Firstly, I adore the colour. This bag actually comes in 3 colours - blue, green and neon yellow, all of which are gorgeous so it was hard to choose but I couldn't resist this bright, electric blue. It's the perfect sized bag to carry everything I need and I love all the compartments it has. It's split into three inside. The zipped pocket is great for make-up or any valuables and the two sections either side are really spacious for other daily items. There's also a pocket on the front which I use to store my phone so I can easily take it in and out without rummaging. As always the quality of this bag is lovely, it's held it's boxy shape and I love the envelope style.

I think this is the perfect summer bag and if you can get you're hands on this piece I couldnt' recommend it enough.

'Til next time,

MAC Archie's Girls... ♡

I'm not usually that interested in any of MAC's collections. Nothing usually catches my eye but I think their newest one, Archie's Girls, is really something special. 

It's been around for a while now so maybe I am a little bit late with this post, but I've only recently got my hands on a few of the bits from the collection. I know lots of the collection is sold out now but I managed to get these bits from the MAC store in Cardiff, which had quite a few bits left if you're hoping to get some last minute bits and are nearby.

 Let's start by mentioning how cute the packaging. I am in love. Both the outer box packaging and the product packaging are adorable. The cute graphics of Betty and Veronica with the cute little hearts had me at hello. 

The products featured in the collection are all lovely. Think Spring and Summer brights - bright pinks and reds with splashes of purple and some neutrals thrown in there too. I love how they created separate products for both Betty and Veronica, with Betty having the lighter pinky and peachy tones whilst they gave Veronica a deeper edge. The 'Betty' products were more suited to my skin-tone so I kind-of wanted them all but I also picked up an absolute gem from the Veronica set. I really wanted to get the gorgeous Pearlmatte Face Powder's the collection had to offer, a pearlescent powder with cute heart embellishment, but they were completely sold out everywhere - dammit. 

MAC Archie's Girls Betty Nail Lacquer - Creme - in Comic Cute - £11

The polishes in the collection were absolutely gorgeous - I had my eye on the pastel pink shade but I thought one was enough. This shade is perfect for the upcoming spring and summer months as it's a bright, candy pink. It looks gorgeous on my nails and really compliments my pale complexion. The formula is something I was really pleasantly surprised about. I've never heard anything good about the MAC nail polishes so I've never been to fussed about purchasing one, but I thought I'd give one a go as it is soo pretty. I'm not too sure about the MAC formula's for their nail polishes but this one is a 'Creme'. It's smooth, pigmented, easy to apply and the best thing, it's so glossy and shiny  I feel I don't need to apply a top coat over it as it doesn't chip very easily and has their nicest sheen. I can't wait to get my hands on more of the MAC polishes, they're definitely a bit of an underdog product.

MAC Archie's Girls Betty Lipgloss in Kiss & Don't Tell - £15

I've never tried a lip-gloss by MAC but the shade of this one caught my eye - a beautiful pink with a hint of coral. Perfect for Spring and Summer and I've really been enjoying wearing lip-gloss instead of lipstick these past few weeks, as they are a fuss-free alternative. I love this one because the shade is so pretty and the formula is smooth and glossy without being too sticky. This is in the Lipglass formula, which I believe is their basic lip-gloss formula - it has a slight stickiness to it but it manages to still feel comfortable on the lips. The pigmentation is great and the shade really brightens up my face. I love wearing it for a subtle-pink lip. 

MAC Archie's Girls Veronica Matte Lipstick in Ronnie Red - £15.50

This is the absolute gem of the collection. I never ever wear a red lip as I find it just doesn't look nice with my pale and slightly pink skin-tone. I find a standard red just makes me look weird so I've never really bothered trying to find a red that looked nice, I just accepted it and moved on. My boyfriend actually picked this out for as he said I never seem to wear red lipstick and he'd like to see it on me, and he did a terrific job, well done  Mick. I've definitely found the perfect red. I think this one looks nice on me because it has definite pink undertones so it isn't so ''red'' if y'know what I mean, think more of a raspberry red. I think this is quite apparent from the swatch but if you'd like to see it on my then there is a picture here. I was a bit worried about the lipstick itself being dry due to it being in a 'matte' formula but I was so impressed to see how smoothly is glided on which meant it had a slight sheen, which is perfect for me. It also lasted around 2-3 hours on my lips and faded nicely without leaving that 'ring' of colour around my lips like most lipsticks do which make me look like I'm sporting a liner with no lipstick look, which isn't too nice. Lily from What I Heart Today also raved about this lipstick here, so I think it's a bit of an all-rounder considering how completely different our skin-tone/hair colour's are. This lipstick is a definite winner and is 100% worth the slightly expensive price-tag, good job MAC. I'm hoping to see this shade re-promoted in the near future. 

I do feel a little bit guilty posting this as I know lots of the collection is sold out online and in-stores but the polish and lip-gloss are still in stock on the MAC website if you want to get your hands on them. If you can then I urge you to buy something from this collection as it's a good'un and I've been really wowed by each of the products I got. I'm looking forward to see what new collection's MAC have in-store for us this year.

Have you tried anything from the Archie's Girls collection? Do you plan on getting anything if you haven't already? 

♥♥♥

Prom Snippets

A very picture heavy post, I know.

Hello strangers. I've been a bit of a bad blogger over the past two weeks and for that I can only apologise  I've been a busy bee and also on Saturday March 2nd it was my sixth form prom. I thought I'd share with you all some photos from the day as I had so much fun and I enjoyed being dressed up and feeling all girly for once.

I had my dress for a barganious £35 - I couldn't believe my luck. I love the dress itself - it was so comfortable and it made me feel really feminine  The sweetheart neckline makes this dress super flattering and makes me look like I have a tiny waist which I most certainly don't. I also love the soft and neutral colours scheme. 

I fell in loooove with my shoes. They're also really feminine but are kept modern by their chunkiness. They were kind-of painful to wear due to my awkward feet but I did manage to do the cha cha slide in them so that's a success right?

Outfit

Dress / TFNC @ Topshop

Clutch / River Island via ASOS

Heels / ASOS 

Makeup 

Base

Benefit Porefessional Primer

Borjois Healthy Mix Serum Foundation

Clinque Airbrush Concealer

Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer

Rimmel Stay Matte Powder

Benefit Hoola Boxed Powder

MAC Peaches Sheertone Blush

Jemma Kidd Dewy Glow Highlighter

Eyes/Brows

 Rimmel Professional Brow Pencil in Black Brown

Urban Decay Primer Potion

MAC Ricepaper Eyeshadow

Urban Decay Buck Eyeshadow

Sleek Au Natural Eyeshadow Palette

MAC Fluidline Eyeliner

Revlon Grow Lucious & YSL Shocking Masacaras 

Lips

Revlon Colour Burst Lipstick in Peach 75

Nails

Falsies

Nails Inc Jermyn Street

Essence Disco Disco

- 

I've just got back into the swing of revising for my summer exams so I'm sorry if posting is a bit sparse on times. I'm trying to organise myself a little schedule so I'm posting at least once a week but I can't seem to ever keep to schedules so we'll see how that goes.

I'm currently so nervous as I have my first set of AS results tomorrow - I have 3 results in total (biol, maths, chem) and I'm so worried as I wasn't happy with the exams I sat. Is anyone else receiving results tomorrow and is as nervous as me? 

♡ MAC / Rebel ♡

Rebel was actually my first lipstick and purchase from MAC. I thought it was such a unique and lovely colour, especially for the autumn/winter months being a deep purple with a pop of fuchsia  It's not quite the typical 'berry/purple' shade which is why is caught my eye.

Rebel is a satin finish lipstick so it isn't shiny nor matte when applied but the perfect balance between the two. It sticks around for 1-2 hours on me - I find lipsticks never last that well on me and tend to go patchy but this one fades perfectly leaving behind a lovely stain, which is something I really do love. Although, I do find sometimes when it's applied the colour can look 'uneven'. Some parts can look darker than others which is something that makes this lipstick a bit hit and miss for me and leaves me a bit uneasy about wearing it if I don't have much time to spend applying it perfectly. It's definitely not a lipstick you can slap on from the tube and run out the door.

I'm still so glad I have it in my collection, it really is a lovely lipstick when you take your time applying it, building it up using a lip brush in thin layers. When applied like this it looks gorgeous  especially with a gloss of the top. I recommend the Natural Collection Lipgloss in Fondant, I lovely peachy shade which is non sticky and cheap as chips. I would definitely recommend this it if your looking for a winter/autumn lipstick with a bit of a twist, I really do think this lipstick is very unique in colour and isn't something you'll find on the high-street which makes the price tag a little more bare-able  I urge you to go to a MAC store and give it a little swatch because it is a gorgeous colour in person.

As always MAC lipstick are one of my favorites (although only owning two). I think you definitely get your money's worth and they have a huge collection of beautiful shades. I'm currently lusting over Craving (I blame Helen for this!) and Sunny Seoul. 

Are you lusting over any lipsticks? What's your favorite lipstick for the colder months?

Want to win yourself some Urban Decay, Real Techniques and Essie goodies? Head on over to Helen's lovely blog to enter her 1500 follower giveaway here! 

'Til Next Time,

☮ Giveaway; Revlon Nail Enamel ☮

So, this is going to be my first ever giveaway. It's a small one, a very very small one, but I know I won't be able to do the larger giveaway I have planned for a while so I thought I'd do a small one for now just to thank you all for reading, commenting and following my blog. It makes me so happy to know that all the hard work I put into this is appreciated by at least someone and it really does put a smile on my face.

I decided to give away a Revlon Nail Polish because they are one of my favourite brands of nail polish to buy. They have a lovely formula and brush, and application is really easy. They stay on for around 3 days with no chipping and they last forever as the bottle is so big.

 The winner will receive one Revlon Nail Enamel in the shade Blue Lagoon completely new and un-opened. The colour of this is a beautiful pastel baby blue with the most subtle hints of shimmer, it is a truly beautiful shade.

To enter fill in the Rafflecopter form below where there are a number of ways of gaining entries, the only requirements is that you are a follower of my blog and you leave a comment with an email address or twitter username so I can contact you if you win. The giveaway will end in exactly one week on the 9th of September and the winner will be chosen soon after. If the winner does not reply after 48hrs of being contacted then a new winner will be chosen. I'm so so sorry but the giveaway is for UK residents only, I will be doing an international one in the near future though.

Good luck everyone :)

a Rafflecopter giveaway


'Til Next Time,

☼ ☼ My Week In Photos #2 ☼ ☼

@caryslloyd

⋆ Visited an Owl Sanctuary ⋆ My cousin's cat had kittens aw ⋆ Bubble bath courtesy of LUSH ⋆ New 'make-shift' set up for blog photos ⋆ Photographing for reviews coming soon ⋆ My sister & I at my mum's 40th ⋆ New Yankee Candle ⋆ Experimenting with make-up for results ⋆ Writing ⋆ Topshop bikini for swimming ⋆ Shopping & lunch with mama-bear ⋆ Dry skin savior ⋆ Cute owls ⋆ YSL freebie ⋆ Costa berry smoothie ⋆ Go-to eye make-up ⋆

I haven't been up to much lately but I thought I'd start doing these posts again as I love nosing at other blogger's week in photo's posts. So, expect a post like this fortnightly from now on!

'Til Next Time,

Carys xox

☼ Review; E.l.f Mineral Eyelid Primer (+ Urban Decay Comparison) ☼

E.l.f Mineral Eyeshadow Primer ~ £3.00 @ eyeslipsface.co.uk

E.l.f say "This gentle and completely sheer Eyeshadow Primer has key vitamins A, C and E to help prevent aging and moisturizes the skin. The formula glides on easily and disappears instantly to create longer-lasting, crease-proof eyeshadow. The Mineral Eyeshadow Primer is designed to be used with your favorite mineral eyeshadow to provide ultimate staying power for beautiful and vibrant color that lasts. 100% mineral based with no parabens, no preservatives and no chemical dyes."

I'm not too sure about the 'key vitamins' and the whole 'prevent ageing' as I have seen no effects  of this and didn't really expect it from an eyeshadow primer but I do think that it does have a moisturizing feel on the lid of the eye. The texture is smooth, feels a bit like it contains silicon so  it smooths and evens out the lid, and blends effortlessly. The product itself is light and does glide on easily and disappears instantly. 

I think that this primer is almost as good as the infamous 'Urban Decay Primer Potion' - minus the price tag. I think it holds on the shadow and prevents them from creasing in the same way the urban decay primer does. Although, this primer does not make the eyeshadows any more vibrant, like the Urban Decay one, which is a little negative for me. My shadows do still crease with this primer, but only slightly, which I expect as they do with any of the eye primers I have tried *sigh*. 
I definitely recommend you try this out if you are debating whether to try the Urban Decay Primer Potion as it is similar, if you only need a primer to keep your  eye-shadow on for longer or you're a eye-shadow primer newbie, this is a great one to try for a very reasonable price.
I don't quite think it is as good as the Urban Decay Primer Potion, just because it doesn't add any vibrancy to the shadows but for the price this is a very impressive product.
 I would 100% buy again and recommend to you all.

Have you tried any of the E.l.f primers?
 Has anyone tried/reviewed the Too Faced Shadow Insurance? I'd love to give that one a try!

'Til Next Time,
Carys xox



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✮ ✮ The Make-Up Brushes I Couldn't Live Without ✮ ✮

Obviously, I could live without make-up brushes but these are the ones I'd rather not live without. 

 Face Brushes

Real Techniques by Samantha Chapman Buffing Brush (part of the Core Collection) £21.99 ~ I'm sure you've all heard plenty of people say how much they love this brush but it is truly amazing for creating a flawlessly blended base due to the super-smooth synthetic bristles. I 100% recommend the 'Real Techniques Core Collection' which this brush is a part of along with four other brushes (3 of which are featured here!) so you get amazing quality for the money.

Real Techniques by Samantha Chapman Contour Brush (part of the Core Collection) £21.99 ~ Another amazing brush for the Core Collection. This brush is the best I've ever used for contouring, cream blush and cream highlight. The small and tapered brush makes for easy application and the synthetic bristles work amazingly well with cream products. The most versatile brush I own, I also sometimes use it to powder with if I don't want a completely matte face.

Real Techniques by Samantha Chapman Pointed Foundation Brush (part of the Core Collection) £21.99 ~ A lot of people say they don't find much use for this brush for foundation as it is a very small and pointed, classic foundation brush but I love it. Again the synthetic brushes make blending easy-peasy and the pointed end to the brush makes it easy to blend around the nose, chin etc. I use this when I want a thicker application of foundation, I love this brush as much as the buffing brush. It's also a great brush for concealer.

Sigma Precision Angled P84 Brush £11.99/$14 ~ From the ever so popular Sigmax range from Sigma Beauty this brush is amazing for blending concealer. The brush is dense which makes for effortless buffing/blending of concealer and the angled point makes it easy to apply around the eyes, the nose and chin area. Amazing quality, as are all of the Sigma brushes and at a really good price. I really need to try more of the Sigmax range!

Ecotools Bamboo Blush Brush £7.99 ~ I've had this brush for at least 2 years and it is in as good condition as some of my brand new brushes. The quality of this brush, and any of the Ecotools brushes are amazing for the price, super soft and no shedding with a sturdy handle. Perfect size and shape for applying blush in one sweep. 

No7 Brow and Lash Brush ~ Just found out that this particular brush is discontinued *sigh* but  you can get these kinds of brushes anywhere and I recommend you do. This brushes and shapes my brows like nothing else, no idea how my brows survived without this, and also helps brush out any clumps after applying mascara, especially on the lower lash.

Eye

E.l.f Studio Angled Eye Liner Brush £3.50 ~ This is my favorite brush for applying gel liner. The small brush makes for easy application of product and can be used to create a thinner or thicker line if desired which is why I love it because most brushes applying liner far too thickly.

Crown IB108 Oval Shadow Brush £3.57 ~ I love this brush for quickly sweeping shadow over my eyelids for early school mornings or when I'm in a rush. It was very cheap and I am very impressed with the quality, soft, dense and no shedding.

No7 Eyeshadow Blend and Contour £7.25 ~ I love this brush because it's really soft and is great for applying and blending shadows. Very cheap with a No7 voucher although I do find that this brush has shed very badly. 

Sigma Small Tapered Blending E45 £7.99/$9 ~ I looove the shape of this brush. It makes applying a crease colour to my lid so easy and effortless and the tapered point ensures a clean line. Also very good at blending and very nice quality. Although, it can be a little scratchy on my eye lid but I am willing to endure that for the shape and results of this brush!

E.l.f Smudge Brush £1.50 ~ Perfect shape for applying and blending shadow on the bottom and top lash line. Very nice quality for such a cheap price.

I hope you enjoyed this post and it wasn't too long and too much to read.
What are some of your favorite all time make-up brushes? I'm on the look-out for some new ones :)

'Til Next Time,
Carys xox




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☼ ☼ Sunny Days ☼ ☼

A little bit of a more personal/lifestyle post but I thought I'd share some images I've taken whilst enjoying the lovely British sun we've been having recently. I haven't really done anything too exciting but I've enjoyed relaxing with my boyfriend and visiting a lovely park nearby. I've also been doing lots of walking in an attempt to be a little bit more healthy. 

Warning; the post is very picture heavy haha.

Embracing my milky legs at a pretty park nearby

Reading blogs on my phone whilst waiting for my boyfriend to turn up 

Me and Mick (he doesn't like this photo so shh don't tell him I put it on here!

Mick makes me look extra pale

Twinsies because I was uncomfortable in my original t-shirt

Mick decided to be a photographer for the day and took 3974874 pictures of me

And a beautiful picture of me to finish off the blog post! 

What have you all been doing to enjoy this lovely sun? 

Don't worry more fashion/beauty posts coming soon!

Also, would you guys be interested in me doing a Graze box review?

'Til Next Time,

Carys xox

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