Ciate | Nail art lovin'

 Not so long ago (although it feels like a million years ago) I went to the Clothes Show Live in Birmingham, and this year the ever so lovely Ciate were one of the hundreds of stalls there! My sister and I both decided to pick up these sets, which is all the bits above, and it was only £5 for them all, so they were a total steal!

 This is the only normal nail varnish in the pack, around which you base all of the effects (or other colours if that's what you fancy). I'm totally in love with this shade, it's utterly gorgeous; I've written a bit more about it here

 I'm sure most people have heard about nail caviar by now; I've tried these out, and they last for ages! I ended up having to chip them off my nails because the nails that were just green had chipped more than the nails with these bad boys on! I'm not totally keen on the colour combination, but that's because I'm from Norwich, and that's the colours of our football kit so it just reminds me of that!

 This is by far on of my favourite effects that I've ever tried on my nails. It's a velvet top coat kind of powder, so think matt with a bit of a texture when you touch it. I expected it to rub off fairly quickly, but after about 20 minutes it had set in and stayed on for days. If you've not tried this, I would definitely recommend it!

Finally there were these sequins, which although are the same yellow/green issue, I love these a lot more than the caviar. They're a lot easier to do half a nail with (think french manicure kind of style), and just generally a lot prettier! I think I'm just a bit of a mug for anything that catches the light though, and these definitely do.

Have you tried this kit out, or anything similar? Would you want to?!

n xx

Review | L'Oreal super liner blackbuster

I recently put up a review of the Rimmel Scandaleyes eyeliner, confessing my new found love for it. While I don't take any of that back, and it's still a make up bag staple, there's a new girl on the block...

The L'Oreal super liner blackbuster was another something I picked up on a whim; I've read a few reviews on them, but on the whole L'Oreal isn't a brand I used to pay that much attention to for no reason apart from being a little bit lazy.

The main reason I picked this up is the style of applicator it is, as I'm totally in love with the pen-style eyeliners right now. I came a bit disenchanted with the gel/brush way after feeling like it was a constant brush-cleaning battle. But this is simple, and there's no washing involved! The actual nib of the liner is pretty thick (probably why it's a 'super liner'), but I found that once I'd gotten used to it that it's amazing for dramatic winged looks, and even more simple thinner looks.. although that's still taking me a bit more practice to get right!

Another reason why it's such a big contended to my Rimmel liner is the fact that it doesn't do the same 'running out' look. After a few strokes it doesn't go a bit more to the grey side of things. It stays pitch black, so the only reason I ever have to go back over anything is to correct wonky lines, which happens a lot less than I expected it to. Something about this eyeliner makes me much better at getting an even look!

It's also fast drying but still easy to remove if you make a mistake, although I've never yet made a mistake that's disastrous! Overall I'm totally in love with this, especially the smooth black packaging that makes it really easy to identify within the depths of my handbag.

Have you ever tried this? What're your thoughts?

n xx

Review | MAC Melba blush

There's absolutely no denying that MAC is most likely my favourite make up brand; everything that I've ever bought from there has always ended up being something that I completely love, be it foundation, lipstick or brushes.

When I picked this up, I didn't use it for quite a while; it looks absolutely terrifying in the pan!

MAC powder blush

Melba £18

I don't think these photos quite do the strong pigment justice; it's a colour that you can look at and just sense the mistakes that you can make with it. It's pretty much the last colour I would have ever chosen of my own accord, but the world of beauty blogging has made quite a few unexplained changes to my ever growing stash.

Once you get past the strong colour, it's pretty much the best blusher that I've ever used. It's a beautiful colour and is a lot easier to blend out than you would think. Its strong pigment means that you don't need that much applied to make a difference, so it's probably going to last me a lifetime before I even hit pan.

swatches; left, applied straight from the pan; right, blended in

I first began using it as part of my night out make up routine (significantly more heavy duty than my standard day look), but when I realised how well the colour lasted through the strains of a night out, I began to wear it during the day too.

It's a beautiful peachy colour, and I would say more to the pink side of peach. I chose this particular colour because, aside from looking stunning in the pan, is my typical blush colour; I find that it really compliments my pale skin, and doesn't clash horribly with any redness I get. I tend to apply it using my Real Techniques blush brush to the hollows of my cheek with a smidge of bronzer and to the apples of my cheeks. I've found that it mixes really well with my Bobbi Brown bronzer. 

Packaging and price wise, I still think it's a top notch product. I love the MAC packaging, it's simple and recognisable, and they have the back to MAC programme, which I love! Returning empty packaging to get freebies can't be bad in anyone's books! As a single blusher, it costs £18, and as a pro palette refill pan it's £15*. For the amount of product that you get, and how long it's lasted me so far, I think this is totally worth what you're paying for it.

*Don't know what I'm on about? This is what I'm talking about.

Are you a lover of MAC? Any other shades of blusher to recommend?

n xx

My Topshop Wishlist!

I have a pretty serious love for Topshop, so in honour of London Fashion Week, which I've been glued to constantly, I thought I'd throw together a bit of what I'm lusting over at the moment. Although I don't buy exclusively from Topshop, right now it's just my favourite place and where I find the most of anything I want!

Knitted daisy jumper £38 (top left)

Knitted rib detail jumper £38 (top right)

Black scallop hem shorts £32

Chelsea boots £45

I figure it's okay to be lusting after multiple jumpers because of the cold weather, right? I adore both of these, and they're both super cosy and cute. A win win situation. I don't own that many shorts, or any trousers, so I figured it was about time I started investing in some, and these in particular caught my eye because of the scalloped edging. I also love these shoes beyond all reason, and from trying them on they're the most comfortable things in the entire world. It's pretty much only a matter of time before I cave and buy them!

Red check bodycon dress £30

Gold bar back dress £32

Suede and leather duffle bag £55

Lipstick in Nevada £8

Although I'm not one for bodycon (that's just asking for a body confidence break down), I tried this on and it's so lovely! Plus I didn't feel enormous, so this might just be gracing my hangers at some point soon. I spotted this other dress because I constantly feel like I have nothing to wear for nights out, and I think this would be a perfect addition. I'm also constantly on the look out for new bags, though heaven knows I don't need them, and this one looks like the perfect small but not too small size! Finally I'm lusting over this lipstick like no other; I've seen so many people loving the colour, and I've been wanting to try one out for ages!

What have you been lusting over recently?

n xx

Sunday Life | Singin' in the Rain

I've had another especially hectic few weeks, but somewhere amongst it all my boyfriend and I managed to fit in going to see Singin' in the Rain on its opening night in Nottingham. 

It was SO amazing, I can't even put it into words! It's my all-time favourite film, so to see it on stage was an absolute dream!

We had amazing seats, and if I could I would definitely go back and see it all over again. If you've never seen it, definitely at least try and watch the film! It always makes me laugh and just generally happier.

While I'm frantically trying to catch up with my never ending pile of uni work and general life chores (I haven't seen the bottom of my washing basket in weeks, it's definitely dirty laundry breeding season), I hope you're all having a lovely Sunday!

If you'd like to hear more from me, you can follow me on twitter or find my instagram by searching nikkiyvonne_

n xx

Review! | Blistex Intensive Moisturiser

I've never been all that adventurous with buying new lip balms and catching onto lip product crazes, which is strange because a new lipstick or moisturiser can turn me into a very content obsessive. I'm not always sure how popular these kinds of reviews are, but my lips are always a mess through winter so I thought I'd give it a whirl anyway!

"A long-lasting daily hydration fix for lips. with shea butter, camphor and allantoin to condition, perfect and protect deep down"

I decided to branch out my lip care a while ago, as although my Burt's bees lip balm is a god send, I like to have a little variety every now and then.  I spied one of my friends using this in lecture one day, and so when I then spotted it in Boots I knew I had to have it. I've never seen any reviews for it, and I didn't even ask my friend if she liked it, so it was a bit of a risk take; but I've ended up loving it, and it's such an amazing product that I couldn't not post about it!

what the packaging says!

"why will my lips like it?

it's bursting with good stuff, like shea butter to condition, camphor to soothe and allantoin to protect

what else does it do?

it moisturises deep down to intensely rehydrate your lips, leaving them feeling refreshed and looking gorgeous"

Although it's not massive in size, I've been using it non stop since I bought it a few weeks ago, and it's still definitely more than half full, probably closer to 2/3 still. It's quite a thick consistency, and white, but once applied it just looks natural. It also doesn't take a decade to sink in, or leave a sticky residue behind, but at the same time you can feel it's goodness working for quite a while after you put it on; I've found that exactly how long depends on the state that my lips are in. Being the weather that it is right now, I can normally feel it for quite a while.

Smell and taste wise, it's not really all that much to comment on. It has the tingle feel of a minty kind of product, but not particularly the taste. I'm not really sure how to describe it's smell, because I'm rubbish at that, but it's only faint! Overall, I've been really loving this purchase and I'm glad I picked it up. It's super moisturising, and I've not noticed that my lips go super dry on days when I don't use it; some lip balms are addictive, but while I've been using this, I've not noticed a change in my lips except that they feel a hundred times better!

Have you tried this out? Any lip balms to recommend?!

n xx

Favourite Winter Nails

both photos l-r

Ciate ditch the heels

Barry M prickly pear

Ted Baker black

Essie forever yummy

I know what some of you are already thinking... these aren't really winter colours, I know most people class winter to be darker burgandies and glitter to be much more up there for colder months. I'm all for that, and mostly that's what you'll find on my nails, but these are my favourite pick me ups and go to nails at the moment when I can't decide!

I'm still a bit of a newbie to Ciate but from what I've tried of ditch the heels, I'm loving it! It's currently on my nails, and this green is a gorgeous bright green; I think it's just the perfect mid shade of green. It's been on my nails for around 5 days, and it is starting to chip, however I'm not wearing a top coat.

I'm an absolute sucker for Barry M, so when this range came out I was all over it. I love this prickly pear because it's really happy and reminds me of spring. I really like the whole Gelly Hi-Shine range, and the glossy finish that the range gives means that it lasts about 4-6 days, depending on your top coat.

This cheeky little Ted Baker varnish was a christmas present, but I've been wearing it non-stop because my old black had run out recently. I love having a decent black to fall back on to, and I love the brush of this. It's thick enough to mean that you don't need to do two coats if you're in a rush, and it's also pretty fast drying.

Nothing really compares with my love for Essie nail varnishes; this forever yummy shade is absolutely no exception. I think it's my perfect shade of red, and it always lasts a week or longer on my nails. The applicator of Essie varnishes is also the perfect size for my nails, making them super easy and fast to paint.

I hope you liked this mini review!
What colours are you loving at the moment?

n xx

My Birthday | Help I'm 20

I don't want to be boring, but I'd just like to start off with a big fat disclaimer just in case you're wondering; I'm in no way trying to show off. I'm incredibly lucky and thankful for all the wonderful presents I got, so before anyone gets carried away I thought I'd just throw that out there!

Somewhere between this post and the last post I sat down to write (praise the wonders of scheduling), I turned 20. To me, this is pretty serious stuff and also very, very terrifying. I can no longer claim to be a teenager, and on my birthday I had to do adult things like squeeze in cleaning the oven because I didn't think through my mad act of putting 24 hour cleaner on the day before.

I don't want to make a big deal of it, however, and mostly I'm just letting you know so I can show you a few of the things I was lucky enough to get. I won't go through everything, because I don't want to seem showy, but here's a few of my favourites! Personally I love these posts, and 90% of what I asked for came from reading blogs and finding things I wanted!

I've wanted this for so long, so I'm uber happy to get this! To me it just smells like flowery happiness (which is why I'm telling you the official description rather than trying to describe it myself), and I've been wearing it non-stop.

"DOT opens with a delectable blend of red berries, succulent dragon fruit and sweet honeysuckle. The floral heart of the fragrance blooms with addictive jasmine and notes of coconut water and orange blossom. The base of the fragrance is a feminine mix of creamy vanilla, driftwood and sensual musks. A lush, juicy floral that comes full circle with a balance of modern whimsy and classic elegance; happy and vivacious."

I've had my eyes on a pair of these bad boys for a while, so I thought it was finally time to embrace my inner grunge and ask for them. They're so lovely, but still being broken in!

Complete with a purple yoga mat, I don't know why but I've been loving yoga recently so this is amazing for me! Queue many injuries from attempting the hardest positions first.

My best friend has an impressive amount of Disney films gracing her shelves, and I finally caved after gazing at them longingly for a year and asked for just about all of them.  I got a few of my favourites here so I've got enough to keep me going!

This was just a little quirky something my parents bought me; I'm not a great lover of champagne or wine, but they found me these so bought me some champagne for me and my friends! These are just little mixers that you add into your drink and they make it taste a hundred times better. I used the raspberry on my birthday, and the others that I'm waiting for an excuse to use are mango, grapefruit, blood orange and mandarin!

I can't believe I now own a Naked palette! Two of my best friends got me one between them, and I'm unbelievably happy that they're so lovely! I'm 100% in love, and I'll be posting a very excited review about this soon.

Finally, this is possibly my favourite present; my boyfriend bought me (after I hinted maybe just a little) a Pandora birth stone ring. I have amethyst for February, and I've been wearing it since he gave it to me!

Finally, a few pictures of my actual birthday; raspberry flavoured champers with blueberries, my three birthday cakes (Sainsbury's have an offer, so my parents got carried away. There's a lot of cake in my house right now), and with three of my favourite ladies before we had a night out!

I hope you liked this post!

n xx

Bobbi Brown | Bronzer review

Recently, I've been trying to branch out and try new things from make up brands that I've never been to before. Some have been a bit hit and miss, but I thought it would be much nicer to start on a high!

I've never even approached a Bobbi Brown counter before, and managed to leave on my first trip with a bronzer and foundation sample. I can see this getting dangerous for my purse!

Buying this was a complete spur of the moment thing; I've bought one bronzer before in my life, from Natural Collection, and it sits very safely in one of my make up storage boxes. I've never been a blusher/ bronzer kind of girl. I went with the intention of just picking up a cheeky foundation sample (watch this space for reviews), but while I was there I found myself asking what shade of bronzer would be good for my deathly pale complexion, and once I'd seen it on I couldn't leave without it.

What exactly did I pick up? The shade I have is Golden Light, which is described here on the website as being 'a light tan'. It costs £27, and Bobbi Brown describe it like this;

"This soft matte, silky-smooth bronzer instantly gives skin the look of a natural tan. Bobbi suggests using Bronzing Powder year round to get a sun-kissed look. For best application, Bobbi recommends the Bronzer Brush (sold separately). Available in five shades for a wide range of complexions."

I am in love. 

Firstly, I'm in love with the simple packaging. It's not too chunky, and the mirror makes it perfect to take with you if you reapply make up throughout the day. For the price it is, it's a decent size, and not something that I imagine you may go through with great speed.

It also has pretty good lasting power; my cheeks are, if anything, a little dry, but it never looks patchy or chalky when applied. When I take off my make up from a full day, I can still see the remains of it lurking (in a flattering way, rather than having slid all over my face). 

I apply it using the Real Techniques blush brush, normally after using MAC melba blusher, as the two colours work amazingly well in my opinion. The light brown colour is easily buildable, but it does start off very light and sheer, so it's perfect if you're a bit of a bronzer novice like I am. I don't feel like I look awful if I put it in slightly the wrong place on my cheeks, because it's such a complementary shade for my skin tone.

I can't even describe how glad I am that I went with my whim to buy this, because I now wear it every single day that I have on make up. For someone who went from nothing to every day, this is quite a miracle product!

Have you ever tried this? Would you like to?

n xx

Sunday life | my new set up!

Since I'm back into my blogging groove, I've decided that I'm going to set up more of a schedule to follow. I think that might have been one of my downfalls before; so now, you'll be hearing from me every Tuesday and Friday, and then every other Sunday. Normally I'll be posting around 10 in the morning, if that matters to anyone!

For now I'm just having a relaxing day to get me ready to go for another week back at uni; here's just a cheeky little what's on my face today. Hope you're all having a lovely Sunday!

MAC blush in melba

Bobbi Brown bronzer in golden light

Collection clear mascara

Avon super extend mascara

MONU skin perfector

Collection lasting perfection in shade 1

MAC eye shadow quad (top right, omega, on brows)

MAC fix+

Rimmel stay matte powder in peach glow

ps- sorry this is late! I scheduled it to go up, for some reason it didn't and I've been a busy bee today so I've only just noticed!

n xx