Lesley's tattoo!!!

I decided to get a tattoo in honour of my grandma. She died unexpectedly last year and we were so close, she was such an amazing understanding person with a gentle nature and a great sense of humour, so it seemed natural to want to get something permanent to remember her by. She was so close to all her grandchildren (she has over 20), and always wrote to us, she didn't forget one of our birthdays, not even once! So i found a card from her and decided i wanted to get "love" in her handwriting. Although a lot of people have "love" tattoos, mine would be unique and meaningful, which i love about it. Also, my cousins from America and Jamaica decided they wanted it done too, so it is going to be nice having matching tattoos but in different places!

I am the BIGGEST baby when it comes to pain, so when i got there and decided i was going to get it done , i suddenly went really hot and red in the face (the tattoo artists found this funny!)  Luckily i had Sophia and another friend with me, who was getting 3 silhouette birds on her shoulder, so that left Sophia to hold my hand(s!) 

Only fifteen minutes and thirty pounds later i had my "love" tattoo near my hip! It was well worth the scratching pain, and wasn't as painful as i expected. Will i get another one? Hmmm.. watch this space!

Sophia's Models own dots



Pretty!!!

My first time using a dotting tool! I think it turned out ok except the dots are not all the same size. I just need more practice.

I used Models own Nude Beige and Utopia!

Sophia's China Glaze - Crackle Glaze

pretty!!

I love this! I was unsure about the crackle nail varnish at first but this was the first time I gave it a proper go.I just made sure I applied a thin coat of the black polish once the under colours had completely dried. If it's a thicker coat the black splits into thicker pieces and you cant see much of the other colours. I might try that another time though.

  What I used                                 

*Models Own Bubblegum

*Barry M Blueberry

*H&M Mint Green

*H&M Coral 

*China Glaze Crackle Black Mesh

*Seche Vita top coat

 

Lesley on LUSH

Lush Lemony Flutter Cuticle butter 50g

TLC in a pot!

I received this cuticle butter as a present from a friend after never having tried any of the Lush products, all i can say is I'm now totally in love with Lush!!! I love the black packaging with the white writing and on the back there is a little sticker, with who personally made my pot (amazing!) and also when to use it by. What instantly hit me when i opened the pot was the alluring fragrance of lemon. It was so good it made my mouth water!! The texture is quite thick (it contains 22 pounds of beeswax) and creamy, but you only need a tiny bit on each cuticle to keep it moisturised so my pot has lasted me ages! What i also like about it is that its made from natural ingredients, like organic lemons and organic avocado oil. The only complaint i have about this product is its quite greasy, if it gets all over my hands i have to be careful not to grease everything up, therefore i put the butter on my cuticles at night, or after ive applied nail polish and it has dried properly, but you can apply it for five minutes before taking off your nail varnish and that will also do the trick.

Lemons are known for brightening skin

What is also impressive about this product is that you can use it for multiple purpose like for your dry elbows or heels, or even on dry lips. I am yet to use it on my heels or lips but I've used it on my elbows and hands when they are really dry and they have made such a difference. I am definitely going to use this often as part as my beauty regime to survive the winter months ahead. 



Verdict: Strong lemony smell which is quite greasy but does wonders. Very multi-functional and will be buying this product again when i run out. I cannot wait to try out other Lush products.

nail varnish: Barry M Berry Icecream

Lesley on nail care

I bought this treatment from Cheapsmells because i needed a top coat and something to strengthen my nails, so when i saw this for £4.45, i thought this would be ideal. I am so lazy to apply base coat, strengthening, 2 layers of colour and top coat (who has enough time for all that?!) so this is so perfect. I bought it in June and already am halfway through my first bottle, i found it on Amazon for a pound cheaper, which is fantastic as Cheapsmells is currently out of stock.

Sally Hansen Complete Care 4-in-1 Treatment

Advantages: 

• Makes any matte/dull looking nail varnish have a nice sheen to it
• My nails do not chip for a few days at least, even with excessive washing up/swimming
• Value for money
• Makes any imperfections from your nail polish disappear. It smooths out dents 
• I have seen a difference in the length of my nails since using it

Disadvantages:

• My nails are still quite weak, which they always have been, and they still tend to split
• Half a bottle has gone in two months! You have to apply it thickly and make sure there is a bead at the end of the brush otherwise its not enough
• Sometimes i do not put enough on the brush despite my above comment, and the brush feels like its dragging on the nail, so you basically have to drown the nail.
• Depending on what nail varnish i use, it sometimes takes FOREVER to dry! Even when i think its dry, hours later i will have tiny dents or  "hair-like" smudges in them.

Verdict:

I have just ordered my second bottle so that says it all really! Even though there are a few disadvantages, for a lazy girl like me it is so convenient. 

Sophia on Elf make up haul!

Elf (eyeslipsface) is a super cheap makeup brand. The prices range from £1.50 to £6.50!!! AND they regularly do special offers, free shipping, 20% off or even 50%. That's 75p for a lipgloss?!

I've seen lot's of youtube reviews and other blogs reviewing the products, so when i saw it was 50% off I thought i'd try them out.

woooo!!

£3.30 E.l.f Conditioning Lip Balm SPF 15 (7.5g

Nice & Natural and Mellow Melon

This lip balm contains vitamin A and E plus spf 15( From the Studio range). It's very smooth and not that sticky when its on my lips. The pink shade is quite pigmented which i think is good for the price.  The beige shade is the perfect neutral lip shade, I really like them. My only problem is getting the product out of the pot!! Unless you have super short nails it will get stuck behind your nails = annoying. So a lip brush is needed! I would buy these again when they run out.

Nice & Natural                                                   Mellow Melon    

£1.50 E.l.f Luscioud liquid Lipstick & E.l.f Hypershine Gloss (1.5g)

So cheap I was expecting them to be rubbish....I was wrong. They are a bit sticky but most cheap lipglosses are. The Lucious Lipstick I think should be re-named though, it's just not a lipstick!! If they called it a lipgloss I woudnt have any problems with it. I've got The hypershine Gloss in Vixen, its a lovely pinky red clear gloss. The Lucious "Lipstick" in Strawberry and Baby Lips. Strawberry has tiny flecks of pinky glitter and Baby Lips is pretty much a clear gloss with a pink tint, it's nice to wear alone or over any lipstick.

Strawberry                     Baby Lips                              Vixen    

 £3.50 El.f Complexion, Powder, Eyeshadow c and Stiple brush from the Studio line

Studio line Eyeshadow c, Powder, Complexion & Stiple

Im rubbish with brushes! Lesley bought some sephora brushes a few years ago and i've lost a few or my dog has chewed them.....! I'm also not good at using them, I always use my fingers for makeup. So i thought i'd try out these synthetic brushes as they have good reviews and they are damn cheap.

This Powder brush is soo soft (I like stroking my face with it...lol). The top is completely flat and smooth, its perfect for powder (duhh) and I also use it to buff my foundation around my jaw or if i've put too much blusher on. I know some people use it to apply liquid foundation but I havent tried this yet.

Not happy with my stipple brush. The brush isn't strong enough to correctly stipple foundation, unless im using it wrong? i had had hopes to achieve that airbrushed foundation look but it's not happening. Im going to                                                   try it with differnt foundations to see if that helps.

I love this complexion brush. It's sort of like a really big foundation brush. Like the powder brush it's really soft, even softer I think. I use it to apply my Mac Skin Finish powder and Blusher. Haven't tried it for foundation yet but I think it would be good for a lightweight foundation.

Lesley told me to buy an eyeshadow brush to try and improve my eye makeup technique. I just can't do it eyeshadow. So can't really review this yet until lesley give's me an Eyeshadow lesson....but the bristles are very compact and soft.

I would recommend these brushes to anyone. Even if your new to using brushes or your an expert. Next I want to try the Studio small angled brush and the Studio line kabuki.

 

£3.50 E.l.f Studio Blush & £1.50 Natural Radiance Blusher

Tickled pink, Peachy keen and Glow

The studio line packaging is really nice. Smooth black with the logo on the front and mirror inside. Tickled pink is a light pink blush without any glitter and a slight shimmer, it's quite sheer but a good baby pink blush. Peachy keen is not very pigmented. I'd actually call it more of a shimmer then a blush? The shimmer is very golden with a slight peach base, I like it! And finally the cheaper line of the make up is Glow. I actually think this is more pigemented than Peachy keen. The colour is peachy but with a bit of warm pink to it, the only downside is that it's fricking tiny, Only 2g! And as you can see the packaging is not attractive and its very flimsy (I already broke it twice) but considering there only £1.50 and the shimmer is very good I can't really complain!

 

£3.50 E.l.f Tinted Moisturizer Spf20 25ml

I chose this tinted moisturizer because I hate heavy foundation. I always mix my MAC studio fix fluid with moisturizer as I find it too heavy. Im NW20 in my studio fix so i couldnt decide between Porcelain or Nude. In the end I picked Nude from reading others people's reviews. But it is too orange for me and its very very sheer. It dosnt sink in well on my oily skin and hardly covers anything. So it's a thumbs down from me but maybe if your skin is dry it would be ok? It's a shame because it has a good spf and vitamins A,C & E.

£1.50 E.l.f Tone Correcting Concealer

Apricot Beige

This is only £1.50 so I feel bad complaining ...but it's very sticky and shiny for 5mins after I apply it. Other than that i like it! Randomly it smells like oranges but its nice. Its a lightweight concealer so if you want full coverage this is not for you. And again like the tinted moisturizer I think it better suited to dry skin. Overall I think its alright!

That was my first time buying E.l.f products and I would buy again. It's cheap but good quality = perfect combination!!

Sophia's Models own collection

I love Models Own nail varnish! They have a 101 differnt shades from blues, greens, pinks, matte shades, crackle polish, glitter etc. They cost £5 each but they do deals quite frequently. You can buy from www.modelsownit.com,  River Island and certain Boots stores! 

 ( Excuse the fluff on my nails and dry skin....lol)

I've painted a colour on each nail. Two coats each and without a top coat. Photo taken without flash.

 

Bubblegum and Champagne

Bubblegum is a highlighter bright pink. Its quite matte, so I prefer it with a top coat. My favourite pink!

Champagne looks like gold leaf on your nails! It has tiny specs of glitter so it's very smooth. Very shimmery and shiney, gorgeous!

Nude Beige and Pastel Pink

Nude beige is the perfect....beige lol A darker beige than other nude colours but I think thats why I like it. Perfect if you dont want a bright colour.

Pastel pink = Opaque baby pink perfection!

Utopia and Pink Fizz

Utopia is a strange colour. I'd call it a very pale purpley grey. I wear this colour the most.

I couldnt capture the 'pinkness' of Pink Fizz. In some lights it looks silver! It's so good for a glitter polish, only two coats and my nail fully packed with glitter!

Lilac dream, Beth's Blue &Top Turquoise

Lilac Dream is a pretty pastel purple.

Beth's Blue is another pastel shade. Look's really good on both pale and tanned skin.

Top Turrquoise looks more green in real life. It's super shiny and bold.

Soo many more i want to get, 9 is not enough! If you are on facebook please 'like' the Models Own facebook page. They are doing 50% off (!!!!!!!) if they get 50,000 likes in August. They already have 38,134!!

Fingers crossed!

http://www.modelsownit.com/blog/facebook-sale-2011/

Lesley on Garnier

I've just finished my first bottle of Garnier Body Intensive 7 days body lotion for dry and rough skin (250mls) I used it as an aftersun on holidays in Miami and Mallorca and after shaving my legs as it doesn't  burn my skin like some moisturisers do. I also love the cocoa butter smell. It smells quite overpowering in the bottle but once on its a very subtle smell which lasts. It claims that after 7 days of use the skin's quality is noticeably improved and contains L-Bifidus which helps the skin to reinforce its natural protective barrier. Some moisturisers I've used have that sticky feeling, but this absorbs in straight away. It feels "intensely hydrated" - exactly what is says on the tin! I think i will definitely be re-purchasing in the near future.

Buy it from Boots for £2.99 HERE

Lesley on Nails Inc

I recently purchased my first two nail varnishes in an exclusive duo set on sale from asos for £8.32 which i thought was quite reasonable. Haymarket is a duck egg blue and Basil Street is a toffee beige, 10mls.

Basil Street = epic fail

Basil Street: I was quite excited to receive this colour as i really wanted a creamy light beige colour. The colour reminds me of the drink Baileys, mmmm! However, i was horrified that the first coat resembled the colour to my skin tone and i looked like i was ill! Also, its quite watery but dries quickly and even, so the formula is actually quite good. The second coat was a bit better and made my nails opaque. However, it still matches my skin colour and kinda reminds me of wearing natural skinned tights haha, and after the third coat (i didn't need it though) it was still the same. I'm going to wait until my tan fades to try this colour again, although i am a little bit disappointed that i cannot wear it in the summer! 

apologies for the short nails - trying to grow them out!

I tried it under Models own black 'Smash Up,' and i have to say i like it much better than on its own. it looks like a black crackily effect over natural nails.

Haymarket: This is an absolutely gorgeous bright torquoise colour and applies like a dream. It only needed one coat and was not streaky, but i added two coats anyway out of habit. With Sally's i applied a top coat and it dried very quickly. What a difference in opinion from Basil Street! I was a bit put off from Nails Inc after Basil Street but now i am willing to try more colours.

Lesley on Barry M

Barry M's nail varnishes are definitely my all time favourite nail varnishes! They have beautiful original shades that are perfect for any season or occasion, and they are always on trend when bringing out new colours.  The retail price is £2.99 but Boots and Superdrug are always doing a 2 for £5 offer so i normally buy them then. 

the artistic skills of my sister :)

playing Barry M Eiffel tower

Strawberry Icecream

Strawberry Icecream is a bit on the thin and transparent side so i tend to put it on quite thick and apply two coats, as well as the Sally Henson's 4 in 1 base coat and top coat. It tends to dry quite slowly in comparison to other Barry M's, so i wouldn't use this on a night out if I'm in a hurry to do my nails. However, it is a gorgeous pastel pink perfect for summer days or when you're feeling girlie. 

 

Berry Icecream

This is one of my favourite Barry M shades of all time. Its a gorgeous light lavender colour perfect for summer or to cheer you up during depressing dark winter days. I have used this colour the most out of my collection, as i think it looks nice with olive skin, but it is now starting to go thick and gloopy as I've had it for so long: i have to keep putting in a little bit of nail varnish remover to thin it out before each use. I'll be buying my second one very soon. When its not old and running out, the texture is very smooth and with two applications it is very opaque. It also doesn't take long to dry at all. However, after two days of wearing it a couple of my nails will be chipped at the top, even with a top coat. In comparison to Strawberry Icecream the textures are different, i would say this one was much better. I am yet to try out the other two in the Icecream collection: Blueberry and Lemon.

What do you think about the Icecream collection?

 

Shocking Pink

Shocking Pink is such a gorgeous bright colour. I love wearing this when I'm wearing a black dress or anything plain on a night out, to give my outfit a boost of colour. It is such a lovely summer colour and looks really good with a tan. You only have to apply two coats before it becomes opaque