A wonderful surprise & a very small giveaway

This afternoon, I got home from work in a foul mood. It was raining, some crazy woman kissed her teeth because I'd had the nerve to say "don't worry it's not like I need my spine" when her umbrella poked me in the back and she'd failed to even make a half-assed apology....and I'd stepped in a dog turd wearing new shoes...BUT...I walked through the door and ripped open a neat little package from my first ever swap buddy! Stoked. Seriously. This woman knows me and what I like.



She bought me some beautiful things, and things I'd never choose for myself. I don't think I'd ever pick out neon nail colours for myself because I'm so pale...you know what? They work. I'm IN LOVE with the matte bright purple. It looks gorgeous matte and glossy with a top coat.



Tried the bright red lip (again, something I'd never choose for myself) and I love it! Wet n Wild lippies have a great texture. I'm not sure how well they wear but they apply well and easily straight from the bullet. Got a couple of back ups of some Wet n Wild single shadows which I'm so pleased about because one in particular (Nutty) - is nearing pan territory. M - thank you SO much for everything, it was the sweetest thing and a wonderful surprise to come home to. I can't wait to send you a few things and to set up another swap! It's time huh?



I'm also back with a small giveaway. Recently e.l.f. had an offer on their Studio Eyeliner & Shadow sticks so I snapped up two of each and I'm giving the other set away. They're great on-the-go products and have excellent staying power. If you're in it to win it, just comment (say anything other then I WANNA WIN) and the winner will be chosen at random on Saturday 25th June 11.59PM GMT+1.

I hope everyone is enjoying the start to their Summers/Winters. We've had nothing but rain and the possibility of rain. When the sun comes out, it rains 3 minutes later and sh*ts all over all chance of tanning/hanging your laundry out/GOING ANYWHERE! But it's London...and I love it. Mostly.



Plus, the messed up weather meant we got a buttload of fruit early this year! Yummy, home grown raspberrys. Incredible.



Remember the cute, tiny little kitten we got? Well...she's still tiny...but she's a cheeky little bugger. She's taken to jumping in my bag before I leave for work.



In a load of bee hive frames. Don't worry, we didn't leave her in there. Plus she jumped in on her own when we were stacking them.



All cuddles........



....no....I'm totes not trying to eat the cat...

Swap Haul with FunnyFaceBeauty!

Through this blog I've had the absolute pleasure of being in contact with some of the most wonderful people from all over the world. A couple months ago after speaking on Twitter a few times, the amazing Alicia and I decided we'd do a swap. There were a handful of things each of us wanted from the other side of the Atlantic so we swapped! This is what I received in the mail yesterday.





Wet n Wild Limited Edition Holiday Palette in Night Elf

Unfortunately this didn't photograph as nice as it looks in life. It is much more pigmented though I feel slightly let down by the super sparkly black. It's pigmented for sure but once again a glitter shadow fails me as a lot of the glitter falls off immediately. A great palette regardless and I'm sure I'll find myself using the gold quite a bit. The bottom left shadow reminds me an awful lot of Blue Brown pigment from MAC. Will need to swatch to compare!







Wet n Wild ColorIcon Single Eyeshadows in Kitten and Nutty and OCC Loose Colour Pigment in Nori

After my first swap with an amazing Twitter friend I discovered Wet n Wild's ColorIcon range and for a drugstore product and at their pricepoint these products are incredible. I'd pay a lot more for them! The OCC pigment is just like I imagined it to be.





Sephora Color To Go Red Edition Palette

I'm not usually a fan of all-in-one palettes. I don't like it when cream products are mixed with powder prodcuts because 9 times out of 10 both end up looking grotty and unuseable. BUT! I spotted this and instantly knew I wanted it. 1 - because of the colour selection and 2 - because the glosses and blush are in a completely separate compartment. They neatly slide under the eyeshadows! WHY DON'T THEY ALL DO THIS?! This palette is tiny and super travel friendly - and it's preeetty.



OCC Lip Tar in Grandma, Sephora Glosses in Rosy Glow, Bronzed Beauty and Precious Pink, MAC Lustreglass in Lustrewhite

Grandma is exactly what I was expecting! I absolutely adore it and it's unlike anything I already own. As for all OCC products, it is insanely pigmented and a tiny amount goes a LONG way - sometimes too far. The Sephora glosses are lovely too. They smell a little fruity, a bit cupcakey and they're not overly sticky. Lustrewhite isn't something I would think to buy for myself and it's a nice break from a coloured gloss. It gives your lips a high shine and looks ultra wet! I prefer Lustreglasses over any of MAC's glosses. Partly because of the brush applicator but mostly because of their finishes.





Wet n Wild ColorIcon Trio in Cool As A Cucumber

In my opinion greens and purples are the most flattering for my patchy eye colour.



Biosilk Silk Therapy Sample

I've heard amazing things about this product and it'd be great to finally see whether it really works.



Lastly a stunning ring from Forever21! I love it - thank you so much Alicia! Really looking forward to our next swap.

She also sent me another eos lip balm as I'm completely in love since I recieved one in my last swap. They work so well! I've become a bit of a lip balm fanatic. I have a selection of them by my bed, in my bag, in my wallet (yes) and in my lip drawer. It's not out of hand just yet...

I sent Alicia's package to her last Tuesday so fingers crossed it gets there soon! I'm so excited to see if she enjoys what I got her!

FOTD: Spidery Lashes, Cherry Cheeks

I've been really ill for the last few days. A combination of an ear infection and the flu. Today, I feel better and since I haven't worn makeup for the last 2 days, decided to break out the Shu Uemura gel blush I won in a giveaway held by the whimsical, beautiful woman behind Worship at the House of Blues. Quite possibly one of my favourite bloggers; I am always inspired when I read her posts not only because they always feature beautiful photography but because they are exquisitely and romantically written. And I like that.



Eyes: Wet n Wild black gel liner all over the lid, sightly winged out, Diorshow Waterproof mascara - lashings of it. No joke, 10+ coats, applied messily (dotted, dragged etc.) & GOSH liner in Bananas along the waterline.
Face: Revlon ColorStay foundation, Shu Uemura Blush Tint in Miracle Cherry.
Lips: MAC Studio Finish Concealer.

Yes, that is a nightie.

October Favourites: e.l.f, No7, Wet n Wild, Models Own, M.A.C

There are a few things I've been using religiously this month. A few are past loves, a few are products I didn't think too much of when I first bought them and have found new uses for and some are products I've bought recently that have had a lot of use.

First up is a product I bought nearly a year ago and didn't really like. It was decent but wasn't something I reached for very often. e.l.f HD powder from their studio line. I use this to set my under eye concealer and find it does an absolutely fantastic job of that! I like using my Revlon contour crease brush for this. It's a little messy to use because of the square lid and round screw top but at a fiver, you can't complain much and if I'm using this to set under my eyes, it'll last forever.



Next is a product I received in a swap a while back. I've been using this a lot lately as the shades are very autumnal and we all know I love a good purple. It's the Wet n Wild ColorIcon palette in Lust. Gorgeous shades, incredible pigmentation. If you can get your hands on this I really recommend you do! I hear fantastic things about the ColorIcon shadows and am hoping to get a few more. If anyone on the other side of the pond is interested in doing a swap please get in touch! I'm guessing (and hoping) I'll be done with P5P by the end of November and the UK has a lot of awesome products available. Sleek and Barry M being the main brands and MeMeMe is one coming up in popularity.



M.A.C's Studio Finish concealer has been a staple of mine for a couple years now. It offers great coverage without looking cakey and the colour match is perfect. I have this concealer in NC20 and NW20 - NC I use for blemishes and NW I use under my eyes. I use this by applying with my fingers and patting in to blend.



M.A.C eyeshadow in Humid is another one I've been going to quite a lot lately. One of my Project 5 Pan items is a neutral Biotherm duo which is lovely on it's own but sometimes it's nice just to add a pop of colour and I love green on my eyes. I have small green patches dotted around my iris and this really brings them out.



I bought a Models Own blending brush in a set back when they had their 50% off sale. The size of this brush is perfect for my eyes. I have hooded eyelids and not much lid space so find that it's difficult to create definition in my crease while blending out well and not too far up for a daytime look. This brush is an ideal size for that. It's soft and washes well too. I've not noticed any shedding.





Last up is No7 Stay Perfect nail polish in Totally Teal. It's the most perfect creamy petrol blue colour. I usually change my nail polish up every couple of days because I get bored, but I find myself reapplying this one day after day! It also looks fantastic with gold glitter over the top. I have one of these polishes included in my giveaway! If you haven't entered, you can do so here.



What are your October favourites? Have you used any of these products? Share!