120. Blog Sale Hauls & Prizes

Hi everyone, I thought I would do this post just to show you a few bits I have won and bought from my fellow bloggers lately...

First up are these gorgeous Bling Tone eyeshadows which I won from Katy's blog. (Who you should all be following because she's amazing!)

They are really gorgeous, glittery, iridescent colours, and they look beautiful on.

First photo without flash, second with...

They have a really nice consistency and are great to apply and blend.

I have had no problem with the longevity of the eyeshadows either, they have lasted all night when applied on top of a primer.

I've swatched them, so you can see just how sparkly they are...(first pic without flash, second pic, with)

Amazing aren't they?! 

Totally perfect for a glitzy night out with the girls, or easy to blend out and tone down for daytime.

I will be doing some FOTD posts wearing these in the near future.

They are available to buy here!

I bought this much raved about, Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion from a lovely girl called Rochelle, and she kindly sent me some pretty false eyelashes as a little extra gift :)

I've never tried UDPP before, but I know that pretty much everyone loves this, so I can't wait to give it a go!

Another Mac lipstick for my collection, this one is Blankety. A gorgeous nude colour, it's really creamy and very flattering for my skin tone... I love it! Sorry I forgot to swatch this, but I will wear it in a FOTD post soon, I promise!

(first picture without flash, second picture with)

Finally, probably my favourite thing I have bought from a blog sale ever!

NYX The Runway Collection eyeshadow palette. I don't have any other NYX eyeshadows, but I hopefully will be getting more because these are gorgeous!

The girl I bought them off was also kind enough to give me a yummy smelling organic soap and some sweeties free (I ate the sweets before I took the photo!)

How beautiful are these colours?!

Photo without flash...

Photo with flash...

The following photos were both taken with flash, and the eyeshadows were applied on top of Benefit 'That Gal' primer.

Top row...

Bottom row...

I'm really excited to have a play around with these colours! I don't wear a lot of bright shadows, so this will be fun for me to try out. I might even be brave enough to show you some of the looks I create!

118. EXCLUSIVE 15% OFF Miss Guided Fashion discount for my followers!

The lovely Natalie at Miss Guided Fashion has given me an exclusive discount code to use on their website to share especially with my blog readers/followers!

Missguided is a fresh and vibrant online store which stocks all of the latest trends, celebrity inspired pieces and key catwalk looks, all at really affordable prices!

The site is updated almost daily with new clothes, shoes and accessories - there is always something amazing to lust after!

They even stock a small, ever expanding selection of nail polish and false eyelashes.

Miss Guided is based in the UK, however they do deliver to many other countries... You can see if they will deliver to where you live here.

You can purchase items from their website on the following major credit and debit cards; Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, Switch, Solo and AMEX and YES they also accept PayPal!

As you can see from the photos I have added here, they sell really beautiful, on trend clothes.

So go and take a look for yourself www.missguided.co.uk

All you have to do to take advantage of the 15% off discount code, exclusive to my blog followers, is enter the discount code 'PEACHY' at the checkout on their website.

This code is valid until Midnight 12^th May 2010

What are you waiting for girls?! Go shopping!

Don't forget to let me know what you have ordered!

Feel free to share this code with your friends, and on your blog/Twitter.

117. FOTD

My boyfriend and I went to Nottingham on Sunday, so I thought I would share my face of the day with you all...

Face

Benefit Erase Paste '1 Fair'

Benefit Boi-ing

Maybelline Dream Creamy Foundation 'Sand'

Sleek Contour Kit 'Light'

Body Shop 'Hot Brights' Blush

Eyes

Benefit Bad Gal Lash (Black)

Max Factor Kohl Pencil 'Black'

Lips

Mac Creme Cup

Vasaline

Hair

styled with Cloud Nine irons

116. NOTD - MUA

As promised, this is my nails of the day post, wearing MUA Shade 12.

Sorry for the amount of these posts lately, but a few people asked to see this…

Once I was used to the consistency, it was really easy to apply.

It's quite a thick, possibly slightly gloopy consistency, but with a good shake of the bottle and by getting the correct amount on the brush, it went on fine.

The brush is pretty short too, but it's not a problem.

It only took one coat to achieve this colour - how good?! For just £1 this is fantastic!

After wearing for two days, it hasn't chipped or peeled at all… I guess there isn't anything bad to say about this product. 

It gives a slightly matt finish, rather than being really shiny, I think it looks lovely.

You get 6.2ml in the bottle, which is more than an Eyeko polish :)

Some of the other colours are gorgeous too… I will certainly be buying more of these!

MUA nail varnish is available at Superdrug

115. Makeup Academy Haul

So, the long awaited Makeup Academy (MUA) range has been released at Superdrug. 

They have eyeshadows, lip gloss, lipstick, mascara, blushers, bronzers, nail varnishes and more, all at an amazing bargain price of just £1 per item!

I was never expecting a lot from these products, simply because it's hard to believe that you are going to get decent quality cosmetics so cheap. 

However, I was very curious, and decided to drive 40 minutes (to the closest Superdrug actually stocking the range) and buy a few bits to try out.

A lot of the products were already sold out when I got there… mainly the eyeshadows, but I set upon having a nosey at all the testers on display. My initial thought was no wonder the eyeshadows were running low… they are amazing for £1! Okay, so the packaging isn't very appealing, it's very plasticy and plain, but it doesn't really matter does it?!

I was surprised at how pigmented the eyeshadows all were! With just one swipe of my finger then onto the back of my hand, I was given a great swatch of colour. The ones I tested were all quite metallic looking, and a little sparkly, and all stunning colours. 

I chose Shade 4, 9, 10 and 14. I was gutted to see that when I got home shades 4 and 10 had smashed in my bag… I'm not going to bother returning these though… not really worth it for £1 each, I'm just going to try and savour what I can.

(l-r) Shade 10, Shade 4

Shade 9, Shade 14

I swatched quite a few of the lipsticks, some were very sheer and others were very bright and gave a great colour payoff. I only bought one however, and the one I chose was shade 4, which is a very sheer, slightly glittery light pink. I mainly chose this because it actually looked like a gloss on the back of my hand, and I don't like the feel of lip glosses on my lips (too sticky for my liking) so I thought this could be a bit of a substitute. 

The packaging of the lipsticks is much nicer than that of the eyeshadows. They look quite classy, and I love how you can see the colour of the lipstick without opening them (like the NYX lipsticks) - such a good idea!

The only other thing I bought was a nail varnish. I picked another pink, 'shade 12' and it's actually really, really nice! Its a bright Barbie pink colour, and I couldn't believe when I only needed one coat on my nails… I'll save the rest of the info on the varnish for my NOTD post tomorrow :)

All in all, I'm really impressed with these products. For £1 you can't go wrong, and it gives you a great opportunity to try new colours and products. I will definitely be trying some more bits. The only thing I don't really like is the names, 'shade 1, shade 2 etc is a bit boring and unimaginative, but like I said with the packaging, it doesn't really matter at all.

The MUA range is available in 84 Superdrug stores nationwide, find your nearest stockist here.

114. Cloud Nine Styling Irons

I was invited to attend Cloud Nine's major summer hair style shoot in Huddersfield this week, and I was so disappointed that I couldn't go.
I was however, very generously sent some of the Cloud Nine styling irons by the lovely Claire, to try out and review.

The parcel came yesterday, it was so nicely packed in lots of layers... I was so excited to open it!

As you can see, the packaging is stunning.

I am very excited to try these out, as I have heard lots of good things. I will be posting a review, information about Cloud Nine the company and lots of photos of the different looks I will be trying out with these stylers.

You can check out their website here!

113. NOTD - Mac Violet Fire

I'm doing this a little backwards, because this nail varnish is a new one which I bought from a CCO in York, I will be doing my haul post from there in a day or two, so please excuse me for getting these two posts kind of the wrong way round!

I just loved the colour so much and couldn't wait to slap it on my nails!

The polish in question is Mac - Violet Fire

This is the first Mac nail varnish I have used, and I have to admit, I hadn't heard the best reviews on Mac nail varnishes... but I thought because the colour was so nice, I would give it a shot myself!

After one coat (below), I was agreeing with the reviews, it was really watery, and didn't give colour anything like that in the bottle.

Two coats (below) made a difference, but it still wasn't the colour I desired.

After three coats however, I got to the colour I wanted. Unfortunately in this photo, the colour still looks a little thin, but it isn't... I think it's just the way the light was reflecting off my nails. 

It dried in less than a minute too which is a big bonus for me with nail varnishes.

The colour isn't quite on trend with the pastels this summer, but I still love it! It's very bright and almost metallic looking.

I do have to admit though, I much prefer my OPI's and Barry M nail paints for their consistency, quality and pigmentation. Maybe Mac should stick to the lippies! 

This colour isn't available on the Mac website anymore, and I'm pretty sure that means it won't be available on Mac counters either. The York CCO I bought mine from (in the Designer Outlet) was pretty stocked up with these, so you could try there, or your closest CCO... failing that, try good old eBay!

112. The Search Is On... are you the UK's Trendiest Female?!

I received an email from the lovely Beth at Galaxy radio, telling me about their competition 'Galaxy Style Hunt', to find the UK's trendiest female, so I thought I would share the info with all of you lovely ladies.

Any girl from the UK can enter, as long as you are over 16.
There are a few ways to enter...
You can send your photograph to the Galaxy Website (remember to click on your region's location)
You can enter on Twitter by sending a Twitpic to Galaxy's Twitter and marking it #stylehunt, the pictures will then be put on the Galaxy Facebook where you can tag yourself to be in the competition.
Or you can watch out for the Galaxy Style Police, who will be on various High Streets until the competition closes on April 29th, looking for people to enter!


The prize is amazing! Up for grabs is a trip to New York City, with £5000 spending money!


There will be Style Stations in Portsmouth, Cheshire and Glasgow open this weekend if you fancy going down to have a look at some of the entries, or if you want to get involved yourself!


Each region will have two finalists, making up 12 girls for the grand final.


Here is a quick peek at a few entries from the North East region.
(I have just selected these few at random)

If you think you have what it takes, then get entering!! 

111. Babyliss Simply Smooth Review

Does anyone enjoy shaving?

I hate it... it's time consuming and annoying. Plus I worry I'm going to cut myself or get shaving rash. Going for a wax just isn't convenient for me, as I never have the time to go to a salon, and home waxing is pretty rubbish as far as I'm concerned. I've got an epilator, but even though I've given birth, I just find it too painful!

I am pleased to say, I have finally found a process of hair removal which I love!

I was given the Babyliss Simply Smooth for Christmas a couple of years ago and my initial thoughts were that it wouldn't be very good, or painful to use, so I just put it in my room and forgot about it.

I wish I hadn't waited so long to give it a go, because I was so wrong... it's great!

At first it took quite a bit of getting used to, but now I can whizz around my legs and be silky smooth in minutes!

It works kind of like a sanding machine.  You just hover the head (which actually feels like sandpaper) onto your skin and move in circular motions while the pads spin round in really fast in opposite directions, and literally buffs the hairs and dead skin cells off your legs. 

There is absolutely no pain, just a slight warm feeling because of the speed it spins. 

I'm not sure if I'm the only one, but if I shave before I fake tan, I always end up with little darker dots where the hair has been cut, which are really quite noticeable. When I've fake tanned after using this however, due to the exfoliation and hair removal - there is none of that, it just applies onto my smooth leg - amazing!

It isn't good for long lasting smoothness, as it just takes the top of the hairs off to the same level as your skin. Though, because it is so quick and easy to do, you can just re-buff when needed.

They seem to be quite hard to track down now, but you can buy it here for £29.99

110. NOTD - Eyeko Nude Polish

As I said in my Eyeko Ambassador post, I recently ordered the Eyeko 'Nude Polish'

I was really excited to try it out, as I had seen quite a few pictures of people wearing it, and I loved the colour! 

It arrived today, so I thought I would show you my NOTD :)

Above is a photo taken without flash, and below a photo with flash.

As you can see, it's really natural and subtle, as well as being bang on trend with being a pastel polish.

It took two coats to achieve this look, and I do really like it.

My only complaints are that after a good ten minutes, the polish hadn't completely dried, and I managed to scrape loads of it off my thumb without even realising. It was still very soft.

This could be avoided with a decent top coat or clear polish on top.

I also ended up with a major headache after applying... not sure if it's down to the fumes from the polish, or just a coincidence.

I love the colour though, it's very pretty!

109. Tag: 3 Of Me

Hey everyone!

I was tagged to do this by the beautiful Olivia 

 Three Nicknames I go by:

Tor - my actual name is Victoria, but noone calls me that!

Mammy - by my daughter 

...thats it I think!

Three Jobs I've had:

Human Resources Assistant for a frozen foods business

I used to own an American Diner/Milkshake bar

Topshop sales assistant

Three Places I've Lived:

Marske by the Sea

Saltburn by the Sea

...thats it!

 Three Favourite Drinks:

Orange Squash

Coke 

Irn Bru 

Three TV shows I watch:

Hollyoaks

Britain's Next Top Model

Project Runway

Three Places I've Been:

Florida

Paris

Mallorca

Three Places I Want to Visit:

New York

Dubai

California 

Three People Who Text Me A Lot:

Robbie (boyfriend)

Charlotte (friend)

Mam/Dad

Three Favourite Dishes:

Sunday Roast

Crab Ravioli

Chinese Beef Curry

Three Makeup Products I Couldn't Live Without:

Foundation

Mascara

Lipstick

Three Things I'm Looking Forward To:

My daughter starting to walk

My boyfriend finishing Uni

Summer!

I tag any of you to do this! It's a good way of getting to know a bit more about each other :)