NOTD: Barry M | Gelly Nail Paint in 'Greenberry' |

Greenberry // £3.99 //

Since the Gelly Nail Paints were first launched I've been itching to get my paws on a few bottles. I think the colour range is really good, but I managed to restrain myself and only pick up 2 to begin with. This colour in particular really interested me as I think its quite different and very pretty for both fingers and toes (which I've done to match!) Its a great colour for spring and summer, but different to typical light minty greens that these seasons normally bring. Instead 'Greenberry' is a greeny turquoise shade, which is very bright!

Application is easy and the formula is pretty thick and opaque, like you would expect. One of the main selling points to these polishes is that they are meant to be chip resistant for a lot longer than regular nail varnish, however with this shade I was let down as it chipped within 2. I'm not sure if this is a one off or not as when I tried 'Lychee' it lasted for over a week, so I'm hoping with my next application I will be more lucky. I also found that this colour with my regular top coat, was not extra shiny than other polishes. Again I saw more difference with 'Lychee' in this department so I'm putting it down to the particular shade. On a more positive note one of the biggest plus points about this range is the very fast drying time.

I really do love this colour and it will definitely be gracing my finger tips on more than one occasion over the following months. I've always found Barry M to be a great affordable brand when it comes to nail varnish, its just a shame this shade didn't live up to some of the other claims the Gelly range promises xxx

Bank Holiday Weekend

Hi everyone, this is my first post in a few weeks now so firstly I wanted to apologise for my absence. A lot of things have been going on in my personal life so the blog  had to take a back seat, even though it was really annoying to have to do so. I should be back on a more regular basis from now on, even though things are still a bit crazy, its nice to have this place to be creative and take my mind of things.

I thought a bit of an update would be a good idea as this is a lifestyle blog too, so thought a good post would be to write about what happened over my bank holiday weekend. 

On the Saturday, Matt took me to St Michael's Manor in St Albans for a lovely lunch. The food, drink and service was incredible, which was made even better by having a great view of the fabulous surroundings that the Manor has to offer. I would really recommend you take a visit if you are in the area. Two very exciting things happened over the lunch to make it extra special. Firstly, Matt officially asked me to move in with him :)! Of course I said yes and I am so so excited about it! He still has a few months on his lease of his flat at the moment but after that we want to find our own place. Even though we have talked about it before, it was so nice that he made an occasion of asking me to make it special and it has definitely made it feel a lot more real. I really can't wait! The second bit of good news was another surprise! Matt told me that after my graduation ball (which will happening next week) he has booked a trip to Barcelona for us!!! I felt so incredibly spoilt and shocked and obviously really happy, but at the beginning I wanted him to cancel it because I felt bad for him spending the money on me! I've had a bit of a rough time recently so he thought I deserved a treat - I really couldn't ask for a better boyfriend :) Now I just need to think of things to pack - I've always been really bad at being spontaneous so this will be a test to my organisational skills! 

The next day, my family had a big BBQ with loads of family friends, some of which I hadn't seen in years! There was around 28 of us and we got through a lot  of food - 6 legs of lamb, 4 desserts, cheese boards and more were demolished! We had the croquet out in the front garden which the men enjoyed and made it feel very English. It was a great way to spend a Sunday and it was nice to see my sister as well who I don't get to see that often very more as she lives in London. 

On the Monday Matt and I enjoyed time just chilling together and watched a film called Cloud Atlas, which is very long! I can't make up my mind whether or not I liked it, although I loved the bits with Jim Broadbent in it as he is one of my favourite actors.

What did you get up to over the bank holiday? Do you have any suggestions for things to do in Barcelona? xxx

All Used Up #5

There isn't too many products in the fifth installment of this series even though I have used up other things but have failed to keep them in order to write a post. I'm going to try a bit harder though to find somewhere safe to keep them as I think they are a great way to do mini reviews and enjoy reading other people's (link me in the comments if you have a recent post of your own!)

001. La Roche-Posay Physiological Micellar Solution: I've been trying out a few micellar waters to take off the excess of my make up before cleansing properly, which I used to do with face wipes before. This was one of the better ones I have tried but did not take up all of my make up so I wouldn't recommend cleansing with just this. It was nice in the mornings though to freshen up and left skin soft and without any residue. I'm not sure if I really 'get' the hype over micellar waters to be honest - I'm using a bottle of Bioderma which is supposed to be the best one on the market, so once that is all finished I think I will have formed my final opinion on this type of product.

002. Simple Smoothing Facial Scrub: This has been hanging around for a while so I was pleased to finish it. It is an effective scrub without being too harsh and a good scrub/cream ratio but it didn't blow me away. I am looking at other scrubs and ways in which to exfoliate my skin instead at the moment.

003. Soap & Glory Sugar Crush Body Scrub: Another scrub, this time for the body. The scent of this is amazing: citrus and brown sugar combined together smells like Rowntree's fruit pastel lollies :) I'm a big fan of all things Soap & Glory and I am slowly working my way through their products but this particular scrub wasn't the best I've tried from them. As I said the smell was amazing so I am definitely looking into getting the shower gel of this range but the scrub wasn't scrubby enough for me and found that meant a lot of product was needed to get the desired results. Flake Away lasted a lot longer than this and I preferred the texture so it is still the top scrub for me!

004. Superdrug Blonde Colour Enhance Conditioner: Like the Simple scrub this has been in my bathroom for ages (I'm talking years) as I didn't really like it too much. I ended up using it for shaving my legs which it was good at but for its actual use I wouldn't repurchase.

005. Batiste Dry Shampoo in Blush: Yet another dry shampoo as I always use this in between washes. I've never really tried another dry shampoo as these are cheap and do the job.

006. Tresemme Heat Defence Smooth Spray: I don't use any other products from this brand as I heard from hairdressers that it isn't actually good for your hair, but their heat protectant is lovely and I always repurchase it. It smells lovely, doesn't weigh hair down and lasts ages so is very cost effective too. My favourite aspect of this product is the spray function as it delivers a very fine mist. I've kept the bottle to transfer some other heat protectants that I've got to use up into as its the best spray I've found. A definite repurchase.

Have you tried any of these products? xxx

Review: Clarins | Lotus Face Treatment Oil |

Oily/combination Skin // £30 // 30ml

Considering I have combination to oily skin, my skincare routine was always focused on using products that would strip the oil away. That was until around a year ago when I realised that this only made the problem worse and so started to switch up the products I was using. Even though I made those changes it was still weird to consider using an actual oil on my face but after seeing positive things about the benefits of using a facial oil I put this one from Clarins on my birthday list.

Clarins do a range of three different oils depending on your skin type - this one in particular is focused on oily/combination skin. This oil contains 100% natural blend of lotus, geranium and rosewood which are supposed to be naturally astringent and the claim is that they help to purify and refine pores as well as refining skin's texture. Hazelnut oil is also present to seal in moisture and prevent fine lines. The blend of these oils leads the oil to smell like citronella candles which is quite strong but it isn't unpleasant at all. The pipette for dispensing the oil is also really useful and enables me to get just the right amount of product. 

I apply this on damp skin (from toner) and sometimes layer on a night cream afterwards or mix it in with the cream. From the first use I could tell this worked wonders - my face in the morning was matte (something which never happens), smooth and even textured. It has also really helped with dehyration too. Only a few drops are needed as a little goes a long way - you can see a few months usage from the pictures above. This has definitely become holy grail status and something which will be a staple in my skin care. I rotate it every other night with my ANR and always see a positive difference after applying it. I loved it so much I even bought the formula for dry skin for my Mum and she loves her version too! Clarins are really on a roll at the moment and I am enjoying using quite a few of their skin care and make up bits (reviews to come!) 

If you suffer from combination/oily skin I really urge you to pick this up. It is a bit pricey but is definitely worth it. What are your skin care holy grail products? xxx