Smashbox, Ojon and Bumble and Bumble Event

Hey All

Last weekend L and I headed off to our local boots for a Smashbox, Ojon and Bumble and Bumble event. We were both really excited as it's been a while since we've been to a beauty event with each other as circumstances lately mean we have both been mega busy.

We've both tried the Iconic primer from smashbox and drooled over the Full Exposure palette so were excited to go and see more of the products in action.





It started off by showing us the Bumble and Bumble Blow Dry Cream. Neither of us really use many hair products like this so were intrigued to see it. It's fair to say we were all very impressed with the results. A small amount of the cream was rubbed into dry hair (the model in the photos below has curly almost crimped like hair until it was blow dried as you see below!) then the hair was blow dried straight using just hands.



It was so quick and eliminated frizz so well. It seems perfect and we can't wait to try it. They also do three different types we are both eyeing up the repair one.

We've both used the Ojon oil before so it was great to hear more information on it. L can't wait to try the Rare Blend Rejuvenating oil as this is a lighter texture than the original so won't make hair greasy and M can't wait to try the Rare Blend Moisture Therapy to help with dryer ends. We resisted these on the day but will be back to pick them up soon.





Next we were shown Smashbox. It was great to get hands on with the products and try so many. We ended up with such soft hands after trying on the primers. The luminizing primer gave a great glow and will be amazing for summer nights, while we both love the hydrating and light versions which left the skin feeling so soft.

They have such a huge range of primers it can be really overwhelming to see them on the shelf but going through them individually was really helpful to see which does what, especially learning about their Primer Water which sounds like a must have!

The star of the show had to be the Double Exposure palette it has the most amazing colours and the potential to be a great all rounder. It has the nudes you'd want for everyday with some great blues and purples for smokey eyes. A great thing about the double exposure palette is that the shadows can be used wet.

Most of the time I'm dubious about this as when you wet shadows they tend to get that film layer on top you then need to scrape off. With these you can get loads of water on the brush and in the eyeshadow, apply it and then the shadows dry up and are back to  normal. Below shows how amazing the blue looks wet.





The 15 hour wear hydrating foundation is another thing we can't wait to try. We find no matter how much we love a foundation we always think there is better. With Smashbox all the products are tried in a studio on a set for lasting ability. It's a medium buildable coverage that feels great on the skin. This one could be a winner.

The eyebrow kit looked so good, it has a wax and two powders to create the brow that you want, from an ombre brow to changing your look dependent on day or night. This was one thing that L couldn't leave behind!

M is currently on a make up spending ban so had to resist purchases this day. Roll on 20th May!

Luckily we had a few goodies given to us so that we can try out some of the Bumble and Bumble products and Smashbox.

What are your favourite products from Ojon, Bumble and Bumble and Smashbox?

There's definitely a growing wishlist for us!

Love L and M

xxx

NOTD: Barry M Speedy Quick Dry Nail Polish - Pit Stop

Hi there!

It has been a long time since I bought a nail polish - mostly I've bought so many that even with new colours coming out I've always got something similar. 

Lately though the '2 for £7' deal in Boots got me good, I've always wanted to try more of the Gelly Hi Shine range and the Speedy Quick Dry was another range that caught my eye.

I've been wearing lots of nudes the last few months and that doesn't seem set to change, it makes it so much easier at work and I think they look chic whatever you're wearing - also there's a massive range available!

This shade is called Pit Stop - it's a light grey colour that I don't have so far in my vast collection, surprisingly, and I couldn't leave it behind.

I love the Speedy Quick lids - the racing checkerboard lid is very clever and I love that they translated this into the names of the polishes too. There are others called Full Throttle and Lap of Honour, and Eat My Dust is a gorgeous coral (can never ignore the corals!)

So how does it look on?

This is with 2 coats applied plus top coat.

I can't decide if this polish was too thick, it is quite thick which i normally like - with my average application skills thicker polish is easier to control and as long as it's done slowly it can work fine.

However you can see from the picture above that on my index finger nail there is a little patch where it goes thinner. This may just be my shoddy techniques at application but it's a little annoying.

That said though, it is a great colour and perfect for me for work. I really like it.

It will definitely get a lot of use from me, particularly due to its fast drying capabilities.

This did dry a little bit faster than a normal polish, though i didn't think there was too much difference. Any decrease on drying time is extremely preferable though and I did seem to be able to get base, 2 coats and then top coat done in a quick pace.

Have you tried the Speedy Quick range? Do you live wearing nude polishes like me?

I saved metallics and pinks for the weekends!

L xxx

Life Lately

Hey All

It's been a while since I've done a life post. As I don't post as much on here when I do I tend to share my latest new product so I thought it was time for an update.

A few weeks ago I went on an amazing holiday to Iceland. I'm planning on doing a few travel type posts on it as it was the best holiday ever and I put a lot of research into so thought it would be good to share some tips. Here's a few of my favourite photos

When we got back from our holiday it was 6 nations seasons. It's the time of the year L and I become enemies (as well as my OH now!). This is the first year in a long time L and I haven't watched the Wales v England match together. As it was a Friday night and I had a kickboxing competition the next day I decided to watch it in the my house. I still managed to drink a bottle of prosecco! Ooops, I was celebrating though. I love six nations and going out to watch the matches! L and I are preparing a day and night out for super saturday!

The result of my kickboxing competition was my first injury! A baby black eye, I was lucky mine wasn't as bad as some others. I am totally in love with this sport. It's been a long time since I've felt like I have a hobby I enjoy and I'm so glad I found this one. I got Silver at this competition so was pretty pleased!

I've been trying to get myself sorted again with meal prep. I used to be great at it when I lived in my own flat but I've let myself slip lately so have been getting back on it. This was an amazing sausage and mash, I boiled the potatoes over purple cabbage so they went purple. When I have kids I'm going to be remembering this trick. Mojitos have definitely been a theme over the past few weeks and I've finally mastered a pretty good one. I prefer mine with spiced rum hence the colour of it! (maybe I should bring back a cocktail friday post to share this one!)

I feel so lucky to live in such a pretty city! This is in one of the many arcades. I love sitting outside of the arcades with a cup of tea. I usually end up in barker tea house they have such an amazing selection and the silver tips is the best! I definitely needed the treat this weekend after a busy week in work which included teaching some fourth year students! Scary.

Hope you all had a great weekend! Back to the grind of work!

Love M

xxx

NOTD: Deborah Lippmann

Hey there!

I haven't bought any new nail varnish in a long time but when I saw these in a set in TK Maxx I couldn't leave them behind. Deborah Lippmann polishes are really well known especially their glitter ones - who doesn't love the Birthday polish with multiple coloured pieces of glitter?? Its beautiful!

So when I was there and saw a bundle of them together I couldn't resist.

In the set that I bought there was a beautiful classic red, a dark vampy purple and a bright summery coral.

First up is the red; aptly titled My Old Flame. 

This red is a classic colour that can be worn any time, its so beautiful on that I've been wearing it a lot recently.

Two coats of this is usually enough but it is quite thin so three can be required to make sure there aren't any streaks, I guess its all dependent on your painting skills! FYI mine aren't great as I'm too impatient so three is normally required for a smooth streak free finish.





Surprisingly I don't have a red like this in my collection and it has definitely filled a gap. The consistency is quite good and I was initially impressed but it can chip easily so it needs a few coats of topcoat and needs to be regularly replaced.

The purple; Dark Side of the Moon. This is also a beautiful dark purple that was probably one that I wouldn't have bought individually if it hadn't have been in the set.

This colour is also quite thin and needs three coats for opacity which is definitely the best with darker colours like this. Truthfully this isn't a colour that I would choose and  I probably won't wear it very much, I love vampy reds and dark navy or blacks but purple isn't something that I wear very often.

That said it is a gorgeous colour and being pale seems to set it off, I will probably donate this polish to a friend who will get the full benefit of it.



Last up is Daytripper - the gorgeous bright coral that's going to be just perfect for spring and summer!

Again this is a thin polish, are they all like or just the colours that I have?

It needed three coats for full opacity but did apply well. You could probably get away with 2 coats if you're more careful but generally I'd say it was a 3 coater!

Below shows the polish with flash to show the true colour of the polish, I'm not convinced that after a few days it didn't get a bit more orange so maybe the sunlight can affect this particular colour.

That said it is my favourite out of the lot and I can see my fingers and toes getting a lot of wear out of this colour.

Overall I'm pleased with my purchases however I'm not sure I'd pay full price for any Deborah Lippmann polishes if they are all like these. Needing three coats for full opacity means you will get through colours a lot faster, high street brands such as Essie manage to create polishes that can be opaque in 1 or 2 coats for half of the price so its a shame that these ones aren't either. As mentioned I also had an issue with chipping even though each layer was quite thin and allowed to dry in between each coat.

That aside they are great polishes and the range is fantastic, the glitter's are something that I always have my eye on...........I guess I'll just be waiting for when they are all in the sale to be getting them so my money can be saved!

What do you think of Deborah Lippmann polishes? Do you think the formula could be improved?

What's your favourite nail colour from DL?

L xxx