August Collective Haul

Time for my favourite post of the month...the collective haul! I will start with clothing and accessories first. In the Tally Weijl sale, I got this sleeveless denim shirt for just €9.95. The material is very airy and comfortable even in the Maltese summer heat. I then got this sheer flower applique blouse from their new collection for €25.95.

 

Another sale I managed to check out was the Jennyfer sale where I scored a nice pair of jeans for just €10.

 

 

Lately, I have been obsessing over Orsay's beautiful collections and each time I go one of their shops, I end up buying something. Last time I went, I bought three items out of their newest collection. I find that their clothes are well priced and I like their quality as well. This is what I got:

 

 

The cardigan (€22.95) is my favourite piece as I love all the detailing on it, plus it is a good sartorial investment that never goes out of fashion. The black top is very elegant and goes with a lot of things in my wardrobe. I have already planned some outfits combinations featuring it! The pale pink jumper is a welcome addition as it doesn't look ridiculously oversized on me and the material is vey soft. It has silver threads that give it a more dressy feel. The latter two items each cost €19.95.



More sale items, this time from New Look and Ells' Accessories. I scored this beautiful tweed skirt in the New Look sale for just €8 instead of €25.99 and from Ells' I got this fun pair of Ikat print shorts for only €10.50 instead of €20.99.

Next up is this bag which I had ordered from an ebay seller at the very end of May but it never arrived and so the seller gave me a refund with which I bought another one like it from another seller and it arrived in just under two weeks from it being dispatched. I really like the lace and zip details on it plus being black, it goes with everything. It is very sturdy and quite roomy too. I paid €12.57 for it shipping included.

 

 

 

Finally, I collected this beautiful Viventy Ring from 202 Jewellery. They had to order one in my size just because my fingers are so thin but at least it's here now! I had paid €139 for it and I think it a glamorous touch to any outfit.

 



 

Next up, shoes! Mum found me the most comfortable pair of loafers from M&S and they were on sale for €27.50. I love the patent red colour and they are cushioned on the inside making them ultra comfortable. Then in a separate trip to the store I spotted these peep-toe slingbacks and I was debating whether to get them or not (they were only €19.75 on sale) and when I finally decided to leave them behind and buy the much needed flat sandals (multiple pairs) I need, Johan just went ahead and bought them for me! Gotta love the guy!

I went to Homemate for some makeup storage solutions and I found this large perspex storage set for €24.95. It holds my everyday essentials nicely but I still have to organize it a bit more and decide what to put in its various compartments.

 

OPI just came out with their Fall 2013 Collection, San Francisco and I just couldn't resist the Liquid Sand Alcatraz...Rocks. It is the most gorgeous textured polish ever with shimmers reflecting all sorts of colours from gold to purple and blue to green. I bought it for €10.02 along with Which Is Witch? from the Spring 2013 Oz The Great and Powerful Collection for which I paid €9.76. The latter is a mix of holographic silver hex and bar glitter in a transparent base.

Lastly, cosmetics. I found some of Essence and Catrice new limited editions and picked up a few different items. This is what I got...
 - Essence Stay Natural Concealer 01 Soft Beige €2.20
- Essence Ultra Strong Nail Hardener €2.30
- Essence Guerilla Gardening Eyebrow Mascara 01 Garden Girls €1.50
- Essence Guerilla Gardening Lip Cream 02 Floral Glam €1.50
- Essence Ticket To Paradise Hair Mascara 01 Rumble In The Jungle & 02 Dive With Me To The Island €3.30 each
- Essence Ticket To Paradise Cream Eyeshadow 01 Dive With Me To The Island €3.10

 

And of course, from NYX I bought the following items:

- Round Lipsticks 606 Saturn and 619 Flower €4.95 each

- Single Eyeshadow 37A Lagoon Sparkle €6.95

- Lipliner Pencil 824 Orange €4.95

- NYX Girls Nail Polish 167 Dreamy Glitter €4.95

 

 

The total came to €26.75 but since I bought the stuff during the bloggers' preview event, I was given 25% off and only paid €20.06!

 

That is all from my part! Do you enjoy haul posts?

Monthly Favourites | August

Hello guys, here are my monthly favourites just before I head out to work...

 

First up is this bag that I got from Ebay a few weeks ago. I just love this bag! It is the perfect size to carry everything around in it and the lace details give it a girly and elegant feel while the gold zips give it a more casual feel. I have been using it almost everyday since I got it, be it to go out in the evening or during the day!

 

Moving on to makeup favourites, I have a mix of old and new favourites. Let me start with the new ones first. So from the Studio Glossy Glosses by E.L.F. I have a new favourite shade, namely Wild Watermelon which this beautiful bright pink that goes with everything and suits every skin tone. I like the texture of these glosses, so much so that for a more neutral look, I favoured the shade Berry Blush from the same range.

 

 

Another new product is the Eyebrow Mascara by Essence from their Guerilla Gardening Trend Edition. I chose the lighter shade, 01 Garden Girls even though my brows are quite dark and I like that this mascara gives me the right amount of tint and keeps my brows in check all day long. I hope Essence make this part of their permanent line!

 

The Catrice Lashes to Kill Waterproof mascara is probably my favourite waterproof mascara of all time. I love the killer volume (pun intended) my lashes assume while wearing this mascara and it lasts until I take it off. As for the Essence Marble Mania Trend Edition Blush, I love the pigmentation on this one and I love how it blends with my skin tone to give a natural flush to my cheeks.

 

Again, my favourite hair product this month has been John Frieda Collection Frizz-Ease Straightening Potion which helps keep frizz at bay and my hair straight even the worst humidity conditions!

 

As for nail products, my two favourite nail polishes this month were Pupa Milano Lasting Colour Gel 015 Tropical Escape and O.P.I. Liquid Sand Alcatraz...Rocks from their latest collection, San Francisco.  I won't say much about the Pupa Milano one because I will be publishing a review next week but I will say that it is worth getting some shades from this new line of polishes. On the other hand, the O.P.I. polish is the most beautiful shade of textured polish e.v.e.r.! It is a deep blue with gold, green and purple reflects that looks amazing on the nails!

That's it for my monthly favourites ladies! Share yours in the comments below!

OOTD | NYX Bloggers' Preview

Here's a quick post to show you what I wore to the NYX Bloggers' Preview event. I was deliberating what to wear with fellow bloggers on Facebook and I finally settled on this self-design Zara dress that I haven't worn in the longest time! I really love the fit and the flower pattern on the dress. I paired it with this cream applique bolero to channel the monochrome trend and the flowery heels that Johan just bought me last week. As for the bag (not shown) I took the black lace one that I got from Ebay just because it is so roomy and I could carry everything in it. Check out the details of the event in this post.

 

Dress, Zara | Bolero, Stradivarius | Peep-toe slingbacks, Marks & Spencer
Earrings, Peacocks | Spinning and Viventy Ring, 202 Jewellery
Watch, DKNY | Black Akoya Pearl bracelet, Tesor Jewellery
Faux pearl bracelet, Mara Boutique

Here is a list of the makeup products used:

Face
- Inglot Under The Makeup Base
- NYX HD Foundation HDF02 Soft Beige
- Essence Stay Natural Concealer 01 Soft Beige
- E.L.F. Mineral Booster Sheer
- E.L.F. Mineral Blemish Powder
- Essence Marble Mania Trend Edition Blush 01 Swirlpool
- Catrice Prime & Fine Highlighting Powder

Eyes
- E.L.F. Eyelid Primer Sheer
- Essence Ticket To Paradise Trend Edition Cream Eyeshadow 01 Dive With Me To The Island
- Essence Eyeshadow 12 SO-BEautiful (mint)
- Essence Eyeshadow 03 Starlight
- Essence Marble Mania Trend Edition Eyeshadow 03 Swirl It Baby!
- RevitaLash Volumising Primer
- Catrice Glamour Doll Mascara
- Essence Kajal Pencil 04 White
- Pupa Multiplay Eye Pencil 09

Lips
-Chanel Rouge Coco 39 Paradis

Nail Polish Collection | E.L.F. Cosmetics



This week I have all my E.L.F. Cosmetics polishes to share. I have accumulated quite a few of their polishes even though they are not the best quality polishes ever, they have some nice colours and work just fine for nail art work. The formulas are easy to work with and they are 3 Free like the more expensive brands such as O.P.I. and China Glaze. My favourite are the four in the last picture as pastels are my go to nail colours.

 

Twinkle - iridescent glitter in a transparent base. Dries to a matte finish

Chic Confetti - multi-coloured glitter in a transparent base

Pearl - pearlescent white

Pearl Pink - pearlescent pink

Medium Red - red crème

Chocolate - dark brown crème

 

Red Velvet - shimmery medium red

Cranberry - shimmery cranberry red

Rosy Raisin - light claret crème

Purple Pleaser - medium purple crème

Party Purple - dark purple with silver shimmer

Metal Madness - dark grey with multi-coloured shimmer

 

Teal - teal green crème
Purple Dream - metallic medium purple
Blush - metallic gold with copper undertones

Sea Escape - dark navy blue with blue and green shimmer

Dark Navy - metallic dark navy blue 

 

Mint Crème - mint green crème

Desert Haze - nude beige crème

Smoky Brown - taupe crème

Lilac - lilac crème 

The Exit Interview Series | Volume #23



These are the products that I have used up this month, starting with some new discoveries in the skin care department.

 



First up are the Pure Exfoliating makeup remover wipes. Mum picked these up for me when the Lycia ones which I normally use were out of stock and I really liked the results as they didn't irritate my skin and eyes and they didn't break me out. Best bit...they only cost €1! I think I will repurchase once I use up the other pack I currently have.
 

Another new product is the Dermalogica Ultra Calming Cleanser (sample) which was in my goodie bag from the Biocare Academy graduation event. It is tailored for the most sensitive of skins and although I only used a couple of times, I could already feel and see the difference on my skin. I have used it after returning home from work as due to the extreme and sudden temperature changes, my skin flares up as soon as I am out of work and after I have used this cleanser, there was no redness on my face whatsoever! I am willing to give this a go after I finish my Michael Todd cleansers.
 

 

The Montagne Jeunesse Blemish Mud and the Essence Stay Natural Concealer are regular appearances in these posts and I guess you know by now that I wouldn't want to be caught without them...ever.

Another Dermalogica product sample which I really enjoyed using is the Ultra Calming Serum Concentrate. This lasted me for three uses and I could see the results after just a few minutes from applying the product. All the redness present on my skin would just vanish and I like that it didn't irritate me or break me out. I am also willing to give this a go.

 



Moving on, I have Impulse Romantic Sparkand Hint Of Musk deodorant which evoke a light floral fragrance and a woody, citrus scent respectively all day long. In fact that is the reason Impulse is my favourite deodorant brand. I am currently working on using more perfume samples from my stash and this month I have used up B.U. Heartbeat and Valentina by Valentino, both of which smell really girly.

 

Lastly, I have this nail polish remover from Cien (a Lidl brand) that comes in a very handy pump bottle which I will be keeping for future use with nail cleaners and the likes. The remover itself is also pretty good as it takes off nail polish in no time. 

 

Event | NYX has finally come to Malta...Bloggers' Preview

Hello everyone :) Yesterday evening I was lucky enough to be invited to a bloggers' preview event at the newly opened NYX Cosmetics shop in Sliema. Technically the shop opened its doors for the first time last week but it was cool to have the shop open late just for us bloggers to have a look around and swatch a ton of products to hearts' content! Not to mention the pretty and yummy food and deserts we were served!

 

Photo credit: NYX Cosmetics Malta Facebook page

The shop is exquisitely decorated in black and white with all walls lined with all sorts of makeup products...a taste of heaven on Earth! Well, at least for girls ;P The staff are very welcoming and they are willing to help anyone choose the right products at any time.

 

 

 

 

 

Basically the premises consist of the makeup section as soon as you enter the store as well as a brow and lash bar and a makeup room where one can book an appointment for makeup application for very reasonable prices. The makeup room is rather private and cosy, conveying just the perfect ambiance for some pampering time.

 

 

 

 

After about two hours of swatching and having our questions answered, we were all holding little baskets to fill with products we liked and we were offered a 25% discount just for the night. I bought a couple of lipsticks because I really wanted to try the NYX Round Lipsticks as well as a green eyeshadow, an orange lip pencil and a nail polish. Keep your eyes peeled for the collective haul post for all the product details and prices. The majority of the prices are on par with those in the UK and USA but there are some products which are slightly more expensive. Having said, however, NYX is a very affordable brand overall with quality products rivalling high-end ones.

 

Before leaving, we were each given a generous goodie bag...made out of lace!! This is what was inside it:

 

 

I really enjoyed my evening at the NYX premises and I look forward to visit again soon. I would like to express my gratitude to all the staff for hosting us and wish them good luck with this new venture, even though I'm positive it will be a success! 

 

NYX Cosmetics is located in Tower Road, Sliema right opposite Morgan and next to The Plaza's back entrance. Check out their Facebook page to keep up to date with the latest products and special offers.