Make Up Store Sale!

To take a break from all the hiatus concerning our move, last Friday's event at the Make Up Store was the perfect excuse to change from paint covered clothes and into a much more stylish outfit and red lips to have some makeup fun and a chat with fellow bloggers.

photo courtesy of Stefy Puglisevich
L to R: Zeza's Things, Pocalocca, yours truly, Stefy Puglisevich, Diva Inside, Theresanne Sammut

We were informed that the brand is revamping it's product with brand spanking new, chic packaging and they are currently having an up to 50% off sale going on. 

I limited myself to getting just what I needed and got a Smoothing Primer Powder and a Lip Pencil in the shade Burlesque which I needed to match with my MAC Dita von Teese lipstick (I love that the lip pencil is named Burlesque as Dita von Teese is well known as a burlesque performer).

However, the people at Make Up Store were generous enough to give me a Microshadow in Grass and some Cleansing Wipes which expand on contact with water and to which yo could add cleanser to remove your makeup with at the end of the day. I am a big fan of the crocodile embossed patterns on the new makeup products and the gift packaging which will have a permanent residence on my vanity!

Head down to the Make Up Store at The Point Shopping Complex in Sliema and grab yourself some great quality products at amazing prices ;)

Review | Born Pretty Store Nail Art Palette Metal Ring

Sometimes nail art designs are quite elaborate and nail artists need a palette to pick out their colours from. Such palettes can be large sometimes and cause the work area to be cluttered. Well, here is a cute little invention that doesn't occupy much space:

The Born Pretty Store metal ring palette is designed to be worn by the nail artist to facilitate work both when working on oneself and when working on clients. I have quite thin fingers so the fact that the ring is adjustable makes things easier and it fits me without moving around.

I found it was more comfortable to use than the larger palettes I usually use and there is much less risk of a mess.

The palette is available in two versions - a paw print or a mini artist's palette and retails for $3.59 from the Born Pretty Store website. Remember to use the code EBABK31 at checkout for 10% off your order.

PR Sample

Outfit Inspiration | Pantone Colours of the Year 2016 Rose Quartz & Serenity

Hello everyone! Today I wanted to bring you some outfit inspiration featuring Pantone's picks for Colour of the Year. Actually, this year, they picked two colours - Rose Quartz and Serenity. I was actually excited this mainly about Rose Quartz as right now I am going through an obsession with everything that has to do with the colour.  Here is what Leatrice Eiseman Executive Director of the Pantone Colour Institute has to say about these colours:

As consumers seek mindfulness and well-being as an antidote to modern day stresses, welcoming colors that psychologically fulfill our yearning for reassurance and security are becoming more prominent. Joined together, Rose Quartz and Serenity demonstrate an inherent balance between a warmer embracing rose tone and the cooler tranquil blue, reflecting connection and wellness as well as a soothing sense of order and peace.

The prevalent combination of Rose Quartz and Serenity also challenges traditional perceptions of color association.

In many parts of the world we are experiencing a gender blur as it relates to fashion, which has in turn impacted color trends throughout all other areas of design. This more unilateral approach to color is coinciding with societal movements toward gender equality and fluidity, the consumer's increased comfort with using color as a form of expression, a generation that has less concern about being typecast or judged and an open exchange of digital information that has opened our eyes to different approaches to color usage.

If like me, you love your pastels, I am sure you will find many a way to wear these two colours, whether paired together or separate. In this post I wanted to feature some items from theblacktux.com, which offer tuxedos and suits for rent (within the US). 

Wedding season will soon be upon us again and I don't think it is ever too early to start planning what to wear to that special occasion you know is coming up.

For the guys, a bow-tie in one of the colours is the easiest way to rock these Colours of the Year and they will pop against a black tux for sure! Alternatively, grey looks good as well with both Serenity and Rose Quartz. If you're feeling more adventurous, why not try pairing a light pink shirt with a light blue bow-tie instead? 

Tuxedo and bow-ties from theblacktux.com

As for the ladies, you can colour co-ordinate with your main squeeze and opt to go for both colours together. I think they look really great paired together in one look. Here I went for a flowy evening gown and rose gold accessories. I think the earrings bearing both colours add a nice touch to the outfit and I feel they bring the look together :)

Oufit created on polyvore.com

How do you feel about Pantone picking these two colours? Do you think they are easy to pull off?

What I got for Christmas & London Haul

I feel so bad at the moment cos I really don't have a lot of time on my hands to sit down and blog as much as I'd like to with all that is happening in my life right now. Thus here is my late 'What I got for Christmas & London Haul'.

I will start with the Christmas gifts I received first. So our consultant doctor at work gave each of the girls at work a Marks & Spencer body lotion and chocolate (which I ate already of course!). Next we had our own version of Secret Santa between my shift colleagues and I was gifted with this pretty set of dainty stud earrings in rose gold and a card wallet which I absolutely love!

We also had a Secret Santa with Mario's family and this silver bag is right up my alley when it comes to special occasion accessories as I don't really fancy flashy sequins and stones so thank you to my father in law :) Mario's family gave us some vouchers for home ware seeing we are moving in together in a few weeks and we also got a set of bath towels.

My Mum & Dad really spoiled me with a pair of Charles & Ron Marilyn jeans which fit like a glove and I can't wait to wear them! Lastly, my amazing boyfriend bought me this Carvela Kurt Geiger bag while we were in London as we had agreed that we shall be buying our Christmas gifts for each other while on holiday. I love how I can pair this bag with loads of outfits and it fits so many things! 

The last Christmas gift I have to show you is this River Island eyelet midi dress from my brother. I love how this looks on me and it is a very versatile number as well.

Christmas Gifts

London Haul

Luxury Beauty Buys

Onto what I bought from London, which actually isn't as much as I thought I would buy (yes I am looking at you in the eye stupid exchange rate), starting with the luxury beauty buys.

I bought this Scandalous perfume miniature (£8.50) from Victoria's Secret as part of a larger underwear haul but of course I will not be sharing any pictures of that here. I also decided to try this Facial Peeling from Onsen (RRP £99.99, £59.99 with offer) which I shall be reviewing very soon here and the lady also gave me a body lotion sample.

I walked into MAC in the hope of finding the Ellie Goulding collection but it wasn't out yet; however, I did not leave the store empty handed as Odyssey lipstick (£15.50) caught my eye. It is a satin finish and is a sort of magenta-plum shade. Also from MAC, I purchased the Dita von Teese lipstick (€24 including shipping) online and I found it waiting for me when I got back from my holiday.

Drugstore Beauty Buys

Next I have some drugstore beauty buys from Superdrug and random stuff I got from Primark. I got some hair ties in black and brown, a brow and lash comb and a travel container set which were £1 each. I also got other random bits and bobs such as hand sanitiser gel, a lint roller, mini jar candles and scented tea lights, cotton discs and socks. Also from Primark, I got some exclusive Montagne Jeunesse masks and Hask Keratin hair masks for £0.90 and £2 each respectively.

Superdug had some really cool offers going on and I got myself some nail polishes from Bourjois (£5.99), Revlon (£6.99 each), Essie (£7.99) and Models Own (£4.99). I also got a travel sized version of the Tokyo dry shampoo from Colab (£1.99) and I got a free compact mirror and HD lipstick with my Revlon purchase apart from the fact that the Matte Colour Balm was free on a 3 for 2 offer.

Lastly are the fashion items! So I finally found not one but two hats that actually fit my tiny head! The cloche hat is from H&M and I bought it for £14.99 while the floppy one is from Primark and I bought it for £8. Also from Primark is the blush laser cut floral motif belt which was only £2 and the bag behind it was actually another gift from my parents but somehow I ended up photographing it with the belt.

Next are these two joggers from Gap which were on sale for £7.99 each and I bought them to wear for my night shifts were tend to go for something more comfortable. The silver based earrings are from H&M and I love the enamel colours on them. They were £3.99.

As for clothes, I was really happy to see a lot of small sizes available but it was disappointing to see that some of them still were too big for my petite frame. Nonetheless, I still managed to buy some exciting pieces.

Zara is the only store where everything I purchased was on sale and they are probably my favourite pieces. I got this flower print crop top which was only £17.99, the anchor print shirt was £12.99 and the trousers were £19.99.

H&M is probably one of the first stores that I look for when I am abroad because I really like the quality and style of their clothes. I was sad that I didn't find the new makeup line though but I am determined to find it the next time I am abroad ;) So I got a few tops from there and the prices were as follows (left to right): £14.99, £19.99, £29.99 and £10.00 for the shirt which was on sale. Shift dresses are staples in my wardrobe so I got this grey one for £24.99 and I also got this super cute skirt for £24.99 as well.

Primark is always full of people who seem to go bonkers with all the cheap priced items the store has to offer so the first time we went there was a little too chaotic for my tastes and I only ended up buying the random stuff above and the navy and cream shirt (£10) which caught my eye while we were in line to pay. We did visit again on Sunday to buy luggage and socks which I remembered I had to stock up on and since the atmosphere was much calmer, I had all the time in the world to browse the store for some basic pieces. I got myself two more blouses, two knits and a faux suede skirt. The monochrome blouse and the knitwear were only £6 each, the burgundy blouse was £10 and the skirt was £8.

Lastly, I have my River Island online order which came home while I was abroad as well. I bought the black embellished collar shirt in a separate order but I liked it so much I decided to buy the cream one too. I also bought this black Victoriana blouse because it is something different. All three shirts were on sale for €25 each.

That was one long post! Hope you enjoyed it guys and I hope I get more time to blog again normally soon!

Review | Makeup Revolution Advanced Complexion Expert Sponges Soft & Hard

Apart from the Ultra Metals Brushes, Makeup Revolution have also launched some new sponge applicators, of which I got the Advanced Complexion Expert Sponges in both the Soft and Hard versions.

Advanced Complexion Expert Soft (€8.32)

The first sponge I want to talk about is the Advanced Complexion Expert Soft. The sponge comes in a transparent plastic box with rose gold details. It has two slant edges and a pointy, tapered end on the opposite side, a very unique shape for a makeup sponge compare to the others we have seen before. It is pale yellow in colour.

The Advanced Complexion Expert Soft is meant specifically for blending to create amazing HD results. The sponge is meant to be used wet and apart from preventing it from absorbing product itself, wetting it helps to further blend the foundation for a flawless, airbrushed look. I also like to use its wedged end when baking my makeup.

Of course, when wet, the sponge expands to a bigger size, which gives you a better grip, thus more control over ease of application.

I have washed the sponge already and I haven't had issues with it tearing apart but it does retain some stains.

Advanced Complexion Expert Hard (€8.32)

Next up is the Advanced Complexion Expert Hard which comes in an identical box as the soft sponge, has the same shape but is black instead of pale yellow.

Prior to wetting the sponge, I really couldn't tell the difference between the two sponges but after that, I could understand why the black sponge is named hard. It really is harder to squeeze and this makes it the perfect tool for sculpting and applying cream contour products.

Again, I haven't had any issues with this sponge while cleaning it and I like that it doesn't retain product stains.

The price of these sponges is what makes them really good value for money products as they would need to be replaced every three months or so, thus I really don't see why you have to pay more for the same product just because it is a different brand when there is a cheaper yet equally good alternative.

Review | Born Pretty Store Holographic Shell Paper

Hello lovelies I hope you're all doing well and have settled in the new year nicely :) Today I wanted to share with you the manicure I have been sporting for the past few days courtesy of Born Pretty Store.

I picked out this shell sticker paper when they asked me to pick out some products to review and I immediately thought of incorporating the product in some shattered glass nail art. The shell sticker comes as a whole piece which you can cut down to size.

For this nail art I cut out a small piece and cut some pieces randomly off it with a pair of scissors, peeled off the backing and stuck them on my nails (base nail polish is Models Own Rose Chrome). To finish, I sealed everything with a top coat. I must say the shell paper seals in nicely with top coat and doesn't lift off and lasts well.

Featured in this post is shell paper #8 but there are loads more colours to choose from and you can check them out here. Each sheet costs $2.25 from the Born Pretty Store website and you can get 10% off your order with my code EBABK31.

PR Sample

December Collective Haul

I meant to publish the December posts before departing to London but I didn't manage for I was all over the place for the whole month of December so here is the third post for the day to show you what I bought. There will be a separate post for what I got for Christmas and all the things I bought while in London so do watch out for that in the coming days.

First up are the fashion items as I do not have that many for I tried to save money to spend in London. I got this River Island bag and scarf from their online sale as they were really a couple of nice bargains and I can get a lot of uses out of them.

I also treated myself to one of the Ganutell scarves from local designers Charles & Ron and I have already worn it a couple of times and got a good number of compliments on it. I admit it is a little pricey for a scarf but there is nothing wring in splurging every once in a while ;)

I also bought this set of earrings from Accessorize mainly because of the large snowflakes which are my favourites from the whole set and I also bought this dainty gold Fossil necklace from Sunlab.

Moving on to the beauty items, I want to share with you what I got from the Pupa Milano Christmas Collection Stay Gold! Of course I couldn't pass up the Diamond Dust and Golden Plumage nail polishes so I got those as well as this beautiful burgundy Multiplay Eye Pencil in shade 67. I was also given this cute lip shaped I'm keyring with my purchase :)

I also have something from each of this year's The Body Shop Christmas collections - Glazed Apple, Frosted Plum and Frosted Cranberry and I also got a bottle of Lightening Drops to adjust darker foundations.

I placed an order on kosmetik4less.de along with Marija from Pocalocca and I got some items from Essence & Catrice which I cannot wait to review for you guys. I also bought a backup of the La Roche Posay Ultrafine Scrub and a bottle of China Glaze Don't Get Elfed Up from their Christmas 2015 collection.

More nail stuff from Born Pretty Store which includes new nail art decorations, a new stamper and scraper and a stamping plate, some nail vinyls, chrome nail polish, holographic nail polishes and a makeup palette and spatula set.

That's it for my December haul ladies! Keep your eyes peeled for the London haul ;)

The Exit Interview Series | Volume #46

Second post of the day is Volume 46 of the empties series which marks the end of 2015 in terms of empties! Here is what I have used up up to the end of last month.

The La Roche Posay Ultrafine Scrub is the first product I want to talk about and it is one of the products I have repurchased because I liked it so much as it feels very gentle on my skin and really refines my skin. I highly recommend it to people with sensitive skin. Next I have the Kiko Cleansing Eyes & Lips makeup remover which acts in the same way as any other bi-phasic makeup remover but it is good if you want to try it out. Also from Kiko is the Brush Cleanser which I cannot get enough of and I already have multiple backups of it. 

Next I have the NYX HD Concealer which is another product I swear by and have repurchased. I like to use it under my eyes as it really brightens up the area and lasts all day.

Every few months you are used to L'Oreal Elnett featuring in these posts and here is yet another can of the famous hair spray; and yes I have already purchased a backup. Next up is this Vineyard Peach scrub from The Body Shop. I love the Body Shop scrubs but this didn't really cut it so I shall be switching back to my all time favourite - the Coconut one. Then I have the Vichy CelluDestock Serum Flash which does help combating cellulite but if you back up on it, the nasty imperfections reappear.

Lastly I have a few nail products. I have repurchased the Sally Hansen polish and the Orly Nailtrition but I don't think I will buy the Essence and Catrice products shown here because I really couldn't make them work - not even with same brand polishes which are usually exceptional. The polish chipped on me like crazy and took a very long time to dry so I'm afraid I won't be buying them, sorry!

Monthly Favourites | December

In my favourites post, I usually write about the beauty products that I would have enjoyed using most throughout the month. However, for this edition, I am going to start the post with some fashion items that I have literally been super obsessed with. First off, these River Island tassel loafers that literally go with everything and are super comfortable and stylish - they really have been my favourite pair of shoes this month. Another River Island purchase I am currently obsessed with is this fold-over cross-body bag which also features tassels and is great for both day and night use. The Charles&Ron scarf from their Ganutell collection is also a favoruite of mine as of late and I have quite a number of outfits planned around it which I cannot wait to wear! The last fashion related item I wanted to share with you is this dainty gold neckalce from Fossil at Sunlab which I have been wearing almost everyday as it looks good with practically anything!

Now onto the beauty products. So, my favourite eyeshadow palettes this month have been the Essence All About Greys and All About Bronze palettes (and now I'm really excited to try the All About Vintage palette) as well as the Sleek i-Divine Enchanted Forest. All of the palettes feature highly pigmented eyeshadows at small prices and I really like the quality of all three of them with respect to longevity. The Essence Merry Berry Eyeshadows have also made quite a number of appearances in my makeup looks this month as did the Catrice Deluxe Eyeshadow Trio in 010 Antique C'est Tres Chic.

I have also really enjoyed using the Essence Gel Eyeliner Waterproof in the shades 01 Black Blaze and 05 Gunmetal. These are just the best eyeliners I have ever used - they stay on all day even in the waterline without a chance of them budging! The last eye product I wanted to share is the Catrice Fixing Brow Wax which keeps my brows in place all day.

I have rediscovered an old favourite too, the Sleek Antique blush which is the perfect shade of warm pink during winter. It also has a hint of shimmer which I really don't mind as it makes my skin glow. Speaking of glow, I have also enjoyed using the Essence Merry Berry Highlighter which is not overpowering at all and offers just a subtle hint of shimmer so it is perfect for those who prefer a more muted approach to highlighting.

Also from the Merry Berry collection, the lipstick in the shade 01 Let The Berry-Tales Begin has been my favourite this month along with MAC D for Danger.

The Body Shop Frosted Plum hand cream is the last favourite I have to share with you for this month. I love how good this smells and how soft and moisturised my hands feel after using this - pity it is limited edition!

What were your favourites for the last month of the year?