My Winter Wishlist

I was going to call it Autumn but to me those two seasons seem to blend in seamlessly, unlike Spring and Summer.  In my mind, Spring is when it looks sunny and nice outside but it's still a bit cold, Summer is when it looks nice outside and it's actually warm.

I have had a wishlist in my head for the past few weeks but I keep forgetting what I want and from where so I've decided to a)let you guys in on it and b)document it so if Mon comes asking, I can point him to this exact post.


So, here are the items I am currently coveting:

Clothes/shoes/bag-wise:
This gorgeous makeup bag, it reminds me a bit of something by Versace but like Versace inspired so it may look like a fake-o? Hmm..not sure...anyway, it's a bargain at £7.

I'm also madly in love with these flats. How can anyone NOT like them? Look how sexy they are.  I find that it's rare to find some sexed up flats for a decent price and these tick all boxes.  Sadly they also tick the "out of stock because they sell like hot cakes" box.  Dagnabbit.  I hope they make enough of these to last until the post Xmas sales.

I'm literally coveting my neighbour's ass because she has these. I think I might be able to make these myself though, I'm thinking of buying a pair of cheapo suede boots (mock suede, then) and buying some of those hairbands from Primark which look a lot like the "bands" around these boots.  I'm sure they could stand a winter's wear.  I'll have to ask the haberdasher extraordinaire known as my mum if that idea is viable.

I haven't checked more of Topshop's website because I will end up wanting more than I actually really want, you know when you like for like's sake and not because you really want it?

As a final note from TS, I used to have a purse like this when I was in year 10 at school.  I only chucked it out recently, I should have kept it so I could have sold it as vintage/cutting edge.  My friend at school used to LOVE scratching the purse and making my teeth hurt and she's made a career out of working at Topshop.  She's still there now and I'm going to be asking her if she had a word when TS were designing their winter wardrobe..

I haven't really seen anything else I like in any other shops..odd.  Normally, you can't stop me shopping at this time of year but this time I seem to have come to my senses, much to the relief of Mon.

I really really really like these shoes, they're perfect for both the party season and Indian functions.  I'm quite taken by how the straps looks like tumbling bangles but I've realised that my foot won't fall forwards, it would be straight up.  They're still gorgeous though!

I've also realised recently that I'd quite like:

I don't know what it is, I know it's not a looks thing (not that I'm saying he isn't aesthetically pleasing).  I've seen him on Never Mind the Buzzcocks, The IT Crowd and The Mighty Boosh and he just has something about him.  I think it's the fact that he's able to look and dress anyway he pleases without looking like he tries hard to be different or to be a poseur.  Plus, he comes across as being a very nice guy too.   I mean look at what he's wearing there, he doesn't look like he's trying to be cool, he just looks happy in himself.  Noel Fielding, I think I may very well be in love with you.

Makeup-wise I'm seriously lemming this stuff:
Urban Decay's Ink for Eyes (£14.00).  I'm really liking this packaging but the sceptic in me isn't sure that you get £14 quids worth of product.  I'd buy it in Binge which is a lovely dark blue colour.

Another beauty from UD, this time it's the Urban Decay Super Stash (£18.00).  I really want to get these pencils as the colours are gorgeous and last ages but I've got a million pencils that need to be used up first.  £18 quid means that each pencil costs a bargainous £2! 

MAC's 219 pencil brush (£17.00) so that I can finally put shadow under my lower lid without putting too much/too little on.

NARS Yachiyo blusher brush (£37.00).  I've used it once before and nothing else applies blusher like this.  It's perfect for noobs, albeit a tad pricey.

Bobbi Brown Pot Rouge in Blushed Rose (£17.00).  I love multifunctioning products and this colour matches my natural blushing colour (or the colour I hope I go when I blush, you know how hard it is to tell when an Indian girl blushes).

 Bobbi Brown's Earth Metal Lip and Eye Palette (£48.00).

 

I love Bobbi Brown palettes because you get a decent amount of eyeshadow in each, I already have the nudes palette and the blocks of shadow in that are massive, I think they're bigger than the individual shadows you get.  Also, you get brushes with the palettes which is good.  The brushes aren't always the best but at least it's no sponge applicator.

I'm also lemming the two new palettes coming out by Sleek.  I can only find a photo of the Graphic palette, so feast your eyes on this badboy right here:

I'm going to scope this one out tomorrow because greys look fantastic on my 'lids.

All pics are from Google/the sites operated by the companies mentioned above.

What do you guys have on your wishlists?

Review update

I was putting my face on today and realised that my current mascara (which is now no longer HG) wasn't really doing anything for me.  I remembered how thick my lashes were when I used my L'oreal mascara..I also remember that I said I wouldn't buy it because it made my lashes feel hard and that it smelt..so why was I reaching for it this morning?

So, with this in mind I decided to do a review of my reviews.  It' worked out pretty well because I have been using these items and my mind has changed about some as time went on..I think this kind of thing is useful for those of you, who, like me, take ages deciding whether or not to buy something and also equally useful for those who don't want to trawl through all my posts to find out about certain items.

By the way, if you click on the link it will take you to my original review.

Sleek palettes

• Still in love with these, falling more and more in love with them as the days pass.  I don't think theres an occasion where you CAN'T use them.

Benefit Badgal mascara

• Still not loving this, have tried it a few more times since the review but it has done nothing at all for me.

Maybelline Lash Stiletto mascara

• Have been teaming this up with the Maybelline Colossal and also using it alone.  I'd still buy it again as it makes my lashes longer.  No patent shine though.

Prestige My Biggest Lashes mascara

• Used this time and time again when I needed knockout lashes and it still works.  I have to remind myself that 2 coats is the magic key.  I'd still buy it again.

 Clearasil Pore Cleansing Pads and Boots Time Delay Balm

• I finished one tub of the cleansing pads and am half way through another.  I won't be buying these again, not because they don't work but because I've found something much better and also that the smell of these is VERY strong.  They're excellent if you have really oily skin and are prone to spots.
• I haven't finished a tub of the Boots balm as I have been using other cleansers but I have three backups which I will get through in time.  If I didn't have them, I'd buy it again.

Urban Decay eye shadows

• I loved these then and I still love them now.  The Illegal shade has been getting some serious love from me recently.  It's nice and matte and is my "my eyes but better" go to shade.  I'm going to incease my collection of these.

Biore Warming Blackhead Fighting Cream Wash

•  This was my lover back then and it still is now.  It's the only face scrub/wash that I've used consistently for more than a week.  I have half left and will buy it again.  The only issue I had with it was the fact that it gave me tiny whiteheads all around my nose..maybe because I used it despite having no blackheads? Anyway, if you do like me and do this, do not fear because I've found a cure..the things I do for you guys!

 MAC paint pot in Indianwood

• I wasn't too happy with how this looked in pics before but assured you guys it looked good IRL..which it did.  I tried it on many times since with varying amounts of UDPP and it just won't stick to my lids.  The colour is gorgeous but I just wish it would stay put! I won't be buying another one of these when the tub is finished.

Boots 17 Bronzed and Gorgeous palette

• Probably my all time fave freebie.  My current HG shadow has well and truly hit pan and I've been using my 17 palette for a while now and I'm loving the goldeny shade in it.  If they brought this out as perm, I'd buy it...or I'd buy £5 worth of products to get it free.

Boots No7 Eyeshadow Colour and Contour brush

• My thoughts on this brush are still exactly the same.  It's the shizz.  It's fluffy (but not too fluffy), it helps you blend like a pro and because the hairs are white, you can tell how much product you've picked up.  I'm buying it again when this one fails me.
  

Anatomicals Help the Paw hand cream and Badger Balm

• Nearly finished one "packet" of handcream and the Balm has well and truly finished.  Glad I bought backups of the hand cream, the sweet smell hasn't put me off yet!  I'd buy the Balm again too.

L'oreal Telescopic Explosion mascara

• I said I wouldn't buy it and honestly, I don't think I would.  It smells funny (this coming from a girl who has both the Colossal and Stiletto) and it made my lashes really really hard.  I wouldn't call it HG as I have Prestige for that so my opinion stays the same.
  

It's that time of year again..

Hey everyone,

I'm back at my parents' house today..This is just a really quick bloggy blog post to tell you all what you probably know anyway..today is DIWALI! It's one of the two times of the year (the second being Vasakhi) where if you're of the Asian persuasion, you can eat, drink and be as merry as you like without feeling guilty that you've eaten too much.

I don't know what we have planned for today, all I do know is that we are going to have to pull together as a family and have a "good" time.  I'm quite excited about tonight because we have a mammoth firework display in my parents' back garden :)

The issues I have for today are as following..

• What to wear? I already know I'm wearing my sparkly silver flats I got from Topshop but wearing only shoes isn't a viable option..

• Makeup? I'm not sure whether to do one of my Urban Decay faces, I might do the multiple liner one because it looks nice and is easy to do..

Oooh, only two issues, pretty good going!

I should have added some pics but I'm in a bit of a rush as I have to do some work around the house whilst my parents are out buying some last minute bits...I'll add my pics to another post if my camera sorts itself out.

For those of you who celebrate Diwali, have a good one! And for those of you who don't, what are your plans for this Saturday?

PS, 50 followers?! Thank you guys so much :)

I'm cracking up, man!

Hmm..let this post be a lesson to those of you who are doing Project 10 Pan and are overly eager to use up their lip balms.

I've been lip balm'ing my lips like mad recently trying to finish a Boots lip balm.  This is the same lip balm which I said was crap.  The reason I'm trying to finish it is because a)it goes bad if you use it for more than a week and b)I have to finish it before I buy any more.

Now, I've been using it up and over the course of the weekend I teamed it up with some Opia lip gloss from Primark.

I wake up this morning and my lips feel horrible.  They feel super super soft but they're cracking up and I can't smile because when my lips go back to their normal form, they feel super crinkly and dry.  I've checked them in the mirror and they look super soft but with some chipping.  I'm not happy.

To make matters worse, I just have to ride it out.  I can't add more lip balm because they won't dry out naturally and I can't leave them dry as they are because they hurt.

I would take a photo (if not only to remind me what happens when you fervently apply stuff you don't need) but my brother has the memory card from my camera.

I feel like this right about now..

Just a little update on the lip situation, I've found the culprit! It was the Opia lip gloss that made my lips go funny and not my balm.  It was Mr Ross who came to this conclusion as he pointed out I'd been balm'ing my lips up for a week and they had given me no trouble but the second I put some Opia gloss on them, they went  (for want of a better word) manky.  So, I've hurled it out and have come to the realisation that I will never buy any more makeup from the Opia range, regardless of how much of a discount Primark have put on it.

What the hell is that?!

Has anyone ever thought about why certain products are packaged in certain ways? Especially those which you find hard to use in their current state?  Ever wondered why some companies are hit and miss with their packaging?

I'm talking mainly about three products.

The first product is mascara.  I never know when my mascara is finished, no matter how much I use it, it never finishes.  I used a Rimmel mascara for a year and it was still going strong.  Now, seeing as you're meant to chuck your mascaras away every three months and you get a lot of product in each tube, I think that "someone" should come up with a way to make the shelf life of mascara longer.  Obviously that's not top of the agenda for many scientists out there who are trying to find cures for far more pressing issues but maybe some cosmetologists should look into that?

I think mascara tubes should be clear so that you can see how much you're using and how much you have left so you're not caught short.  I can't see how having a clear mascara tube can be more expensive than having one which is plastic, coated in colour and then coated with text? Is it because manufacturers are scared that we won't like what mascara looks like? I think we're adult enough to realise it's just black stuff.  Lipglosses and clear mascara comes in clear tubes so I don't know why mascara gets special treatment? You could still print all the needed info onto the casing of the mascara so all laws would be complied with.

My second gripe is UDPP.  EVERYONE hates the packaging on this and those who don't are lying.  I don't know why UD haven't taken more notice of customers who dislike the packaging.  They took a slight bit of notice and changed the shape of the wand which doesn't really help matters because what do you do when you come into the bottleneck? I assume it gets stuck.

The shape of the bottle would mean (in my mind) that it can't be the easiest shape in the world to produce and that you'd need some nifty machine to carve out the exact same shape.  I'm sure it would be cheaper to just put the product into a squeezy tube a la Too Faced Shadow Insurance. I know UDPP goes off quickly when exposed to air but TFSI comes with a screw on lid which UDPP could mimic.

It kinda seems to me that UD KNOW how good their product is and can rely on the fact that people keep buying it and depotting it themselves so that THEY don't have to change the design of the product themselves.  Surely there are cheaper ways for them to make the packaging which would result in lowered costs of production for them and ease of use for the customer.  I personally wouldn't mind paying the same price for it if they changed to cheaper packaging as it is a really good product.

My last product is the Barry M blusher that everyone has been raving about recently.  Questions were asked as to why the Natural Dazzle packaging looked so nice whereas the blusher packaging made it look cheap.  Barry M's people stated that they made the choice to provide an affordable product over how the packaging looked.  That confused me a bit, if that truly was the reason then why did the Natural Dazzle come looking like the younger sister of NARS? Surely both would have been packaged the same?

At the end of that long rant, I ask you guys the following:

• Which products do you detest the packaging of?
• How would you improve packaging on certain products?
• How much of a role does packaging play when you're deciding to buy a product? e,g. are you put off by cheap looking products and more drawn in by expensive looking ones or is the actual performance the sole factor you judge a product by?
  

God, she's such a bloody show off

Yeah, that's me!

This is my first fashiony post on this blog and I'm at the centre of it. I don't follow fashion so much that I camp outside Topshop the night before Miss Moss/Mr Kane launch their newest range so this blog won't have much by way of fashion exclusives. What it will have is my latest bargains and where you guys can pick them up..

I was recently reading Une Tasse's blog and she mentioned that she found some really good cleansing wipes in Tescos for 27p.  I'm not one to miss out on a bargain so I rushed off today to go and get some for myself. I use the word "rushed" in the loosest sense of the word, I read her post a week or so ago and only ventured out today. I'm quite glad I went because I found more stuff I needed and the prices were reduced...

The beauties above cost me about £7 all in.  The scrub was £3.91, the face wipes were 27p and the King of Shaves gel (for the Mon) was a bargainous £1.77.

I took a mosey on down to Matalan (we were meant to go the Next Outlet but arguments prevailed and it didn't happen) and despite being on a spending ban, I found these gorgeous things:

£10 originally, marked as £5 but came up as £2.50..bargain! 

It looks like a top fit for Quasimodo.  It has a cut out detail on the shoulders and is tight fitting around the leg and wrist area.  Tis the colour of Dairy Milk, matches perfectly with my bedroom. 

The green dress/top was £15 originally and marked down to £3.50.  I liked the belt more but you can't say no to a dress and belt for £3.50.

The purple top is by Papaya and the lovely greeny blue one is by By Beau (Be Beau?)

The gorgeous belt, it's super shiny IRL and has a patent bit too which is lovely.

I also picked up two bras for the grand sum of £3 but the world doesn't need to be exposed to those..there was also a blue zippy top which was only £4.00, I may go buy that tomorrow. 

Have you guys picked up any bargains lately? If so, share the wealth! Also, whilst I'm here, what lip balms are you guys using? I'm using a Boots one but it's drying my lips out like there's no tomorrow (it's the shit one I mentioned before).  Carmex and Neutrogena are my HG's but I'm not seeing them anywhere recently so what do you suggest?

Thanks!

Vintage is so in these days, daaaahling

I'm still on my never ending quest to trim down my stash but it's not going as well as I had hoped. As my top drawer of goods gets smaller, my bottom drawer of spares gets fuller and fuller.


Observe:


For those of you who say "it doesn't look that bad", the photo is deceptive as the cleansing wipes are piled up four high, I have six bottles of that shampoo, two bottles of the Botanics hair spray and there are many more items under the stuff on the left but I don't feel bad because this is stuff I actually like and will use. My hoarding days are well behind me.
I was reading this post the other day by my fellow Middlesex girl (woo woo) Marcia and it got me thinking (it doesn’t take much). Whenever someone in the blogosphere buys something new, they blog about it. With this in mind, I decided to show off “my” oldest makeup. Older makeup, like the oldest child doesn’t always get the recognition it deserves so I feel it about time it did!

This makeup dates back to 1980 (when my darling mum got married). This leads me on to my next point, how comes stuff which is this old still works and doesn't make me react yet I buy things which cause me to react a few months down the line? It's experiences like these which make me think that some beauty mags don't know what they're on about.

The goods:


Top to bottom:

• The bitchin'est greeny blue pencil ever, it's avocado in name but comes out much nicer. I think the closest dupe would be a UD liner.
• Rimmel gold pencil, my dupe for the Benefit Gilded pencil
• Almay duo with pink and blue eye shadow
• Almay blusher/bronzer in a goldeny shade

I have never ever ever been able to find a green pencil which matches this colour exactly. It looks like a standard blue here but IRL it’s a lovely amazon-like green.
I was looking to buy the gold pencil that Benefit sell when I found the golden pencil, which, I only found out yesterday was by Rimmel. This pencil is the softest mofo in all the land, glides on a treat, easy to blend if needs be and doesn't gloop! Looks like Rimmel had the pencil formula down back then..
The Almay duo is my profile pic here, on Specktra and on Twitter, I took it back in the day when I hadn't even heard of macro. The colours in it are Godsend, especially for Indian weddings/functions. The two colours go well together so you can just take this palette with you and make up a million looks.
Moving on to my OWN range..The quest to finish all products has gone as far as lipbalm and I am proud to say that my stash has been trimmed down from 10 to two and that I've bought balms in between and have finished all those off as well (please, hold your applause).

I present my oldest piece of "makeup": Superdrug's Tropical LipBalm in Strawberry Delight:



This tub is circa 1997, I was in year 9 at school which would indeed make me 25. God, that makes me feel so old. The fact that I still have it and that I have so much left of it makes me feel even worse..I'm nowhere near touching pan with it! I've been using it over the past few days and sadly it dries my lips out so it may be for the chuck. It moisturises intensely during the day but when I wake up in the morning my lips are drier than they were when I put it on.
If you’ve stuck it out this long, firstly, congrats and secondly, you might as well answer these questions. So, if I could have a minute of your time sir/madam: what is the oldest item of makeup you lovely people own? Do you stick to the rules and chuck things away when the beauty mags suggest? I personally think that throwing mascara away every three months is a bit overly keen, I wear mascara every single day and even then my tubs don't finish. If a mascara causes me to react then it goes in the bin ASAP but as long as it does the job, I keep it.

Hair oils

I bang on about hair oils and their benefits to anyone who will listen. I was brought up in an Indian household so hair oil was always being bandied about the place willy nilly. I used to HATE having oil put on my hair because it stank but I was still forced to use it.

Fast forward a good few years and I'm glad I was forced to use it because it gave me great hair, my hair was, and still is, super thick thanks solely to oil.

This post is solely about the different types of oils I use on my hair and what they do for the hair.

Lineup:
These are the oils I currently have in my bathroom cabinet and the ones I buy again and again.

Going from left to right we have:

• Cactus oil
• "Blood" (kakai) oil
• Castor oil
• Blood oil x2
  
• Amla oil
• Olive oil
• Amla and almond oil
• Coconut oil

My hair washing routine is thus:

Oil hair up with any of the aforementioned oils. Wait an hour or so. Blast hair with water to get most of the oil out. Wash and condition hair. Spray hair with leave in conditioner if hair is to remain curly. Spray hair with heat protectant if hair is to be straightened.

The traditional Indian way of using hair oil is as a styling aid but I don' think anyone really does that anymore, even my grandmother who used to do this now uses serum.

I should point out that you should ideally use this oil at least once a week or whenever you wash your hair for maximum results.

Cactus oil

• Used when I've got a headache
• Nice and cooling
• Easy to wash out
• Doesn't smell
• Makes hair super smooth and shiny

Blood oil

• Nice and cooling
• Easy to wash out
• Doesn't smell
• Makes hair smooth and shiny
• Easy to tell when you've washed it out as water runs clear
  

Castor oil

• MUST BE DILUTED
• If not diluted, it will burn your scalp
• Even when diluted it makes your hair grow really quick so I love using it for when I've miscut my hair at home
• Not much of a smell
• Easy to wash out
  

Amla oil

• Smelliest oil in the world
• Makes your hair stronger, longer, shinier and smoother
• Hard to wash the smell out so it's recommended that you mix it with something
• Nice and cooling though the smell drives you mad

Olive oil

• The shine giver, use this and watch your hair dazzle like glass
  
• You can't keep it on your hair for too long because it starts to smell like plasticine
• Easy to wash out

Amla and almond oil

• You already know what amla does but the almond smoothes your hair and makes it stronger
• Almond oil doesn't smell at all, regardless of how long you keep it on

Coconut oil

• Oldy but goody
• Godsend for damaged hair, don't bother with any treatments which say they will heal you hair, this badboy actually will
• Can be used warm or cold, warm is best if your hair is really damaged
• No smell, not even coconuts

All the oils are pretty cheap, they all come in at under £2 and considering how long they last you, they are well worth it.