Feel Unique now offer a sampling service called Pick 'n' Mix for all it's customers. Essentially, once a month, you get to pick 5 different samples, including skin care, hair care, make up, and lots of other categories. You only have to pay £3.95 for postage, which they credit you back on your next purchase (can't use on pick 'n' mix, but on any other orders they will give you free postage!). The majority of the samples are quite good sizes, and considering they're all free it's a pretty darn good deal! I went for a mixture of different products that took my fancy. 

First up we have By Terry Cover-expert perfecting fluid foundation, the shade I got was too dark for me, but the texture seemed quite nice, although it was hard to look past my rather orange face! Then I chose this Khiels face mask, which I am yet to try. I was pretty excited to see a benefit Ka-Brow sample, and i've really enjoyed this! The sample size is quite good and it comes with a little brush as well. I have wanted the Kenzo Flowers in the air perfume, but they only had the regular Flowers sample, but this is really nice too, and another good sample size. Finally, a blogger favourite, Bioderma. Not as bigger sample size I would have liked, but generally it was ok. They currently have the bigger pot sample of the original formula so I'll be getting that this month!

Have you tried Feel Unique's Pick 'n' Mix service? 

Thanking you,

Naomi

Check out my last post - Barcelona Sephora and drugstore haul!

Why, hello there... 

Long time no see...If you read my last post you'll know where I've been for the past year, so I won't waffle on about it in this post.

We recently just got back from a holiday in sunny Barcelona, so of course I had to hunt down the local Sephora to get my hands on my yearly high end lipstick purchase. I also found a discount beauty shop that also stocked brands we can get in the UK, as well as some others we can't...so here's what I bought! (The links are to the USA Sephora site, so some of their prices are slightly different to what you pay in euros)

Makeup Revolution pro E103 blending brush, €2.38: Yes, I know you can get these in the UK, but my superdrug doesn't sell the individual brushes, so I would have to pay for P&P, plus the exchange rate makes them a tiny bit cheaper. It's pretty good, does the job, that's all I have to say!

Real Techniques setting brush, €6 (roughly, can't remember the exact price): Again, another thing you can get in the UK, but again my superdrug/boots doesn't sell this brush by itself. I did have one but lost it and have been wanting to replace it ever since. The exchange rate makes this a lot cheaper as well so win win!

Wet 'n' Wild eye shadow palette in Walking on egg shells, €3.99: I was so excited to see these in the store! I've heard so many awesome things about Wet 'n' Wild and they're pretty good prices, and most bloggers will have heard f this palette. It's a really nice shimmery nude palette with such pretty colours. The pigmentation is great, if you can get hold of it definitely give it a go!

Wet 'n' Wild Max Fanatic volumising mascara, €5.99 (couldn't find it online in UK): I saw this, hoping it would be a dupe for the Maybelline Lash sensational or Benefit Roller lash because of the similar brush. Unfortunately I'm not overally impressed with it so far. It just doesn't grip my lashes which makes it hard to build up. I'll keep using it to see if I can make it work, maybe the formula is too wet so it just needs to dry a little first.


Well, it's nice to be back to blogging! I can't guarantee I'll be around for long/be very consistent but I will try to get posts up as often as I can!



What have you been buying recently?

Why, hello there...

So, it's been just over 3 months since I posted on here! This is because I've started studying Acting at university which is a very intense course so I have next to no time to be worrying about my blog and I don't really have a great set up for taking pictures in halls. 

But, I do miss blogging ever so much! I still go into shops and buy make up thinking 'I can't use it until I take a picture' or buying random thing because they'll be good for a post (particularly things from poundworld, found some amazing things in there recently!)

I really want to get back into blogging, it will be great as a little hobby on the side while at uni and I will probably use it more as a way to tell people what I'm up to as lots is going on! 

Granted I will still be super busy particularly going into the 2nd term so posts will be infrequent, but I'll try to do as many as I can. Also I need to experiment with taking photos in my halls but I'm sure I'll be able to figure something out!

Hope you all had a great Christmas/new years and I'm looking forward to seeing more of you all this next year!

Thanking you,

Naomi.

Why, hello there...

This is just a quick post to let you know about the Cosmopolitan Blog awards 2015 and how you can vote for me!

It didn't even cross my mind to enter any sort of blog awards, I always thought it was the really big bloggers with loads of followers who were even short listed, but recently quite a few 'smaller' bloggers have be short listed, and I have quite a few people who don't actually follow the blog via Bloglovin or GFC, so maybe I have a very small chance? But anyone can enter, so why not?

To vote for me in the Best of Beauty award, simply click on the picture to take you to the website. There's a few bits and bobs you need to fill out so if you don't have time/can't be bothered that's totally cool! I'm not expecting to win, but if I get nominated, it would literally make me so incredibly happy! 

Voting is open until 29th of September so you've still got a while left, so please get voting! Would really appreciate it! And of course if you have another favourite blogger, vote for them too, particularly the smaller bloggers, we're just as awesome as the big bloggers! (Disclaimer, I'm not saying the bigger bloggers don't deserve it, it would just be nice for smaller bloggers to get recognition as well!)

Thanking you,

Naomi

Now I am off to university, there's a few homeware bits as well as a few 'going out' bits and slouchy things, so hopefully something for everyone! I wont go in to detail as there quite a few things, but the links go straight to the Matalan website if you want to see close ups or want more details.

1. Tapered Jumpsuit.

2. Striped Roll neck blouse.

3. Roll top clutch bag.

4. Alphabet T-Shirt N.

5. A Line mini skirt.

6. PU Side panel leggings. 

7. Black skinny jeans.

8. Retro mantel clock.

9. Heart over door hooks.

10. Tap design chrome shower shelf.

11.Checked tunic shirt.

12. Grey rolled neck blouse

13. Wooden framed quote.

14. Denim box top.

So that's all for this post. Make sure you're following this blog on bloglovin' or GFC to keep up to date with all my latest posts!

What's on your wishlist?

Thanking you,

Naomi

Pit: Seventeen Define & Conquer contour kit, £5.99 I've seen so many bloggers rave about this, but I was a little underwhelmed. I do like the packaging (biggest NARS dupe if I ever did see one) but it also comes with instructions which I thought was quite nice. The contour shade is incredibly soft but this does mean my brush picks up quite a lot of product and is a tad too orange, but I'm not used to doing contouring so maybe I will grow into it. But I found the highlighter pretty poor. It doesn't really have much shimmer/something-something in it making it really just a powder, and didn't really pick up on my brush as all. Even with the swatch it took me a few times to get a solid enough colour, so as you can imagine it didn't translate of my face at all. The price is ok, but considering only one of the products actually does it's purpose, it would have been cheaper to just get a contour shade.

Peek: Miss Beauty London Lipsticks in Mauve and Heather, £1 each. I recently did a first impressions/introducing post on Miss Beauty London which you can check out here. These lipsticks are my perfect formula. The packaging is pretty naff, but the actual lipstick it amazing! They have a great range of matte and shimmer, and y'all know I love the matte, and these are fab. They're nice and soft so they glide on really nicely and have such amazing pigmentation AND they have good staying power considering they're only £1! One problem I'm having is that they're smushing against the side when I apply them, but this is more the packaging's fault rather than the actual lipstick. If you have a Poundworld near you, I would definitely recommend you checking them out!

This will be my last post for just over a week as I go to Helter Skelter on Saturday, but make sure you follow me so you can catch my next post!

What's been your pit and peek of the month?

Thanking you,

Naomi

Read some more: Beauty pit and peek June 2015

 Why, hello there...

'Because you know I'm all about that budget beauty'...doesn't quite fit the tune...

'Inspired by bustling London culture...Miss Beauty London will offer a value alternative to other british high street make-up brands.'

'The London look for less'

Poundworld have launched their own 100 piece beauty brand named 'Miss Beauty London' with all items suprisingly priced at £1 a piece. Miss Beauty London is the first £1 beauty brand to be developed and made in the UK, as apposed to its American rival Poundland's range 'Make up Gallery'. It's fantastic that they've chosen to keep manufacturing in the Uk, keeping the british manufacturing business alive (read an article from the Daily Mail on it here)

 I have tried some of Make Up Gallery products and found them a bit hit or miss, so I'm excited to see how these compare. This is going to be a sort of first impressions so if you want a full review of a specific item, let me know in the comments!

First off, the packaging is relatively basic, with the worn out GB flag as their main logo and plain writing. I get the feeling it's aimed at younger girls with the colours and packaging design (very similar to Miss Sport). In comparison to Make Up Gallery I probably prefer Make Up Gallery as the packaging looks more uniform and fancy, but the packaging still serves its purpose well. I guess it's more about the actual product when it comes to budget brands. 

The Flawless matte foundation* is SO much better than Make Up Academy's offering. It's really light considering it's a matte foundation and has relatively good coverage. I have only worn this once briefly so I can't give an extensive review but if you would like one, let me know in the comments! The pressed powders are really nice and soft, although they do have quite a bit of fall out but this is to be expected. I was sent two (Autumn Beige* and Ivory*) which unfortunately are both the wrong shade for me, but luckily I had already bought my shade (Sweet touch). Although they do offer bronzers, Autumn Beige* is actually all I need for a bronzer a it's not too dark and is matte. The blusher in the shade Cupcake is ok, it has quite a bit of fall out but I really like this shade as a highlighter. Unfortunately the liquid concealer in the shade 2* isn't the right shade but swatching it it seemed like it had good coverage and was nice and creamy, I will probably go back and purchase the right shade for me.

Next up we have eyes, and boy am I impressed! They have a volumising mascara and water proof mascara in their range, but the Lengthening mascara* is amazing at curling and lengthening AND separating my lashes which is just what I look for in a mascara. I'm yet to see what it's like after a days wear but so far so good! I normally go for a brown brow pencil but this time I thought I would try a blonde eyebrow pencil, and it's not too bad. Not too soft and has good pay off, can't really complain!

I'm not one for liners but they also offer a liquid liner and kohl liners, as well as a range of eye shadows.

Lip products are the ones I get most excited about. Lets get the not so great out of the way first. Their high shine lip gloss in clear shade 1* is the gloopiest thing ever. It's really hard to apply and is incredibly sticky. By itself it isn't massively shiny but applied over a lipstick it's alright. I know they have a range of coloured glosses so maybe they will be slightly better, but I'm not a huge lip gloss lover anyway. The Lipstick sealer I thought was a pretty cool addition to the Miss Beauty London collection as I don't think I've even seen a regular high street brand offer an affordable one of these. It's ok, it sort of makes your lips look matte which personally I like and might increase the lasting power a bit, but I don't think it would make it kiss proof. 

As for the lipsticks, I have found my new favourite! I won't go in to too much detail as I'm planning to do another post on them, but all you need to know is that for £1, I really can't recommend them enough!!

Overall I'm relatively impressed with their product range, and although some products are not so fantastic, others are worth more than their £1 price mark! If you have a Poundworld store near you, I would definitely recommend checking out their Miss Beauty London stand, I'm sure you'll find something you'll love!

As said before, if you would like a full review of any of the products mentioned or if there is a product they have that's not in this post you would like me to check out, let me know in the comments!

Visit their website here: Miss Beauty London

Have you tried anything from Miss Beauty London?

Thanking you,

Naomi

Read some more: Beauty pit and peak June 2015.

*Items marked with a * have been sent to me to be featured in a post, any items without a * have been purchased by myself with my own money. All opinions are my own.

New Look Black Maxi skirt with side slits, £9 I was in need of something to wear for the last evening of my christian holiday camp I'm leading at. I was looking for a new maxi dress but couldn't find one I liked so I decided to pick this up instead and pair it with a high neck black cami from Primark.

 New Look Black high necked vest top, £3 For only £3 for a high necked top which can be dressed up or down, I thought why not, I think it will go really well with the skirt in this post.

Primark grey and white spotted pyjama shorts, £3 I only wear long, really comfy pyjama bottoms but since it's been getting warmer (she says while it's raining outside...) I would get some shorts. They really are quite short so not sure how I feel about them yet.

Primark 'Sea air, beach hair' T shirt, £2 (sale) They only had a couple of sizes left but I thought I would get a really big size for me (16) to wear as a pyjama top. I love my pyjamas...

New Look brown suedette A line skirt, £12  If you saw my birthday haul you'll have seen a top shop skirt I bought which was also an A line skirt, and I love it. Suedette seems to be the in-thing at the moment, especially for autumn/winter collections so this will be great all year round! 

New look muti-pack rings, £2 each I always pick up some new rings in the sales as they're my favourite piece of jewellery to wear (she says whilst not wearing any...) but I though the colours and designs of these are super pretty for all year round.

Primark pack of 7 ankle socks, £2.50 Just needed some new ones...

Primark exfoliating face brush..thing.., £2 I've seen a lot of people using the S&G exfoliating glove to clean their brushes, but I can't justify spending that much on something just to clean your brushes, and it's so bit you won't use all of it to clean brushes. But I found this little beauty for only £2 and does a great job of getting my make up brushes clean.

Well, that's it. Hope you've enjoyed this post! Make sure you're following me, there will be some exciting things happening on this blog very soon...

What have you bought in the sales?

Thanking you,

Naomi

Read some more: Makeup Gallery Blush review.

Elegant Touch press on nails in Mink (RRP £6.35) I have never ever worn false nails and have always said I never would...but for £1? for a design I actually like? Once can't hurt?

Maybelline Baby lips in Coral Kiss (not available in the UK, RRP £2.99) I collected all the other Baby Lips that Pundworld offered a while ago, but I've not seen this one before. It's meant to me more of a coloured one, it has a slight tint, but nothing more than that. But just as a balm it's not too bad.

Rimmel London Colour rush balm in Sun-Kissed (RRP £5.99, Colour not available in UK) I really really love this! It leaves enough colour and once worn away really does stain your lips! I've been pairing this with the lip liner Pure (also in this post) and is a great, bright, summer lip option.

Rimmel London Scandaleyes eye shadow stick in Bluffing (RRP £4.49) I got another one of these in a previous post (see here) but this one has shimmer whereas the other one is matte. Great all over the lid colour!

Rimmel London Scandaleyes eye shadow paint in Peachy Apricot For some reason these aren't on the Superdrug or Boots website, maybe they discontinued these? Anyway this stuff is pretty good! Doesn't budge and paired with the Rimmel single shadow in this post it's super duper nice!

Rimmel London Single eye shadow in Smokey Quarts (RRP £4.49) I've seen quite a few youtubers rave about this eye shadow so it's an absolute steal to get it in Poundworld! As said before, this with the eye shadow paint above is really nice!

Barry M Magnetic nail polish in Magnetic Burgundy (RRP £4.99)  Another item I couldn't find on the Boots or Superdrug website but I found it on Amazon. I've worn this once already and got lots of compliments which was really nice, and it didn't chip too bad either!

Rimmel London Exagerate Lip Liners in Pure (pink) and Natural (nude) (RRP £3.99) (Bit Rimmel heavy this post..) I love these liners! They are so soft and easy to apply! As said before, the Pure one with the Rimmel gloss stick is amazing! And Natural creates the perfect Kylie-Jenner-Nude lip (no, that trend will never go away)

Neutrogena Make up remover cleansing wipes I'm going away soon to be a leader at a christian summer holiday (you'll know all about it if you've been reading my blog for a while) and I can't be dealing with doing the whole cleansing thing so these will do for the week.

Herbal Essences nearly naked dry shampoo (RRP £2.99 for 160ml) Another thing I bought for going away. I wanted something travel size but I find the small Batiste's don't last very long so this one is perfect, and smells really fresh.

So, for all the products I could find a RRP for, I would have spent £40.27, but actually only spent £10! A 75% saving! No too shabby I think!

Have you bought anything from the Pound Shops recently?

Thanking you,

Naomi

Read some more: Savers essentials Haul - Big brands for less.

First off I got a nice big box of chocolates from Thorntons from my mum, dad, and brother. They also got me a new Ipod which is fab. I don't see the point in getting an iphone which is pretty expensive when I already have a phone...

From my Aunty, Uncle and  cousin I got a student christian cook book which will be really useful in September. They also got me a gift cube in the Shea scent, and from my friend I got the newest Hobbit film on DVD as I never actually got to see it at the cinema.

New Look side split tank top.

New Look grey open shoulder top.

Topshop zipped up front pocket A line skirt.

Tophop Scalop frill tee

I'll have another New Look and Primark haul up soon as I've just got back from shopping the sales, so make sure you look out for that, as well as a post about the newest pound shop beauty brand to hit the shelves...

What have you bought recently?

Thanking you,

Naomi

Read some more: Blog Sale 2015.

Pit: Collection Lasting colour matte lipstick in Taffeta Bloom. I had high hope for this lipstick. I'm all about the matte so when I saw Collections new range of matte lipsticks I was very excited. The colour looked great, packaging was fine, everything was good until I applied it. It sticks to all the dry patched on your lips, gets in all those nooks and crannies you don't want it to get and just sits there. The colour really doesn't suit me which isn't the products fault, although there isn't a huge range in the matte section. The packaging doesn't stay on very well, although I do like the sleek design. Overall unfortunately I'm really not impressed which sucks as I thought I was going to find a new matte love, but alas apparently not.

Peak: Burt's Bees cranberry and pomegranate sugar scrub. I LOVE this stuff! My mum actually got this in a set from a charity shop (See post here). I really struggle with shaving my legs (TMI)  as I have sensitive skin and eczema, but this stuff has been amazing! I can't stand really thin scrubs with tiny particles, I'm all about the chunky, rough scrubs that actually do something, and this is one of them. It looks like a very similar consistency to The Body shop raspberry scrub with all the little seeds in it as well as being a sugar scrub and has such a strong scent. Although being rough, it has a tonne of oil in it which really moisturises and leaves your skin feeling amazing. They still sell this on FeelUnique but it's quite expensive, so if anyone has any suggestions for cheaper scrubs I could try, let me know in the comments!


What has been your Pit and Peek of the month?

Thanking you,

Naomi.


Read some more: Nail Care Essentials*

Why, hello there...

About a year ago I started my first blog sale page. I didn't sell much on here so I took it down and sold stuff on Depop instead (my username is penniesforapound). But now I've got a few more beauty bits to sell I thought I'd post another one. I might make another blog sale page but for now we'll stick to this post. Please read the terms below and if you have any questions, tweet me at @naomi_joy_

• Please email me at naomijoyhollands@gmail.com what you want or leave in the comments your email along with the items you want.
• Postage will be calculated based on items purchased, all packages will be sent 2nd class and I will try and send all orders ASAP.
• UK only
• Payments are to be made via Paypal (my email is in the bottom point). Select 'send money' and choose 'family or friends'. This is because paypal take a percentage from me if you select 'goods', so I don't get to even see some of the money.
• Payments must be made within 24 hours of receiving an email from me notifying you of the total, products will be marked as 'pending' in this period. After 24 hours, if not paid, the products will go back on sale.
• I will ask for proof of postage at the post office, but I will not be held responsible if royal mail damage the product in any way. I will package items carefully to ensure this doesn't happen.
• Returns are not accepted, look for swatches on-line to ensure you will be happy with your purchase.
• If you have any questions, or want to negotiate a price, email me at naomijoyhollands@gmail.com or tweet me @naomi_joy_

All nail polish £2 each 
Max Factor mini nail polish in Lollipop - never used
Fearne nail polish - used once
Models own in coral reef - never used
Rimmel Cocktail colour in Hawaiian Punch - used twice
Revlon Parfumerie in Beachy - used once
Fearne nail polish - used once
Rimmel I heart lasting finish in Block your green - used twice




H&M Blue tile print blouse, size 12 - £4

Why, hello there... 

First up we have my all time favourite lipstick from Primark. This doesn't have a name but it's an amazing your-lips-but-better colour, perfect for everyday wear. I always wear this to work as it stays put and doesn't have any shimmer. 

Next we have the MUA matte lipstick in the shade Fawn Fancy. I don't wear this one as much but is probably closest to the velvet teddy lipstick in terms of colour. This is very matte (obviously, it's in the name) but is still quite creamy. Mine is a little worse for ware now as it broke in the tube but is definitely a great browny nude colour.

Everyone raves about the Bourjois rouge edition velvets and this one is just amazing. The shade is called nude-ist but is more pinky than an average nude. If you don't think you could pull of a proper brown nude like Miss Jenner, this is definitely one to try.

If you don't really like the matte look and want something glossier, the Rimmel Vinyl lipgloss in Snog is great. It has great pigmentation and isn't sticky. This over the top of any nude lipstick looks really nice, especially with these two lip liners:

The first liner is from Primark and again doesn't have a name. This is a more peachy nude, I've seen people compare it to pillow talk from Charlotte Tilbury which I personally haven't tried but looks pretty close and is fairly soft.

The second liner is a favourite in the blogging world which you will haven seen in my recent haul post; Rimmel exagerate lip liner in the shade Eastend snob. This by itself is just amazing. It's matte and glides on great, a slightly pinky toned nude, just love it.

Have you tried any of these products? What's your fave nude lip product?

Thanking you,

Naomi

Read some more: Boots advantage card savings.