Good News!

So I've been cray cray busy recently. My shifts went from week nights to weekend days, and I spent the first week trying to readjust my sleeping pattern, so I was grouchy and miserable. But then I realised I had 4 days off a week... So I decided to bite the bullet and apply for a Beauty Therapy course in a local college and a different college around 6 miles away, even though the courses started around 2nd Sep. 

The first college invited me in with open arms, but said their fees for the year would be £1,672 - I had to refuse as I don't have that kind of moolah! 

I was turned down by the second college; their course was now full, but they'd keep me on hold if a space became available. Their course covered exactly the same things as the first college, but their fees were substantially lower, at around £816, which, in my job, part of the country and economy, this seemingly meagre sum of money was still far from my reach. I talked to my mother about it, and she said if I really wanted a future in beauty (definitely!) then she'd loan me the money. But because I'd been denied, I said no, it'd give me time to save up to pay for some of the course that started in January 2015. 

BUT! Just two days after being denied, I received a phone call from the second college, asking me to attend an interview; they'd decided to expand their classes and many more people - myself included - were asked to interview. 

I was ecstatic, overjoyed, nervous, and then frightened to death - I couldn't afford the course, just after saying no to my mum for her help! So I told her about the interview, and she gave me £750 to pay for my course when I attended and was accepted! 

So this is the makeup & nails I wore for my interview and for my first day at college (I was accepted & started the same day). Unfortunately it was "Facial day", so all my hard work was cleansed right off my face within minutes of being in class. I was also told to ditch my fake nails (I've been wearing fake nails solidly for around 4 years) until the course finishes next June. 

So... Yeah, now my nails look like this: 

Soooo not happy about this, but if this is the sacrifice I have to make, then so be it!  

On the two days I have off a week, I'll be studying and trying to catch up on the work that I've missed out on, and I'll also try really hard to blog as often as possible. So sorry if my blog lags a little bit - I'll try my best to keep you peeps up to date with my beauty bites! 

Catch you lovelies soon, this is part-time college girl, over and out! 

 

Review: Bourjois Shine Edition Lipstick in "26 Beige Démocrachic"

So as you all know I'm such a daredevil when it comes to lip colours (hahaha yeah, right), so when I saw this lip colour, it had to be mine. 

I love nudes, seriously, if I had to wear nothing but nude lip colours for the rest of my life, I'd die happy. And this lipstick doesn't let me down in any way. 

It applies as a sheer, shimmery, brown-pink nude with a glossy, sparkly sheen . It wears smoothly and comfortably without any unpleasant side effects like being drying. It is very similar to the Revlon Lip Butters; light on the lips, feels moisturising and even good for wearing at cold temperatures like 2 degrees centigrade (I work in this temperature all year round). 

Any moisturising lipsticks/glosses/balms that you recommended for everyday that stand up to winter-like temps? 

Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette Swatches!

Yes, yes, oh God, yes!!! Ahem... I mean... So my Naked 3 palette turned up today and I wasn't excited in the slightest *cough, lie! cough*.

I've been wanting to get this palette since I first saw Kandee Johnson (amazing girl from YouTube, I adore her) show this palette last year. And now it's mine at last!!! Mwahahahahahaaaaaa!!!

I do apologise! And now for the rest of my blog...

So before I show you the shadows, I'll show you a neat little freebie that Urban Decay have kindly added for their buyers so that they can make the most of their eyeshadows... 

There's a booklet, and inside this booklet there are four - yes, four - samples of their famous eyeshadow primer. 

They're tucked handily in the sleeves in this booklet, with each different primer's name, colour and effect written on the package for your convenience.

I think that these are a brilliant way to advertise their own primers for anyone that hasn't tried them so they can make up their mind. I used to be a huge fan of UD e/s primer (original) but ended up using MAC Paint Pots. 

Anyway, swatch time! 

I am so excited to use this palette; the first eight colours are light enough for me to use on a regular basis (with Naked 2 I can only use the first five - the rest are too dark or too grey), the colours are beautiful, pigmented, creamy and a delight to use. I am very happy with this palette indeed! 

As for the primers, I won't be using the samples, I'll stick with my Paint Pots. I had a very bad experience with UD Sin (creased within an hour, no matter how I applied it) so I'm not tempted to use anything but the original, but I'm hoping my sister might take these off my hands... *hint hint, mei mei!* 

Do you like/hate the Naked Palettes? Got a palette you recommend? I'd love to know xx

Review: Maybelline Color Elixir Lip Lacquer in '725 Caramel Infused'

To be honest, I bought this at the same time as my other lip lacquer by Maybelline (two for £10), and after deciding it was almost a waste of money, I was wondering or not whether to blog about this, but I decided to try it out anyway... 

Like the other lip lacquer, it has the same cute packaging (I'm not a huge fan of packaging, but I comment on it in case others are), and the same light, candy scent that wears away quickly. In the tube, the colour has a brownish caramel appearance (hence the name), but when it's applied, it's a lovely, creamy pink-brown (yes, you know me, love my nude lips - so predictable, Xen, well done!). After the disappointment of 'Signature Scarlet', I was completely ready to throw down my weapons and admit defeat against the evils of the tyrannical lip lacquer...

But I was pleasantly surprised. The colour was lovely, medium-pigmentation, looked good with just one swipe of the pear-shaped wand (forgot to take a pic, please see previous blog) and the colour didn't settle into the creases in my lips, making me one happy girl indeed. It reminds me of a lipgloss version of MAC's lipstick 'Modesty', which has been one of my favourite nude lipsticks of this year. 

This little beauty has impressed me, and will be joining the ranks of my other nude lip colours, for sure. 

Any lip colours you like/suggest? Have you tried these lip lacquers? Let me know! 

Review: Maybelline Color Elixir Lip Lacquer in '505 Signature Scarlet'

Maybelline have come out with some seriously fab new beauty products, so I have been tempted to buy their products more than normal recently. 

These lip lacquers are in a really cool tube; the lacquer itself is in a smaller inner tube in the shape of a lipstick. 

As you can see it has a pear shaped applicator that holds a fair amount of product. 

This is what my lips look like with loads of this lip lacquer on. 

The Pro's: The colour is vibrant, bright and glossy. The texture is smooth and pliable without being sticky. There is a very light scent of candy, which wears off quickly, so it shouldn't be too bad for people that are 'scent-sitive'.

The Cons: The pigmentation of this lip lacquer is poor when applied in thin coats; I'm not a fan of washed-out looking red lips. The colour also settles into the lines of my lips, accentuating every line, giving my lips an almost wrinkly appearance. The colour moves around easily, especially when I press my lips together; I end up with a pale top lip and a really dark red bottom lip. 

My thoughts: I'm not as happy as I'd hoped I'd be, considering Maybelline's great new lines have been impressing me recently, but it's an alright lip lacquer. 3/5, two stars taken off for the lack lustre pigmentation and the way the colour shifts across my lips. 

Review: Kiss Gel Dress Nail Stickers in 'My Space'

So I'm running low on money this week, but really wanted to have super snazzy nails. Seeing as how I am awful at any kind of nail art, I thought these might help me out. 

I paid around £5.99 for these in Superdrug quite happily; I figured £6 for a two week, cute manicure was cheap and cheerful.

In the kit you get 20 full nail stickers, 20 French tip nail stickers (2 looks, 1 price), a nail file, cuticle pusher, gel nail wipe and an instruction manual. 

It basically says to apply the stickers to clean, dry nails, smooth up through the centre first, then smooth down on the sides of the nails. File away excess, apply Kiss LED gel polish (I have sensationail, which is the better, more expensive version of Kiss), cure it with LED light, then finally use the gel polish wipe to remove the tacky outer layer of gel polish. Then your manicure is done.

Apparently... 

I started the process carefully, following the instructions to a T. But I had a problem. My nails were simply the wrong shape for the stickers; they couldn't adhere to all sides of my nails at the same time. When I smoothed the stickers up through the middle of the nail, the outsides puckered and stuck out; when I smoothed down the outsides, the stickers came away from the middle of my nails. I was in a sticky situation (pun intended); have smooth nails in just the centre - and have the outer nails lifting immediately - or smooth outer stickers, but have the centre lift two millimetres away from my nails. Either way, they would catch and peel off within hours, possibly even minutes. I tried using nail glue over my nails to help adhere them but the sticky layer of the stickers acted as a lubricant, making application impossible. 

Above; The Aftermath. Bits of nail stickers after trying a dozen times to apply them unsuccessfully. 

I got really upset; I'd just wasted money on a manicure that frustrated me to the point of violence, so I went to my nail polish box to give myself a pick-me-up manicure. I also found some really cute little nail gems, so added them on my nails too, and I ended up with this: 

Now, although my nails aren't perfect, I feel a lot happier. 

My thoughts: For me, this was a complete waste of time and money, and I will never try using those kind of stickers again. I'm not even sure I'll be able to use the French tip part... I might try it but for the moment it's all back in the box and put away. 

Review: Maybelline Color Drama Intense Velvet Lip Pencil 520 Light It Up

Maybelline are on fire this year! They've come out with some pretty snazzy new cosmetics; after buying their lip pencil Minimalist, Light It Up has now joined my army of makeup at home. 

It's a beautiful, creamy, blue-based red lip colour that glides on smoothly, is highly pigmented, and feels light on the lips. 

It dries to a satiny finish, and transfers easily, so reapplication will be necessary. Again, like pencil lip colours, sharpening it will mean loss of product, but they're not so expensive that it matters greatly. 

Above, zoomed out so you can see the full effect. 

I really love these little pencils - well done Maybelline, you've done yourself proud.