First impressions; Wild Glow edt by Jennifer Lopez...

Jennifer Lopez has just launched her new limited edition fragrance Wild Glow, which is inspired by the upbeat rhythm of music pulsing through the crowd and bright lights that represent joy of life. It is described as a floral-fruity composition that pulsates with energy.

Wild and energetic, Wild Glow celebrates freedom, beauty and happiness. It opens with a fruity blend of mandarin, black currant and tropical fruits. The floral heart of star jasmine, heliotrope and lily of the valley is laid on the base of sandalwood, musk and vanilla...

Sweet, like chocolate (a deeper look at the I ❤️Chocolate palette by I❤️Makeup)...

Step aside; there's a new cowboy in town...

As I mentioned in my last I ❤️ Makeup palette review, I don't live near any stores big enough to stock Too Faced cosmetics, and I'm not fond of buying makeup online. This means that I've never gotten around to buying their Chocolate Bar palette, despite drooling over photos, blog posts etc.

However, when I was browsing their makeup display, I saw that I  ❤️ Makeup have released their own version of the Chocolate Bar palette called I   ❤️ Chocolate. So I naturally bought it, and have been taking photographs over the past few months as I've been trying out various colour combinations, so other people can follow me and decide if it's worth investing in as a last-minute stocking stuffer... 

Be bold, be... Big & Daring [mascara by Avon]...

I've never been a lover of Avon mascaras in the past as I have found that they tend to have really wet formulas which makes them prone to clumping, so this mascara has been a real surprise for me as it isn't as wet as the others I've tried.


I love the big, doll eyed look, and this mascara gives my lashes the mega volume, great separation and rich colour to make the look easy to achieve.

Bare lashes vs one coat

NOTD: Bearest Of Them All over Christmas Gone Plaid by OPI...

Most of my festive nail polishes are from 2008 to 2012, so I wanted to post a quickie review and (iffy) swatches for this combo I recently wore, as the polishes are both from this year's OPI Holiday collections...

Christmas Gone Plaid & Bearest Of Them All

Hollywood Collection Ultra Colour Lipstick by Avon in Hollywood Siren

Avon cosmetics have released three new Ultra Colour lipstick shades for Christmas, and they have currently knocked £3.50 of the price I decided to give the burgundy one, a shade that I rarely wear, a try.

 However, in classic Avon style, the shade that they show as being burgundy online and in their catalogue [and in the swatch on the back of my hand] applies more as a muted red on my lips.

Despite being mislead by the online swatches, what did I think about this lipstick after wearing it a bunch of times?

The Bargain Hunter: Cookie & cream-comb...

I want to do I quick review for this cute mirror & comb compact because I think that this item could make a nice stocking filler for someone this Christmas...

Okay; this is kinda cheap and tacky, plus [as you can tell from the photo] the little comb is cute, but really rather useless, but the compact mirror is something that I use every day.

One side of the compact has the mirror whilst the other side is left hollow (so that the comb fits in neatly), so the compact doesn't look like something that you've spent a lot of money on. However I've had mine for around three months and have dropped it a few times, but it still looks and operates as it did new out of the packaging.

I also felt that it was worth pointing out that, unlike the other items I've reviewed, this doesn't come in a totally plain baggie, and so would make a cute little stocking stuffer for someone.

My order took two weeks to arrive (from China), so you can still order it in time for Christmas.

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Order the compact mirror here for £1.12.

NOTD: Snow Fall, over Pillow Fight, by Ciate...

"Fill your festive season with glittering treats from Ciaté London, infused with festive scents from gingerbread to candy cane, deck your nails with colourful merriment and spread holiday cheer with Ciaté London.
This joyful scented colour collection is housed in a good-enough-to-eat super cute box, guaranteed to spice up your holiday season"

Yep; today I'll be opening my new Ciatè set of mini polishes as I get my festive sparkle on. As the post title suggests I'm going to start with the shade Snow Fall, which I've decided to pair with a soft grey polish to represent storm clouds...

Seventh Grave and No Body (Charley Davidson #7) by Darynda Jones...

QTwelve. Twelve of the deadliest beasts ever forged in the fires of hell have escaped onto our plane, and they want nothing more than to rip out the jugular of Charley Davidson and serve her lifeless, mangled body to Satan for dinner. So there’s that. 

But Charley has more on her plate than a mob of testy hellhounds. For one thing, her father has disappeared, and the more she retraces his last steps, the more she learns he was conducting an investigation of his own, one that has Charley questioning everything she’s ever known about him. Add to that an ex-BFF who is haunting her night and day, a rash of suicides that has authorities baffled, and a drop-dead sexy fiancé who has attracted the attentions of a local celebrity, and Charley is not having the best week of her life. But all of that combined barely scratches the surface of her problems. Recent developments—and a few distressing prophesies—have forced her to become a responsible adult. Exactly the kind of adult she’s never aspired to be. To conquer such a monumental task, she’s decided to start small. Really small. She gets a pet. But how can she save the world against the forces of evil when she can’t even keep a goldfish alive?

A tad north of hell, a hop, skip, and a jump past the realm of eternity, is a little place called Earth, and Charley Davidson, grim reaper extraordinaire, is determined to do everything in her power to protect it.

We’re doomed.

First impressions; Premiere Luxe edp by Avon...

"Decadent blackcurrant and luxurious white florals mingle with amber for a dramatic, long lasting finish"

If La Vie Est Belle and Nicole Richie's self named perfume had a baby, then that bundle of joy would be named Premiere Luxe... 

It isn't a very unique fragrance, but it is nicely structured, and has very good longevity for the low price. plus the bottle has a classic vintage feel to it.

New fragrance: Moschino Toy edt by Moschino...

Designer Jeremy Scott became the creative director of Moschino in 2013. Fun fashion collections that he has done for this house were inspired by fast food, pop culture , Sponge Bob cartoon and Barbie doll. In this style, the new fragrance from Moschino launched by Jeremy Scott is named Moschino Toy.

Moschino Toy comes in an unusual bottle that looks like a teddy bear who is wearing a T-shirt saying "THIS IS NOT A MOSCHINO TOY". The bottle is inside the teddy bear and diffuser is revealed when you take of the bear’s head.


The scent is unisex, light, floral and woody. It is composed of accords of fresh bergamot, powdery violet, aromatic tones of lavender and juniper, as well as precious woods. It is available as 50 ml Eau de Toilette.


[Fragrantica]

The beat goes on - a closer look at the Alexa Heart set by Nails INC...

I've fallen behind with Nails INC as a brand; you can buy China Glaze polishes year-round two or three pounds cheaper than the bigger drugstore brands, and my local TK Maxx nearly always has bottles by OPI, Ciatè, and Orly in stock for £4 or £5, so I can get two or three polishes by them for the price of a single Nails INC polish. But then came the Boots Christmas catalogue to reignite my love of Nails INC by showing me a photo of the limited edition Alexa Hearts polish set.

I went to the Nails INC site for a closer look at the set, as my local Boots is small so doesn't stock Nails INC, and once there captions like "free shipping with this item" and "free gift with orders over £35" suckered me into opening my wallet within two minutes...

First Impressions: StormFlower edp by Cheryl [Tweedy, Cole, Fernandez-Versini]...

I wanted to try Storm Flower as Cheryl has mentioned in many interviews over the past several years her love of perfume, and how important her scent memory is to her. 

I assumed these things would mean that she would put a bit of effort into creating something adult and a bit more original then what is considered the norm in the world of 'celeb scents'...

New fragrance: Rocker Femme Fantasy edp by Britney Spears...

Rocker Femme Fantasy is the 8th* (it follows Fantasy, Midnight Fantasy, Hidden  Fantasy, Circus Fantasy, Island Fantasy, Fantasy: The Naughty Remix, and Fantasy: The Nice Remix) new fragrance in the Britney Spears/Elizabeth Arden  Fantasy series.

The fragrance is officially grouped as a oriental-gourmand fragrance, so it's perfect for this time of year. The perfume opens with sweet aromas of blackberry liqueur and coconut cream. Flowers of violet, gardenia and jasmine are in the heart of the perfume. Amber, musk, cashmere and vanilla provide a warm, cozy base.

X Appeal; reimagining the Scully look...

1.18 Miracle Man

There's no real reason for this post; I've just finished rewatching my first season boxset of The X Files and am feeling Dana Scully's 90s makeup, and my favourite is the 60s-collides-with-the-90s matte look her character wore regularly in the second half of season one.

I bought the I ❤️ Chocolate palette by I ❤️ Makeup recently and used Scully's 60s/90s mashup look as inspiration for one of the demo EOTD photos that will be featured with my near-future review of the  I ❤️ Chocolate eyeshadow palette. I loved the look I did and have been rewearing it a lot, so I felt like posting it here.

I guess that you can consider this post as a I ❤️ Chocolate palette teaser...

1.24 The Erlenmeyer Flask

NOTD: Getting To Gnaw You by China Glaze...

Getting To Gnaw You is one of the five new shades in the 2014 Halloween collection Apocalypse, and it is the last one in this collection for me to get around to trying...

The Bargain Hunter: wishing on a star(fish)...

This ring looks great for the small price. It hasn't snapped or stained my skin, so it's all good in my experience.

All but one of my other Sodial rings have been a size N, but this one was a bit bigger - around a O or P. However I just gently squeezed the legs of the starfish together a bit, so now it fits me nicely...

Ideal Flawless CC cream by Avon...

For reference: I mainly use Revlon foundations - Photoready in Vanilla, and Nearly Naked in Ivory. For the Revlon Photoready BB Cream I wear Light. I also enjoy Avon's Ideal Flawless foundation, for which I wear the shade Light Pink.

Fancy a bite? (Trying out Vampire lipstick by Beauty UK)...

Do you ever buy something because you like the shade name? Say hello to exhibit 100.000,001 for me...

I wanted a red lipstick to go with my black as-yet-unworn skull and rose adorned dress that I'm planning to wear to the Lady Gaga concert next week, and as I thought the name of my chosen shade is very fitting for Halloween month, I thought I'd share my thoughts on it here.

I regularly look for a low priced red lipstick, as I don't feel confident in red, but think that if I one day find a shade that flatters both my small mouth shape AND very thin upper lip, I'll rather like the classic look. anyway; I bought this one because I remember Samantha Chapman from Pixiwoo mentioning it in a video about her favourite red lipsticks a while ago, and I admire her makeup looks. And, as she has fair skin too, I thought there was a fair chance that Vampire might work for me.

NOTD: I Love Your Guts by China Glaze...

I Love Your Guts is one of the five new shades in the 2014 Halloween collection Apocalypse.

I Love Your Guts is the red version of But Of Corpse; the finish and the performance of the formula is the same for both polishes...

Worldwide Giveaway at Swatch and Learn: win a OPI Don’t Speak 18K GoldTop Coat...

I read the fantastic Swatch and Learn blog on a weekly basis, so came across Mary's great giveaway, and I wanted to pass the details along.
I bought the Mariah Carey gold topcoat from lasts year's Christmas collection and love it, so this new one is on my wish list xx

"[Yesterday was] Canadian Thanksgiving, and I thought it was very fitting to have a surprise worldwide giveaway to remind my amazing blog readers of how much I appreciate you all.

From now until Friday October 24, 2014 at 11:59 pm EDT, you can enter for a chance to win the brand new OPI Don’t Speak 18K Gold Top Coat, which is a collaboration with Gwen Stefani! (You may remember me posting Instagram photoshere and here.)"

NOTD: But Of Corpse by China glaze...

But Of Corpse is one of the five new shades in the 2014 Halloween collection Apocalypse. It is a matte shimmery green shade, filled with scattered matte black glitter specks. The matte shimmers make the polish look textured, but it's not, its a smooth formula. Whilst the shade is very Halloweeny as it looks like moldy zombie fresh it the current cold & darker weather, I think that it'll also look good in brighter weather too, so it's versatile; in fact I think it promises to be the most versatile shade in this year's Halloween collection.

The pigmentation and the formula are both great; the polish is really smooth and bubble/streak free to apply, and the colour is so rich that it's very nearly a one-coater, and the polish dries extremely quickly; within one minute. 

Getting in with INNI: my indroduction to nail wraps with INNI...

I've never tried nail wraps before because it struck me as something that would be tricky to do, so I didn't want to waste my money. However I have recently been looking at different brands and debating finally trying some as I want something that lasts longer then polish, so I was delighted to get the opportunity to try some sample designs by INNI.

What sets INNI apart from other nail wrap brands is that in addition to selecting one of the many great designs in the site's gallery that other INNI customers have designed, is that you also use the site's 'studio' paint programme to design and paint the exact design you want, and/or upload any photo you want and convert your custom design into nail wraps.

My wraps are samples, but the Grey textured design is very similar...

(Send it) With Love by Paris Hilton...

The new Parlux/Paris Hilton edp will focus on top notes of green apple, bergamot and kiwi. The middle notes are composed around wild jasmine, orchid and lily-of-the-valley. The base notes are mixed woodsy notes and musk.

This 2014 release is said to be more adult in comparison to Paris' earlier perfumes, and it is "dedicated to Paris Hilton's fans around the world". 


With Love will be released in 50ml and 100ml bottles.

City of Ghosts (Downside Ghosts #3) by Stacia Kane

IT’S A THIN LINE BETWEEN ALIVE AND UNDEAD.

Chess Putnam has a lot on her plate. Mangled human corpses have started to show up on the streets of Downside, and Chess’s bosses at the Church of Real Truth have ordered her to team up with the ultra-powerful Black Squad agency to crack the grisly case.

Chess is under a binding spell that threatens death if she talks about the investigation, but the city’s most notorious crime boss—and Chess’s drug dealer—gets wind of her new assignment and insists on being kept informed. If that isn’t bad enough, a sinister street vendor appears to have information Chess needs. Only he’s not telling what he knows, or what it all has to do with the vast underground City of Eternity.

Now Chess will have to navigate killer wraiths, First Elders, and a lot of seriously nasty magic—all while coping with some not-so-small issues of her own. And the only man Chess can trust to help her through it all has every reason to want her dead.

The Bargain Hunter: leafy stuff...

Another day, another bargain...

I didn't particularly want any new earrings, so I just ordered these out of curiosity (the product image on Amazon is solely of a teal gift pouch).  I didn't have any real expectations for these to live up to, but it's turned out that I love them; I'm likely to order more as Christmas presents...

Icons Of Happiness: Coca Cola by OPI Christmas giftsets...

I was so focused on OPI's Christmas collection with Gwen Stefani that I failed to notice that OPI have two sets with Coca Cola too, so I was giddy when I saw this when browsing the new releases on a shopping site.

Naturally I bought it...

Bits and pieces: Rest In Pieces nail polish by China Glaze...

Rest In Pieces is one of the five new shades in the 2014 Halloween collection Apocalypse. 

It is made up of hex glitter in yellow gold, copper, and teensy holographic pieces. There are also a few black hex shapes in various sizes scattered throughout the mix. We're not done yet; there are also yellow gold, copper, and holographic bar glitter pieces too. All of this glitter is scattered in a clear base, so this shade is made for layering over other polishes.

The Bargain Hunter: watch out for the big cat...

I was not expecting anything good when I ordered this watch - I thought the face would be smashed in transit and/or it just wouldn't keep the time.

But I was wrong, so here we are with my new favourite item in my The Bargain Hunter series...

FYI: Clintons have started to stock the Yankee Halloween collection...

I went into my local branch of Clinton's today to buy the Twisted Peppermint jar candle, but I noticed a new small display table piled with Yankee Halloween candles.

So I naturally forgot about my original mission and bought some of the Halloween ones instead...

NOTD: Don't Let The Dead Bite by China Glaze...

Today I want us to take a closer look at Don't Let The Dead Bite - one of the five new shades in the China Glaze 2014 Halloween collection 'Apocalypse'...