Topshop Nail Polish in 'Unfold' Review

As usual, Topshop have managed to entice me with their make up section. Although most of their products don't actually interest me, I love the polishes. The formula is nice, they're not too expensive, and the bottles are a good size that you'll actually use it all before it goes all crusty. They keep bringing out more matte shades (damn them) and 'Unfold' is the latest to add to my collection.

I wish they had given this more of a food/ice cream themed name because literally everyone has said it is the exact colour of mint ice cream. It's quite a pale shade which I really love - I prefer colours that are subtle especially when I have acrylic nails as I think bright colours can look a bit tacky. 

The only slight problem I have with this polish is that it's just not quite as matte as I'd like. As the days have gone on a bit more of a shine appears, unlike my other Topshop matte shades. This isn't a problem though as I like to re-apply polish every few days anyway or I can just go over it with my Essie matte top coat. Still definitely a shade I recommend!

L'oreal Volume Million Lashes 'So Couture' Mascara Review

As my beloved Maybelline Falsies mascara has almost all but dried up, I thought it was (foolishly) time to pick up a new mascara. Wandering into Boots the display for this mascara hit me straight in the face and I was swayed by the lovely lady filling the stand. Into the basket it went...

I've had this for about a week now and although I wanted to hold off a bit longer, 1 - I'm going on holiday on Saturday so can't really write a post then, and 2 - I was just so let down by it that I wanted to write about it now. Seriously! Remembering back to the first version of the Million Lashes mascara, this doesn't compare at all. I fondly remember being at school wearing it and my friend Jack asking why I wore fake lashes to school? When it was just the genius mascara!

I really like the sleek packaging of this mascara - it's a refreshing change to the neon plastic tubes you see a lot of now. I do have to say though the 'So Couture' bit annoys me - nothing makes classy looking things look cheap than actually stating 'hey, this mascara is couture!'. The wand is quite compact and hard - the bristles are short and plastic rather than the softer bristles you find with most mascaras that claim to be volume enhancing! This isn't a problem as you can get quite close to the root of your lashes without being poked in the eye by a stray frond. The formula seems nice too, quite wet but dries quickly so you don't get the awful bits of wet mascara floating around in your eyeball. The only qualm with the formula is that it seems to be scented?! Who needs scented mascara?! It's an alright scent, I'll give them that, but it's very odd and every time I apply it I'm just bewildered by it.

However no matter how nice all these things are separately - all together they just amount to nothing. It's not terrible by a long shot, but it's just not very good either. It annoys me that I always do this - stray from my beloved falsies to try something new only to be let down! Sob!

Have you tried any new products lately? Mascara is always the one holy grail product I'm looking for!

Little Happy Things #3 (June)

1. my gorgeous little pom

2. Heaton Hall on a sunny day

3. my beautiful best friend

4. bargain sale buys (blog post here!)

5. damien running in Heaton Park with the dog

June seems to have gone by in such an absolute whirlwind. With the weather picking up I've been trying to get out of the house whenever I can - and our favourite place at the minute is Heaton Park (where they hold Parklife in Manchester). It's not far away from us but it's absolutely huge and a great place to take our tiny dog for a day out. My amazing best friend also visited me before she left to work in France for the summer. We spent the time appropriately shopping, crying in the cinema and eating beautiful food :)

I go on holiday this month so expect lots more pictures in the next Little Happy Things! What has made you happy this month?

Real Techniques Expert Face Brush Review

A little bit late to the party, I finally bought a Real Techniques brush last month. Famous for it's excellent pricing that doesn't skimp on quality, I've been road testing this for the past few weeks before I wrote a review.

I admit it: I hated it the first few times I used it. I just really didn't get along with it and I was instantly disappointed that this brand - that everyone seems to love - had let me down. But I persevered, used it every day, and slowly began to fall in love with it. The bristles are super soft but packed tight so they don't just annoyingly splay out everywhere when you're trying to buff in foundation. The head is small enough that you can use it to blend under eye concealer. And without sounding weird - the handle is a bit thicker than brushes by MAC per say - which makes it very comfortable to hold.

I've been using this so far for concealer and foundation but I know some people really enjoy using this as a powder brush which I'll definitely try out! One of the best things about Real Technique brushes is supposedly that you can really use them for all sorts of things - I know a lot of brush brands such as MAC or Sigma tend to have a brush for literally everything you can think of! Real Techniques having a smaller range means that you don't have to spend as much money but still get the good quality you're after. You can buy this brush here for £8.99 - though I do recommend keeping an eye out in Boots and Superdrug as they run 3 for 2 offers on these literally all the time.

Have you tried any of these brushes? Are there any you can recommend?

Holiday Hair Products

Seeing as I jet off on holiday in 16 days (!!!) I've begun thinking about what I need to be taking with me. I did all of my clothes shopping last month so that I couldn't be tempted to pick up bits here and there in the weeks leading up to going away (we know we all do it, come on). I already have a tonne of beauty products as well so now I'm just selecting the best bits to go with me!

Bumble and Bumble Thickening Dryspun Finish Spray, £21.50

A bit expensive, yes, but fully worth it (read my full review here). It doubles up as a dry shampoo as well as a thickening spray but doesn't leave any kind of white residue or sticky feeling. Generally lovely and I think it will be great for when my hair needs a bit of oomph after being in the sun all day! 

Moroccanoil Moisture Repair Conditioner 250ml, £17.50

I have dip dyed hair which obvious means my hair has been bleached - bleach, sun and chlorine don't mix too well! So I'm taking this intensive conditioner with me (obviously going to decant into a smaller bottle!) and I'll be conditioning the ends of my hair every day. I love this conditioner because even though it's quite intense it doesn't leave my hair feeling greasy or limp.

Aussie Luscious Long Leave In Conditioner, £4.69

Aaand just a bit more conditioner! I use this every time I wash my hair without fail as I get horrendously knotty hair when it's wet and this is the only thing that gets them out. Therefore I thought this will probably be perfect for getting sea water tangly hair back to normal! 

Do you have any particular holiday routines like this? I always have to put together little packages of things I'll need! 

P.S don't forget to follow me on Bloglovin', I'll be posting more holiday prep now that it's summer time and then I'll be updating my holiday outfits! 

My Best Sale Buy: Kurt Geiger Carvela 'Kloud' Sandals

Seeing as I'm going on holiday next month I haven't been able to go shopping with my usual vigour - which as you can imagine has been horrible. I've only been picking up things that I really need (which sadly doesn't include MAC products) but then when I saw these and the price - I had to break the rules a bit.

Enter the 'Kloud' sandal. The £15 Kurt Geiger Carvela sandal. £15! I literally could not believe my eyes and there was literally one pair left in my size - I knew if I didn't take them then I would regret it forever. They're a fairly simple sandal with a thong toe, ankle strap and support. However as you can see on the back of the (contrast, cobalt blue) heel there are the most amazing spiked studs! And take it from me - these are sharp studs - definitely have to be careful with them! 

They aren't real leather, it's all synthetic, which in all honesty is one of the reasons I never would have paid full price (£70) but for £15 plus staff discount at Topshop I could definitely deal with. I know these will be perfect for holiday and for wearing here when the weather picks itself back up again. I love them so much and they're so much more me than the studded/bejewelled offerings you see everywhere on the high street. You can still get the orange and nude version of these shoes here (full price sadly) but this colour way has sold out online. 

Have you managed to pick up any great sale buys? I think this one will be hard to beat!

Maybelline Baby Skin Instant Pore Eraser Review

I've actually had this for well over a month now but held off reviewing because I literally could not make my mind up on it! Although lots of people have apparently been wowed by this, I think I can finally say that I am not. For starters, you need a lot of this to cover your face. It's quite a thick consistency that doesn't spread out very well so when you try to use less you end up with patches of your face uncovered that obviously then becomes patchy foundation! So a tube that should normally last you quite a while will no doubt only last me another few weeks.

My other concern is just that really, it doesn't work that well for me. I definitely can't see any drastic improvement in my foundation application as a result from it, in particular it does nothing in terms of creating a smoother base to cover blemishes - they still have to be loaded with concealer to look anything near normal! I just feel like for the price (around £7.99 full price) I would rather spend the extra pounds and get something like the L'orel Studio Secrets primer (which I can vouch for!). 

Overall I think Maybelline have missed the mark a bit with the 'Baby' products - I really didn't take to the BabyLips and I haven't taken to this either! Stick to the more grown up products that work please Maybelline, you're so much better than this!