Casemate Creatures case......Turn your phone from 'BLAH' to 'WOW'!

I upgraded from my 8520 blackberry  (I know this is a popular phone for MANY people most of my friends and family have the 8520 so if you do too check out the link to accessorize yours) to the 9360 a while ago and when I had my other Blackberry I loved putting fun and funky cases on, mostly to make it look more girlie and pretty but also because I am THE clumsiest person ever and I drop my phone constantly which leaves it with some not so attractive scratches, I briefly looked for cases whem I upgraded and didn't come across many for the 9360 so last week was pleased to come across www.mobilefun.co.uk as they have such a diverse range of technology products, not only phone cases, but phone handsets, Ipod/Ipads and plenty of acessories and other items like gaming acessories, I was pleased to find they had quite a few different products for my 9360 and I ended up choosing the Case-mate Creatures case in 'Xing' which as you can see is a pretty panda!

 

As an animal lover this was the perfect case for me, they also do it in 'Bubbles the monkey'. The Case-mate creatures are very reasonably priced at £19.95 as it does such a good job of protecting my phone which if I broke would cost me alot of money to fix, 

The case has all the cut out points just perfect unlike alot of cases i've tried which either don't fit well or are shabbily made this is really hard wearing and all you do is pop it on and you're ready to go, you never need to take it off as like I said the cut out points are all totally perfect so the phone still has full functionality as you can see -

AND don't you just LOVE the cute paw charm? (The monkey one comes with a banana which I thought was ridiculously cute too!)

AWW! What fun ways do you jazz up your phones with? 

Vikki x

Gorgeous acessories from Je Suis Prettyful.....

These new goodies I have to show you today are handmade and beautifully crafted by the lovely Carmen of 'Je Suis Prettyful', Carmen is a fellow blogger check out her blog HERE there is some fab make up looks that I wish I could do! And it was one of the first blogs I followed when I set up a google account and my own blog last year, and now Carmen is putting her other talents to good use and has set up her own Etsy shop selling amazing everday accessories and bridal ones.

I got this gorgeous embellished headband that will look such a fabulous statement piece when worn with a little black dress and I feel so glam when I have tried it on, it is such a gorgeous olive green colour too that works so well against my hair but I can imagine this looking just as good on lighter hair too, and also available in red and pink.

 

I also got these cute little red flower style earrings, that are so cute and i've been wearing nearly everyday,

 

 and finally these 2 amazing handcrafted flower hair pins that come in an array of colours, they are so pretty and have small little pearls in the middle that is such a lovely detail to add, you can see they are also beautifully packaged in a lovely box with a bow so you can store them in this, I actually want to get married like NOW just so I can wear these, they are soooo stunning and this sounds so cheesey but the fact everything has been handmade and had so much work go into them makes them feel all that more special!

And can I just say all 3 of these items are such GOOD quality, they feel so luxurious, I can't say it enough, I know from experience alot of acessories I have fall to bits after a few wears especially high street items but I just know these will last for a long time.

You can check out the full line at www.jesuisprettyful.etsy.com and everything on there is FREE SHIPPING both domestic and internation which is amazing as I know alot of my readers are from overseas and I feel bad when I blog about items you can only get in the UK!

To keep up with updated on the twitter page HERE and finally make sure you go like the facebook page HERE as when it hits 100 likes there will be a giveaway!!

Big thank you to the lovely and talented Carmen!

Vikki xoxoxo

Who wants a gel eyeliner for less than £1!!!!!!!

So you may remember in my ELF brush post HERE I mentioned I had a new BARGAIN gel eyeliner I was currentley using with my new ELF studio angled liner brush and it has become on of my favourites really fast, I love gel eyeliners as the lasting power and intensity is amazing so when I heard about this one I HAD to try it I first saw it when the lovely Nicoletta did a blog post on bargains she had found and this sounded fab. It is from Ebay (Ebay I know!) and is unbranded the exact link I got mine from is HERE and as it is from Hong Kong they offer worldwide shipping so you can all get your hands on it no matter where you are, and YES you have read correctley this little baby cost me 99p with 29p delivery, YES THATS £1.28 (or for any americans that's just under $2!) The delivery does take a while (mine took about 10 days but thats only a minor issue)

The liner is so creamy and easy to use and boy does it last! It's waterproof so can be abit annoying to budge at night but an oil based eye make up remover worked well, or good old olive oil and water (bit of a DIY tip for you there) It is totally smudge proof so once it's dry it is set for the day, i've also put it on my waterline and it hasn't irritated my eyes (although don't take my word for this as everyone is different) and like I said before it is really dark black in one swipe which is important for me with liners, here are some pics of me wearing it and obviously a swatch!.....

 

 

 

Vikki xoxo

ELF Brushes - Studio and Basic

 So yesterdays post was a basic VS studio E.L.F blush post and today carrying on the ELF theme (LOL) I have 2 basic ELF brushes and 2 studio ones to review, I was careful about the ones I picked as the basic ones are notoriously not that amazing apart from the odd few, most people also seem to have hit and misses with the same brushes, it's like they get manufactured different each time, I always read reviews on 'Makeupalley' to decide if a product is worth buying particulary with stuff from ELF as in the UK it's only available online and hard to see true swatches and get correct information. 

 

 

This is the basic 'Eye Crease Brush' (£1.50) it's great for getting colour right in the crease and for blending the colours from your lid upto your crease, it's soft and domed to a slight point, it's also really soft and doesn't shed, the basic line are white and don't look as sophisticated as the black studio ones but for the price it's great, I also like the brush for getting shadow under my lashline. I would definatley re-purchase it's a good brush BUT you could live without it.

 

 

This is the Studio Stipple Brush (£3.50) It is alot more softer and not as dense as I thought it isn't that sturdy (some would call it flimsy) but it works suprisingly well, I apply my foundation with my hands or with my Sigma F80 flat top kabuki so I haven't tried applying foundation with this and although it is recommended for all face products I can imagine it would be TOO soft and like I said it's nowhere near dense enough so I wouldn't buy it for that reason, for blush though it is great, cream blushes are harder to work with as again the flimsiness but powder blush and even powders like MSFs I would recommend using this with, I don't regret buying it but not sure if I would again! P.S It has the pink on the tip as thats my MAC blush it doesn't come coloured pink it's just black and white ha ha!

 

 

This is the 'Blending Eye' basic brush apparentley the poor man's version of MAC's 217 but I don't have that for a blending brush it's not as fluffy as some are and it does take abit of work to actually get it to do it's job but then how can you complain for the price, I don't end up really using this though as I have better brushes so maybe for beginners to make up or people just wanting a few basic brushes it would be good but it will probabaly stay at the bottom of my drawer.

 

 

Lastly this is the Studio Small Angled Brush, I use this for gel eyeliner and for applying coloured eyeshadows as eyeliners, when working with eyeliner I find angled brushes like this so much easier, I have just got a bargain new gel eyeliner that I LOVE and doing a post on in the next few days using this so you will be able to see it's effective-ness it picks up a good amount of colour and it is sturdy and creates a good line, perfect for doing 'cat eyes' eyeliner, this is one of my faves (along with the mineral small face kabuki brush - more on that in a second) I would definatley buy this again and again, and need a back up as I had a little heart attack when I lost it for a few mins this morning LOL.

I also did get the Mineral small face kabuki you might remember been pictured in the haul (click to go to) I did photograph it but it was full of mineral foundation so didn't look photogenic and now I don't have time to wash and photograph it as the light has gone :( BUT I will say that with the angled brush is my favourite, I tried it with mineral foundation and use it for applying pressed powder and it works well for both, it's sooo tiny and cute and it very soft I highly recommend, it also doesn't shed and even though it costs abit more (£5) it is really worth it! 

What other ELF brushes do I need or do you recommend? As im sure there is more than these I would possibly like!

p.s I really wanted to try and do an 'eye of the day' look with the ELF plum eyeliner I got but like the silly billy I am I have gone and lost it....before even using it haha. I will get another and get that done!

Vikki xoxo

E.L.F Basic Blush VS Studio Blush

I got two ELF blushes in my last haul - Basic blush in Flushed (£1.50) and Studio Blush in Blushing Rose (£3.50)

The packaging is the major difference, the basic is clear, cheap looking and you slide it down to open which can be abit awkward, whereas the studio blush is sturdier, a proper compact and includes a mirror (very similar to NARS blush packaging)

Basic 'Flushed'

Studio 'Blushed Rose'

Blushing Rose is the left swatch and Flushed is on the right

The basic one is also alot less pigmented, less long lasting and more chalky, Flushed is one of the more pigmented ones from what I have seen the rest in the basic line are very sheer, but the studio ones seem to vary, Blushed Rose isn't one of the more popular studio shades but probably due to the swatch on the ELF site which looks nothing like it does in real life and doesn't do it justice. I think Blushed Rose will be a great winter blush as it's slightly red/brown toned and is shimmery without been OTT and noticeable, it gives a fantastic glowy look on and although it doesn't last forever it has reasonable lasting time. I do love the colour of Flushed it's such a pretty and unusual berry toned fuchsia but it's a shame it doesn't last or is as good as the studio one, It gorgeous when first on though.

Who else has any ELF blush recommendations for me? I have a few ELF blushes to review for tomorrows post and thats most my ELF stuff done ALTHOUGH I might just have to buy more as they are doing free shipping for UK/European customers (minimum spend £10 just use code QZXUK (UK customers) QZXEU (European customers) and QZXIT (Italian customers)

Vikki xxxx

My little E.L.F Cosmetics Haul

 Brightening Eyeliner in 'Plum' I thought a purple eyeliner would be cool to have for a autumn/winter look from the £1.50 basic line

Nail Polish in 'Desert Haze' my new fave, only needs 2-3 coats and it a lovely neutral colour, am wearing it as we speak and also just put it on my mum she loves it too! From the basic £1.50 line

'Metal madness' nail polish, a lovely black with shimmer/glitter, not yet tried this out but seen it on some other peoples blogs and it looks lovely, I love black nails so this will be abit different, from the basic £1.50 line

 Blush in 'Blushing Rose' from the Studio £3.50 line swatches to come, quite a deep pink/red shade.

 Blush in 'Flushed' from the basic £1.50 line swatches to come, from what I have read its one of the more pigmented basic ones as most are sheer, it looks a lovely raspberry shade.

 Stipple Brush hopefully good for my cream blushes, abit peeved that it arrived all squashed and bent but going to wash and re-shape it! Really soft, not sure if it will be TOO soft though, from the studio range £3.50

 Kabuki Face Brush, alot smaller than I thought but its cute and it is really soft and great for mineral foundations/powders its from the mineral line £5

 Blending eye brush from the basic £1.50 line, heard lots of great things about this but not yet tried it

 Small Angled Brush I got this for Gel liner as I fined angled liner brushes easy to work with, from the studio £3.50 range

 Eye crease brush from the basic line, again heard good things about this and its £1.50 from the basic line

Finally eyelid primer from the basic £1.50 line, im sure you all know this is one of ELFs more famous products LOL I want a change from my Benefit Lemon Aid eyelid primer and thought I would try this before splashing out on Urban Decay PP/Too Faced shadow insurance.

So there you have it a little ELF haul, if you haven't already make sure you go like their facebook (UK Site) page as they regularly post offers up, I got this all on a 50% off offer so came to really cheap, but the postage and packaging is like £3, I haven't tried most as you can see but over the next few days I will be and posting more swatches and reviews on the brushes.

Let me know if you have any questions on any of the products or what you think of them

Hope you're all having great weekends 

Vikki xoxox

Quick FOTD! Natural 'Brown/Green eye' and MAC 'Ever Hip'

Today I decided to do a 'natural look' but added green as thats quite a natural colour although I know when I think of the word 'natural' for make up I think Naked Palette and Too Faced's Natural eye Palette which are browns!

My MAC Ever Hip lipstick came today sooooooooooooo excited it is so pretty, both these pics look the same I need a new pose goddammit!

I actually used a mid olive green from the Manly 120 palette and the brown was actually a copper dazzle dust by Barry M, this amazing colour -

To be honest I don't LOVE how it turned out, but I liked the colours and concepts, I think I should have used a black liner, but to keep with the natural theme I used brown but on the pics it just looks part of the eyeshadow, 

From as soon as I tried Ever hip today I loved it as much as I thought I would it's been sold out which I was gutted about but then the lovely Ashlie held a giveaway as she had a spare and I won! It's a lovely soft coral with more pink undertones than orange which make it an extremely wearable colour for all skin tones, I think even in winter it will look great, and I thought i'd be retiring coral lips as winter comes but with this I definatley wont.

I didn't get a lip swatch but I will get one up cos I then put a NYX lip gloss in 'Sugar Pie' over the top, which slightly lightened it and gave it an extra glossy shine and I have to say this is one of my fave lip concoctions! 

 

This may sound weird but I really feel I 'need' black eyeliner otherwise I feel something just doesn't look right with my face.....am I insane or do other people have a staple they feel they must always use? LOL.

The full list of items I used is:

FACE

• Wet N Wild Concealer (ivory)
• Rimmel 25hr foundation (201)
• Honolulu w7 bronzer 

EYES

• Benefit Lemon Aid eye primer
• Almay dial up mascara 
• Green from Manly 120 palette
• Copper shade Barry M dazzle dust
• NYX brown eyeliner
• Rimmel professional eyebrow pencil

LIPS

• NYX long lip pencil (natural)
• MAC Ever Hip
• NYX Gloss (Sugar Pie)

Vikki xoxox