Topshop Summer Wishlist

Yes, I am aware that I just did a Spring Wishlist not too long ago (17 days ago, to be exact) but it didn't have any clothes in it so that's my excuse for allowing myself to do another so soon. Plus Topshop have some pretty gorgeous pieces in store that I just could not wait any longer to share with you guys.

Scallop Lace Vest - £16
This is such a pretty top and a really good price as well, especially for Topshop. It would look so nice with just a pair of denim shorts and sandals for my holidays.

Peach Raw Hem Hotpants - £28
How cute are these?! I love the contrasting frayed edge - so different to any other shorts I have seen before. Topshop denim is really good quality too. Quite expensive considering there is not much too them but I think I can justify paying it just because I love them so much.

Tie Die Maxi Dress - £59.99
I really wish my budget could stretch to this, it's gorgeous. The subtle dip hem makes it even lovelier, I want it so bad.

Basic Crop Tee - Mint and Basic Crop Tee - Pink - £8 each
I thought these would look lovely with either some high waisted shorts or a nice skirt for the summer months. Pretty basic but it means they can be paired with patterned things.

Kissing Giraffe Pleated Skirt - £38
I. WANT. THIS. SKIRT. RIGHT. NOW. I love any print that has little animals on it, and since giraffes are one of my favourite animals, I love this even more. Plus it would look really nice with one of the crop tops mentioned above (I got my inspiration from the model on the Topshop website - that's what she was wearing)

Tangerine Rose Bikini Top £16 and Bottoms £10
I don't necessarily need a bikini because it is not a relaxing-by-the-pool-everyday kind of holiday that I am going on this year but that doesn't mean I can't splash out on this cute little cozzie.

'Carnival' Nail Polish - £5
Very summery, don't you think? I love all types of pastels and brights on my nails for summer so this would be no exception. A very purse-friendly price too that is so very tempting.

What's on your summer wishlist? Have any of these beauties made it on to yours too?

'Sinful Colors' Nail Polish Review

'Be Happy'

'Snow Me White'

'Cream Pink'

'Unicorn'

'Forget Now'

'Hazard'

Behold, the new nail polish brand in town with the impossibly low prices. Yes, Boots now stocks a nail brand called 'Sinful Colors' where nail polish is just £1.99 a pop. Personally, I have never heard of this brand before but I can be quite ignorant sometimes. Maybe it has been out for a while and I have just not noticed it. I am assuming it is an American brand, considering it is spelt 'color' rather than 'colour' so maybe that's why I haven't ever heard of it before. I went into Boots when I was last in Glasgow to purchase a new white nail polish to use for nail art and french manicures when I stumbled across this brand. £1.99 each and 3 for 2? Yes please. Of course, I then left the shop with 3 nail polishes rather than the intended 1 but considering I only paid £3.98, I think I can let myself off. So, when you buy a nail polish for such a low price, your naturally assume that it isn't going to be the best quality. I wasn't too bothered if it was going to be rubbish, it wasn't like I had spent my life savings on it. Therefore, imagine my surprise (and glee) when I discovered that they were in fact of extremely high quality. They glide on to my nail effortlessly, needing just two coats to reach the perfectly opaque stage. Even without my trusty Nails Inc Caviar topcoat they were lovely and glossy. The brush made application easy and I managed to not get any nail polish on any other surface apart from my nail. It also didn't take an outrageous amount of time to dry which is always nice. The bottle also looks really similar to the China Glaze bottles, or is that just me that thinks that? And as for the staying power, not half bad. The quality for the price is amazing, considering you are getting a whopping 15ml, more than the average bottle. I liked them so much I went back and bought 3 more. So, in conclusion, I think I shall be buying more of these and I think you should too.

bareMinerals Original Foundation Review

I don't know why but I have never been a huge fan of the 'loose powder foundation' idea. There is no logical reason for why the first thought in my head when I read those words is 'rubbish coverage'. I am a loyal user of liquid foundation, and have been for a few years now, despite my (unfortunately) young age of 15. I always get the impression that they are going to do a better job at concealing my flaws. And then, low and behold, along comes bareMinerals. 

My mum has used the bareMinerals foundation for a few years and whilst it also looked lovely on her, I never thought to try it out for myself. It wasn't until January time (ish) that one day I spontaneously thought I would nab it out of her makeup bag and give it a whirl - sssshhhh, don't tell her. Despite being one shade too light for me, I was blown away by how much I loved it. So what did I do? Went and bought one for myself of course. 

I have the shade Medium Beige, which isn't as orange as it sounds (or looks in the picture). I'm not even that tanned at the moment (just you wait until summer though) but it matches my colour perfectly. The amazing thing about this foundation is it goes on as a loose powder but sets like a liquid foundation. Not only is it quicker to apply, but it gives just as good coverage. The coverage is definitely buildable. No matter how much you put on, it never seems to cake - trust me, I tested this theory. It also seems to last for the whole day - a trait in which itself is an absolute miracle on my oily skin. 

As well as gifting you with a gorgeous and natural luminous finish, it is also proven to improve the appearance of your skin over time. Now who could say no to that?! The minerals diminish the look of fine lines and wrinkles and also work to cover redness imperfections without drying out your skin and clinging to rough patches. With the added benefit of SPF15, there really isn't much that this foundation DOESN'T do. 

There are several brushes on offer at bareMinerals for you to choose from to apply the foundation, but my favourite isn't from that brand at all. I like to use my ELF Studio Powder Brush. I find the flat top buffing brush absolutely perfect for blending it in, but I am sure other people will have other brushes that they find work just as well. The ELF one is just my personal preference, and it also happens to be a hell of a lot cheaper than the bareMinerals ones. 

I have extremely oily skin and although it does come up with a bit of shine after a while, I am yet to find a foundation that doesn't do this. It's nothing a little bit of pressed powder can't fix. It also works well on dry skin types, which my mother has. If you have overly oily skin and are too worried about becoming greasy throughout the day, you could always opt for the matte version which I hear is top notch too.

There is, however, one down side to this foundation. As it has the little holes on the top to shake some powder out into the lid before applying, you have to be extremely careful how you handle it. Turning it upside, dropping it or even putting it is a makeup bag tends to deposit a large amount of powder in there so when you open it up it can make a hell of a mess. There are some pots which come with a twisty lid over the holes which prevent this from happening but not all of them have that. It really depends where you buy it from so you may want to check that out first. 

So, in conclusion, I highly recommend this foundation to people of all skin types and all skin needs and I 100% agree with the countless beauty awards this product has received. bareMinerals foundation can be purchased as part of a starter kit or on its own, in different sizes of pots. 

Where to buy:

bareMinerals - £25

Debenhams - £25

QVC - £22

11 Questions

The lovely Georgia over at its-georgia.blogspot.co.uk nominated me for the Leibster blog award - thanks Georgia! - but since I have already did it and am too lazy to look for different people to tag and whatnot, I thought I would just answer the 11 questions she made up for the people she nominated. It would be rude not to. 

1. If you could go back and relive or change a time in your life what would it be and why?

I refuse to fully explain what I did at the last Christmas dance at my school, but let's just say I wouldn't get as close to that boy whilst sitting next to his ex-girlfriend. Talk about awkward...

2. What's the most inspirational thing you have ever read?

I'm going to go for watched instead of read, because I am badass like that. The other day I watched a video that was on my Facebook newsfeed of some guy who had been away fighting in Afghanistan and came back to surprise his brother before he played a basketball game. There was the whole backstory about how their dad had died when they were just little children so this soldier had been the father figure even though he was just one year older. I cried actual tears at their reunion and it reminded me to value the family I have and that things that I think are difficult about my life, are not even close to those of others.

3. Do you have any fears? If so, what are they?

Several. Spiders, flies, any insects really, heights and talking in front of large groups of people. I give you permission to laugh at how pathetic I am for being scared of flies.

4. What are your favourite things about where you live?

If I fancied going a walk, there are plenty of hills around me to do so. However, I am not really one for walking. There isn't many things I like about where I live.

5. What's your favourite season and why?

I love summer because of the clothes that come with it. Summer means going on holiday somewhere hot as well which is always something to look forward to since Scotland basically has no summer. I'm going to America this year to visit my sister, I am so excited already! 86 days till I go. Yep, I have a countdown on my phone.

6. If money wasn't an object, where would you go, who would you take and why?

I would go back to Paris and Disneyland with my friends. I went there back in 2011 with my school and it was AMAZING. 

7. What made you want to start your blog?

I didn't have the confidence to start a youtube channel and put myself out there so publically to the world. Blogging was a way of doing that but being able to hide behind the computer screen.

8. Name two things you can't live without and why.

Numero uno: My phone. It is sad how lost I feel without it. I like knowing that I have always have a way of communicating with someone if need be. Numero dos: My best friends because I would be a miserable sod who never leaves the house if I didn't have them. 

9. Who is your favourite actor?

I go through fazes. Currently, I love Emma Stone because she is so good at what she does and Ryan Gosling because he is hot.

10. Where do you see yourself in 5 years time?

Hopefully at university studying journalism and still maintaining my now-popular blog.

11. Online shopping or in-store shopping and why?

A mixture of the two. I like online shopping because it is easier to find what I am looking for but I hate not knowing if it is going to fit. I like in-store shopping because things always look different in the flesh and then I can know for sure if it fits before I part with my cash. 

Thanks again Georgia for tagging me to do this. Everyone else, please give her a helping hand and follow her blog!

Spring Wishlist!

Bioderma Sensibio H20

People rave about this so naturally, I want to try it as an alternative to using face wipes to take my makeup off. I do use cleansers and whatnot but I like to use face wipes to take my makeup off first so that I am not using so much cleanser and wasting it. Apparantly, this does the job to perfection.

New Look beaded wedges

Aren't these shoes gorgeous?! I want them so bad for when I go on holiday to America in July. They come in black as well but I personally prefer the brown ones although the black is equally gorgeous.

Essie Fiji (the picture on the Boots website really does not do it justice)

This would be a perfect colour to wear during spring/summer. I don't actually own very many paler colours, mainly brights, and I don't actually have any pale pinks at all that are nice. Plus, I still haven't tried Essie despite everyone talking about them for a while now. I will need to get my hands on this. Not that I need anymore nail varnishes to add to my collection, I have bought 6 in the past week...

Taylor Swift Wonderstruck perfume

I wanted this even before I had smelled it. My friend has it now though and it smells DIVINE. It has a really sweet, sugary smell which is what I like in a perfume. The bottle is gorgeous too with its iridescent shimmer.

Forever 21 Bow Crossbody bag

This bag is so cute! It's not that big but I don't really like carrying larger bags around with me so this would be a perfect size. I saw it in the new Forever 21 shop in Glasgow when I was there and it is so gorgeous. It feels really good quality too.

That's it for my Spring wishlist guys! I really hope I manage to buy some things off of it this time around, I usually don't seem to get around to it. Bioderma is definitely top of my list though, so look out for a review on that hopefully coming soon!

P.S. If you have tried Bioderma, would you care to leave a comment and tell me your view on it? Pretty pretty pretty please?

Red heart nails

What an exciting name I have given this post. To be frank, I couldn't be bothered thinking of something that sounded halfway decent so I went straight to the point and told it how it is. It is true, my nails are red with a heart on them. 

How cute is this design?! I was inspired by a picture that I saw on Instagram (follow me: @hollymckie_) because I follow loads of people who just post cute nail designs because I am that sad. I really know how to spend my time well. It was actually a Valentine's Day design but I loved it so who cares?! It was surprisingly easy to do as well, with a method which I came up with myself in my own little noggin (that's your head, for any of you non-Scottish folk). 

Numero uno: Paint all your nails apart from your ring fingers one colour. I chose Nails Inc St James because I really liked the idea of the contrasting white with the red heart, but you could choose any colour you like.

Numero dos: Paint your ring finger in a colour with contrasts with the colour you used for the other nails. I used an Avon french manicure white but again, you could use any colour. White and black would work well with most colours but a bright would look equally lovely. 

Numero tres: Paint a small heart on your ring fingers using a kirby grip/bobby pin. To do this, I put a blob of red nail polish on a piece of paper, dipped the round tip of my hair grip into blob and dabbed two dots side by side of my nail. I then added another dot slightly below these two dots, right in the centre of where they were, if that makes sense. And then finally, I used the kirby grip to join the bottom dot up to the two upper dots. 

Numero quatro: Seal with a top coat for added shine and longevity and you are done!

TA DA! You have super cute nails. I hope my description was easy enough to follow. If not, you could always google how to paint a heart on your nails and I am sure you would find a better step by step guide. Probably one that doesn't count in Spanish for no apparent reason. 

March Favourites 2013

For once there isn't actually much nail things in my monthly favourites apart from the topcoat. I usually have a nail polish or two to show you but this month, with my new job as a waitress, I haven't been painting my nails with all that much because I am not allowed to wear it to work. Booooooo. This topcoat is really good though, and leaves my nail polish lovely, shiny and streak-free.

I have, however, took part in a dance show this month at my school so this gradual tanning moisturiser was great for making me not look so washed out under the stage lights. It took about 3 days to get to a nice natural colour without looking too orange. I might use this again in the summer since Scottish weather is so dull. Besides, we were dancing to Beyonce so we couldn't look pale, could we?!

I have only been loving the Bare Minerals foundation for the past week or so but I thought I would include it anyway. It is great for days when I am not really planning on doing very much as it is so natural. I have also started wearing it to work as I don't like to look too full on for serving customers. My skin is looking pretty good just now so I am fine without a concealer but when I have worse spots, I will more than likely need one.

Before the Bare Minerals foundation, I used the Clinique Even Better one for everyday use. It is also a very lovely foundation which glides on easily and lasts really well on my oily skin. I may do a proper review of this soon.

To apply both these foundations I use the ELF Studio Powder Brush which I seem to talk about in every few blog posts. I have had it for a while now and it is still going strong. I have yet to find a brush which applies either mineral or liquid foundation better than this. 

The Rimmel concealer is also a lifesaver because of it's highlighting properties. It is absolutely perfect for wearing under the eyes, doesn't crease too much (although it does still crease because I am so damn oily) and makes me look refreshed and awake.

And finally, the face wipes are just a simple thing which I use in the evenings to take off my make-up before I cleanse and whatnot. Nothing spectacular, but they do the job nice and quickly.