Amazing Eyeko offer!

Hey guys!

Eyeko (the cutest make up company) are doing a special offer which i think is absolutely AMAZING!!! They are giving you a chance to purchase the whole Eyeko Nail Polish set of 6 for an incredible price of £5.40! and guess what it gets better & better, FREE POSTAGE & FREE GIFT if you enter the code: E4524!

I have been wanting to purchase all 6 colours for a while now but have not really got round to doing it...But after seeing this offer, how can i refuse?!?!

I just ordered my set, so why don't you order yours! but the offer is only on till midnight today so get cracking! Visit Eyeko's website by clicking here.

The set consists of a variety of colours, all very cute and fun to play around with...


Cant wait to receive mines eeeeeeeek!

Keep Blogging! ♥

Where have I been?!?!?!

Hey everyone! How have you all been?

I have been so busy these past few weeks and have not had a chance to post any blogs :( Soooooooo i thought I would update you with what I have been so busy doing!

Well, I am currently in my second week of a PGCE in Primary Education which I have decided to do after my first degree (Marketing Management)... Why more studying I hear you ask? Well basically this is like a 9 month postgraduate course, so as you can imagine the work load is pretty intense , but the upside is that by next year I will be a qualified teacher!

Anyways, enough of the boring stuff. I have been really excited because I recieved my Konad Nail Art Starter Kit :D
Being a nail techician, I was really excited to try out this amazing stamper kit because it saves alot of time when a client wants a bit of nail art instead of hand paiting it, and the design combinations are endless :) I will put up a post on my Konad kit very soon!

I have missed the wonderful world of blogging! And you would never guess what my first ICT task in uni was?? ................. Creating a blog! it was heaven lol, although not as much fun as a beauty blog :(

What have you guys been doing these past few weeks? anybody else started uni or even a PGCE? Also, did anyone manage to go to the Olympia beauty exhibition on the weekend? I had tickets but stopped myself from going because I was mega broke! It's sad because I waited all year for it, an now I will just have to save up for next year!

By the way, I would like to thank everyone for the lovely comments about my blog, cant believe I have 72 followers woohoo! :p now I dont feel like im talking to myself so much :)

Sonia
Keep Blogging! ♥

Barry M - Dazzling Looks with Dazzle Dusts

Hey guys, Hope you are all having a good day?
I have been meaning to do a little review on the Barry M Dazzle Dusts which I have been using for about 2 years now, so here it goes...

I first came across Barry M like years and years ago when they used to be sold in Woolworths, I had one of my fave nail paints of theirs (lilac), at that time, their colour range was probably the most exciting from the usual high street brands, and now their collection has just got better and better.
Whilst at university, I discovered the Barry M Dazzle Dusts which I used for striking eye looks on a countless amount of nights out!

"highly pearlised powder available in a profusion of colours to enhance your eyes, cheeks or lips." - Barry M

The four colours I'm going to review today are:

• no.11 Charcoal
• no.14 Khaki
• no.80 Blue Grey
• no.39 Tan
  
  

Take a look at these swatches I did on my arm, the lines are just where i have used my finger directly on to my arm, and the dots are where I have pressed Dazzle Dust over a base (Mac Shadestick in Sharkskin).

To touch the Dazzle Dusts sort of feel like a velvety-powder and honestly I only picked up a tiny speck to get these swatches.
After 2 years, nearly all are still quite full and trust me I use them ALOT! It just shows how good value for money they are, retailing at only £4.50, a little really does go a long way :)
I usually buy my Dazzle Dust's when Superdrug have their offer which is a bargain at 3 for £10!

The swatches show the quality of their pigment which really is so good, you could go for a more subtle effect by brushing on the Dazzle Dust or you could go for a more bold look by patting on with a brush or using a base.

Now for some quick looks I did... You might not necessarily do this look when going out, but I tried to do my best to show you how bright the Dazzle Dusts could go, how light and subtle they could look and how they can work well with other products from other brands. Please excuse my eyebrows, as they have not been done!

I have just lightly prepped my eyes by using my Mac Selectmoisture cover Concealer in NW30 as a base and to create a sort of clean canvas for products to adhere to.

I then start to add Dazzle Dust by patting with my Mac 239 brush, but really you can use any brush because the pigments are so good, I also tried to use a cheap make up brush that I got in a Debenhams gift set (I'm sure you all have some of these unwanted gifts!) and it worked exactly the same way :)

The photo below shows the Dazzle Dust 'Tan', a great colour can be used to create a natural look on it's own or enhanced by using different colours. Also great for everyday, kind of a nude shimmer, lovely in the sunshine so i ♥ it.
P.s. I like to put some wet cotton wool underneath my eyes to catch fallout...

These are all the products I used for these looks...

A few minutes later, and we have this...



I think I went a bit too crazy! this eye I used the Tan, Blue Grey and Charcoal Dazzle Dusts which I think work really well together and were really easy to blend...

Not forgetting the other eye...

Using the Tan, Khaki and Charcoal which also work really well together.

Dazzle Dusts are so pigmented and fun to use that I suppose I got carried away :)
The only downside for me is the fallout you get when you first start using them, but once you realise that you only need VERY little, its easy to control the amount of fallout there is... it's nothing that a bit of cotton wool under the eyes cant fix.

I think they are a must for any beauty lover, and with such an affordable price, I don't think you can really go wrong.
They are also easily combined with other brands products, I am definitely going to be expanding my collection! and I have heard there are new colours out, I think I better be off to Superdrug very soon!

What did you think of my review and my little experiments? Would you like to see tutorials?
Have you tried any of the same Dazzle Dusts? If yes, please blog about your looks, I would love to see them...

I love all your comments so please make sure you do and remember...
Keep blogging! ♥

Amazing Giveaway! by I Heart Cosmetics ♥

After doing my first ever blog comp last night, I decided to enter another very different but lovely competition giveaway.
The very lovely Sarah has a very generous giveaway to celebrate her 20 followers postmark...Yay!
These are her prizes:

1. 1 Mac Cosmetics eyeshadow pot or pan whatever you want - your choice on colour as long as it is a current in stock one!


2. 3 Barry M dazzle dusts - your choice of colours


3. 2 Barry M nail paints - your choice of colours


4. 1 Boots Botanics soothing eye makeup remover (this product = love)

(very kind of her to let us choose colours)

I think it's a fab giveaway so here's my entryyyyyyyyy, fingers crossed :p

And if you would like to enter, all you have to do is click hereeeeee and follow the very simple rules :)

good luck & keep blogging ♥

Yummy Mummy's British Icon Contest!

So I just got home after a long days work and then out trying to find a new PC! And I cant believe Yummy Mummy's competition will be over in just under 2 hours!

I really wanted this to be the first competition I entered as Yummy Mummy's blog is one of my favourites and one of the first I ever read! So I quickly put together a little something, it's not great, of course I need a perfect face like Leona's :) and I have just about had enough time to try out the lovely green eyes, take photos, upload them & create this post! Oh, but here it is!





Wish I had more time to take better photos!
By the way I chose Leona Lewis as my British Icon, because she's a stunner and I think the best thing that came out of the X Factor!

eeeekkk 5 mins to go! :s

lots of love xxx

Holiday Post!! ... As promised :)

So guys, here it is finally... Holiday post!

Me and four of my best friends had a last minute booking to Alicante a few weeks back and I thought I would share some memories with you all :p

We stayed in a place called Villamartin near a town called Torreveija, it was beautiful and relaxing and most of all, the weather was just perfect to get that tan I really wanted!

In a previous post I mentioned my holiday nails which I was really confused about doing... I wanted a nice summer colour, preferably a coral, but the coral a had bought from Barry M (No. 296) was a bit too orange for my liking, so I decided to stick with another one from Barry M (one of my faves) No.279 called Bright Pink... And so i added a little flowery design to my ring finger and toes haha...

What do you think?

Please ignore the fact that my acrylics were a little grown out as I took this pic half way through the holiday! lol

Here's a pic of me before a night out, as you can see I look quite red from the heat!
I decided to stick to the minimum in terms of makeup as I knew half of it would have melted!

Please excuse the bad hair it got a bit frizzed up with the humidity!


Heres what I took in my makeup travel kit:

• Mac Select Moisture Cover concealer in NW30
• Mac Paintpot in Rubenesque
• L'Oreal Superliner Carbon Gloss in Black
• Rimmel Volume Flash Curved Mascara
• Coastel Scents 88 palette
• As for Cheeks & Lips, I borrowed my lovely friends Rupas Ben Nye Creme Rouge Wheel CR-100 which was so perfect because of the colour range and ease of use
• Brushes: Kanebo Eye brush & Mac 239SE
• Barry M No.279 Bright Pink
• Seche Vite Fast Dry Top Coat

I was quite happy with everything I took, I dont wear foundation but think it would have been to hot for it anyway! I am actually looking for a light wear foundation with a illuminating glow to it...any ideas?

I cant live without my Mac concealer & Rubenesque paintpot! So i definately couldn't have been without them on holiday! Rubenesque is a perfect solution to replace eyeshadow on holiday as it is so easy to apply with your fingers and gives you that nice shimmery glow, so its a holiday must for me.

L'Oreal Superliner Carbon Gloss liquid eyeliner & Rimmel Volume Flash Curved mascara are my favourite high street products.. So cheap yet they do the job perfectly well :)

After using Rupa's Ben Nye Creme Rouge Wheel CR-100, I must say I have been converted into purchasing one for myself.. So perfect to take on holiday, with a variety of colours that I used as Cheek blush and lip stain, they can be applied so easily with your fingers and last the whole day... And believe me, a little lasts a long way!
I think Rupa will be putting up some pics of her make up travel kit if you want to have a look at it, so keep checking her blog here for any updates.

I only decided to take two eye brushes becauseI wasn't planning to go all out with eyeshadow, but I did take one of my favourite Kanebo brushes which does not have a number or name, but let me know if you would like to see a pic.
I heart this brush because it does the job of so many of my Mac eye brushes in one.
It's great to apply shadow with (although i did still take my Mac 239) and its excellent at blending, in fact I prefer using it to my Mac 224!

Finally, I couldn't forget my nail polishes, incase of any chipping! :D

Now for a few real holiday pics! ... There's me before going to dinner on our balcony!
I bought this cute skirt from Topshop before I went and yes it was a bargain, from £45 i paid only £10 :D ... The material is also very lovely..



And heres one of me and Rupa in Torreveija near the pier after all the shopping we did at the lovely market!


And lets not forget a pic I took whilst sunbathing on the beach! :p


Hope you guys had fun reading my post!

Keep Blogging & Please comment! ♥

Happy Birthday Michael Jackson

"I’m never pleased with anything, I’m a perfectionist, it’s part of who I am." - Michael Jackson

Miss you Michael, hope you are happy wherever you are :)
I will expand on my post later, but for now I just wanted to dedicate a post to the one and only MJ...

Legends never die!

Love you forever... Sonia x x x x x x x x x x x

A crazy month! :)

Hey everyone!
Firstly I would like to say a big THANK YOU to all the lovely comments I have been getting from all you lovely bloggers out there, and also a big thanks to everyone who is following me, I will be following you all right back ;)
Secondly, I would like to apologise for the lack of blogs in the past few weeks, but everything has been really crazy!!
On the 13th August it was my birthday :D and I had a wonderful day... After that I found out I would be going on holiday to Alicante, Spain so I was extremeley busy trying to shop and pack everything!! I was away for 7 days and just returned on Monday night... I had a lovely time, I went with my four best friends (a girls holiday :p) and I think I might have got a bit TOO tanned!!

I will be posting up some pics of holiday & my birthday if you would like to see them?
Also some pics of my holiday nails! I decided to go for a hot pink which went nicely with the lovely sunshine :)

Before I get back to work, for all of you who love beauty blogs, please have a look at my best friends beauty blog, I promise she updates more than I do and she always knows about freebie offers!
Her blog is rupasmakeupdiary.blogspot.com and shes also new to blogging, so be nice ;)
I think it's time for me to go, I will be back later with some photos!

Keep Blogging & sharing your comments, I love reading them! ♥

Sculptured Acrylic Nails using Creative Nail Design products, in the garden :)

Hey Guys :) ... Firstly I just wanted to say thanks to all of you that have started to follow me in the last few days even though i haven't really posted anything (i promise i will do now!), and secondly I hope you enjoy this little review/tutorial that I did yesterday sitting in my lovely garden!

Since qualifying as a Nail Technician I have been working with Salon System Acrylics which are ok to train with i guess, and more recently invested in some NSI which were better than Salon Systems. I have heard so much about Creative Nail Design (CND), and yesterday decided to have a go at my own sculptured set.

I LOVE sculptured nails because they ensure that there is less damage to the nails as there is no need for tip blending, therefore meaning there can be no way of having dents in the nails!
I have posted photos in this blog to show the journey of my nails from start to finish, but beware I have sculpted using clear powder because I was intending to paint them anyway, so they don't look very pretty in some photos! Overall, I have to say that I now officially absolutely LOVE CND! Their products are amazing, so easy to work with and set in just the right amount of time so that you have enough time to sculpt in... Ok I know I blab on a bit, so here's some photos for you to have a look at, enjoy & please comment!

PRODUCTS

Salon Systems Antiseptic Spray
Creative Pro Styler Kolinski Red Sable Brush
Creative Retention+ Monomer Liquid
Creative Perfect Colour Acrylic Powder in Clear
Creative Acid Free Primer

OPI Nail Forms

Here's a pic of my not so lovely nails obviously before: I have prepped my nails beforehand by pushing back the cuticle using a stainless steel cuticle pusher and Creative Cuticle Eraser (Sorry, I forgot to photograph it!) Then lightly buffing the nail plate to remove any shine, and finally spraying with Salon System Antiseptic Spray to dehydrate the nail plate. Have a look at this video tutorial to see how CND advise to PREP nails to ensure proper adhesion of Acrylic: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKB022LrpEs

I then put on the OPI Forms, which are great! They go on easily and because they are quite strong they provide a really good shape for the nail & unlike the sticker forms, there is no need to worry about them changing shape or falling off.
I then brush on Creatives Nail Primer using light strokes on the nail plate, being careful not to touch any skin

Once the forms are in place I can begin to sculpt the nail... The Pro Styler brush is so fabulous and just picks up the right amount of Monomer & Acrylic powder... It actually does what you tell it to do! Unlike other brushes I have used... If you take a look at the side view photo, you can see how the nail begins to take shape...

Once the Acrylic is dry, I remove the forms, which just easily pop off (did I mention the OPI forms are also re-usable :p)
I know they don't look very nice! So its time to start shaping the nail... Mind you, because of how easy Creative have made it to create a perfect shape whist sculpting, there is not much filing to do after apart from the free edge :)

Shape, shape & shape!

Spray & Clean off dust with Salon System Antibacterial Spray and buff nails using any shine buffer (I used The Edge two-sided shine buffer) Paint on one coat of whatever clear base you normally use... I have used Nina Salon Pro Calcium Hardner just because it was all I could find, but it's great to use on natural nails to strengthen them.

Lets make them look pretty :)

I have chosen to use Nails Inc's 'Dublin' which I love because it gives a glossy sheer baby pink finish and looks stunning... The first photo shows one coat and the second, is after 2 more coats... This polish is great because you can use one coat for a more natural almost clear look.

Add a little nail art :)

And my favourite Top Coat EVER, Seche Vite to prevent chipping & add that high glossy shine!

What do you think?

Please add your comments and let me know what you thought of my first ever review. I know my photos are of poor quality, its my camera phone :p Let me know if you would like to see a video tutorial of this... Have you used any of the products I used? What did you think of them?

Keep blogging! ♥

Finally, a proper post!

So I have finally figured out how to create different layouts! and im half asleep but really wanted to write up my first proper blog :)
My addiction in online beauty first started when i started watching make up gurus on youtube such as the wonderful Lauren Luke. After that I couldnt stop reading blogs and watching different tutorials... Nearly two years on and i guess I felt like creating my own little online beauty haven :)

I will be blogging on make up reviews, hauls, tutorials and random thoughts... I love to learn from all of you, and hopefully you guys can learn something from me :p
Please follow me and feel free to comment (even if it's bad), and ask questions!

Goodnight for now!
sonia x

* My first ever blog *

I should be working, but instead sorting out my page & trying to work out the world of blogging hehe :) ... this is fun! x