June 24, 2016

Nyx Pump It Up Lip Plumper- Is It Any Good?

June 24, 2016/ Claire Spence

Nyx Pump It Up is one of many lip plumping glosses on the market. At a reasonable £6.50 via Boots.com, it works by tingling the lips making them swell a little & look bigger. It's not as painful as I've just made it sound, I promise, in fact I quite like the feeling!

The needle means you KNOW it's going to be good

From the nine colours I chose the neutral, translucent gloss 'Liv' so I can wear it over my usual lipsticks.

The product definitely works, you can see the difference in my before & after pics, so I would give it the thumbs up and recommend it. A short review, but there we go!

There are 9 shades to choose from, including the clear gloss I bought

June 23, 2016

What's new from SEVENTEEN: Gel Nails, Instant Glow Cream Bronzer, Long Lash Mascara & a 3 Way Highlighter You'll Want to Use All Summer

June 23, 2016/ Claire Spence

Boots SEVENTEEN collection is where you'll find budget priced, ahead of the trend makeup. They sent me some products to try out, so let's have a look at them. If you like what you see, then you're in luck as the SEVENTEEN range is on offer with 3 for 2 on the Boots website right now.

Firstly, there is the Skin Wow! Primer at £5.99. It's a three in one product with versatile usage you'll love. You can use it as a primer, mix it with your foundation, or apply over your makeup on your cheek bones to give yourself a luminous glow.

I tried it over my makeup that had been on half the day, and it really perked up my skin. It would be great to add variation to a matte foundation finish, or to keep in your handbag to use midway through the day to refresh your face.

Next is the Instant Glow Cream Bronzer at £4.99. I haven't actually used a cream bronzer before, only powder, so I was curious to how this would be to apply.

I was a little dubious as it looked quite orange when I swatched it on my hand. When I tried it on my cheek as a contour, it looked more natural. The great thing about it being a cream is that it's easier to build colour slowly to achieve the effect you desire. It's also very easy to blend.

Using Instant Glow as a light contour on cheeks

The third product SEVENTEEN kindly sent me is the Long Lash mascara which costs £6.99 and as with all the SEVENTEEN range, it's 3 for 2 right now.

It's the type of wand I prefer, with small, short bristles. It allows you to coat even the shortest lashes without making a hash of it.

I already had Boots No7 mascara on, but you can still see the difference Long Lash makes. I applied it to the eye on the left (my right).

With Long Lash       :    Without — With Long Lash : Without

Finally, the £3.99 Gel Colour nail polish with 30 colours to choose from, I was sent this pretty candy pink.

It's applies well for a light colour. I've a similar light pink from Barry M & it takes about four coats, whereas this only took the recommended two.

I'm not the best at painting my nails as you can see- but they do match my gaudy phone case! Bonus!

June 20, 2016

An Optical Illusion in Your Home, 15 Walls to Baffle Your Guests

June 20, 2016/ Claire Spence

One of my earliest memories is going weekly with my Granny for tea to The Skandia restaurant in Bangor for chicken in a basket. The main memory, which again shaped by love of kitsch I suppose, is of their entire wall photo mural of a green forest scene. I've always wanted a photo realistic wall mural in my home, but they are pricy, so as yet I haven't ever had my dream come true.

But now there is MuralsWallpaper.co.uk with their decent price per m2 on hundreds of designs and patterns.

Here are some of their designs that act almost as optical illusions, they look like the wall is made from something other than brick covered in paper.

Then there are a selection of just pure kitschy fun walls. When it comes to picking, it'll be a tough one!

June 20, 2016

CastleCourt Goes Curvy

June 20, 2016/ Claire Spence

This month, leading Belfast shopping centre CastleCourt brings you CastleCourt CURVE – a fantastic event celebrating style at any size.

Featuring well-known brands from across the UK and beyond, the CastleCourt Curve event, which takes place on Saturday 25 June, is a great opportunity for women of all shapes, sizes and silhouettes to see plus-size collections on a group of body confident, curvy women.

The fashion shows will take place at regular intervals throughout the afternoon from 12.30 until 4pm, and there’ll also be beauty tips and hair advice from key partners including INGLOT as well as Debenhams beauty brands.

Host Charlotte Coyle added: “I’ve been promoting a healthy integration of plus size in fashion for a long time, so it’s great to see such a major shopping centre like CastleCourt embracing their customers in this way. Let’s eliminate negativity surrounding plus size and allow women of all shapes and sizes to enjoy fashion and feeling body confident.”

I'm a size 12 on the bottom and 14 on top, so I'll be interested to see examples on the runway with models up to size 20. I really need tips on dressing for apple shape, so maybe I shall see you all there.

June 18, 2016

Celebrating 50 Years of Boots in Northern Ireland, in the Europa Penthouse Suite

June 18, 2016/ Claire Spence

Boots the Chemist are celebrating 50 years of trading in Northern Ireland this year. To celebrate, during an intimate event at the Europa Hotel, the No7 teamof makeup artists recreated key looks from the past five decades, documenting the swinging 60s styles, the electro 80s, right through to today’s current trends – from contouring to creating the perfect brow.

1960s' hair & makeup using Boots products

I went along to the Europa penthouse suite, where a dozen of makeup & beauty concessions had sent their dream teams to pamper & paint our lucky faces.

Anne Higgins, Head of Customer Experience from Boots in Northern Ireland commented; “When the first Boots store opened in Northern Ireland in Belfast’s Corn Market in 1966 it brought with it a wealth of beauty and wellbeing essentials helping customers feel good right across the province."

"Boots also brought to Northern Ireland its No7 brand, which was originally introduced in the 1930s. The now iconic brand has brought a huge range of innovative products to the market through its beauty and skincare collections, from its ground breaking Protect and Perfect Intense Advanced Serum, the UK’s first serum clinically proven to deliver anti-wrinkle results that get even better over time, to its No7 Match Made service which helps you discover the colours shades and finished perfectly suited to you."

The event was a beauty blogger's dream, and as a woman who is now hooked on makeup, I had a whale of a time. There were many international beauty houses available at Boots including Smashbox, Benefit, Elizabeth Arden, Estee Lauder, Lancôme and Bare Minerals, who showcased their latest products and trends.

I was also treated to skincare from Liz Earle, No7, Clarins and Clinique with summer hair trends demonstrated by Bumble & Bumble.

The No7 brand has developed throughout the years, working with top skin scientists and specialists, to meet the demands of today’s savvy shoppers, professional makeup artists and beauty fanatics. Today, its latest new products include the new Lift and Luminate Triple Action Serum, Bronze Shimmer Palette and the Special Edition Gold Lash Impact Mascara.

We also came away with lots of samples, so what did I love, what secret products are in the pipeline, and which items will I be buying full size thanks to the samples or demonstrations?

The first stop on my tour of the room were the ladies at Estée Lauder. I had always heard great things about their Double Wear foundation, and Julie from their main Boots store offered to apply it for me so I could compare it to my usual medium coverage Rimmel foundation.

See the result of how the new foundation looked, later on in this post.

Julie used the Double Wear To Go £33.00 compact in the lightest shade. The clever compact dispenses a pump of foundation, one for light coverage & two for a more heavier look. This Double Wear incarnation has a slight glow to it, it's not matte but it's not too shiny either. In the words of Goldilocks, it was just right. So I've my eyes set on buying the compact myself once my ten day trial has run out.

Each Estée Lauder concession currently has a ten day sample available for customers to try Double Wear at home. Just come along to your local store & they will use their little machine to match your skin tone & send you off with your ten day trial.

The next sample I'm loving is the No7 Lash Impact in limited edition gold glitter packaging.

I'm really very fussy about mascara. I only use Estée Lauder, Benefit Bad Gal or RollerLash, but not They're Real, or No7 mascaras.

I dislike mascara that clumps, or makes my lashes look spidery, but No7 wands don't let me down, so if I have to recommend a mascara I would say this was top three.

Next is one of the products we were teased with, but that isn't available to buy yet. Here is a snap of the adjustable head eyeliner Lancôme are launching very soon. I didn't get a photo myself, so this is from Alison, PassionsandPreening's snapchat.

I struggle with my eyeliner so I'm dying to get my hands on one of these flexible head types.

Moving on to something I did get a sample of, the Smash Box Primer £25.50

I've tried a couple of brands of primer but never fully added it into my makeup routine. This product might just change that. It's hard to describe how it makes your skin feel, but it's so soft, you'll just want to keep touching it.

Bumble & Bumble Thickening Hairspray £22.00 next. They gave us a couple of samples and they all smell so good. This hairspray isn't an aerosol, which is great because cans of hairspray bring me out in a rash. This is more liquid, but has a tonne of hold. My hair felt very natural and not full of product, despite the curl I had put in holding so well.

Another full size sample the Boots Coconut Oil 100ml at £2.54 is a versatile product you can use for your hair, skin and nails. I used it as a body moisturiser & of course the scent is delicious.

Lastly, if you are into beauty you'll surely have heard about the new Benefit Brow Collection coming soon. I've my eyes set on Gimme Brow in shade 4, £18.50 after the girls colour matched my brows and applied the gel for me.

So my makeup below is Estée Lauder Double Wear To Go foundation & blush, Clinique mascara, Benefit Gimme Brow, Lancôme Juicy Shaker lips. Thanks for a wonderful day, Boots!

June 17, 2016

Six Bikes to Win Thanks to Little Wing

June 17, 2016/ Claire Spence

As Smix & I's favourite local restaurant chain prepare to expand into mainland UK, they are revving the engines for summer & giving away six kids' bikes, one for each store.

Entry is simple – enjoy a tasty Little Wing pizza in any of the six locations, fill out a ‘Get on Yer Bike’ Giveaway flyer and you’ll be entered into the draw to win. The competition will for one month, from 15th June - 15th July, with winners being drawn week commencing 18th July.

The competition launched on Wednesday 15th June to coincide with Bike to School Day. If you want more information, to find out where your nearest Little Wing is located, or to nosy through the whole menu, visit their website. They even have their own gaming app!

June 15, 2016

Father's Day 2016 is Sweet at M&S

June 15, 2016/ Claire Spence

Father's Day is this Sunday in the UK & Ireland. Smix & I popped along to our local Bloomfields branch in Bangor, to see what's in store to pick up for your Pops this weekend.

Firstly there's a great offer to pick up a smart polo shirt, shorts and greetings card for £19.50 perhaps best for the older Dad, my own Dad would love this set. It's all mix and match, so you can choose from dozens of colour combinations to make the outfit that's right for your Dad's day in the sun.

There are other offers you might be interested in, like 30% off men's fragrance, toiletries and toiletry gifts.

Or there's the classic mug option! A Father's Day staple in our household for many a year as I was growing up.

There are dozens of craft ales, which I'll come to later, but if your dad is teetotal then check out this fancy root beer. I picked up the matching cream soda, priced at £2 each and would make for a very fancy bbq refreshment at any time this summer.

Now onto the main Food Hall offerings. I'm a sucker for an M&S cake, and there's a special Dad cake on the shelves for this weekend's celebrations. The £8 cake is a delicious combination of Belgian chocolate, coffee & salted caramel in layers.

The off license section of your local store is stocked with a wealth of apt Father's Day tipple ideas. I couldn't resist this pre-mixed espresso martini, for £12, which we will chill to ice cold & serve on the rocks.

And here's the tempting praline cream soda I mentioned, which would make a neat little gift with some of M&S's yummy gingerbread men. The minis are £1.10 and the regular sized are £1.50

My dad has a sweet tooth and loves nougat, so I chose this huge slab of his favourite for £5, which I will give to him along with a nice bottle of red wine. Many of the Belgian chocolate boxes are half price right now, in celebration of Father's Day, so if your dad loves his sweeties too, check out what your local Food Hall has on offer.

Now, onto that bottle of red wine I mentioned! I was lucky to notice there is a dine in style offer on right now. You pick a main, from a selection of great bbq/summer style dishes, two sides, and a bottle of wine, or two bottles of ale/beer. So it's definitely a dad themed sort of meal deal! You get all that for a tenner, and with bottles of wine usually costing £7.99 at least these days, you can't be bad to that.

I chose these products, and snapped some of the other choices for you.

They also have some great hot hot sauces in the Food Hall, the packaging of these caught my eye.

These are the ales you can pick from and take two of for the meal deal, or a bottle of wine as usual.

Some more of the alcohol gifts I thought would make good presents. These colourful gins were £14 each.

You could put together a great gift set of ales, beers or ciders for your dad to try out. If you buy six you save a huge 25% so it's worth your while stocking up for you too! Have a great Father's Day 2016!

P.S. We cooked the Dine in Meal this evening, shared between 3 adults & Smix, with just an extra chicken kebab and small salad to fill out the meal as it was meant for two people. We are full! For £10 with a bottle of wine or two ales, it's a steal.