Wednesday Wishlist: Beauty Edition

Wednesday Wishlist: Beauty Edition by alicia-faye-myers featuring Mario Badescu Skin Care beauty products

It's wishlist time and boy am I craving a LOT of stuff. This weeks post is beauty themed because at the moment I am feeling far from beautiful. My skin is playing up, my hair has staged a rebellion and I am BORED TO TEARS with most of my make up looks. I am in the middle of a beauty related crisis!

Since I started blogging my skin has started playing up more than ever. I don't know whether this is my skin feeling the need to 'give me something to blog about' so to speak but I do know that it is tres annoying. I've used just about every product available on the outside so I though, why not try purifying from the inside. I'd seen a fair few reviews of these teas on a lot of blogs and most seemed to give positive reviews. I'm a massive sucker for some tea so I thought I may as well try these. They're very reasonably priced too which is an added bonus! The Mario Badescu Drying Lotion is something i've coveted for a while. Most of my spots tend to be whiteheads and very few products are targeted specifically at these. Enter Mario and his spot lotion -cheers-.

Ever the sucker for some amazing nail effects there was about 0.3 seconds between me getting my NailsInc email and their new feather effect nail polish being despatched on it's way to me. Ooopsie. The extraordinary oil is something that I got after trying a free sample of it from my glamour magazine and OMG IT'S AMAZING. Hello shiny and de-tangled hair, hello more manageability, hello happy Liss. I'm a big fan of stains which can be used on the lips and cheeks but it's been a while since I invested in once since my beloved bene-tint ran out. I've never owned a Stila product and wanted to try something of theirs as there a brand with a great reputation in the blogosphere. Their Crush Lip and Cheek stains seem as good a place as any to start. With such a gorgeous range of colours I may have to purchase two!

What do you guys think of this weeks wishlist? Do you crave or even use some of the products I am craving. Is there any you have used and loved or even any that have disappointed you. I always love to be an informed buyer so any advice is always appreciated!

Monday Money Saver: Upcycling my Glossybox!

As my followers may know, I'm a big fan of my Glossyboxes and one of my favourite parts of the whole experience is the gorgeous boxes they come in. One problem I have is what to do with them after I've
used all the goodies they house? They're always a good size and nicely patterned with the Glossxybox logo on the inside too.


Whilst I was debating what to do with them my 5 year old trusty make up bag that I'd been using to house my every day favourites decided that enough was enough and, quite literally, fell apart. And there was born my ideas. My glossyboxes had been used to send me gorgeous beauty treats to trial so why not use them to house my most used daily products? I'd been keeping my make-up on my desk for ease of access so I thought why not utilise my Glossyboxes!

I moved my make up in to the boxes, splitting my most used into day and night products and popped them on my vask desk (cheers landlord) along with my fave beauty and hair products. I had some trouble fitting my brushes into the boxes and I wanted to keep them upright so they stayed clean but were still easy to grab quickly in my inevitable morning rush. Cue my adorable mug been converted into a brush holder.


I then decided I wanted to house some of my favourite go-to beauty products such as skin care and hand creams, along with my favourite face masks and bath goodies. Rather than spending money on some overpriced storage I had a brainwave whilst doing the washing. My mother , a closet Poundland shopper, used these convenient plastic baskets to house her cleaning products, why couldn't I put them to use housing my fave beauty goodies. Off to the 99p store I went where I found one in a nice baby pink and swiftly chucked all my top products into once I arrived home.


I'm really pleased with the results of this cheeky bit of upcycling and it's made my life a hell of a lot easier as my make-up is just so easy to grab. I've also noticed that keeping my brushes stored like this has kept them cleaner and reduced my cheek spots at they're not festering in a draw or at the bottom of a make-up bag. Always a plus point!

What do you guys think of my cheeky little bit of upcycling? How do you store your make up? Do you have a use for your old Glossyboxes?

H&M Spring Picks

H&M have, for a long time, been one of my favourite shops. Back in the good old emo days I was a big fan of their quirkier Divided range and now as a student their purse-friendly prices are still a firm favourite. However over the past year or so I've started to fall out of love with the Swedish designers range.

Having ordered online from them once at University I began to receive their seasonal catalogues through the post and with each one my excitement faded. Whilst part of this could be a fault of the range I also believe it's more to do with me. My style is, like myself (sob), getting a bit older and more mature, Divided's once 'quirky' range now appears a little tacky to me. However I've always been a little intimidated by H&M's more adult range as it really didn't seem very 'me'. That all changed yesterday however, with the arrival of my Spring 2013 catalogue! Here are some of my favourite picks from this impressive collection.

H&M Spring Favourites by alicia-faye-myers featuring h&m

Leather, studs, tie dye, sports luxe and sparkle. I basically love everything about this collection. Tie-dye was a trend which intimidated me at first however the muted tones of the 2 items above make it more wearable and mature, taking away any 'hippy' associations which the trend may have had. Superbowl hype is still refusing to fade and this gorgeous top has certainly jumped on that bandwagon whilst still remaining very sports luxe and pandering to long-lasting trends. I have discussed my love affair with sequins before and these adorable ballet pumps give a cheeky flash of the look without overwhelming the wearer. Ever the fan of a classic leather jacket this gorgeous studded number in a light cream colour takes the trend over to the spring/summer season perfectly, paired with this incredibly versatile bag you've got a love affair made in accessories heaven.

All in all I think this collection comfortably transports some long-lasting trends and some of my favourite winter trends perfectly into suitable picks for spring and what more could you want from a spring collection? What do you guys think of H&M, love it or hate it? Do you like this new collection or is it not your kind of thing? As ever, let me know!

Review: Umberto Gianni Glam Hair

As any long term readers of my blog will know, I've put my hair through almost literally the fires of hell in this past year, I started 2012 a solid mahgoany colour, then went even brighter red, then pinky-red, then brunette, them ginger-y ombre, then a disastrous experimentation with green ends followed, quickly taken over by a light brown and blonde ombre with highlights and finally settling on a darker ombre. All in all my ends have been bleached about 7 times and currently resemble a hay bale.

Due to my hatred of the hairdressers I am yet to have it cut but the fact it's getting so tangled it's losing about an inch in length may be a sign for me to sort my life out and make the cut. In the mean time I am focussing on keeping the healthy bits of hair in good condition. Fundamental to protecting dry and brittle hair is saving it from heat damage! I use GHD's on my hair every day, I know, I know, I'm a heathen. But when you are blessed with my Irish curls then you begin to value heated hair tools and their skill. One product I therefore always use is a good heat protection spray and the latest one I am trying is Umberto Gianni's Princess Purrfect Hot Styler Spray, available for £5.61 from Boots.


I picked this up because the 'My Offers' machine in boots, where you pop your advantage card in and they tailor offers to your previous purchases, was offering 25% off Umberto Gianni products and some other ranges. I'd run out of my latest Toni and Guy heat protection spray and my locks desperately needed to be kept protected.

I grabbed this product mainly because I loved the packaging and it's from the same range as the amazing 'Backcomb in a Bottle' (I am a marketing man's dream). The packaging is really nice and this product looks pretty cool on my desk with my other bits and bobs. Probably not the most important factor but one that's a definite added perk. This product is different to other heat protectors I've used in the past in the it sprays on the hair slightly differently, much more like a hair spray than a traditional pump spray action. This helps get the product all over the hair and avoids the wetness some spray pumps can give. This product also smells amazing which, as you may have noticed, is a big plus for me when it comes to beauty products. It protects my hair, holds style and makes me smell lovely. Serious 5 stars for this one!

What do you guys think? Any of you use this product-if so what are your thoughts? What are your favourite heat protection products and what do you look for from those?

OOTD: New Nautical

This OOTD was actually what I wore on Tuesday but I've been zipping round the Midlands going to Birmingham for the night and then rushing back to celebrate Valentine's day a day earlier with the boyfriend because we're both working tonight. Safe to say it's been a little hectic!


This look was very different to something I'd usually wear, for one there was a distinct lack of black. I've always admired girls who can pull of 'classic' or 'chic' but I don't really see myself as one of them, even though Audrey Hepburn is my style icon. I appreciate it from an aesthetic point of view but it's just not me. I wear too much eyeliner and too many earrings to ever be 'chic' and I'm only 20, I have the rest of my life to be classic.

However when I saw this lovely and very classic t-shirt in Primark for £3 I just had to buy it. It would be the perfect t-shirt to throw on with my beloved Forever 21 dark blue jeans and I already had these adorable shoes which gave added to the perfect chic look of ankle skimming trousers, a simple t-shirt and some smart ballet pumps. Throw my white blazer, which is usually saved for job interviews, in to the mix and you've got Audrey Hepburn eat-your-heart-out chic. Of course, me being me I just had to add something that was a little edgier and so my Alexander McQueen dupe scarf (you may have noticed I have a lot of these-forever lusting after the day I get a real one) was thrown in to the mix to make the outfit a little more 'me'.

All in all I enjoyed my experimentation with classic chic and I think that, in the summertime, when the black is cleansed from my wardrobe it will definitely be a look to experiment with further. What do you guys think of this OOTD? Do you have a fashion icon who you love but rarely copy or is there a particular look you'd love to try but never have. As always, let me know!

Wednesday Wishlist: Valentine's Day Special

So, I'll admit, like a lot of girls my age I'm just not a big fan of Valentine's day. I don't get the hype and I hate any kind of forced fun so forced love is just even worse. I find it really hard to be romantic at the best of times so having a whole day dedicated to it just freaks me out! However I have just returned home to find a huge bouquet of my favourite flowers waiting for me with a non-soppy card, filled with personal-joke references, from my delightful boyfriend. So maybe that's softened me up a little, or maybe I can't resist the adorable vintage dresses and rose gold jewellery I've seen about at the moment, either way I've been inspired to do a Valentine's wishlist. So if you're spending tomorrow alone, with the ,love of your life or on an awkward first date here are some goodies to enjoy in the meantime.

Wednesday Wishlist by alicia-faye-myers featuring lingerie bras

If you're feeling uninspired for valentines day and want a quick, cheap fix then I can't think of any many who wouldn't be happy to find his girlfriend, wife, whatever in nothing but this bra and a spritz of perfume, however at £248 he better be taking you for the best meal ever in return. This floral dress is adorable and the vintage feel makes me think of classic Romantic film The Notebook and a time when men would scale ferris wheels to get girls to go out with them. It would also make a super gorgeous date outfit if accompanied by the bracelet and earrings. Hate Valentines day? Well there's something for you as well. With reference to fierce lady Suga Brown, this comedy t-shirt is perfect for you anti-valentines day folk and very very accurate.

What's your attitude to the big v-day? Are you a huge fan or a cynic who hates it? Do you have any nice plans with your other half? Or are you a single lady who'll be spending the day with someone else you love like a friend? What's on your wishlist this week?

Fab Four: Hand Creams

Now if there's one thing I hate most about winter it's the hideous affect it has on your skin. I can deal with the cold and the long nights and how downright miserable it is but I just can't cope with the havoc all this cold-to-hot and central heating business plays with my epidermis! One are which I personally find most affected is the skin on my hands. I develop the hands of a carpenter in the Winter months and it's not pretty. So I rely on a batch of trusty hand creams to keep my hands soft and supple as the cold nights draw in!

My #alltimefavourite hand cream has to be Clarins Hand and Nail Treatment Cream. I thinky my grandma or my aunty or someone must have used this when I was younger because the scent sets of a chain of memories in my head. It's delightfully vintage without being too 'old lady'-ish. This cream claims to form a protective layer around the skin on your hands and I must admit , once applied , it does feel like you're wearing a pair of silk gloves. This cream keeps hands soft and supple as well as strengthening nails and conditioning cuticles which for me makes it a triple threat.

The cream most suited to my poor student budget has to be Soap and Glory's Hand Food. This cream, as is expected of all S&G products smells amaaaaazing and it really gets the job done. It absorbs pretty quickly too which is always a plus, no one wants greasy hands, meaning it's perfect for keeping in your handbag for these on-the-go applications. Have I mentioned it smells delicious?

If you want a cream that will not only make your hands feel cracking but also make you feel good about yourself then LUSH's Charity Pot is the way to go. Not only does this cream work as a hand and body lotion it also does a good deed! LUSH donate every single penny you pay for Charity Pot (minus a little for tax purposes) to their chosen charities and funds. It's also made using fair trade and organic materials. I got the smallest pot of this stuff given to me by my dad who'd been stocking up on his own lush goodies and picked up a sample of this (because he's a top bloke) at the till. It's got a very thin consistency but a little goes a very very long way and my tiny vaseling sized pot has lasted me since Christmas. Top moisturising properties, the great ingredients and smell you'd expect from LUSH and it goes to a good cause? Gold star for you, Charity Pot.

Lastly is the new Body Shop Absinthe Purifying Cream. I was given a cheeky test of this by a lovely lady in the St Pancras branch of The Body Shop last week and having been intrigued to try a cream with ABSINTHE, YES ABSINTHE in it, I was pleasantly surprised. For one it didn't immediately enter my blood stream and get me drunk, which was a plus but at the same time it wasn't your average hand cream. This one made my hands , for want of a better word, zing. Not in an unpleasant way, just a 'ooh how tingly' kind of fashion. After the tingling settled my hands felt fresh and most importantly, nice and soft and the whole experience put me in a good mood if i'm honest. Very tempted to invest.

Those are my top 4 hand creams for the moment, i'm sure my journey through minging hands in the winter will see me encounter some more. I could definitely do with testing out some cheaper ones as my mother questioned whether soft hands were really worth £20 the other day and I must admit that maybe she is right. Do you suffer from dry hands in the winter? What are your favourite hand creams? Let me know!

Give my unloved clothes a home!

So it's that time of year again, coming to the end of the season, when I flog my life on ebay. Above is just a selection of the stuff I have available and there's stuff going up all the time so do check it out and have a gander! Most stuff starts from as little as a fiver and you can have a perv over my shiny 100% positive feedback record to see what a fabulous e-bayer I am.

Pretty much all of these are unworn because Yes, I have a problem. So why not pick yourself up some cheeky new threads to bust your winter blues! Happy bidding.

Monday Money Saver: Collection Big Fake Ultimate Mascara

hello hello hello, I'm back again with more money saving tips for you lovelies. Now this is one that many of you may have already have cottoned on to and that is Collection's Big Fake Mascara. Many of the people I know who are devotees to this particular lash magic wand say that it's a great dupe of Benefit's They're Real Mascara which I've been lusting after for while.

This mascara is usually £3.99 which is super cheap compared to Benefit's They're real which retails at £18.50 so this is a ridiculous saving. However, I was lucky enough to stumble upon it in the Poundshop. I was sceptical at firt but I decided to grab it and, on comparing it to my friend's copy realised it was legit and was simply on offer as Collection appear to have changed the colour of the tube?

As i've mentioned in previous posts I'm quite lucky to have fairly long eyelashes, nothing spectacular, but still not very short one so I can only vouch for how well this product works on lashes similar to mine. I also have quite a lot of eyelashes so as well as lengthening them I like my lashes to be nice and separated.

This was my lashes before, nothing done to them beforehand i.e no curling or priming. Bloodshot eyes courtesey of 6 hours sleep, sorry guys!

As you can see my lashes afterwards are much darker and way way lifted, they also look a lot longer. In fact, when my housemate saw this picture she asked if I was wearing falsies which is of course what everyone desires from a mascara which claims to give a false lash effect! The wand was a natural bristled one and I applied the mascara using my usual technique of placing the brush at my lash line and rotating upwards. It gave equal coverage to all my lashes, brushed through easily and just took at little adjusting of my corner lashes in order to get the desired look. All in all I am VERY impressed with this mascara and even though I was lucky enough to secure it for a mere quid I wouldn't hesitate to purchase it for £4. Mascara is one of the products I've always maintained you can save money on and if this isn't clear evidence then I don't know what it!

What do you guys think of my new lash look? Any of you out there love this mascara or loathe it? What are you favourite mascaras and are you a spend or splurge kinda girl when it comes to your lashes? Let me know what you think!

February GlossyBox

It's that time of the month again! (no, not that one. Sicko). My second Glossybox of my new subscription has arrived and ever they didn't fail to make me feel like it was my birthday. This months box was even more gorgeous that the last one and I actually forgot for a secnd that it was the products I was supposed to be excited about!

They even made their regular brouchure look like a Valentines day card which put a smile on my face and struck me as really thoughtful.

As far as I wasconcerned it would have taken a miracle for Glossybox to top their January detox box which, for a facial skincare addict like me, was an absolute godsend and introduced me to 3 products I now adore (The Jason's Lip Balm,Elemis Exfoliator and the Premae Balance Rescue Tonique). I must admit this box has made a very good effort and whilst their were no skincare goodies in my February box there was still a LOT to be excited about.

L-R Eyeshadow, Highlighter, Lipstick.

This months goodies included:
1. Rituals Magic Touch Ultra Whipped Body cream: This smells absolutely amazing, floral, fresh and clean but not unlike a fabric conditioner. I don't personally see this as a bad thing at all, I think the smell would be the perfect rejuvination after your morning shower, but it may bother some of you. The product is whipped meaning it comes out nice and thick (I find some body lotions and creams too runny and uncontrollable), it rubs in easily and left my very dry elbows, cheers winter central heating, touchably soft.

2. MEMEME Beat the Blues Highlighter in Oyster Gold: I've been meaning to invest in a highlighter recently but found myself a little overwhelmed with the various ones available so it's probably pretty lucky that I'm now obliged to try this one. I was impressed with this because of it's decent size and I also love love love the colour of it. It's easy to apply and give a lovely subtle glow to my brow and cheek bones as well as being useful in contouring my cheekbones. As a shiny skinned girl I don't like too much glow but this was perfect for giving me a healthy, sun kissed look.

3. Miners Lipstick in Cinnamon: I'm not massive lipstick wearer so I wasn't overly excited about this product and when I looked at the dark pink colour I was struck my how similar it was to my natural lip tone. Thanks to inheriting my mothers snow-white complexion with dark lips, very few lipsticks show up well on my lips. However I was pleasantly surprised when I tired this on. It smells wonderful, literally good enough to eat and has a very shiny, almost metallic finish which made up for the fact that it was , as expected, very close to my natural lip colour. This would make a nice subtle alternative to my dark plum Barry M lipstick and when it smells so nice it's worth putting on just for that.

4. Figs and Rouge 100% Organic Lip and body Balm: Yes, another lip product for me. After falling in love with the lip balm I got in my last Glossybox this one was facing some stiff competition but the adorable vintage packaging certainly won it some points. This was also rescued by the fact it's also a body balm, meaning I can use it to tend areas of dryness on areas other than my lips. It has slightly gritty texture which did make it feel odd on the lips but once rubbed in it felt soft and smooth and my lips got a major hydration boost. I think I'll be popping this one in my handbag just because the packaging is so cute I want others to see it!

5. Mica Bella Eyeshadow in Deep Secrets 53: Last and unfortunately least is this eyesshadow. It's no reflection on the products itself it's just that I own enough brown eyeshadow to open a brown eye shadow shop and didn't really need any more. However that being said this is a great shadow with good pigment and it's made from an all natural mineral so there's no need to worry about putting yucky stuff near your eyes!

So that's my Feb Glossybox review and I have to say my decision to return to glossybox is one i'm definitely not regretting atm. Getting the boxes really makes my day and I've discovered some great products already. What do you guys think? Do you subscribe to any other beauty boxes you think I should be checking out? Did you love your Feb box or were you disappointed. Let me know! All I can say now is bring on march!

OOTD: Peace, Faith and Love

Hey guys and gals, how are you today? Only one day until Friday! Not that as an English student this really matters to me, my free time is on my days of Tuesday-Thursday and I'm actually working the next three nights but such is life. More money for me, I have a blog to fund after all!

Today's outfit of the day is a bit of a blogger special as the beautiful shirt I'm wearing was one I actually spotted on this very website. One of my favourite bloggers is Victoria of VIP (no she's not being arrogant those are her actual initials!) runs one of my favourite blog features, here ever popular Ebay Baskets. I have spent many an hour lusting after all of the amazing porducts she finds but haven't yet bought any, however when I saw this gorgeous Shirt which I had previously longed for from ASOS I couldn't believe my luck. I'd also seen it on Jenny's blog RockNRoller and when 2 of my favourite bloggers point me in the direction of something then it would be plain rude not to buy it. It arrived yesterday so naturally I wanted to wear it straight away and here it is, accessorised with some of my favourite pieces!




Shirt- Ebay £4.61 (yes really!)
Leggings- H&M
Earrings-PRIMARK.
Leather Jacket- River Island.
So there's my OOTD, hope you like. If you've never shopped on Ebay then i'd seriously recommend it and if you're looking for great blogs to follow then Jenny and Victoria's are definitely in my top 5 ever. I got this top in a M as it is made of quite a silky fabric and I didn't want it to stretch around my ridiculous boobs. It fits perfectly, nice and loose in all the right areas but fitted in others and I absolutely love it. What do you guys think?

Wednesday Wishlist: Kukee

Hey guys! How are you today? Enjoying a little hump day treat? I'm treating myself to finally going to see Le Mis with the girls I live with later which I am tres excited about! I'd firstly like to make an apology for the lack of a post on Monday. The internet went down in my area so I had none and trust me, it was painful. But I'm back and to make up for the lack of a Monday Money Saver Post i've brought you a wishlist that will not only introduce you to one of the best jewellery sites I've found in a while but also make you some major savings.

Kukee, like the name suggests (kooky-geddit?!), provides beautifully unique pieces at prices that I just could not believe. Pretty much everything is under a fiver and they even have a special £1 offers section-what more could a girl want?They're currently running a Special range for Valentine's day which is absolutely adorable so you may have to subtly bookmark their webpage in your boyfriend's laptop. Or treat yourself, why not. Many of their items remind me of some of the Freedom at Topshop jewellery I've seen around lately but at way, way more reasonable prices! Why pay £15 for a necklace when you can get it for £3 from here?

Wednesday Wishlist: Kukee by alicia-faye-myers featuring necklaces

Here are just some of my favourite pieces!

As well as unbelievable prices they also include a free surprise gift on all orders above £10 AND on Fridays you can get 10% off as a cheeky little treat to yourself for the weekend, just use the code 'tgif10'. Seriously girls, Kukee will spoil you.

So there we have it, my wishlist of my favourite Kukee Pieces which have most definitely not been ordered already...oops. And a cheeky little money saving website too. Thankfully my internet is back up and running now, I'm back in civilisation, YAY! So the blog posts will be back to normal from now on. Let me know what you guys think of Kukee and if you order anything from there then I'd love to see it! If you know of similar websites too then LET ME KNOW. Thanks girlies!