LEAVING WORK HAUL

You may or may not (but probably don't know) that for the past 11 months I've been working as a healthcare advisor at Boots (and I won't say which one, but it is probably the best Boots out there in the coolest location). Alongside this came the single greatest thing in my life, a discount card. As Sunday was my last day at work, my mum and I did a huge Boots shop before I had to give back my discount (</3), so I thought I'd share some of the things we bought.

Skin Care
I did a stock up on my favourite skin care staples, which are the Boots tea tree and witch hazel foaming face wash and cleansing and toning lotion, the Neutrogena oil-free moisturiser (life saver) and the Quick Fix anti-blemish mud mask. Oldies but goodies, all of them.

Makeup
The first lot of makeup is stuff I bought myself. Firstly, I bought myself a new Natural Collection concealer stick, which is my current favourite concealer, and the Rimmel soft kohl eye liner pencil, as my current one from Body Shop is nearing the end of its life. I also bought, because there was an offer on Rimmel, the Lasting Colour Rush balm in 'Keep Mauving', which I have been lusting after for absolutely ages after buying a different colour a couple of years ago and loving it. The last makeup item I bought was the No.7 extreme length sensitive mascara. I was on the hunt for a good mascara, and I had this one years and years ago and really liked it. I don't need my mascaras to do too many fancy things, just simple length and colour, and I have really, really sensitive eyes, so this one ticks all the boxes for me.

All the other makeup products are Essie nail varnishes that I was given as my leaving present from my colleagues, as they know how much I love Essie nail varnishes. Firstly, I was given 'Chinchilly', which everyone knows is my all-time favourite nail varnish, and I was also given two duo sets. The first one is the 'Anchors Aweigh!' set, which contains two slightly shimmery nail varnishes, 'Naughty Nautical' and the immensely population 'Bikini so Teeny'. The other set is the 'a Sprinkle in Pink' set, which contains the also immensely popular 'Fiji' and the 'a Cut Above' glitter top coat. I am very spoilt and very emotional over this.

Miscellaneous
Miscellaneous products, aka the ones that didn't fit into their own category but I wanted to mention. Firstly, a set of three clear wash/makeup bags, always useful; then my favourite Denman hair brush because I haven't had a new one in over ten years. Finally, a new electric toothbrush that I can bring away to uni with me (plus spare heads, not pictured).

Rosie

Significantly poorer than I was before

BLOGMAS DAY 16- ESSIE 'FAVOURITES TO FALL FOR' DUO

Tuesday 16th December 2014

9 sleeps till Christmas

I saw this on someone else's blog and it was one of those 'I need this in my life NOW' moments. And boy was it a good purchase. 

Essie do quite a few beautiful duos, but this one was so beautiful and absolutely perfect for autumn and winter. The 'Favourites to Fall For' definitely lives up to its name, it contains the two most amazing colours that everyone needs in their lives: 'Bahama Mama' and 'Chinchilly'.

A dark grey is a staple nail varnish colour to own. 'Chinchilly' is described as a "sleek granite grey" and I've had so many complements on it it's mad. I'd had my eye on 'Bahama Mama' for well over a year so I jumped at the chance to get it as part of this duo (plus a duo is cheaper than buying two separate colours). 'Bahama Mama' is a "warm, rich, creamy plum" and I love it. It's a beautiful berry that is perfect for the Autumn/winter months.

I've said it before, but what I really love about Essie nail varnishes is the brush. It's thick and flat and it gives perfect coverage, it's so easy to cover the whole nail in two brush strokes. The brush makes even the worse nail painter, like myself, look good.

I don't know if it's just mine or if it's all of them, but I found that 'Chinchilly' has quite a watery consistency however, like all Essie nail varnishes, it looks great after two coats.

I would definitely recommend getting this nail duo, at £12.99 it's not the cheapest of items, but it's so worth it for the two beautiful colours you get. I am so in love with this duo, I've been rotating the colours for the past two months and I've barely worn anything else.

A DISAPPOINTING REALISATION

This will only be a very quick post, but something I have come to realise recently is just how bad Barry M is for your nails. I have been using the Barry M clear nail varnish/bottom coat for quite a while now and I have come to realise that it is more or less ruining my nails.
I have found that the top layer of my nails (NOT the nail varnish bit- the actual nail) always peels away really easily and it is doing it a lot more recently, and I have blamed the Barry M bottom coat for the problem.

In order to combat this problem I have thrown away my clear Barry M nail varnish for good and have resorted to investing in some more expensive nail care products. I was very impressed with Essie's 'After School Boy Blazer' so I decided to go for one of their bases- the 'Grow Stronger' base coat. According to the reviews this prevented peoples nails from peeling and splitting, and was a great streak-free base for their nail varnish. I have also notice that it goes on very thick which is a good thing in my books; it also looks pink in the bottle but goes on quite clear and is basically a 'you nails but better' natural look.

I will report back on how well this works as I first have to grow out the tops of my nails that are splitting but I will hopefully be able to go back to wearing a normal base coat (not Barry M though) sooner rather than later. So far, though, it appears to be working quite well as it has not chipped off AT ALL and there is no new peeling bits on my nails. I am hoping to still be able to wear Barry M colours as I feel they should be okay as long as there is a stronger base coat underneath.

Essie 'Grow Stronger'- £8.99 in Boots.

GOT THOSE JANUARY BLUES

The early, still-winter months are the perfect time for wearing blue nails. Dark blue is perfect if you want to fit with the whole dark and cold atmosphere of the season, but light blue can also work very well giving the image of frost.

For ages I had been looking for the perfect navy blue, then I found my saviour in the form of Essie. Essie's After School Boy Blazer (one of my favourite things about Essie is the amazing names she comes up with for all her nail varnishes) is my first Essie shade after spending hours agonising over the perfect colour to start my collection with. Much to my dismay neither of my local Boots or Superdrug had After School Boy Blazer in stock so I ended up having to order it online and now my mother thinks I am a crazy person for being that desperate.

The one thing I was not expecting when I opened this nail varnish was the size and shape of the brush. The brush is wide and flat and gives really good coverage of your nails in about three strokes- I really hate the fact that Barry M's brushes are really small and thin and make your nails look all streaky which Essie doesn't at all (Topshop nail varnishes also have really lovely and thick brushes). The size of the brush also means that it picks up a lot of nail varnish at once and you can easily paint three nails before having to stick it back in the bottle.

The colour came out really dark and thick after just one coat so I actually didn't bother with two coats like I normally would because there was simply no need to (though it would probably last longer with two). The thing I really love about After School Boy Blazer is that it's a really, really dark navy that looks black in some lights and I have been looking for a super dark navy for so long- it's the perfect colour and actually looks the same shade as it does in the bottle which nail varnishes never normally do. I have already fallen in love with this colour after only wearing it for about 10 minutes.

My nails dried super quickly and I have high hopes that it will not chip as it just looks like a high quality polish when wearing it.
Essie is quite pricey at £7.99 but this shade is beautiful and I will definitely be buying more soon (dying for the Mint Candy Apple one); good purchase I must say.