April Wishlist

Happy Easter everybody! 

So payday has been and my bank account looks a little healthier (although I doubt this will last for long) so now is the time for me to start lusting after products again. So what is on April's wishlist?

01. Soap & Glory Endless Glove Moisture Mask and Hand Cream - I'm forever buying hand creams and feel very lost without one in my bag. I spotted this on the Boots website last week and I love the idea of this doubling as a hand mask - perfect for night time.
02. Lonely Planet South East Asia on a Shoestring - The first leg of our travels this summer will be starting in Thailand, with the plan to visit Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos and Malaysia as well. Despite doing lots of online research, I've decided to buy this as something to read in my spare time, and it's quite nice to have all information in one place.

03. Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette - I've tried my hardest to resist this latest palette, and I've failed. I love the idea of having a small palette of everyday colours that can also create a night time smoky look. It looks very travel friendly.
04. American Apparel Black Disco Pants - At the end of January I bought some disco pants at a more affordable price than the £70 that AA are asking for. I absolutely loved them, but two weeks ago I had a nasty accident. I looked down in a crowded Pizza Express only to see that they'd split in the crotch and that my underwear was clearly visible. Cue a frantic look round shops for a replacement pair of trousers while discretely carrying my bag infront of me to conceal my mortification. I have since sent them back and been refunded but find myself missing my shiny trousers.
05. Dr. Jart Water Fuse BB Cream - The only BB cream that I've only used regularly is the one from Garnier, but after having a couple of issues in recent weeks I've decided once my current tube runs out I'd like to try something new. I've heard only positive things about this BB cream so I have my eye on this one. I regret not buying it when it was ridiculously reduced in Boots last year.
06. Lanolips Lemonaid Lip Aid - I have one of Lanolips Coloured Lip Ointments which I rather enjoy, and after reading a glowing review from Sophia over on Tattooed Tealady I'm itching to try this although the thought of spending near enough £10 on a lip balm makes me a little reluctant, but I've been assured this will last me a long time.

Do you own any of these products? Would you recommend them?

Kate x

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MAC Archie's Girls Prom Princess Blush

When I first heard about the soon-to-launch Archie's Girls collection from MAC I wasn't overly bothered. MACs limited edition collections usually just pass over my head (with the exception of a lipstick from the Wonderwoman collection which was launched a couple of years ago, unfortunately I failed to get one)

This time I slowly started to look through the collection on Selfridges website when they had the exclusive. Despite liking many of the shades of lipstick from the Archies Girls collection, I decided that the one product I liked the most from the entire collection was this blusher called Prom Princess which is from the Veronica side of the collection.

I decided to be brave with the bright pink and after googling for swatches I found it looked rather lovely on Temptalia. Pink blush is generally quite a foreign shade for me (aside from the Topshop Cream Blush) and the main pink shade I've used is Benefit's Dandelion Powder which is considerably lighter. 

With Prom Princess it is a very bold colour as you can see from the photos with an extremely high colour pay off - when applying you need a very light hand otherwise it will be far too strong, especially on my pale skin. I think this will really look good on tanned skin (come on summer!)

The colour lasts quite well, it may be a touch patchy after a day at work but I do touch my face a fair bit throughout the day, so it's to be expected.

Overall, I'm glad I went for this blusher (I did have a few doubts to start off with) and I would certainly try another blusher from MAC - there's a couple of shades I already have my eyes on.

I'm sorry I've left it so late to write this review as I can see that this is now sold out, but I couldn't not review it. I'm sure some MAC counters may still have this in stock, and if so this retails for £19.00.

Kate x

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FOTD #3

I'm beginning to get into the swing of these FOTD's, and today I have absolutely no inclination to go out into the snow and cold apart from perhaps a little wander later. Today is well and truly a lazy day, although it did start off badly - the shower went cold and just before that a bottle of conditioner fell off the shelf in the shower and hit me right in the mouth, so I'm currently sporting a bit of a fat lip (though luckily it isn't visible in this photo!)

So what am I wearing today?

Face

Clarins Beauty Flash Balm
YSL Touche Eclat Foundation in BR30
Clinique Line Smoothing Concealer in 02 Light
MUA Pressed Powder in Shade 2

Eyes

Bootycall from Naked 2 Palette
Clinique Lash Building Primer
Clinique High Impact Curling Mascara Black
UD Primer Potion
Clinique Quickliner for Eyes

Brows

UD Brow Box in Brown Sugar

Cheeks

MAC Archie's Girls Prom Princess Blush (Veronica)

Lips

MAC Lustre Lipstick in Plumful

What are you wearing today? Do you wear any of these products on a regular basis?

Kate x

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How else can you follow me?

Since the news of Google Reader going in July, I thought it might be worth mentioning the other ways in which you can follow me! 

I am subscribed to both Bloglovin' and Hello Cotton - both are platforms to not only follow me, but like Google Reader my new posts will appear!

Nobody seems to know for certain whether GFC is going with Google Reader, but it never hurts to give someone some extra options, does it? 

Bloglovin': 

Hello Cotton: 

Find nwgirlontheblog on Hellocotton

If you're opting to use Bloglovin' you can additionally import all the blogs you follow on GR so you don't have to go through manually refollowing everyone - something that would be incredibly time consuming and tedious!

Kate x

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Hask Argan Oil Healing Shine Hair Treatment Review

Ever since I received a sample of Osmo Berber Hair Oil in my May's Glossybox, I've loved the idea of them but I've never really felt like I could justify the cost of some of the ones on the market.

Back in November I stumbled across some small bottles of Argan Oil in Primark, of all places. Not one to shy away from what Primark has to offer in the beauty world I decided to add it to my basket. I did wonder whether it would be cheap nasty stuff but after putting it to the test I'm fairly impressed.

Of a morning I don't always have time to use conditioner (sleep is sometimes more appealing) when washing my hair which usually leads to knotted and static hair, which is something that is really irritating especially when driving - I don't know why but it is. I've found with this that it really helps to compensate for lack of conditioner and also leaves my hair fairly soft for the day, not to mention a definite reduction in static.

I definitely agree that hair oils can reduce drying time and this is no exception, another reason why I like it. Hair drying is such a chore to me, I really hate it so anything that will reduce the time I have to spend doing this laborious task is a winner in my eyes.

This oil itself is a burnt orange colour when poured out, and only a small blob is required. It also has a slightly odd yet inoffensive scent. One of these bottles lasts approximately 2-3 weeks depending on how generous you are when pouring into your hand.

Admittedly you can get a branded bottle from a Supermarket/Drugstore for about £10 such as L'Oreal Elvive's Extraordinary Oil but I've never quite wanted to hand my money over for it.

One day I'd love to try Ojon's Rare Blend Hair Oil but with a price tag pushing £30 I'm not so sure I can really justify it while trying to save money! I also think these would make great travel tubes especially if you do have one of the bigger glass bottles, that can definitely be a pain when flying - weight limit etc.

This 18ml bottle of Argan Oil is £2.50 and can be found in Primark at the till points (though they may also be elsewhere but not that I've personally seen). 

Kate x

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Clinique Chubby Stick in Mighty Mimosa

When I first found out about Clinique Chubby Sticks I became quite obsessed. Super Strawberry was my first purchase back in June (review here) and back in December I acquired a new one! This time in the shade Mighty Mimosa which was one of the shades I'd wanted to try from the beginning (the other was Curvy Candy). It is a sheer peachy pink and is a brilliant everyday colour - especially perfect for summer. Because it's so subtle I will often use this instead instead of lip balm at work.

This certainly isn't an intense colour, it's a nice subtle wash of colour, which given the fact it is a balm rather than a lipstick is to be expected. Colour is build-able with this, the photo above is with a fairly generous application. I would definitely say if you're buying a Chubby stick don't expect a bold lip - unless perhaps you've bought the Intense range (personally I've not tried it).

I really love Chubby Sticks, I've recently received a mini one in my Clinique Bonus Time kit (love Bonus Time!) which I'm looking forward to trying. I know Revlon do a very affordable dupe which I have tried but unfortunately for my purse I prefer the 'real' thing so to speak. I find it to be far more moisturising and I also prefer the scent. I've even gotten my Mum onto them. 

Clinique's Chubby Sticks retail for £16.00 and can be purchased online or at a Clinique counter nationwide.

Kate x

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A night spent in London

From time to time Danny and I like to treat ourselves to a nice hotel room in London for the night, the first time we did this was last February and we stayed in The Cumberland just next to Marble Arch, it was a great experience and the breakfast was ah-maze-ing. 

Back in July I booked tickets for us to go see Bloc Party at Earls Court on 22nd February, which I was quite looking forward to but dreading the potential crush there could be at an arena gig. I just assumed we'd get the train home afterwards, until Danny suggested we stay overnight. After scouring lastminute.com for a reasonably priced, but nice hotel I stumbled across this beauty. This is The Grosvenor Hotel in Victoria. It is a really nice hotel, in keeping with the area and we were utterly in awe of the building - they had to give us a map, yes a map, to find our way to our room as they have two wings of the hotel. 

The room was amazing, the bathroom was lovely too - although it had a magnifying mirror which I definitely wasn't prepared for. I don't need to see in magnification how large my pores are thank you very much.

I thoroughly enjoyed Bloc Party, it wasn't anywhere near as busy as I thought it would be. I was expecting to be squashed and be thoroughly miserable as is normal when my height in a large crowd of people. This meant there was space to breath, unfortunately there were some guys acting like total idiots to my left which was pretty irritating.

This was the second time I'd seen Bloc Party in my life, however I was fortunate enough to see Kele in a small gig in Berlin, I was standing about two people away from him the entire time. Quite a stark difference to be standing on the opposite side of an arena.

I leave you with a video compiled of lots of peoples footage from that night on their phones of their latest single "Truth". I still love them as much as I did when someone first told me to listen to Helicopter back in 2003 or so.

Kate x

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Soap & Glory Thick & Fast Super Volume Mascara

I've never really thought of makeup when browsing what Soap & Glory have to offer, I've always considering them to be purely a skincare brand, however, after buying Soap & Glory's christmas bundles (Best of All and Big Splendour) I have come to acquire a couple of their makeup products.

Having run out of my world favourite Clinique High Impact Curling Mascara just before pay day I turned to Soap & Glory's Thick & Fast Super Volume Mascara in my hour of need. Admittedly, I may have gone into this with a slightly negative mind of "it's not MY mascara"

The first time I applied this, I was impressed with the size of the brush - it's nice and big, which I've always associated with volume but it's not something I'm used to so I struggled a little with my inner lashes. I didn't find this mascara to be clumpy or cause spider lashes which is always a positive. 

I found this to add very little volume and I struggled to build this up. By the end of the day this had also run quite substantially.

Overall, I wasn't overly impressed with this Soap & Glory offering and after asking what others thought on Twitter, I found that nobody really had overly positive feedback - it was fairly neutral verging on negative.

I continued to use this and looked ahead to payday. I then remembered that I used to wear mascara primer on a daily basis so I decided to give that a go in an attempt to give this mascara a second chance. 

Has it made a difference? Yes, it has. Application has been a lot easier although running has still been an issue, but less so. My main pet peeve is the fact that this mascara won't hold a curl. I love having a curl in my lashes, and I absolutely cannot be without my eyelash curlers. The inability to hold a curl is what lets it down the most in my eyes.

Unfortunately this product hasn't given me any reason to think that I would repurchase and given the price I would much rather try another brand. 

Soap & Glory Thick & Fast Super Volume Mascara retails for £10 and can be bought online or in Boots stores nationwide.  

Kate x

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Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion

The Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion is a beauty product that quite literally speaks for itself, if you've heard of it, you probably already know how great it is - if you havent, where have you been?! 

My first experience with this was when I purchased the Naked Palette in 2011 for my birthday. Previously I wore eyeshadow, and while certain eyeshadows I didn't worry about creasing, there are some that were problematic.

When coming out of the tube, this is a nude colour that blends in so isn't noticeable and can therefore be worn just under foundation (which I have found to crease too on occasion). It is soft and blends to quite a silky finish.

When wearing the Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion under my makeup, I don't really have to worry about creasing eyeshadow anymore, when touching my makeup during the day I no longer have to carry eyeshadow around with me (which would be a big inconvenience when using a colour from either Naked palette). It is especially noticeable with the matte colours which seem to be more prone to creasing.

Many of you will be familiar with the updated packaging which I agree is much more user friendly especially with regards to half the product being left inside the tube of the old packaging. I will highlight one issue I have had with the new tube however - it has split inside but still has the outer clear plastic in tact and now when I squeeze some out, some is also forced out under the plastic but not in the sense that it leaks. It's a little difficult to explain.

Overall this is a great product, and a little goes a long way, so this tube has lasted me for a long long time and is only just beginning to show signs of being less than half full. If you love your eyeshadow like I do, then I would highly recommend picking this up the next time you're near a UD makeup counter.

The Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion can be picked up at Urban Decay counters across the country and retails for £15.00. It is also available in different finishes.

Kate x

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Travel Plans #1

Following my post last month about the plans my boyfriend and I have to go travelling this summer we went to STA Travel last weekend (while on an overnight stay in London) to find out a little bit more about flights and get a rough cost of how much it will cost us as prices advertised online are "from £x.xx" and bearing in mind that we are looking to leave in July we knew that there may be an additional cost for flying peak time.

After discussing multi-stop flights and destinations etc we have a rough idea of the flights we'll probably take, which fit in nicely with where we'd like the visit:

01. London - Bangkok

02. Kuala Lumpur - Melbourne

03. Sydney - Christchurch

04. Auckland - Bangkok

05. Bangkok - London

Our idea is to go around South East Asia first (Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Malaysia and possibly Cambodia) and then go on to Australia with the working holiday visa, and then on to New Zealand afterwards. Ideally we'd like to fit Fiji in there too somewhere, but that will be something to investigate while we're out there. The price for flights cost the same in the estimate we got to fly from Auckland to London or to have a stop off in Bangkok again, we think we'll probably stop off there again especially if at time of booking it costs the same. 

We're going to go back to STA Travel later this month to book flights and get the ball rolling. I'm getting increasingly excited about our plans. There are still a couple of questions we have to ask before booking but speaking to an advisor in STA has definitely gotten the ball rolling. When we go up to London to book our flights, we're also going to drop by the Berghaus store in Covent Garden at the same time to buy rucksacks. There are two I have my eye on:

Berghaus Women's Torridon 60L Rucksack

Berghaus Women's Cuillin 60+10L Rucksack

I thought I'd go for something a little 'girly', and also I always find it easier to spot my luggage on a carousel at the airport if there is something slightly different about it.

We went into the store while in London and a member of staff mentioned fitting the rucksack to our backs to make sure they are comfortable etc, so we've decided to go in store rather than buying online (for probably only a difference of £5 or so) if we'll get that service.

Once our flights are booked (together with a couple of nights accommodation) we'll really start looking into everywhere we want to visit town wise, and start applying for our visas!

Kate x

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