Some May Purchases xx

If your a regular reader of my little part of cyberspace you'll probably have noticed the absence of haul posts in May, I've posted my birthday haul but that 's been it. From now on I think I'm only going to be doing one haul post a month. I enjoy doing haul posts but as you know I'm trying to save a little bit of money so I'm not planning on making too many purchases in the near future, and obviously I'm not going to be purchasing any make up for a little while, so one collective haul a month is the way forward :)

This month the majority of my purchase have been from ebay - I've had a few blog sales this month, and I've been selling a few bits on ebay so I've had some money in my paypal - always dangerous - but this month I've been trawling ebay looking for bargains, partially thanks to the lovely Victoria's fabulous weekly ebay posts :)

I showed you my bow ring purchase at the start of the month but I've also bought a few more rings including this copy of the YSL Arty Ring - ebay is full of these chunky rings but I went for one the cheapest I could find - this ring was just £1.19 including postage from Hong Kong (click here to see the seller)

TBH I'm pleased I didn't pay any more for this, it's not down to the quality of the ring which is decent for the price, it's more down to the style of the ring itself, it's just not for me. It's very chunky and constricting on your fingers, and I don't find it that comfortable to wear - I like chunky rings but this one is very much for short time wear.As much as I like chunky rings, I also love small and delicate ones too, and this was one that I'd been stalking for some time - It was just 98p including postage and packing, and again it was from Hong Kong (click to see the seller).

I love little flowers and daisies in particular so I love this, it's so pretty and delicate and it's adjustable, which is always good especially when you have little fingers or sausages like me :)

I also purchased a little necklace from ebay too, which was just 99p including postage and packing (click here for the seller :) 

I love this necklace, it's very delicate in structure and in feel but the stars give it a funky touch :)

My next ebay purchase in May again from Hong Kong, is probably my favourite purchase of the month, this pretty scarf is beige covered in a print which contains shoes, lipsticks, handbags, hats and bows :) It was just £2.59 including postage from this seller.

You really can't get an ideal of the size from these pics but it must be a good 4ft long, it is huge , it gorgeous and such good quality for the price

My final ebay purchase is one that I've already seen on quite a few blogs - the famous fox bag :)

There are loads of these on ebay in different colours, the prices do seem to vary from seller to seller but I got the brown version, which was a massive £6.99 including postage from this seller :)

It's not the biggest of bags but I really love the style it's once of those bags you could use when you didn't need to take much with you :)

I also made one none ebay purchase in May with this vest from H&M which was just £3.99 - It's a little bit sheer so I'm intending to use it as a layering piece x

My final purchases of the month weren't really purchased by me they were all down to the lovely Mummy Lou - first up this lovely vest top from Primark it is super dooper long and has quite a textured feel. Mummy Lou bought me a similar one in a kind of pewter / gold shade for Christmas but I can't find it to save my life - this was was only £3 in the sale

and finally this little notebook from Primark I love the patriotic, shabby chic style print - I think was only a £1.00

So that was my little haul from May - I've really been loving ebay as you can tell and Primark as per usual has come up trumps. If you have any questions on anything I've bought please leave me a comment xx

Super Quick Polish Removal With Bourjois Magic Nail Polish Remover - Hmmm

Hopefully by now you've realised that I'm one of those people that always succumbs to the hype in the end. In the online beauty community certain products become the "it" item that you need to buy,one of the most recent products to fall into this category is the Bourjois Magic Nail Polish Remover.

If you've been reading LouLouLand for a little while you'll know that I'm pretty particular when it comes to nail polish remover, quite frankly the smell of some removers on the market makes me physically sick. I've found 2 removers that I can cope with and that do the job - Leighton Denny's rather pricey lavender fragranced aroma and this one from the Superdrug stable but I'm always willing to try new polish remover and this one has some pretty big claims, so I thought I'd give it a go and I added it to my Boots basket.

This polish remover has been marketed as a new concept in nail polish removal but straight away I have to disagree. Look in any supermarket, chemist, discount store or on ebay and you'll find a myriad of similar products from Sally Hansen, Pretty Quik and various other manufacturers. The design is a simple and practical one, basically the product consists of a small tub containing a sponge impregnated with nail polish remover.

To remove the polish all you do it stick your finger into the slot and give it a wiggle and the polish should start to dissolve. As I say I've tried a few similar products on the market including the Sally Hansen version, and this differs in a couple of ways first up the sponge is black, that means it looks neater and cleaners when you use, and secondly the sponge seems to be slightly better quality than some of the others I've tried, some of the sponges start to disintegrate and leave residue after a few uses, so far so good I've used it about 8 times since I got it (8 manicures not fingers) and I've only noticed a few particles of black more recently when I've been using glitter polishes (more on that later).

The remover is acetone and paraben free, and contains sweet almond oil to moisturise the nails, unlike some other polish remover post and pads though your fingers aren't left that oily or sticky so you don't desperately feel as though you need to wash your hands. Another major selling point of the remover is the smell, like all polish removers there is the initial hit of chemicals, but that dies down to a very pleasant almost raspberry ripple ice cream smell.

Now you know how it feels and how it smells, you need to now how it works, I've done a few before and after pictures so you can see how well it works - first up this is Look - Kimono, a pretty pigmented almost metallic shade after 4 days wear. On my nails were two coats of the polish and one coat of nail strengthener - The after pictures were taken purely after using the remover, I haven't used a cotton bud around the cuticles or washed my hands

Before

After

Well as you can it did the job really well, all the polish came off and there is no whiteness or dryness on the nails, but and here's the but Bourjois claim that this is a 1 second remover and you can remove one nail per second - erm no way! I spent over 20 second on each nail, maybe if you have one thin coat of polish on with no base coat or top coat it would take 1 second but for the average manicure it will definitely take longer. Removing normal polish apart from the time claim I have to say was a success, but how did it handle glitter? Here are my nails with two coats of Models Own - Disco Mix, and one coat of nail strengthener, same rules and last time no touch ups or hand washing

Before

After

Well it got the majority off, you can see the old glitter particle floating about, but it did pretty well. Again it took longer than 1 second per nail some particularly stubborn fingers took nearly a minute. The abrasion of the glitter on the sponge also lead to a few tiny pieces of sponge coming away on my fingers, this is only to be expected I guess and as I say the sponge in this remover does seem to be of better quality then some of the previous ones I've tried.

So does this product live up to the hype, well I have to be honest and say no. The concept as I say isn't new, there are lots of similar products on the market, that to be honest retail for a lot less than this one. I'm lead to believe Home Bargains has a decent dupe for less than £2 which I'm going to try and track down. Don't get me wrong I think it does the job especially when it comes to glitter polish that can be a pain when you try to remove it with cotton wool, and I love the smell but the 1 second claim just doesn't ring true, in my experience it certainly takes a bit more time and effort than that. My final criticism isn't really directed at Bourjois in particular, it's more directed at these removers in general - what about your toes??? it is impossible to remove your toe nail polish with these things, your toes just aren't long enough to fit in the pot ;) what does that mean? well you either have to buy a bottle of nail polish remover or you have to fork out for an expensive pedicure. In short I like this, it does the job but I doesn't live up to the hype and I probably wouldn't repurchase. Bourjois Magic Nail Polish Remover 75ml retails at around £4.99. Have you tried this product, I'd love to know what you think and I'd love to know if you've tried any of the alternatives and what your favourite nail polish remover is?

My Nail Polish Collection - Models Own

One of the biggest high street nail polish brands at the moment in the blogosphere has to be Models Own. For just £5 you get 14ml of nail polish, not only that but there are over 100 colours to choose from! The polish quality I have to say is pretty decent, they usually apply pretty well and the majority of colours seem to last fairly well too. My only gripe is the lid, I find the lid a bit unwieldy, and awkward to hold, this isn't a problem specific to Models Own though, I have the same problem with Nails Inc polishes. Other than that though I think these polishes are a great buy, I currently have 13 Models Own colours in my collection, including a couple of Beetlejuice shades, and some glitters, as per usual click the names to see some nails of the days x

First up some of the Beetlejuice shades from the original release last year - on the left Aqua Violet and on the right Golden Green 

I love these two shades Aqua Violet is exactly that, a lovely blue, pink, purple duo chrome, and Golden Green is one of those olive green, golden shades which I love :) It in the same sort of colour family as Chanel Peridot but I find it a lot greener. I also one of the colours from this years Beetlejuice release Indian Ocean.

I've been wearing this beautiful shade on it's own, it needs a few coats for full coverage but it's a gorgeous colour pale blue, pink and gold depending on how the light hits it

I'm also lead to believe that this makes a great layering colour, over more solid blues and even pinks - I definitely need to give it a try :)

Next up glitters I used to own quite a few Models Own glitters but I actually sold a few on without even opening them - bad LouLou, so I only have two now - Scarlet Sparkle and Disco Mix

Disco Mix is an amazing pale blue jelly polish which is filled with purple / fuchsia and blue glitter - it takes a few coats but it is possible to achieve full coverage. Scarlet Sparkle is exactly as you would imagine it to be - a scarlet red base filled with red glitter - think Dorothy's shoes in the Wizard of Oz and you've got it. I love this colour so much I've decided to do a nails of the day with it here - this is two coats and as you can see the coverage is perfect.

As well as the glitters and duo chromes, Models Own also produces numerous and I mean numerous, everyday shades, just normal polishes in a cream or shimmer finish, they aren't boring by any means, they literally come in every colour of the rainbow and a lot more besides.

From left to right - Dusty Mauve, Slate Green, Nude Beige and Misty Grey

With careful application you could probably get away with just one coat, but I tend to go for two to for a perfect finish - the same also applies to these shades at the brighter end of the colour spectrum.

From left to right - Pink Blush, Lilac Dream, Purple Poppy and Fuzzy Peach

So that's my Models Own collection to date, I think I own a nice variety of colours and finishes. There really is something for everything in the Models Own range from brights to neutrals, to glitters and even nails art and crackles. My favourites shades are probably the Beetlejuice shades, and the glitters, and I'm also loving the brighter shades especially at this time of year - Pink Blush is a particular favourite - a nice but easy to wear bright pink. I would never rule out adding more colours to my Models Own collection so if you have any particular favourites please let me know in the comments xx

My New Best Friend - Cosmopolitan Beauty Expert Maximum Effect Lash Curlers

If your anything like me there will always be a part of our beauty or make up routines that we skip when we're in a rush or when we just can't be bothered. I have two make up fails eye liner, and eyelashes. Eye liner needs a steady hand and time something I don't always have, and lashes, well I love my mascara but I almost never curl my eyelashes - I own a pair of manual eyelash curlers and some battery operated ones but I never reach for them. 

Times change though and people change, so when I was given the opportunity to try out a set of budget eyelash curlers, I thought why not, my eyelashes are pretty good with a coat of mascara, but maybe I'm not making the most of them - this was my chance to find out.

The lash curlers I was sent were the Cosmopolitan Beauty Expert Maximum Effect Lash Curlers. The Cosmopolitan beauty range was developed by the beauty brains at Cosmopolitan magazine and features a range of 26 items including false nails, cosmetic brushes, make up sponges and of these course eyelash curlers.

There isn't anything different or innovative about the design these curlers are made a bright silver tone metal, and feature white rubber handles which feature rubber pads for easy gripping.

To curl your lashes you simply clamp them between the curved metal section and the white rubber pad, and hold for around 20 seconds before releasing them

Unlike some eyelash curlers on the market - these curlers come with 2 replacement rubber pads that you can use when your first one wears out :) - have you ever tried to find replacement pads out there ? I think that's one of the reasons I stopped using them in the first place!

These curlers feel really nice in your hand, the rubber grips make it really comfortable even for me when I'm suffering from pains in my hands. The resistance spring is also at just the right strength to produce a nice curl without having to press too hard. All good so far - nice design, nice feel but how do they perform - well it's before and after time again

Before

Yes I do have lashes including a very distinctive white one, how did that happen ? my mascara less lashes aren't that bad I guess but they do look a bit bitty here and they are pretty straight

After

Well with about a 20 second hold in these lash curlers you can certainly see the difference, my lashes almost appear to have sprung to attention even without mascara my eyes look bigger and I look much more awake, what about with a bit of mascara on ?

With Mascara

Woweee spidery or what, with a couple of coats of mascara on top of my curled lashes, my lashes look longer, and my eyes look more uplifted. The mascara I used here was the MUA Professional Extreme Volume Mascara in Extreme Black (click here for a review and to see it on uncurled lashes ) yes it was on it's last legs but alongside this lash curler it's really made my eyelashes look amazing. 

Am I converted? well I have to say yes, maybe it's because I'm getting older but I love the lifted look that these curlers give my eyes, I look more alive and more awake which can only be a good thing. Is that down to these eyelash curlers or eyelash curlers in general?  I'm not sure on that one but I'm super glad to have these in my make up bag and I'm definitely going to start making time in my routine to curl my lashes, you can keep your Shu Uemura I'm sticking with these £3.95 beauties from Cosmopolitan. Cosmopolitan Maximum Effect Lash Curlers retail at around £3.95 from various stockists including Superdrug and Tesco. Have you tried anything from Cosmopolitan Beauty Expert? and What the beauty task that you skip? leave me a comment below xx

(Cosmopolitan Beauty Expert Maximum Effect Lash Curlers Were Provided By PR For Review Purposes)

Project 10 Pan - Round 2 - 1 Down - MUA Professional Extreme Volume Mascara

It's been a little while in coming but I've finally finished my first item in Project 10 Pan Round 2. Predictably it was a mascara - MUA Professional Extreme Volume Mascara 7ml in Extreme Black.

This was one of the products that I thought I would finish pretty quickly.I've been using it for way longer than the recommended 3 months - slaps wrists and prepares for a telling off from the hygiene police ;) but it's finally given up the ghost, and gone clumpy (see tomorrows post for proof ;).

I've already done a review of this mascara in my MUA Professional Eyes post which you can see here. It's a pretty decent mascara for the price but given my passion for trying out every new mascara on the market, and the fact I have about 10 unopened ones in my collection I probably wouldn't repurchase.

So that's one down 9 to go, what will be next? maybe a face product I think, I haven't been wearing much make up in the heat but I have a few powders and a foundation that on their way out , we'll see I guess, but so far so good - I can do this ;) xx