What caught my eye...

All image sourced from Tumblr

Instant Abstract

I just had to show this gorgeous nail combination to you all, Leighton Denny''s Instant Abstract (I can only find it on QVC) and CND Vinylux Blue Rapture I think it is such a lovely effect and colour on the nails! Of course for a cheaper version you can try Loreal's Confetti topcoat and Barry M Cyan Blue!

£10 Topshop beauty haul

So,l I am cheating a little bit with the name, if I used my student discount it would have been just under £10 (forgot my card, damn!) without it, it was just over, So I thought I would go in between. All of these pieces were picked up in the sale on a cheeky lunch break shop.

I thought the nail files were a steal at 50p, there is a hard one for filing ridges and a softer one for buffing nails and the furry animal print makes it hard for them to get lost and quite nice to hold.  I have never tried any of Topshops lip products, so when I saw this lip bullet duo down to £7 I thought I would give it a go! There were a few shade options, I opted for the pack which included 'Cherry Tree' and 'Tamed' as one is a neutral wearable shade and the other a bit more va-va-voom. They feel nice and creamy an the lips but perhaps aren't as long wearing some other products I own, still pretty good for the price though.  Lastly, this lovely metallic eye cream quad, coming in at just £3! These colours apply beautifully and give such a gorgeous sheen and light to the eye. I have not experienced any creasing yet but I do tend to define the crease with a darker powder shadow, which will probably help in that respect. Overall I am very happy with my purchases and think I did rather well, I will definitely be keeping my eye out for reduced beauty bits in the future!

My Birchbox purchases: The Balm NudeTude Palette and BeautyBlender

I have been a loyal subscriber of Birchbox for a while, so much so that I had actually managed to rack up a decent amount of points, which can be used to buy items from their shop. The first thing into my basket was a BeautyBlender, because there was an unfortunate incident where my mum thought mine was rubbish and threw it away (I died a bit inside). Being so darn expensive I could never bring myself to replace it from my own pocket. However, I am glad it is back in my life, as nothing blends my make up so flawlessly into my skin leaving it with such a perfect but natural finish. Next into my basket came TheBalm cosmetics Nude'tude eyshadow palette I remember seeing this raved about on essiebutton and as I own no high end eye shadows I just couldn't help myself! I also received a beautiful black and gold bag from Cynthia Rowley as I spent over a certain amount. I was so excited for my order to arrive and to get playing with the products (sorry for the quality, I have left my memory card + reader at the boyfs so phone it is!)

I won't repeat my love for the Beautyblender, but instead move onto the palette. The packaging feels nice and sturdy, though I will admit that it does irk me the eye shadows are not straight. However, the actual eye shadows themselves are lovely, the pigmentation is awesome and the variety of colours allow for both subtle and dramatic looks. Initially I thought the glitter colours applied a little patchier than the others, but it was actually my primer that was causing this (stay tuned to find out which). Really they all apply lovely and blend out impeccably well. I used the Rimmel exaggerate primer when I used these shadows, but in all honestly I think it is pretty rubbish, so credit to the shadows themselves for lasting all night with hardly any creasing!

Your healthy sweet fix: Banana oat cookies

As part of my healthy eating I have loved finding new and yummy ways to get my sweet fix, without going overboard. The other day was the turn of these banana-oat cookies, coming it at around 60ish calories each (depends what you put in them and how big they are!)

To start you will need;

 2 bananas (works best when they are going reeeeealllly soft and brown looking on the outside)

1.5 cups of oats (this will depend on the size of your ‘nanas)

Whatever you want in them! (Chocolate chips, vanilla essence, nuts, berries etc)

Then it is pretty simple really, mash up your ‘nanas and oats until fully mixed together. Then add whatever filling you have chosen, I chose this nice looking ‘macaroon’ mix which I saved from a graze box. Line a baking tray with tin foil and spray lightly with a low cal spray oil. Then just pop in the oven at 180 degrees for 15 minutes, until lovely and golden. In my opinion these are best eaten straight from the oven when gooey, soft and warm. They make a perfect breakfast, snack or even dessert!