No 7 Auburn Whispers: POTW

Hello!

Being a creature of habit, I'm not much of a person to switch up lip colours really often.  At the moment I've been wearing Bourjois Nude-ist (post about it here) pretty much all the time. Eye makeup? Yes! Give me a new mascara and I'm good to go.. for 3 days until I swtich up the routine again! Yet, give me a lipstick, if I love the colour, I'll be wearing it for a pretty long time.

This lipstick was totally an impulse buy. Actually I was in the store and stumbled across the 'buy one get one half price' section, so just picked it up because it was, well, half price! Having never owned No 7 Lipsticks before, I was skeptic about their quality. Non-the-less, a swatch or two later, the texture of them seem just right! Moisturising with great colour payoff! 

Nothing too bold, and by dabbing the colour onto the lips rather than applying the colour properly, you can get a light wash of colour that looks almost-natural.

So, if you see me around after I've given this colour a whirl, you may see the same colour for a long time! 

Tell me, are you a creature of habit when it comes to lip-colours, or do you like to switch up really often?

No 7 Base + Top Coat, First Impressions : POTW

Hello!

"Popping into Boots and realising they had the buy one get one half price thing going on...I'd go for the No 7"

One thing I learnt from writing this post: taking pictures of clear things is very difficult. Okay, now that that's out there, let's move on. 

"I'm a sucker for the labelling and I am hoping it works wonders"

No 7 is not such a bad brand. Well, it's actually quite a good brand and when realising my go-to Barry M top coat was literally on it's last legs, with it taking much longer than it should to coat one nail with the clear shade, it was time to invest in a new one. Popping into Boots and realising they had the buy one get one half price thing going on, with a £3 off voucher, I thought I'd go for the No 7. 

"the wide brush is what sold it for me."

The fact that there's two different formulas for the base and top coat confuses me a little. What is the actual difference? I have no idea. However, I'm a sucker for the labelling and I am hoping it works wonders. In particular, the wide brush is what sold it for me. If you saw this post, you'd know how much easier it is to apply nail polish with this type of brush.
Who would've thought the size of the brush would drastically change your manicure routine?

LINKS:
No 7 Top Coat : Amazon, Boots
No 7 Base Coat : Amazon, Boots


What's your all time favourite top/base coats?

Rimmel by Kate - MARS: POTW

Hello!

"Here's to another Red!"

Although the ultimate red nail season is gone, bye-bye autumn, in all honestly, Red is a colour that will last all year round. It's a classic, a staple in every girls nail collection and one that will never go old.

The good thing about the Rimmel Salon Pro range is the brush. The width is large and makes it a lot quicker, and easier to apply the colour. It's the same brush as the one I've talked about in this post, and seriously, the overall effect is great. Who wouldn't want a fabulous manicure in a matter of minutes?

"Who wouldn't want a fabulous manicure in a matter of minutes?"

So, is it just another red added to the collection or something special? Well, I haven't yet tried it out but when I do, you might just see it on Instagram!

Here's to another Red!

Do you have a favourite red polish?

New Year, New... Instagram Account?

Hello!

You know what they say: New Year, New Life, New Clothes, New Makeup, New Mindset... New You.
Well, I finally jumped on the Instagram bandwagon and therefore have a New Instagram. With a mere few photos on there, it's enough to say I have a lot to learn. The filters are going to take a while to get the hang of, and lets hope posting regularly won't be too much of a challenge!

To keep things simple, the username is: berrybloomxo

So, what's one New thing you've done in 2015, & are you an Instagram person?

Introducing.. BBXO The Edit.

Hello!

"full of exciting stuff, including exclusive codes and a SUPER EASY sign up form"

This is exciting. You may have already noticed it via the Poll set up last Friday and the signup form there since last week. It's finally time to launch something I've been working on for a while... Introducing, BBXO The Edit. 

"finally time to launch something I've been working on for a while... "

The newsletter is full of exciting stuff, including exclusive codes and a SUPER EASY sign up form! Isn't it really annoying when the sign up form is really long, with a billion irrelevant questions before you can finally subscribe? Well, all you need is your e-mail address!

"all you need is your e-mail address!"

You can sign up from this link. Also, the easy sign up form is on the sidebar - so please sign up to show your support.

Tell me, what would you like to see on The Edit.? 

Manicure Monday: Mint Sparkles

Hello!

"you've basically seen everything before - yet this time, it's completely different."

If you were ANYWHERE in the last few weeks, you would have read this. If you read that, you would recognise something on here today. You may recognise another something if you saw this post and hence meaning you've basically seen everything before - yet this time, it's completely different.

"can we agree that the overall finish is pretty?"

Well, after all that, can we agree that the overall finish is pretty? At first, the mint shade, called Kiwi, was thought to be uber lovely by itself as a perfect summer shade but when choosing a colour to go with my outfit I wore to a wedding last week (can you tell with the henna tattoo?!?!), this one was a perfect match and to make it more wedding-y, I added some sparkle! 

Overall, that's my mani Monday - what's yours? 

Manicure Monday - Christmas Edition!

Hello!

Literally 2 days until Christmas Day!! Does it feel more festive-y now? I mean even on Saturday night did it feel like a normal weekend!

Anyway, so it being a Monday and having freshly painted nails obviously means it's time for a Manicure Monday! Taking advantage of the date, it had to be a Christmas-y one! I was debating on whether to write this post or not as I have written a similar one before! I had received so many compliments on that Mani, I thought I had to do it again…

So, I wasn't one for a legit nail art manicure this year, I'm more for the simple but glam ideology right now - therefore, red and gold glitter it was!

What is your Mani like for Christmas?

NOTD - Diamonds on the clouds...

Hello!

Itttt'ssss Monday - you know this calls for a Manicure Monday!
I love these posts as I love painting my nails. Okay, let's be honest here: I like it when my nails are painted - I don't like painting my nails. However, when they're painted, I feel better than when they're not painted - so painting them it is!

I felt like rocking a lighter shade as the last manicure I had were darker in colour and quite bold.

This time I went for a Champagne, nude base colour and a sparkly top coat. I used a couple of coats of both to make my nails look nicer.

I've received many compliments from people asking if they are gel nails!

The top coat is by Barry M, a jewelled glitter paint called 'Diamonds'. It's very subtle on this shade and twinkles in the light.

The nail look reminds me of snow and 'winter whites'.

I like painting them while watching something…. and that way I am patient enough to let them dry properly between coats! This makes them stay on longer, so I have to paint them less often - avoid chipping and still have painted nails… it's a win, win situation!

Oh, and Happy December!

What's the best time for you to paint your nails? 

Product Empties - Hair Edition

Hello!

I've been seeing these videos all over YouTube lately and thought it'd be great to do one on my blog!
Recently I've finished many products all at once, which is great because that means I can buy loads of new things! Yay!

Anyway, one area in which I have come to an end of many products is hair care. I love using products on my hair as every strand feels extra silky soft afterwards! You know the feeling after you use those GHD's on newly cut hair with no dry ends, well, that's what we strive for everyday and using these products help!

I finished these two products and was glad in one way and sad in another! You probably know the feeling of surprise but are still nodding your head in approval at products at which you didn't expect much from but turned out to be great! 

The reason I was surprised with these products is how long they actually lasted!

This product, the almighty Macadamia Leave-In Cream has been on top of the Hair Products chart for the last couple of years and being searching for a new hair product, this one was a MUST try. I've got to say, I could not be happier with this product. You may notice that this is the smaller version of the big baby that is very raved about. I bought this just so I could try it and it lasted me about 8 months! I wash my hair about 3 times a week and have used this almost, if not every time. I am so surprised at how long this lasted and have already repurchased it, the same size too as I don't see it necessary to buy the big one! You can buy it here. 

Another one of the chart-toppers is the John Frieda Frizz-Ease Serum which I have repurchased for the 4th time. That's right, FOURTH! I buy the Extra Strength version and always end up buying 2 at the same time as that's when they're on offer, like 2 for £8 or something, which is ok as I know I'll use it! I use a pea sized amount on wet hair - it says damp but I just can't wait that long! If I do try to wait until my hair is damp, I'll probably forget to apply this. You can buy it here.

That's my hair edition product empties, both of which I've already repurchased! What are your hair product must haves?