Maybelline Color Drama Velvet Lip Pencils POTW | BEAUTY

Hello!

"I had my eyes on this beauty for the longest of time. I'm talking months."

Purchase of the Week (or POTW) had become quite a series on BBXO (Read: POTW Chanel No 5). Until, one day, I kind of forgot about it. Okay, there were hauls featured (Read: Summer Holiday Haul) but the tag POTW was forgotten. Well, now we're bringing it back. Full force and in action! What better product to kickstart this series again than the oh-so-famous NARS velvet lip pencil drugstore dupe (wow, that's a mouthful): the Maybelline Color Drama Intense Velvet Pencil.

"I did also like the colour range, there's a nude, an orange, a coral, a few reds and a few pinks"

I had my eyes on this beauty for the longest of time. I'm talking months. But with exam season upon us when my obsession first began, I wasn't able to satisfy that need for this pencil... until now. Well, the wait was worth it, because I am LOVING this lip pencil.

If you're a fan of the velvet/matte finish (Read: Bourjois Velvet Rouge), this product is right up your street. The Bourjois Velvet Rouge had become my go-to lip product that I'd dab on for a soft, everyday look and apply a thicker layer for a bold, going out look. After reading the reviews of more Bourjois Velvet Rouge colours, I had found out the best formulation was with the shade 'Nude-ist', which was the shade I had. Therefore, I was looking for something with the same finish without lacking in the quality front. This seemed like the product for me.

Before I make this entire post about Bourjois Velvet Rouge (goodness, can I say that any more times?!), let's refer back to Color Drama. Maybelline Color Drama Intense Velvet is also quite versatile as it can be dabbed on for a softer, everyday look, or applied as a thicker layer for a bolder look.

"What better product to kickstart this series again than the oh-so-famous NARS velvet lip pencil drugstore dupe"

Be sure to have your lips moisturised before applying the product, though (something I should've done). In the bottom photo you can see the little transfer it has, and that was only a very short while after applying. So you don't need to worry about that mug lip stain!

All in all, a great product that won't break the bank (£4.99 each at Boots.com) and good for various occasions. I did also like the colour range: there's a nude, an orange, a coral, a few reds and a few pinks. You're bound to find something you like!

Tell me, what's your favourite finish of a lip product? Do you prefer a sheen, matte or something in between?

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?

Red Everywhere, a Fresh Room & a Special Snowman: BerryWeekly

Hello!

"feel like such a grinch saying that... but it's the truth"

Another Friday, another week over! It's been a pretty relaxing week, recovering from the first week back to college and just taking it a step back. You may have seen these images on my Instagram... well not ALL of them, there must be some special ones reserved specifically for the blog, right?

"great for this time of year where it feels like everything is just piling up"

More than a fortnight past 2014 meant it was about time the Christmas decor had to come down. To be honest, there came a point when I was sick of Christmas decor in the room... I feel like such a grinch saying that... but it's the truth, and that's that!

Instantly, my room felt more 'fresh'. Not 'fresh' in the context Will.I.Am uses it in (btw, anyone keep up with The Voice?), but the more airy, spring-is-coming, kind of fresh! So, from that day, there was a little less red to be seen in my life.

How cute is this notebook? Little birdies hold connotations of freedom, relief and nature... okay, I really bought it because it's the most gorgeous colour! Debriefing yourself is a good way to wind down - great for this time of year where it feels like everything is just piling up!

"this nail paint makes life so much easier...See more in Wednesday's post HERE"

Did I say there was a little less red in my life? Well, I take that back. Shortly after taking down the christmas decor, I decided to paint my nails. The colour I went for? Red! I haven't really painted my nails in a while but this nail paint makes life so much easier. It has a wide brush so a coat is done in a matter of seconds! See more in Wednesday's post HERE. Oh, and so far, no chips! Yay!

"It's the little things in life! :)"

A special photo not shown to the instagrammers: I present you: Snowy.. the snowman! He is the little pattern on my PJ bottoms (which I'm wearing right now, actually), and guess what? The nails matched his scarf! It was meant to be! It's the little things in life! :)

I hope you have a super fun weekend, full with the little things that make you smile!
Tell me, how do you wind down from a stressful day?

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?

NOTD - Barry M, Red Wine is Blood?

Hello!

I feel like it's been a long time since I've done a Nail of the Day post and what better day to do it than a couple of days prior to Halloween considering the colour of my nails this week! The last one I did was a sparkly one!

This is a Barry M nail paint in 'Red Whine' with a top coat of Rimmel Matte Top Coat - so basically it's a matte Burgundy colour. The pictures look very different to each other because some were taken in my bathroom as the lighting is always better in there when there's no daylight! BUT I find they look a little more matte in real life than the bathroom pictures.

I went on the Barry M website to make sure of the name of the polish and saw this. It's a legit Matte Burgundy shade, exactly like what I've got on! How weird! I didn't even know they existed!

I've got to admit the Rimmel Matte Top Coat is amazing! It makes it so I can get various looks from one nail paint, either matte or glossy! Oooh, and if you do have a matte top coat try it on glitter nail polish. It. Looks. Stunning.

 Oh, and it's Monday, so a Manicure Monday was totally due! Have a great week!

BeautyBuys: Rimmel London Apocalips!

Hello!

As for posting a Fashion Haul last Friday I thought I'd show you a Beauty Buy that I picked up during the weekend. I went shopping and as soon as I saw this on the shelf I knew I wanted it. Okay, I want a lot of things but this was something I REALLY wanted! So, I got it!

This product had a huge phase in the beauty blogger world and at the time I didn't pay attention to it! Now, however, I thought I'd pick it up - better late than never?

All the colours are very vibrant and it is said to be a lipstick in a lipgloss form. This is good as lipgloss always tend to be easier to apply colour evenly on the lips - and this was no different.

I went with Stellar, a deep red (slightly pink) shade, which is perfect for this season, alongside other makeup trends you can view here. Also, every girl needs a red shade in their beauty cabinet!

So, yes, I don't have much else to say about this product other than the application is easy (as far as I can tell with the one time I've used it so far!), the colour is bold/intense and the packaging is nice! You can pick one up for £6.49, have a choice of 13 shades and can buy more than one from here!

What's your favourite Red Lipstick? Leave a comment!

July's Top Nail Colour Picks

Hello!
I was browsing through the web to search for the 'ultimate' July Polish and I was faced with difficulty. On one hand there was the light, pale colours such as the milky, nearly-white, Pinks like this one:

And then completely on the opposite end of the spectrum are the deep, darker colours like this one:

Both of these kind of colours were spotted on celebrities, the lighter one being seen on Miranda Cosgrove and the blue on Aisha Tyler.

So, this means to say that there definitely isn't one set shade of colour for this month, like a coral or a mint that has previously been HUGE, so I went ahead and chose the top 3 colours I am likely to wear during this month!

So These are my Top Picks:
1. Hot, Candy Pinks
2. Orange-Red Shades
3. Pastel Shade, specifically Purple!

I LOVE PINK! Think of summer - what comes to mind? WATERMELONS! Watermelons are a lovely shade of pink that I love especially for July! (If you follow me on twitter, you might have seen the GIGANTIC watermelon we had in our Kitchen!) I feel pink is definitely a year round colour - I'm sure you girly girls would agree!

Red is a classic colour, it can be worn with your fav LBD* to give it a lovely pop - especially with the popular 1920's based films coming out recently, who wouldn't love that combination? Yet, sometimes I feel red is a little too much and to make it a little more fun and toned down for the Summer, I would go for the Orange-Red tone. It's a step aside from the CORAL colours that are pretty much always in for the summer, yet it's still trendy and nice for July.

Pastels are a MUST in Spring and Summer times, you see mints, corals, pastel blues and even the lilac. I went for the Lilac pastel shade because I like the look of it and it reminds me of Lavender. Hmmm... don't lavenders smell lovely? ;)

Anyway so those are my top 3 nail picks for July! I hope you enjoy and wait for another posts where I'll show you the next colour I decide to paint my nails for this month (HINT: It may be one of the above!) - take your guesses and leave me suggestions and YOUR FAVOURITE JULY POLISH!

Love you loads,
xoxo,
BerryBloomXO

*LBD = Little Black Dress

First photo from HERE
Second photo from HERE
3 Photos from: 1. 2. 3.