Must-Have Mascaras Under £5 - Huge Life Beauty Decisions!

This past week I have been eeking out the very last scraps of my Natural Collection mascara until Monday when the joys of pay day will arrive. I began the month lapping up the lustrous Le Volume de Chanel but clearly got overzealous. Going back to the Natural Collection Lash Care mascara after being spoilt with designer goods has been mildly painful. 

The cheapest I've been able to find Le Volume de Chanel for is £24 from Debenhams. This price tag isn't going to happen. In fact, I am actually looking to spend under £5 for my new mascara as I am skint! I've whittled it down to 3 options:

1) Volume Plumping Mascara by e.l.f Cosmetics - £3.75

"For BIG Lashes" - I do love a large lash. Full of Vitamin B this mascara looks after your lashes even when your layering it all up. e.l.f describe the results as intense and dramatic - sort of what I'd describe Kim Kardashian or Cheryl Cole's lashes. I like those odds.

- Click Here to Buy -

2) Avon SuperExtend Eye Accents Mascara - £4 (Special Offer) 

The wand appears to be exactly the same shape and width of my trusty Natural Collection mascara so I know Ill get excellent coverage and length. I've never tried an Avon mascara before but have used eyeshadow, lipstick and lip gloss from their Color Trend range and have loved every single product. At £4 on special offer at the moment and boasting rave reviews online this does look a promising option.

- Click Here to Buy or Read the Reviews - 

3) Collection Little Mix Full On Mascara Jesy Volumising Mascara - £2.99

Do not judge me. Pop-girl-group-endorsed mascara wouldn't usually be my forte however Little Mix are cute and edgy. K?! Anyway, Jesy's mascara is for those who want the big, popping lashes that look thick and fake. You can also get Perrie's lengthening option, Jade's defining option or Leigh-Anne's clear option. Ahh, bless them. I might even find the time to test some more of their wonderful little make-up range some time in the future!

- Click Here to Buy or View the Full Little Mix Range -

Decisions, Decisions...

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Photo Source: Mumzine

Ibiza Countdown: 30 Days! Progress Report...

So it's 30 days until the big popping of my Ibiza cherry and I still have an abnormally long list of things to achieve before I go!

I've been working out A LOT since I booked the holiday about 2 months ago and have started to see the first signs of results! YAY! My stomach is flatter and actually toning and even my arms are looking leaner, too! This is all thanks to YouTube and the huge abundance of workout vids available to do in your own home. This is my daily routine:

1) Tiffany Rothe's Hot Body Warm-Up Routine - CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO
2) Tiffany Rothe's Bikini Abs Workout - CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO
3) Daily Butt Workout (Free App for iPhones and iPads) - CLICK HERE TO FIND
4) 3 Minute Bun & Thigh Wave Workout - CLICK HERE TO FIND
5) 50 Prisoner Squats (or 15 more minutes on Bun & Thigh Wave) - CLICK TO SEE
6) 1 Minute Plank - CLICK TO SEE

And that's it! That's my daily workout routine - it takes no more than half an hour/ 40 minutes and I also walk the dog twice a day for about 20 minutes! I have so much more energy it's all very lovely! :)

I had my first McDonald's this weekend, too! Chicken Selects meal - and I made it a large as I was feeling rather deprived. I'm on a diet but if I ever feel like I'm craving something like crazy I just go ahead and eat it - 95% of the time I'm really enjoying my healthy eating!

My favourite meals include blueberries and natural yoghurt with either mango coulis or honey for breakfast, Ainsley Harriott cup soups for lunch (with 2 or 3 crackers) and anything homemade by my Mum for dinner! Key healthy snacks that I've discovered are the Strawberry Nougat bars by Shapers which you can get from Boots or bags of Snack-a-Jacks - especially in the Caramel flavour!

Other than the diet and workout situation I've also been finding loads of amazing new clothes for holiday! Scouring the net in lust I've found eBay to be a godsend for affordable bits!
I picked up this Batman dungaree dress for £9 (HighStreetLook2013), this bandeau crop top for £3 (diamondclothing786) and this purple skirt for £5 (girlsattractions)!

 

Another wonderful fashion find I came across last night was The Holiday Boutique! Having been obsessed with Tulisa and her birthday visit to Ibiza last week I was T H R I L L E D to find the actual shop in which her holiday wardrobe had come from...and you will not believe the bargain prices!

 

Lady Lux - Click HERE to buy

 

Day Glo Pink Monokini - CLICK TO BUY

 

Lady Lux Love Game - Click to Buy

 

All that's left to do is the tan, the mani, the pedi, the shoes, the make-up...etc, etc!

 

 

Where are you going this year? What's your biggest holiday panic?! Comment below/Tweet me @sheldan2207

 

 

 

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Barry M's Miracle Wink Liner!

It's not often that I come across a product that I'm absolutely fanatical about but Barry M has done the dam thing this time!!

The Barry M Wink Marker Pen is my best beauty buy since I discovered Lauren's Way fake tan last April, and here is why:

Designed to look and work like your everyday Sharpie, this eyeliner practically swipes up to 20 minutes off my daily beauty routine. As a massive fan of smoky, statement eyes (as seen all over the Chanel shows this season) the Wink Marker Pen practically eliminates the effort needed when applying liquid eyeliner.



Previously, my search for a decent liquid eyeliner took me far and wide and, surprisingly, ended up with me settling on the Claire's Accessories Liquid Eyeliner. The brush is very thin which although makes application accurate, it still didn't stop the inevitable lid-run and end-of-day panda eyes.

The Wink Marker Pen is not only quick and easy to use, clean AND accurate, it stays on all day: Yesterday was windy and rainy outside then hot and muggy inside, for example, I was also tired so probably rubbed my eyes subconsciously throughout work, too, BUT it was still in place smudge and crack-free when I got home from work at 1.30am!

This is all well and good but what tips it over to become the Miracle Marker is the price - it costs less than a fiver and lasts for ages! How can all of this be?!

If there was ever an excuse to go out and purchase something pretty then I'm sure 'spending an extra 20 minutes in bed and still looking fabu every morning' is perfect!



The Barry M Wink Marker Pen is only £4.59 on the official Barry M site - CLICK HERE TO BUY!

Calvin Klein Lipstick - #24 'Peony'

My quest to wear bolder lip shades begins with Calvin Klein #24! A wonderfully cheap eBay bargain at £1.49 (!) I thought this would be a great place to start...

 

Takes a couple of swipes of the lips to get a decent coverage but once it's on the colour is a perfect balance between not too bright and not too light.

I was hoping that opting for Calvin Klein would mean that it would last longer than those I could get for the same low price in the shops - probably Natural Collection or Collection 2000.

Unfortunately, I still got that annoying blotchy matte effect that everyone hates after about 30-40 minutes of wear! Not ideal!

But it does the job and has given me newfound confidence to go find some more colours and try some new lipsticks which is always fun and totally necessary!

;-)

 

 

Let's see who else is rockin' the kinky pink lip right now and get a quick fix of inspo...

 

 

Jessica Biel at the Dior Cruise Fashion Show on 1st June - [Daily Mail]

Jessica Alba at the 2013 Producers Guild Awards - [Hello!]

Tulisa at the NTAs this year - [Daily Mail]

Leigh-Ann Pinnock at last year's Jingle Bell Ball - [Capital FM]

 

What are the hottest colours right now? And who's the best brand for sustainable lippy??

Let an amateur know - it's payday Friday!

 

-x-

 

 

Thrifty Thursday - Bare-Faced Bravery

For those of us on a tight budget, Spring's latest beauty trend is a god-send in disguise!

 

Bare-faced beauty is the trend to be rockin' right now and although the last time this look was 'in' it was a total fake (I had to wear layers and layers of dewy foundation) this time round things have changed...

 

 

Versace S/S13

 

 

Alexander McQueen S/S13

 

 

Rick Owens S/S13

 

Very simply, the easiest way to be bang on trend every single day.

Quick beauty formula:

Concealer + Tinted Moisturiser + Powder

=

Naturally Nude

 

I've literally sorted this look for under £5, too!

 

3ml Mini Calvin Klein Infinite Hydration Foundation in Soft Beige (which I got for £1.40 on eBay!),

ELF Shimmering Facial Whip £1.50

&

Natural Collection Loose Powder £1.99

 

 

You can leave your eyebrows as natural as you please and there's no need for mascara!

If you're feeling too naked for the day why not put two of Spring's biggest trends together and add a neon lip?!

 

 

Missoni S/S13

 

 

Giles S/S13

 

[All of the catwalk looks can be found at Glamour Online]

 

What's your Spring look?

 

Comment me or Tweet me @sheldan2207

 

If you enjoyed this post take a look at my others and of course subscribe for daily blog posts on fashion, celebs, life, health and beauty!

 

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Thrifty Thursday - Fashion DIY Pt. 1 - Cut-Off Denim

I have never, ever attempted to 'do my own fashion'. Whether it's dying, sewing, cutting, blinging...I've never done it.

 

Reading through multiple magazines this week I've seen so many cut-off denim shorts which I L O V E. You can wear baggy, frayed shorts with tights and ankle boots whilst we await the arrival of some warmer weather (hopefully sooner rather than later, I don't think I can take another weekend snow report!) and then bare legged in the summer. How very economical...

 

 

 

 

Anyway I happened to find the ugliest pair of old jeans in storage today to test some ideas I had for cut-offs. Don't get mwe wrong, I'm aware that chopping the legs off these bad boys does not make them socially acceptable. This is purely my first go. A draft, if you will...

 

These are the offending jeans:

 

 

Ew.

 

So firstly I thought it would be a good idea to research hemlines. Short shorts apparently have a hem of between 2 and 3 inches. So, taking my thighs into consideration, I went for 5. Using a ruler to mark where I wanted to cut, I got chopping.

 

 

Now I faced the problem of how to perk them up a little bit. Using one scissor blade I made horizontal slits in the denim, then used a cheese grater to fray them up a bit... *blushes*... There was no sand paper in the house!

 

 

 

I also thought I could rip one of the back pockets so it would flap down and be all hipster. In fact, it looked ridiculous, so no photo for that little actvity!

 

After sorting the turn ups out I tried them on... not bad for my first ever attempt:

 

 

Now I've popped my own DIY Fashion cherry, the plan of action over the weekend is to scour eBay and my local charity shops for a baggier pair of jeans (preferably boyfriend style), invest in some acrylic spray paint and a cheap lace top. I'll show you how this works out in a couple of weeks...

 

Next week I'm posting a trend a day with celeb inspirations, high street bargain buys and an exciting Thrifty Thursday that involves a bucket, rubber gloves and salt (DIY Fashion Pt. 2)!

 

Tweet me @sheldan2207 or comment below, I love your ideas and feedback

 

xx