Monday 12 November 2012

Go Balmi or Go Home! :)

Hi there everyone!

Today's post is going to be a review of one of my newest additions to my lip balm collection. 
It has been featured in a couple of posts already, York Haul and Obsessions. 

It is....BALMI

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Balmi is a pretty new product on the lip balm market and inspired by the American favourite EOS it has a new hygienic take on one of the UK's favourite skincare item. (well it's mine anyway.)

 Currently available in 5 flavours (with more coming in the New Year) which are described as being "perfect for every occasion and personality." There is...
  • Strawberry 
  • Coconut
  • Blackcurrant 
  • Raspberry
  • Mint (with added tingle)



I own the Strawberry, my mum owns the Coconut and my sister the Raspberry and I have asked them to help me with this post because I don't use theirs so to give an opinion would be wrong. 

To start I will talk about Strawberry which I own. I bought this in Boots on York's Coney Street where they were on offer for 3 for 2. With this offer being on I decided to treat my mum and sister too.

They sell for £4.99 which isn't too bad really, I mean yes it is a little steep for a lip balm and if you use it as much as me it isn't going to last very long but the idea and concept behind it is cool and unique and the economic climate at the moment is rubbish (but improving,) so everything is a little pricey. 

The packaging is really cute and girlie and also environmentally friendly. The cardboard packaging is cute in design the text is very appealing to the young adult and teen markets with the bright coordinating colours. The packaging of the lip balm itself is reminiscent of the EOS lip balm (unfortunately only available in America) which is a sphere shape where you twist half of the packaging off revealing a half sphere of lip balm.

This innovative idea is hygienic and fun to use!




The scent of this is amazingly strong and yummy! I just wanted to eat it :)

The product itself is so soft and leaves the lips feeling extremely hydrated, soft, smooth and smelling fantastic. 
I really think against competitors that nothing has come close to Balmi and I am a lip balm freak I'm telling you, I literally own nearly the full Vaseline collection! 

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Now I will hear from my mum and sister their opinions on the Coconut and the Raspberry.

First my sister with Raspberry!

  • It had a very smooth application
  • Leaves your lips really soft
  • The scent is really tasty and strong 
  • Handy pocket size
  • Good shape, easy to use 
My mum, pretty much said the same things about the products!

It looks like amazing things all round for Balmi!

What do you think!? 

Let me know! :) 


Geordie Beauty Junkie 
x x x

Sunday 11 November 2012

York Haul

Hi everyone.

I am sorry it's taken so long to get this blog post to you guys, but after my trip I was kind of tired, trying to see the other half more and catching up with Uni work and getting back into the Uni swing of things! Busy, busy!

This isn't my full haul as I have started using some of the products and most things were pressies and I am such a lovely sister I spent a lot of money on my little sister whom I went with.

Warning, this post may be picture heavy!!

Other than that, ENJOY!

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Firstly, is some items from the Cosmetics Company Store, which when I am in York I absolutely have to go to. The store itself is in the McArthur Glen Outlet Mall.


I chose to pick up this Clinique gift set. This was £22.50 in the CCS. It is not from this year's Christmas collection which leads me to believe it is the 2011 collection or earlier.
Anyways, within the box you get a 200ml tub of the Deep Comfort Body Lotion which I had tried before purchasing this. I got a sample tube off my cousin and I fell in love! Next in the box you get a 75ml Deep Comfort Body Wash and then a 40ml Deep Comfort Hand and Nail Cream. I haven't tried the body wash yet as I have a lot to get through, but the hand cream is the same pretty much as the Body Butter, immensely creamy and buttery soft.




Next, I picked up this MAC eyeshadow in the colour Mystery. I got it in pan form due the difference in prince (it was £7) and due to the next MAC purchase which is the Pro x4 Shadow Palette. I got two of these because they were absolute bargains at £4! I couldn't believe it! They have built in magnets which means it's easier and cheaper now to buy shadows in pan form!






This is all I picked up from the Cosmetic Company Store, however my sister picked up a MAC mascara for £9 which she thought was a fantastic bargain as it is cheaper than some drugstore alternatives.

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Staying in the Outlet Mall, my next stop was Perfume Point which is another outlet store.
I was shopping for a perfume set off my parents for Christmas but ended up buying this as nothing else really caught my eye. (Please excuse the pictures, they were taken in my Hotel room!)
I am a masssssive Twilight fan (shoot me!) so when I saw this I had to pick it up! (In my last York trip I picked up Twilight lipglosses!) The packaging is so cute as it has Bella and Edward on the sides and then this lovely image on the front!
This was on sale for £11.95 for 50mls.

 
The bottle is such a lovely and classic design and the smell is exactly what I would depict from the Twilight saga. It's very musky and nature like and just reminds me of Twilight.



Finally from the Outlet Mall, I went to the Nike outlet because I wanted to pick up some trainers. I am never ever ever a trainer girl so I didn't want to spend a lot of money on trainers.
I clearly went in on the right day because all of the trainers on the 'back wall' as they called it were an additional 30% off! I ended up paying £10.50 for these sexy little things and they fit amazing and are super comfortable.

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I put off buying Balmi in Newcastle because I was like I'll pick it up in York and I was a good girl and for once I stuck to my guns!
The price, to me, is a little extortionate. £4.99 I paid for one of these and for all 3 was £9.98. I've used a lot of mine already so I can't even say it lasts for ages and ages but I guess everything is super expensive these days so you have to just bite your tongue and get on with it, or be amazing and coupon like a mad woman!
 I picked up Coconut (for my mum) Strawberry (for me) and Raspberry (for my sister)




They're so flavourful and smell amazing. I got so many compliments about the scent when I wore it to University and one complement even stretched to 'how cool is that' when I showed them the product.

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I picked up an absolute bargain in Topshop and if you can find any in your local store, go get them!
They retailed for £28 and were on sale for £15. When I got to the till they were £9 and then after student discount they were £5.60. A-may-zing! Happy Sarah!

These are the white canvas Vectra3's.
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The last thing I picked up was the Kelly Brook Brow Beautiful for Dark Brows. This is available in New Look for £2.99. 
Not only is it super cheap but it is amazing quality and I am so happy with it. 




I did pick up some other things like a hat and scarf because it was super cold and I picked up some food bits and plenty of meals, and bits from shows and stuff but other than that these were my main items.

I hope you enjoyed this small(ish) haul.


Thank You

Geordie Beauty Junkie
x x x

Tuesday 6 November 2012

Obsessions!

Hi guys, a quick post revealing some of my latest obsessions, including some none beauty obsessions!

To start, decorating my room! I am obsessed with buying new bits for my room including this photo frame from B&M home store for £9.99!


Next, Balmi lip balms and just lip balms in general really! This time of year my lips get really chapped and flaky and gross so I try to keep them as hydrated as possible which gets hard considering I'm a massive lazy bum and cannot be bothered half the time ! This balm is really good at moisturising and the packaging is so cute and reminds me of EOS lip balms which we cannot get in the UK! :(


L'occitane hand creams are next. I discovered these in Marie Claire magazine in York and after the first use fell immediately in love! They're so soft and creamy so on return to Newcastle I bought 2 more magazines! In a shop they would cost £8.00 but in the magazine they were £3.40.


My make up is another obsession. I recently went to a Nicki Minaj concert and did this eye look for the event. (see tutorial post for more details!) I love the bright colours and how fitting it is to the occasion!


Diet Coke has always been more of an addiction than an obsession for me! This limited edition Jean Paul Gaultier bottle encouraged me to buy and drink more! Nom nom! (I apologise for really rubbish picture!) 


York is a recent obsession of mine due to only really discovering my love this year! This picture was taken whilst climbing the York Minster!


Harry Potter has been a lifelong obsession of mine, growing up my love of reading and witches infused my live for the new phenomenon. Even more a decade later I am still as obsessed if not more! On visiting the National Railway Museum I found the Hogwarts Express! Yaaaaaaayyy! :D


I found these sweets in a local American candy shop and fell in love ! Indulging in sweets and also my love for the character Spongebob! These are so yummy and sooooo cute!


My love for sale shopping is included because I am obsessed with finding a bargain! These Vectra 3 pumps, see Primark vs Topshop post, were originally £28 in the sale they went down to £15 and then with student discount and other crazy happenings at the till I paid £5.60. Goooooo go go!


Finally, Clinique! After trying a sample of the body butter thanks to my cousin, I fell in love with the thick creamy texture and loveliness! In the CCS (cosmetic company store) in York I found a gift set for £22.50. Considering the body butter alone is £23 and I got 2 sample products I am a happy obsessed bunny!




I hope you enjoyed this quick post!

What are your obsessions? 
Have you tried any of these things?


Geordie Beauty Junkie
x x x

Friday 26 October 2012

Nicki Minaj Tutorial

Hi there.

On the night of the 25th October 2012 I went to see Nicki Minaj on her Pink Friday Roman Reloaded tour in Newcastle at the Metro Radio Arena. 

My make-up for the gig was inspired by the BEDROCK video and I took inspiration from MakeupByLeinaBaaaby and ReezyRiot on Youtube. 

In this post I am going to show you how to recreate this look. 


I hope you enjoy! 

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Firstly, I primed my eyes using Too Faced Shadow Insurance and then the Yellow, Blue and Purple colours from the Sleek Make-Up Primer Pallet

I placed the Yellow on the inner third of my eye using my finger, then the blue on the centre of the eyelid then the purple on the outer third and extended it up and out a little. 

Then I wet a brush using MAC's Fix+ spray and the took the Yellow colour from Sleek Make-Up: Ultra Matts V1 pallet and placed it on top of the Yellow primer on the inner third of the eyelid. 
Wetting the brush using Fix+ and applying the colour wet creates a more vibrant and stand out colour. 

Next, I took another wet brush and applied the Duck Egg Light Blue shade onto the centre of the eyelid on top of the Blue primer placed there before. 

On the other side of the wet brush from the previous step, I placed the Purple colour and directly placed it on top of the primer colour. 

I then used MAC's Vile Violet from the Venomous Villans Collection and placed it onto the wet purple shade to use as a crease colour. I then worked the top of the colours  to make them look tidy and even. 

The final steps were applying Rimmel's Soft Khol Kajal Eye Liner Pencil in 071 Pure White onto the waterline to create a wide eye look and then applying Rimmel's Soft Khol Kajal Eye Liner Pencil in 061 Jet Black onto the upper lash line to make lashes look thicker. 

I applied my favourite mascara, Max Factor Falsh Lash Effect Mascara in Black, onto my lashes to create a long and full effect. 


To make this look even more dramatic you could add lashes. Two of my recommendations are Katy Perry lashes in Oh My! or Bourjois Faux and Fabulous lashes in More Volume.



I hope you enjoyed the tutorial. 

Let me know if you have tried it and if you'd like to see pictures to go along with the text!

Thank You

Geordie Beauty Junkie 
x x x

Tuesday 23 October 2012

October Haul: Fashion

Hi there, 

Here we have another segment of my rather large October haulings. I have kind of went super crazy this month shopping wise. 
In this post, I will be showing you the fashion items I have purchased.

I hope you enjoy!

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I was out shopping in the Metrocentre on the 22nd of this month and found this little beauty in River Island. It was in their sale for £12 down from £25. 
I've had my eye on this bag for a little while now and when I had seen it had been placed into the sale I snapped this little beauty up. It is perfect for fitting in a small notebook and my necessities for Uni! 

Next on this shopping trip, I hit Primark. 
Whilst looking around I found this clutch bag which has a long strap so you can wear it over the body too! I love this as carrying clutch bags gets on my nerves a lot of the time so it's nice to know I can just sling it on my shoulder and away I go! 
I love the studded trend and the colour of this bag is like a browny, greyish taupe!
It was £6.

I got into the Christmas spirit when I seen this t-shirt in Primark. I knew right when I saw it that I had to have it. It's my favourite Christmas song and the print is super cute! 
It was a bargain at £3

Another Primark bargain at £3, this NYC t-shirt. 
I love the dripping American flag print and think it's very appropriate for Halloween but also for all year round. I love America and all things American so this is perfect for me! 

As you are probably aware if your a regular reader of this blog, I am going to York for Halloween and I am participating on a Ghost Hunt on the night of Halloween. 
I picked up these earrings in Monsoon Accessorize for £2.50 

I bought this earlier in the month, at the start of the River Island in store sales. I picked this up in the Eldon Square branch for £7
The sizes are quite generous so I got this in a size 10. 
Again this was on my lust list from River Island for some time and to find it in the sale made this blogger very happy! 



I popped into Primark in Newcastle on another occasion this month and picked up this sheer navy shirt in the sale for £5
The main thing that drew me to this item is the pearl collar detailing. I think it adds class and chic to the shirt.

Another item from Primark sale is this pink knitted jumper. It has a slight dipped hem and isn't too pink for the transition into fall and winter. It's quite loose fitting so doesn't cling and flatters most figures. 
It was a bargain at £5

My final piece and final Primark bargain is this very crazy jumper. It is navy blue with a neon yellow/green contrasting stripe design. I found it very fitting for Halloween and a bargain at £3.


I hope you have enjoyed this post, let me know what fashion finds you have bought in October!


Thank You

Geordie Beauty Junkie

xxx

Monday 22 October 2012

October Haul: Beauty

Hiya guys, 

I've been shopping, quite a bit, during the month of October and I'll be shopping a whole lot more once I get to York but here is my hail for this month. 


I hope you enjoy! 

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 Soap and Glory's Pulp Friction Body Scrub is literally my all time favourite body scrub. It smells amazing, it's not as cheap as I'd like it but it's close enough! It feels thick enough to use as a body masque and has enough grit to buff away the dead skin. This was £8 from Boots and was on 3 for 2. 


 I like The Body Shop deodorants so when I seen this in the sale I snapped it up. It is the Deo Dry and it was £1.25 and the refill was £1


 My younger sister and I love this shower gel from The Body Shop because it smells amazing, like freshly picked Granny Smiths, It also leaves your skin feeling really clean. This 250ml bottle was on sale for £2 from £4.








This is the 'My Fierce Violets' Palette from Lauren Luke who is quite a famous Youtuber. I was very surprised to see this palette in TKMaxx (TJMaxx for all you Americans!)  It was £7.99 and it came with a lipgloss and the mirror has a message from Lauren written on it. I'm not sure if all of them come with a message but this one does! If you live near the MetroCentre, go grab one!



 Again from TKMaxx (MetroCentre) I found this which is my all time best beauty bargain, ever! It's the Too Faced "Insurance Policy" palette and a 11g tube of Too Faced Shadow Insurance. This, wait for it, was £7.99. Yes, that is all! The RRP for this set is £38. Go to your nearest TKMaxx and hunt! The colour pigmentation is AMAZING!

 These tweezers are my favourite tweezers to use, however, I lost my pair I was using and had to buy another pair as I felt lost without them. They are the Mad Plucker tweezers and were £2.99 from TKMaxx.

 These nail paints are by Barry M and they were on a special offer. I purchased Diamond Glitter and Spring Green and got Web Effects 239 FREE! I love a good freebie. I thought for Halloween the green with the orange web over the top would look amazing. I am yet to test this theory! They retail for £2.99, however the web effect retails at £3.99.

 This is Diamond Glitter, one coat on a bare nail. 

 This is Spring Green, one coat, over a bare nail.

 Spring Green by Barry M

 Orange Web Effect, however it didn't break down :\ 



 I love the Coconut range from The Body Shop and this little travel sized Milk Body Lotion was a bargain at £4.

This lip balm from The Body Shop's Chocomainia range was £4 but my FiancĂ© kindly treated me to this!  



 The Body Shop throughout October had a little sale on their Body Butters. They were half price. £6.50 (I think) They're usually quite expensive but I thought as it's on special I'd treat myself. I love this scent so much!

 This was a total impulse buy from Morrisons. It was on offer at £1.63 and I thought why not get it. It's always good to look after your gums. 

 I picked this little atomiser up from an Avon Party that I went to for £1.50. The scent is really sweet and girlie and the packaging reminds me of winter!

 This was another Avon purchase and this is the Moroccan Agran Oil Hair Mask. This was on offer for £3.  I've used this already and it leaves your hair really conditioned. 

 This is the Glam Eyes HD eye shadow from Rimmel. I got this at a cheap make up stall in town for £1.99.

 This is a Rimmel 3-in-1 blusher. It has 3 beautiful tones of pink, leaving your cheeks with a fresh flush of colour. This is again from the small stall in my city centre and cost £1.99

 My final purchase from the small make up stall is this Maybelline lip gloss. It is a cream gloss which means the texture is really creamy and feels really good on the lips. The colour pay off is pretty good as well and the colour is like a your lips but better colour. This again was £1.99.

 When I went into Boots I was looking at purchasing a shower gel from Philosophy as I have been eyeing them up for absolutely ages. However the £14 price tag put me off. I found this Gingerbread shower gel by Beauticology in the Christmas gift section for £4.

 Earlier in the month, Boots had a 3 for £5 offer on Simple Skincare wipes and being an avid fan, I swooped  into the store and picked up 3 packs. 

 Another Avon product, this time from the kids range. I got this to see if it would work for detangling my hair as it is the most horrible hair for tangling. It does work! :) It cost me £1.50 on special offer.


My sister bought me this at the beginning of the month when we were starting to get excited for the Nicki Minaj concert happening in 3 days! It is the MAC Nicki Lipglass and it was £12.50



I hope you have enjoyed this post!


Geordie Beauty Junkie
xxx