Dainty Doll Cream Blushers

This post has been a long time coming! If you're a follower of Bee's Knees you'll know that I went a little crazy over the past couple of months with purchases of Dainty Doll products from Fragrance Direct. I've already reviewed the lipsticks HERE, but today I'm reviewing the cream blushes I bought. 

Dainty Doll is a brand that caters specifically for pale skinned girls, like me, and I find their blushers across the board are well pigmented but are the perfect shades for pale skin because even heavily applied they aren't too bold. The cream blushers are best applied either with your fingers or with a stippling brush as opposed to a traditional blush brush - I use the Real Techniques Stippling Brush before blending in with the Buffing Brush.

Left > Right: 001 Paper Roses,002 Orange County Girl, 003 Billion Dollar Babies

I have found every shade of these cream blushers to be incredibly good quality, they last all day and are easily blended into the skin to give a nice subtle but made up look. The packaging is gorgeous with a handy mirror for on the go application. Please note that my swatches show the products blended in to the skin because this is how I wear them on my face.

This is Paper Roses, a gorgeous pretty pale pink that is ideal for Spring! I find wearing this adds that 'just pinched' look to my cheeks without making me look too made up. This isn't my favourite of the cream blushes but it's a nice colour to have in my collection. 

Here is Orange County Girl, my favourite of the cream blushers. As you can see, this has some gold shimmer running through it as well as the peachy pink colour. I've read a lot of bloggers comparing this to Nars Orgasm and although I haven't tried Nars myself, from the photos I've seen online it does seem incredibly similar but a more subtle shade suitable for porcelain skins. This is a really easy blush to wear - because it's also a highlighter you just need to brush it across your cheekbones to add some dimension to your face and brighten your cheeks up.

Finally this is Billion Dollar Babies. I have been using this as a contour colour because it's a matte pale taupe so ideal for this purpose! It's absolutely brilliant to contour with - because it's a cream it's a dream to blend into the skin and not so dark to be obvious. As a pale girl I have struggled to find suitable shades to contour with but this is spot on and I would recommend it to anyone else who's stuck for a contour colour!

I am really happy I bought these cream blushers, they're all very good and beautiful in their own way. Orange County Girl is my favourite but Billion Dollar Babies is also a winner for contouring, and Paper Roses is a nice one to have in my collection. For £1.99 each from Fragrance Direct buying all three will only set you back £5.97, which isn't even the price you'd pay for a blush from most brands! With an RRP of £13.50 I'd still think they were good products even full price!

I highly recommend these for other pale faced beauties but there is the potential for them to work for more neutral and darker skins tones too because of the high pigmentation. Click HERE to buy from Fragrance Direct.

What do you think of Dainty Doll? Have you tried any of these cream blushers?

xx

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Fabulous Nails #42

Hi guys. Today's fabulous nails post features one of MUA's Mystical Glitter nail polishes, and is a lovely bright blue.

Blue nail polishes make up a pretty big part of my collection because blue is a really simple but beautiful colour which looks good on everyone regardless of skin tone. I think blue glitter is even more special, so I really love this combination!

I started out by painting my nails with two coats of this oldie (but goodie) Rimmel I <3 Lasting Finish in 198 Azure. I have owned this nail polish for as long as I can remember, most likely over 10 years and it's still going strong! It's such a bold bright blue it's always a winning colour.

I then painted my nails with two coats of this MUA Mystical Glitter in the shade Mermaid, which is something I purchased absolutely ages ago but didn't get around to wearing for a while (#bloggerproblems!) The glitter particles in this polish are very small and fine, which creates a more subtle look on the nail than other glitters I own and have tried. It's a perfect match for the Rimmel Azure and I think added some depth to the overall colour. A winning combination!

You can purchase the MUA Mystical Glitter online for £2.50 HERE, or pick it up instore at Superdrug. Rimmel I <3 Lasting Finish in Azure is available online HERE for £2.99 or pick it up at your local drugstore (cannot believe this polish is still on sale!).

What do you think of this look? Are glitter nails over now it's Spring or are you still loving them?

xx

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Empties #3

Welcome to my third empties post of the year so far. I've got a real mix of things to share with you today, enjoy!

I've been making a conscious effort to try and use up products recently, especially because of my May spending ban but also because I am really eager to try some of the new products I've stored away but not used yet!

The two products hiding at the top of the photo are the elf Eyelid Primer (post HERE) and the Simple Eye Make Up Remover pen (post HERE). The eyelid primer is a true empty and ran out ages ago, but the Simple eye pen just dried up, sadly. I've owned it for ages so it's no surprise, but it has made me realise I need to have a clear out of all my old make up that's dried up or out of date. I haven't repurchased either of these products.

You may have already read my rave review of the Motions Foaming Wrap Lotion (HERE) - it's my favourite hair styling product for my naturally curly hair and I can see myself repurchasing this for the foreseeable future. The Sally Hansen nail polish remover isn't anything special, just one of the thousands of bottles of remover I use up every month(!)

In one of my previous empties posts I raved about a Nivea deoderant that I loved because it was invisible and didn't leave any white or yellow marks on my clothes. Well this Right Guard one is just as good, and a little cheaper and I've already repurchased this. I've also used up my Lily Lolo Matte Finishing Powder which I have been using for years but still need to review properly. I have already repurchased this.

Finally two hand products from Soap and Glory - these were in a set I bought in the January sales (post HERE). I liked using the S&G hand wash but I wouldn't repurchase because it's pricey and didn't really stand out to me as being any different to cheaper washes. Hand Food on the other hand is a staple in my handbag and I've been using it for years, I've already repurchased it! I need to do a full review though as I've just realised I haven't ever done one. The only complaint I have about Hand Food is that this one went a bit weird towards the end - it started smelling odd and the formula went funny, despite it only being open for around 3 months. Not impressed, but it hasn't put me off the product as I think I probably got a dodgy bottle.

What products have you finished up recently?

xx

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Tuesday Tales #2 - Body Image

This is a topic I never thought I would write a blog post about. Every day I read things written by bloggers baring their thoughts, experiences and souls for all to read and judge on some really tough subjects. I have the utmost respect for those people, but I never thought I could ever be brave enough to do it myself. I'm not sure what has changed, but I got the urge to write this post and despite my utmost efforts to go to bed I just could not shake the thought from my mind. So here I am, way past my bedtime, about to write. Today's post is about body image.

(source)

Body image is a subject that a great deal of people have written about, from a variety of perspectives. For many people it is tied in to other issues, like eating disorders or self esteem. I will write this post with the intention of sharing my personal experiences with my own body image, as an isolated topic on its own.

I was a pretty standard scrawny tomboy growing up. As a child I was always doing something, whether it was running, playing sport or climbing trees. I was not, and have never been 'overweight' or 'fat' - I have always had a slim build. But for as long as I can remember, I have had a problem with my body image. Now that I have made progress with this problem, I feel like I am in a good position to look back and consider my feelings and experiences and try and reconcile them with the notion of having a poor body image.

(source)

I cannot remember a time, between being born and reaching 18, that I did not hate my body. Hating my body was not something I consciously did, it wasn't something I was aware I was doing, but I did subconsciously do certain things because of that hate. Until I reached 17 or 18 years old, I had real difficulty looking at myself in the mirror. Unlike most girls, I looked in the mirror perhaps once or twice a day in total, and even then this was only to do my hair on a morning which involved solely focusing on my hair and not even glancing at the rest of me. I never looked in the mirror in public bathrooms, I deliberately avoided reflective surfaces and I abhorred having my photograph taken. I could not stand the idea of someone looking at me, whether it was my face or my body. Now that I have overcome some of my body image issues, this seems absurd. I cannot believe I spent so many years of my life having such a difficult time with mirrors - it just feels so strange. But at the time I did not want to know what I looked like.

(source)

I didn't understand my body, I didn't want to understand my body. I can admit that there are parts of my body that I didn't begin to understand until I was over the age of 20. Although I hated everything, there were certain parts which I absolutely detested - and by that I mean I had regular, vivid fantasies of chopping them off. Looking back I feel so upset and distressed by the extent to which I hated myself, and the huge impact this had on how I valued myself and the way I lived my life. I have never seen anyone in a professional capacity to discuss my body image, or even to explore what might have been the starting point or the trigger for the way I felt. I don't understand where it came from, but I do acknowledge that it happened to me.

(source)

As an 18 year old girl about to start University I made a decision to try and fight it to stop it impinging on every aspect of my life. I started to try and look in mirrors, to grin and bear my photograph being taken, to get dressed in the light and look at my body and try to understand and connect with it. It was so hard I could never explain how much of a battle it was. But eventually I managed to feel less angry and hateful and increasingly 'neutral' about myself.

(source)

I am not sure I will ever reach the level of 'body confidence' some women speak of, but I can happily report today that I can spend indefinite amounts of time in front of a mirror, and that there are only some days out of a whole month when what I see genuinely makes me sad. But I'd like to think that's normal. I can stand having my photograph taken, and now I even see the value in taking photographs myself. I have connected with my body and begun to appreciate all the amazing things it does for me, and allows me to do. I don't have the constant knot of hatred, shame and fear that I used to feel every day in relation to my body. I am a long way from where I would like to be, but to compare myself today to how I used to be even 10 years ago makes me so proud of myself.

(source)

I'm not quite sure what my motive is for writing and publishing this post? I guess I hope that somewhere out there a girl (or boy) who feels the same way that I used to feel may happen across it, feel like their load is less heavy because there's someone else who went through what they are going through and came out the other side? Maybe I'm hoping to shatter the illusion some people have that beauty bloggers are all confident, self assured individuals with no skeletons in their closet? Although mostly I think it may have been for my own peace of mind, and to create a marker to show that I have made progress and come this far on my own. It can be easy to slide back into bad habits but knowing that I once had the strength to overcome it will hopefully prevent that from happening to me.

xx

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SAVE don't SPEND #14

Hi everyone! I haven't quite had the spends-free week I had hoped for - le sigh. I need to start saving money soon otherwise I won't be able to do some of the exciting things I have planned for the rest of the year!

(source)

Monday

NOTHING

£0.00 - total

Tuesday

4.95 - lunch

1.12 - Boots

£6.07 - total

Wednesday

4.95 - lunch

4.50 - Holland & Barrett food shop

13.00 - takeaway

£22.45 - total

Thursday

4.00 - lunch

£4.00 - total 

Friday

30.00 - Boots (contact lens solutions and birthday present for the bestie)

20.00 - Boots (nail polish and lipstick, woops!)

£30.00 - total

£20.00 - naughty total

Saturday

20.00 - Nandos

20.00 - M&S (underwear and tights, yawn)

£40.00 - total

Sunday

12.00 - Sainsburys food shop

100.00 - train tickets

£112.00 - total

TOTAL: £214.52

NAUGHTY TOTAL: £20.00

This is the THIRD week in a row that I have spent way over my £80 budget, and it's so annoying that yet again it's because I've had to buy train tickets! In my family we have a cluster of 4-5 birthdays in June/July that I've had to buy train tickets to travel home for, which has obviously cost a small fortune this week. Add to that my naughty Boots trip on Friday (I went to collect a prescription and left with a lighter purse - haul post coming soon!) and I didn't have the spending-free week I hoped for! I'm going to try my hardest to bring in my lunches this week at work, and reign in other spends to hopefully bring down the total for next week. Finger's crossed! 

Are you trying to save money? How is it going for you?

xx

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Fabulous Nails - Underdog Nail Polish Brands

After I posted my Spring Pastels post (HERE) where I shared some of my favourite nail looks for Spring, I started thinking of other posts I could do along the same lines. Today's post is about some of my favourite nail polish brands that are not as prominent in the blogosphere and less hyped, in the hopes of introducing you to some polishes you might have overlooked in the past.

Here they all are! What a pretty picture. The brands featured in this post are Miss Sporty, Collection and Kiko Cosmetics. First up, Miss Sporty!

Miss Sporty is a brand which I think most people my age associate with being a young teenager and new to the world of fashion and make up. They are a budget drugstore brand and even I don't think I would try out any of their make up items in favour of mid range, tried and tested brands like Barry M or Soap & Glory. However their nail polishes are absolutely brilliant. They cost £1.99 each (but are usually on offer) and the colour range and quality is superb.

The colours above are L>R:

060 - a stunning pearlescent turquoise blue, 346 - a pretty green toned turquoise that reminds me of Barry M Green Berry, 324 - a bold blue toned teal

 320 - a bright electric blue, 304 - a summery coral red and 312 - a true gold.

The packaging of Miss Sporty polishes isn't great, but I think this is predominantly because they stick those godawful stickers on the lids! If the lids were left plain and white I think the bottles would look much nicer (but the stickers are the only way of differentiating shades which is why I haven't ripped them off). Overall I am a big fan of these polishes, they are really pigmented, require only two coats, last well with a decent topcoat and priced at only £1.99 its easy to bulk up your collection without harming your bank balance. Available online HERE or in store at your local drugstore.

Next up are these Collection Hot Looks polishes. Collection is a brand that can be hit and miss, for example the majority of bloggers rave about their Lasting Perfection concealer, but some of their other products haven't gone down so well. Their Hot Looks polishes are a real hit in my book, priced at only £1.99 each again they are a bargain! Some of my most used polishes are Hot Looks.

The colours above are L>R:

Scandal - a gorgeous deep shimmer red, All That Jazz - a shimmer gunmetal, Minx - a bold shimmer purple

Angel Wings - a beautiful pale grey, Jitterbug - a gorgeous metallic blue/silver, Vogue - a dark blue and Fruit Loop - a pastel orange that's one of my favourites!

As you can see by the condition of the bottles, I've owned some of these a long, long time! I think Minx and Vogue were some of the first polishes I ever bought! Hot Looks are amazing quality for the price, they apply perfectly as the brush is just the right shape, they last for 4+ days with a good topcoat and you usually only need two coats. The look of the bottles isn't great and I think there's room for massive improvement. Another negative is the size of the bottles as you don't get loads for your money, but still for £1.99 they're a bargain buy I'd recommend! Available online HERE or in store at your local drugstore

Finally here are five of my favourites by Kiko Cosmetics. Kiko is a brand I first picked up when travelling in Venice, but only a few months afterwards the brand launched in the UK with their first store in Westfield London. These polishes are consistently very high quality and last longer than most brands I've tried. They apply incredibly well and the brush is very easy to use. The colours I've tried are some of the best in my collection and require only two coats. Usually priced at £4.90 but often on sale for around £2.50, they're brilliant value and compete well with much more expensive brands.

The polishes above are L>R:

230 - a pretty white glitter with small particles, 273 - a subtle shimmer top coat, 271 - a top coat with large silver glitter pieces

339 - the first polish I bought from the brand & one of my all time favourites, this is a milky blue creme and 334 - a bold and bright turquoise creme.

 These shimmer top coats are fantastic and transform any polish you pair them with. A great and inexpensive way to glam up your nail varnish collection!

I really can't encourage you enough to try Kiko, they are the most consistently good nail varnish brand I have ever tried - EVER! I very rarely read about this brand on other beauty blogs and I find it so disappointing because their range of colours and top coats matches if not betters the other popular brands like Models Own. If you can't get down to their London store, you can buy Kiko online HERE.

Phew! So there you have it, my top three underdog nail polish brands. What do you think? Have you tried any of them before, and are you tempted to now?

xx

ps. if you're after some new nail polishes, be sure to check out my BLOG SALE for bargains!

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Nail Varnish BLOG SALE

Topshop Nails in Mannequin, Rimmel Cocktail Colour in Hawaiian Punch, OPI Jewel of India, OPI Warm & Fozzie (all used once)

£3, £2, £6, £6

Ciate mini paint pots in Angel Wings, Cutie Pie, Cupcake Queen, Ladylike Luxe (all brand new)

£3 each or all four for £10

No7 Stay Perfect 4ml: Hot to Trot, Vivid Violet, 10ml: Salsa, Gold Sequins (all brand new)

4ml £2 each, 10ml £3.50 each or all four for £10

Barry M Magnetic Nail Paints: Blue, Dark Silver, Burgundy, Multi Sparkle (all used once)

£3.00 each or all four for £10

Barry M Nail Paints: Black Multi Glitter, Silver Cascade, Amethyst Glitter, Yellow Topaz Glitter (all brand new)

£2.50 each or all four for £8

Revlon Matte Suede in Ruby Ribbon, Revlon Nail Enamel in Vixen, Revlon Gold Sequins, Revlon Top Speed in Cloud (Matte Suede brand new, all others used once)

£4 each or all four for £14

Nails Inc Great Tichfield Street, Chester Street, Richmond Terrace, Kensington Palace Gardens (all brand new)

£5 each or all four for £18

Nails Inc Gold Glamour Glitter, Seventeen Rock Hard Nail Effects in Blue, OPI Original Nail Envy (Nails Inc & Seventeen brand new, OPI 2/3 full)

£5, £2, £6 or all three for £11

Barry M Limited Edition Gold Nail Paint, Barry M Dusky Mauve (both brand new)

£2.00 each

Ciate mini paint pot in Magic Carpet, Ciate mini nail caviar pearls in Bumble Bee, Candy Shop, Prom Queen (Bumble Bee used once, others all brand new) Pending

£3 each or all four for £10

Topshop Nail Rock set with white pearl caviar (brand new)

£5

Models Own Nail Art Kit with 10ml Gold Nail Polish and 6ml Black Nail Art Pen (brand new)

£6 or £5 when bought with any nail polish

Rimmel Apocalips in shade Luna (swatched once) Pending

£4 or £3 when bought with any nail polish

MUA Lipstick in shade 16 (swatched on hand once) Pending

50p or free when you purchase 2 other items (first come first served for this offer)

Terms and Conditions:

Payment by Paypal only.

Postage is £2.60 for one item to UK, with BIG postage discounts for 1+ items (leave a comment and I will give you an estimate).

Comment and then email me for an international postage quote.

First come first served, please leave a comment with your email address so I can contact you regarding payment.

xx