Guest Post-You Found Erin

Hello there, lovely readers of  A Little Gem ! You may have noticed that I am in fact, not A Little Gem. She has very kindly offered me the chance to do a guest post, so here I am!

I should probably quickly introduce myself, I'm Erin, from www.youfounderin.blogspot.co.uk , and I am going to be writing about my "Winter Beauty Essentials", so lets go!

1) Lipbalm

Fist up is lipbalm. Now, I am a huge lipbalm junkie all year round, but in winter my lips get super dry (as I believe most people's do) so it is very important for me to keep my lips hydrated, and moisturised. I particularly love this cocoa butter one from Palmers, as it does its job really well, and smells divine!

2) Moisturiser

Similar to dry lips, my skin also gets quite dry in the winter, so I try to moisturise both morning and night, using a hydrating one, that will be sure to leave my skin feeling silky smooth and glowing. (Such as this one from Simple)

3) Red lipstick

Now what is winter without a red lipstick? Whether it be berry, bright, or dark, there's a shade to suit everyone! I for one am a huge fan of red lipstick, and there is no better time to wear it than in the cool winter, festive months. My favourites are (from l-r) Rimmel Kate Moss in 107, Elf in a deep berry colour, and Christian Dior in Sparkling Red

4)Deep Conditioner

Now, I don't actually have one to hand, as I just finished one, and haven't got round to buying another, so here is a lovely photograph from Google Images.

My hair goes a bit limp, dry, and just 'meh' in winter, so what better way to inject fresh new life into it than by deep conditioning? I love, love, love this one from Aussi, it leaves my hair so soft and shiny!

5) Red/Purple Nail Varnish

Deep colours are so fashionable and cool in winter, and I think they look fab on my nails. These two from Rimmel (Deliciously Dark and Rapid Ruby) are fab, long lasting, and they dry super quickly, which is always a plus, I hate waiting for nails to dry!

6) Hand Cream

I got this hand cream as a gift, and while I don't like the smell, it makes my hands so smooth (perfect for these cold months when my hands are so dry) Plus, the packaging is so beautiful.

7) Concealer

This is essential for me all year round, but I find that dark circles show more in WInter, so it is definitely a winter must-have for me.

8) Face Mask

It's nice to treat yourself once in a while, and what better way to do that than to put on a face mask and relax for ten minutes. I am actually allergic to most face masks, because I have such sensitive skin, but I absolutely love the Lush ones,  particularly "Cupcake". Yum.

9) Eye Liner

Last but not least, eyeliner. I wear more eyeliner in winter, i'm not entirely sure why. I think it's because I know it won't melt off my face, and it looks great with a dark lip. I just love black eyeliner.

I hope you all enjoyed reading this, and if you did, feel free to check out my blog, and also, follow "alittlegemm" who has very kindly let me write this blog post on her blog!

Quick question (feel free to tweet me the answer @youfounderin),

What is your Winter Beauty essential?

youfounderin x

Giving Second Chances...

In case you missed my first encounter with Models Own (see here) I will quickly tell you that my experience was not a good one. The polish was thin and watery, and they had pretty rubbish staying power. However when I saw the new Velvet range that Model's Own have brought out, I decided to give them a second chance. And I'm so glad I did!

 

Sardonyx is a berry shade with red glitter. I picked this shade as I thought it would look lovely on a cold winter day, or to a Christmas party. The first thing I noticed was the drying time was very quick which is an instant win for me. Although the formula is still quite thin, for some reason it seem to work with this polish. The finish is quite matte with the glitter shimmering through. This whole range is quite beautiful, and unlike one I've seen before. I also love the packaging, the lid of the bottle is covered in velvet which, I think, is a lovely finish to the bottle.

 

So I tried again and I've been sold. Although I don't think I will buy another colour from the basic Model's Own collection, I would be tempted to try their limited edition collections they bring out in the future.

 

Has anyone else tried any polishes from this collection?

Huge Primark Haul

A few weeks ago I made the decision that, as of January 2014, I will try to live on a weekly budget for a few months without making any unnecessary buys. So I pencilled in a big shopping trip to make sure I have everything I might 'need' to prevent me from being lured into the January sales. Or any shop that sells beauty products/clothes/shoes in fact.

 

My local Primark is the second biggest in the country (I think) so I knew I would be spending a small fortune in there. I was after lots of items that I could pair easily with other items.

The first thing I knew I needed was tights, and I knew that Primark have a great selection of tights to choose from. I picked up the famous Super Cosy tights, some grey woollen tights and a pair of navy tights too. I thought all of these would be pefect teamed with shorts, skirts or dresses to keep me warm on those cold nights-perfect for the party season!

 

I got four tops from Primark. I absoloutely love the two shirts, I think they are so classy and simple and I'll be able to wear them with so many things. I wanted a new white shirt for ages, and I think the teal is a beautiful colour for this time of year and it complements my hair and skin tone too. I bought the pink jumper to wear over shirts, and I love the bright colour. At this time of year its so easy to stick to very similar, dark colours so this jumper will add a bright splash of colour to my winter wardrobe. I had to have the Peter-Pan collar top as soon as I saw it! Firstly, I love this colour at this time of year, even though I have way too many items in this shade. I also love the detailing on the collar bone of the top, I think that makes it a little different.

 

I know that shorts are a bit of an odd item of clothing to purchase at this time of year, but as soon as I saw these two I knew that had to be mine. The half price tag also helped me make my decision! I think they are such excellent quality material, and the prints are very unique yet totally wearable. These shorts are also perfect trans-seasonal pieces too, so I'll be able to get lots of wear out of them!

 

I'm sure many other beauty and fashion bloggers watched Zoella's Primark Haul a few weeks ago so you might have noticed I have picked up the same pyjama bottoms that she did. I love the fleecy material for the cold nights at this time of year and, in my bid to be festive this year, I couldn't resist the cute robin pattern. I have also been desperate for a tartan scarf, and although this isn't exactly what I was looking for, I like that its different from what many others have. The colours are very toned down compared to a traditional Tartan pattern, so are probably more wearable. Although I am still keeping everything crossed that I get a tartan scarf for Christmas.

 

My final Primark purchases were two new pairs of shoes, because what girl doesn't need new shoes?! I thought the burgundy flats would go perfect with some of the items I already have as, like I previously mentioned, I go crazy for this shade at this time of year so a lot of my clothes either are this shade, are similar or go perfectly with it. The heels were a bit of a necessity purchases as I desperately needed a new pair of black heels to wear to the upcoming Christmas parties, and I like that these are a bit different.

 

So that's it! My last Primark trip for the foreseeable future. I am actually really happy with my wardrobe now, I feel like it is complete and can see me through the next few months.

 

Has anyone else visited primark recently? Or is anyone else planning on sorting out their finances in the new year? I would love to know!

Nails Inc Samples

 

I think every beauty blogger and their dog got hold of last months Glamour issue. In case you missed it, they were giving away a full size limited edition Kate Spade Nails Inc polish with every issue in 4 shades. As I really like the Nails Inc polishes, however not their price tag, I decided to be a devil and go for 2 issues. I picked up the shades Uptown Glamour and Big Apple Red.

 

Uptown Glamour is a gorgeous gold shade, which is absolutely perfect for the festive season. It is quite a subtle gold so is wearable during the daytime as well as to add some sparkle to a Christmas party look. This polish has more of a matte finish to it but this seems to work well. Big Apple Red is a classic red shade, which I don't think any girl can have enough of. Its a very post box red so adds a classic finish to any look really.

 

I love Nails Inc polishes as they have brilliant staying power, have a lovely glossy finish which is my favourite, and they dry pretty quickly which is always a bonus. I've bought quite a few new polishes recently so keep an eye out for other nails-related posts!

 

Did anyone else get these freebies?

Product Review-Sleek Blush in Rose Gold

 

I have been desperate to try out a Sleek blush for ages now due to the raving reviews they seem to receive. I don't have a counter in my local Boots so I had to wait for a chance to get to a larger store. I know these blushes have been named as dupes for the Nars blushes, however I cannot make that comparison due to never trying a Nars blush.

 

The first thing I like about this product is the packaging, its feels high end and sleek. The blush itself is a beautiful rose shade, with pigments of gold in that reflect in the light. This blush is extremely pigmented so very little is needed to create a lovely rose colour on the cheeks. Another thing I noticed with this blush is that, unlike many other blushes, when I apply the powder onto the brush, the powder doesn't seems to break or crumble at all.

 

I do really like this blush and for its cheap price tag, you really cannot fault it! I can't understand why you would want to buy a Nars blush when for a fraction of the price you can get (apparently) an exact duplicate.

 

Has anyone else tried this or any other Sleek blushes?

2 New Barry M Polishes

Barry M have recently launched a whole new range of products including eye shadow palettes (click here to see my thoughts), foundation and some nail polish collections. When Boots had a 3 for 2 offer recently I decided to try out a polish from the new Matte collection and one from the new glitter Royal range.

 

Crush is a beautiful berry shade which is absolutely perfect for this time of year. The polish applies well and evenly, although can be quite thin at times. What I liked about using this polish was the quick drying time that I don't normally get from the Barry M polishes. The matte finish is something I was slightly unsure about to begin with as I love a glossy finish, but I have to say I think the matte finish is really lovely and is a nice change from a standard glossy finish. I'm tempted to try another colour from this range, although none of the other shades stand out for me.

 

Duchess is a pink based glitter polish with a textured finish. I found it really hard to pick a shade from this collection as all of them are completely different and all perfect for the party season. I went for Duchess as I think its a great shade for either the day or on a evening, or even just as an accent nail with another polish. The finish is a bit strange and something I'm not used to as it is textured, but I have to say I quite like it. It, again, has a quick drying time which is always a bonus for me. This polish is a perfect party polish and I think I will definitely be picking up  few more from this collection.

 

Has anyone else tried these polishes? Or any from the collections?

Product Review-Nivea Tinted Moisturising Day Cream

 

I have been after a new product for a while, to replace my Rimmel BB Cream as I have been having a bit of a love/the relationship with it. When I saw this tinted moisturiser on offer at a local supermarket, I thought I would give it a go! I like Nivea products, especially their moisturisers, and I have never had a reaction or breakout using their products.

 

I picked up the shade Natural which, when swatched, is slightly too dark for my skin tone. However this moisturiser is really workable and blends very easily into the skin. I definitely prefer this to my BB cream as it feels like I'm having a bit more coverage and also feels so lovely to blend into the skin. If anyone was after a new tinted moisturiser or BB cream I would definitely recommend this little beauty.

 

Has anyone else tried this or a similar product?