Welcome To Shooting Stars - Nails Of The Day x

Apologies for yet another NOTD post, but I'm still feeling crappy thankfully I had this in draft so I thought I'd publish it rather than leave you postless for another day x Normal services will hopefully resume soon xxx

This was one of the many nail colours that I received for my birthday (click here to see my birthday haul video)

Maybelline Color Show Polka Dots - 198 Shooting Stars, is one of those bitty, graffiti styles of nail polish. It's a dark blue jelly crammed full of different sizes and shapes of matte black and white sprinkles. This is two coats here which is just about enough for full coverage but you could just layer it over a navy blue shade to  achieve the effect more quickly and to improve the wear time which to be honest wasn't that great.

What surprised me most about this polish was how quickly it dried, I'd barely finished my second hand and it was dry - result!

I know a lot of people aren't keen on bitty polishes but I love them and this doesn't feel too rough. I do think it would look better on longer nails and it didn't last that long but I'm still a fan x What do you think of Shooting Stars?

Finally A Micellar Water That I Love And No It's Not Bioderma

I have to be honest and say the micellar water obsession has left my cold. Admittedly I haven't tried Bioderma but every other micellar water or all in one cleansing and toning liquid has left me feeling distinctly mehhh. They've either stung my eyes, or left my skin feeling oily, slimy or tacky. For my birthday though my mum bought my a whole box full of beauty bits and in the box was this..

The L'Oreal Skin Perfection 3 in 1 Purifying Micellar Solution - apparently it had been on special in Sainsbury's so she'd picked up without really having a clue as to what it was - she actually thought it was a toner and knowing my obsession with them she bought it lol.

This clear liquid  promises to dissolve make-up, unclog pores and remove impurities, and tone and soothe the skin. It's for face, eyes and lips and it suitable for sensitive skin.

I have to be honest and say given my previous experience with this type of product I was cynical but I tried it anyway, and I tried it again, and again, and again, and again till whoops I have less than half a bottle left. Does it work well, see for yourself :)

Before 

What I Wore

Maybelline Dream Satin Liquid - 010 Ivory

Boots No 7 Trio Concealer (2 Lightest Shades Mixed)

L'Oreal True Match Super Blendable Powder - W3 Golden Beige

elf Studio Blush - Tickled Pink

Milani Eyeshadow Quad - 05 Denim Blues (White And Navy Blue Shades Only)

Laura Geller Mascara - Black

Models Prefer Automatic Eyebrow Pencil

MAC Lipstick - Lovelorn

After

Pretty impressive, don't you think? I made sure that I had lots of layers of slap on and this cute through them with ease. A couple of my favourite cotton wool pads, lightly soaked removed all the make up on my face and neck, and I used one pad for each eye. Not only did it remove every scrap of make up without any pulling or tugging, it left my skin feeling fresh and soft and not tacky, or slimy.

Perhaps though the major reason why I've fell in love with this product though is as an eye make up remover. It had a hard test here with a very pigmented deep blue eyeshadow and a couple of coats of mascara but it handled it with ease and most importantly it didn't sting, burn or make my eyes water - result.

I still prefer to use a proper cream or balm type cleanser on my face, but this is great for emergencies and lazy days but I do intend to repurchase this product to use as an eye make up remover - it did the job, without any unpleasant side effects. Is this my new HG eye make remover? I'm not sure about that quite yet but I do intend to repurchase it and it made an appearance in my May Favourites video (click here to watch it in case you can't see it below) so it's definitely heading in the right direction.

Have you tried this product? What do you think of micellar waters in general? let me know in the comments xx

Thinking Slimmer - Slim Pod - Week 4

I stepped on the scales this morning with the feeling that I'd probably lost this week but I didn't dream I'd lost as much as I have. I've lost a massive 6lbs which means I've hit my first stone with a bit to spare. I wish I could say that it's all been down to healthy eating but this week I have to say it probably hasn't been. From say 10pm Saturday to about this morning. I was shall we say a bit unwell with a pretty evil tummy bug so my food and drink intake this weekend was erm pretty seriously affected. Thankfully I'm feeling a bit better but that isn't a 24 hours I want to repeat in a hurry.

I was feeling quite positive about the whole Thinking Slimmer programme this week so I only listened to the Slim and Chill Pods 5 times this week as opposed to every night, and whilst the scales speak for themselves, I really enjoy the chillout and relaxation aspect of the downloads so I think I'm going back to listening to them every night again. They really do seem to be providing the relaxation and motivational aspects that I need.

So on wards and upwards, I'm still feeling a bit fragile so I can't see myself eating too much at least at the start of the week, but as long as I'm feeling better for Sunday, when I having afternoon tea at Serendipity, in Sunderland at the NE Bloggers Vintage Social, I'll be happy x Thanks again for all your support, on here, twitter and on instagram xx  I really do appreciate it xx

(The Thinking Slimmer Slim Pod "Create That Summer Beach Body" Was Provided For Review Promotional Purposes)

Budget Beauty Series Special - Milani Shadow Wear Eyeshadow Quads

My name is Louise, and I love Poundland! Once seen as a bit of joke, Poundland had quickly became one of the most popular stores on the UK high street. Selling everything from batteries, to DVDs, to mops, and fizzy drinks, I can almost guarantee that you'll have something from Poundland in your home. They've always sold cosmetics and beauty products but in the last year or so they've really upped their game, and branded cosmetics from the likes of Sally Hansen, Rimmel and even Stila have popped up on their often disorganised shelves. Recently though a new edition has been spotted, products from US drugstore brand Milani. Milani is really hard to get hold of in the UK so Poundland have pulled off a bit of a coup in my opinion. A couple of weeks ago I picked up some of their shimmer brick dupes (review coming soon) and for my birthday I was lucky enough to receive two of their eyeshadow quads.

Milani Shadow Wear - Eye Shadow Quad - 04 Earthly Delights

I received this quad from Mummy Lou who is also a huge Poundland and come to think of it any other bargain store fan. 

04 Earthly Delights as you would expect from the name is a neutral quad, it contains a bronze, a creamy yellow gold, an olive green, and more of a brown green. It comes with a double ended brush and sponge applicator which wasn't bad but it wasn't amazing either 

The pigmentation on these is pretty impressive, I only had to really work with the olive green shade on the top right of the palette, but after a couple uses it was as pigmented as the rest. The yellow shade is more pigmented than it's appearing here.

All the shadows in this palette contain a little bit of shimmer, and whilst they are really soft and buttery, they are a little bit crumbly so I did get quite a bit of fallout, but nothing a fan brush and a bit of powder couldn't fix - here are a couple of eye looks for you x

This is the olive green shade with just a hint of the shade underneath in the crease x

and this is just the bronze, brown shade on the bottom left.

Wear time was okay but I did get quite a bit of creasing and fading particularly around the socket line, but for the price I can live with that.

Milani Shadow Wear Eyeshadow Quads - 05 Denim Blues

I was lucky enough to receive this in my fabulous birthday gift package from the lovely Lottie (read my post here and find Lottie here).

As the name would suggest this palette is all about the blues, you get a slightly shimmery white, a light blue, a very silver grey toned blue and a deep navy blue.

This palette was a tiny bit more problematic pigmentation wise, the navy and the grey blue were ridiculously pigmented all you need to do is just lightly touch the brush on the shadow and it was full of intense shimmer colour. The white again has shimmer in it but it has a slightly chalkier finish and feel. The pale blue on the other hand was awful, matte, and chalky with barely any pigmentation. You really had to rub it to get any colour pay off.

The standout shade is this palette is the slightly sparkly and shimmery navy blue, very very pigmented , and as a result you had to be careful to avoid fallout of which there was a lot. You can see it on the eyes here alongside the white which I used as a highlight.

The other stand out shades and the most wearable one was the blue, grey on the bottom left. I've worn this shade a couple of times already and it's a great colour, if your scared of colour on your eyes, as it gives a more smokey eye look. Again I've paired it with the white.

Again wear time was about the same, and yes again there was a bit of fallout and bit of creasing especially with the navy blue.

For just £1 a quad I think these shadows are pretty good value, the pigmentation and texture is generally good with only a couple of exceptions. Yes you do get a bit of fallout but it's nothing that a fan or powder brush and a bit of translucent powder can't fix and yes they do crease and fade over time but again a bit of eye primer should help counteract that problem. Would I pick up any more of these if I saw them? yes I probably would, for a pound you certainly aren't breaking the bank and they are especially good for trying out new colours and textures. Stock does vary in Poundland and it's very much a buy it when you see it type shop, so I can't guarantee that these will still be available but it's well worth a look. If you have any questions please leave me a comment, and I'd love to know if you have picked up any beauty bargains in Poundland? let me know xx

Foodie Friday - Easy Mushroom Risotto

I'm a huge fan of carbohydrates, potatoes, pasta, rice bring it on! One of my favourite rice based meals is the Italian classic - the risotto. Mmm risotto - seeing as I have issues with wheat and gluten more often than it's become one of my restaurant fail safes. I always fancied making it at home but it always sounded way too scary for me, so I bought some of the packet mixes which you just pop in the microwave and they were good and I'm still a fan of the ones you can pick up in Home Bargains, but it just wasn't the same, so I tried to make my own. To be honest I've never looked back and now I make risotto at least once a month. Believe me it's not scary at all, it's just a bit time consuming - here's the recipe I use keeping up with the mushroom love it :)

Mushroom Risotto

2 tbsp Butter

1 tbsp Olive Oil

2-4 Cloves Garlic Crushed

2 Onions Finely Chopped 

 200g Mushrooms 

250g Arborio (Risotto) Rice

50ml White Wine (Optional)

or 

A Dash Of Balsamic (Optional)

or 

1 tbsp Lemon Juice (Optional)

2 Vegetable Stock Cubes (Or Stockpots)

1 Pinch Mixed Herbs (Optional)
Salt and Pepper To Taste

2oz Cheddar Grated

1. Put the oil and 1 tbsp of butter and the garlic  into a large saucepan over a gentle heat.

2. When the butter is melted add the onions and cook over a medium heat.

3.  In the meantime chop your mushrooms, I'm using baby button mushrooms which I love  I've cut these into thirds but if your using larger mushrooms finely chop.

4. When the onions have softened add the mushrooms to the pan, and cook till their starting to soften and colour. (I've also added a handful of cooked leftover mixed vegetables)

5. In the meantime make up one litre of stock using your cubes or stockpots, add the mixed herbs if using and pop it into a smaller pan, over a high heat, you want your stock to be hot.

6. When your mushroom have softened, add the wine, balsamic or lemon juice if using.

I've used wine here, then add your rice, and stir, if your using the wine wait for a minute or two till it's started to absorb. If not just add your rice and move on to the next step.

7. Then start adding your stock, a ladle full at a time, and stir. 

Once the rice has absorbed most of the first ladle, add the next one and so on.

8 Your want your rice to be cooked and softened, and for the mixture to be thickened and creamy- this can take about 20 - 30 minutes don't panic just keep stirring, you may need a tiny bit more stock or boiling water. The rice seems to vary from box to box, sometimes you need more liquid sometimes less so don't worry if you have some left over. You might think it's never going to absorb but give it time and be patient, keep stirring and if you can use a non stick pan, because if you leave it, it will stick.

9. Once it's done stir in the remaining tablespoon of butter

and half the cheese - taste and season as needed x

10. Voila done,  this serves  at least two people on it's own or more with a side salad. Sprinkle with the remaining grated cheese and serve.

This is just a basic recipe you really can put in what ever you want or whatever  is in the fridge,  I have some leftover mixed veg here so I threw it in, other suggestions are celery, olives, sun dried tomatoes, chicken, prawns, sweetcorn, peppers, fresh herbs you name it. You can also use whatever cheese you like, Parmesan is traditional but it's not vegetarian so I use cheddar, Edam, what ever I have. I've also added mozzarella, blue cheese, and even cream cheese to make the risotto really creamy. Wine is also traditional but again it's not essential, a bit of balsamic, or lemon juice adds the same depth and tang but it's not essential, you will burn the alcohol off though in the cooking process. This really isn't a hard recipe but with all the stirring it can be a bit time consuming, I find it quite therapeutic though. If your really stuck though pretty much every bag or box of arborio or risotto rice seems to have a recipe on the back so, if in doubt try it x This recipe always looks really impressive so if you want your come dine with me moment give it a go. Do you like Risotto? let me know in the comments x