Revlon Colorstay Moisture Stain in Barcelona Nights and Miami Fever

I was so excited by the release of these moisture stains. They're by Revlon, whom I have a massive love for anyway, but these little beauties, were drawing me in, and although I hadn't heard much about them over here, as I'd seen them being coveted by US bloggers, I knew I had to own one or two. I blame the amazing packaging. It just looks so chic. As soon as I saw them on Instagram, I just needed them. I came across them in Boots, and two colours really caught my eye. Barcelona Nights is a very vivid bright pink, that look so dazzling, it kind of smacks you in the face with the pow of it all. Miami Fever is just wow, an almost luminous orange red that is such an amazing pop of colour, it just lights up my entire face. So let's talk about them.

The packaging, as I already mentioned, is simplistic chic. It's completely gorgeous, and it's just one of those products that photographs so well - it makes me feel like a professional photographer, because they just look so damn good wherever I put them. These Moisture Stains (£7.99, here) go on very creamy and with such an intense punch of pigment, that you're like 'whooooa, do I apply more or just blend?' and that is a question which is totally your call. You can slick it on, or blend it in - it's basically an in-your-face or subtle look, there doesn't seem to be an in-between. Well, not that I've really found, although I'm sure that halfway ware is the not so subtle in-between look, but I've always seemed to miss it, I just pop a little bit more on and blend it out. 

The wands, are heart shaped and bursting with colour when you pull it out; it's so simple to apply to the lips, with a creamy formula that is so easy to blend, and after wear, it leave the most gorgeous stain - hence the name. It's completely non-drying, hence the name again, and leaves the lips feeling plump and non-sticky, which is a big selling point for me as I hate sticky glosses. It's the biggest reason as to why I don't wear lipgloss, or anything sticky. Ugh, sticky. When applying this, I know it may seem obvious, but you definitely need a mirror. It's not one of those 'apply in your reflection in a window', it's a take a good minute or so to get the perfect look, as I found Miami Fever did go a bit streaky when the product wasn't applied properly, and no one wants streaky gloss, do they? Nope. 

Barcelona Nights and Miami Fever are two gorgeous colours, and they're really bright, which isn't something I'd usually go for, post Summer, but they spoke to me, and I found myself walking away with these two amazing colours in a teeny tiny Boots bag (as well as some L'Oreal Colour Riche eyeshadows, but that's another post for another time). They remind me of Tropical holidays and I can imagine wearing a dress with palm trees and parrots on them - that's the power of a good lip product; the ability to take you to places in which you can dream and drink bright cocktails. These colours, I find, wear really well on me, and can be re-blended with a finger, just to give more even coverage should there be some wear in the middle of the lip. I just really adore the formula as well, as my lips just feel really moisturised throughout the day, which is a big thing when wearing a lip product. I think Revlon have knocked out another amazing product, and will stand alongside their other lip products as ones to definitely recommend, as they're glossy and moisturising, but not sticky. They tick all the boxes for me, and are something that I would definitely pick up in other colours. I think New York Scene and Cannes Crush are on my lust-list. What do you think of these colours? Which ones would you pick up?

Late August Favourites

I know it's late, but better late than never, right? Say hello to some August favourites of mine, and don't they look pretty sat on my 'Pugs not Drugs' notebook and my Cath Kidston purse, which was a birthday present from a very lovely lady. This month is a very face orientated group of products, aside from two things, but who doesn't like a sparkly nail polish and a good hand cream?

Let's start with some good ol' Soap & Glory products, such as Show Good Face (£11, here) and One Heck of a Blot (£12, here). The foundation is in the palest colour, called Fairest of them All, which, to be honest, makes me feel like Snow White. And who am I to complain about feeling like a Disney Princess? It's light, build able coverage that gives my skin the loveliest glow, and when teamed with the powder, which I use to set makeup on my T-zone, then this look is good to go, with minimal touchups for most of the day. I do need a cheeky bit of powder on my nose, now and again to keep shine at its minimum. These two, are some makeup essentials for me, and prove that S&G can not only bring it with skincare, but with their makeup. Keep it up. 

Next up, we've got some serious Seventeen love going on. Brow's That! Brow Kit (£6, here), Phwoarr Paint in Fair (£5.49, here) and Wild Metallic Eyes Cream Eyeshadow in Wild Nude (which I can't seem to find online anymore). These three have been saving me, as not only as they easy to use, but they've been in every makeup bag I've been carrying around with me, for months now. The brow kit I use with an angled eyeliner brush, so I've got maximum control over what's going on my brows; it has a creamy gel kinda product, then a matte powder, then a shimmery champagne esc highlight, that I use not only under my brows, but on the inner corner of eye, to give me that wide awake look. Phwoarr Paint is everything. I mean it. It's my concealer of choice and I love it so much, I cannot contain how much I love this product. It covers everything, and it's less than £6. Yes, less than £6. I keep two of these stowed away just in case, as you never know ... please don't ever discontinue this. Pretty pleaaaaaase. I will cry. Other bloggers will cry. Just don't do it, okay?

Maybelline's Colour Drama Lipstick in Nude Perfection (£4.99, here) and Eraser Eye Concealer in Nude (£7.99, here) are two saviours of mine, that, quite frankly, everyone should have. I've read that these Velvet Lip Pencils from Maybelline are being compared to Nars Matte Velvet Lip Pencil (£18, here), which I totally understand, as yes, they have similar names, but they do actually apply very smoothly, as well as giving good pigmentation and staying power. If you have both of these pencils, write me a comment down below, and let me know what you think of the comparison between them. I'd definitely say, that if you're thinking of trying out the Nars pencils, I'd go to Maybelline first, in order to see if the matte pencil texture, is one for you.

The Eraser Eye Concealer was something I bought inspired by Rougepout whose blog can be found here and her Instagram, which I have been obsessed with for as long as I've had an account on there. She's a complete and utter babe, and she's also on Youtube, so you should check her out. I remember seeing the concealer on her account, and being instantly interested, as I trust her opinion on makeup, as I've been speaking to her the longest out of all the bloggers I follow. It's a highlighting, covering concealer that I really love, as when used with the above Seventeen concealer, I don't feel like I need to wear foundation - I can just go without, and feel exactly as comfortable. 

Benefit's Gimme Brow in Medium/Dark (£17.50, here) is simply, a little bit of brow mascara, that sets your brows in place, all the whilst giving them a bit of oomph that I like in a good brow. If you follow me on Twitter or Instagram, then you'll known I'm all about a bit of brow love, so this product works so well in allowing my to brush my brows into place, as well as touching up the shape, just incase some hairs are being a bit naughty, and refusing to remain in their correct place. 

A product that I've had for a while, and only really just rediscovered, is No7's Natural Cream Blush in Pink Blush (£8, here) which is such an adorable pink, as it gives that really sweet, pinchable cheeks kinda look, which I think would look gorgeous on all skintones, as it can be built up in order to make the colour more pigmented - as if you've just had a brisk walk and the cold has been nipping at your cheeks. It has such a soft feels to it, so it can be applied with a brush, a stippling brush is my choice, or with your fingers. 

Nyx Gel Liner and Smudger in Charlotte (£8, here) is one of my lesser used products, as in order to achieve a brown cat eye, or even smudge the colour all over the lid, it doesn't require a lot of product, which is wonderful for longevity of use. It's a soft, creamy texture, that sets to a smudge proof look, whether smudged or applied in a flicked line with an eyeliner brush. The brush that I use, is generally a thin tapered one, but to apply all over the lid, I use my finger, as after all, it does say smudge. Next up, is Neutrogena Norwegian Formula Hand Cream (£3.85, here) which I hurried into Boots one day and purchased, as my hands were so horrifically dry after work, so this was a grab and go kinda situation. My Soap & Glory Handfood wasn't with me, and Norwegian Formula was something I'd never tried, but I'm very glad that I did. It's a quick absorbing, moisturising formula that I quite happily slap onto my hands before and after work, as I do work in Retail, in which my hands take a beating, with all the dust and handling of clothes/items/boxes. 

Essie Luxe Nail Polish in Stroke of Brilliance (£7.99, here) is a gorgeous, gorgeous glitter polish that has this beautiful blue/purple/violet glimmer to it, that give your nails that gorgeous 'I can't stop looking at my fingernails' look. It's a horror to get off, like all glitter polishes, unless you know that you have to soak your nails, or leave them, for a good five minutes, wrapped up with nail polish remover covering the entire nail - pretty sure it's called ...something to do with foil. Glitter foil method? But back to the appeal of it. I saw the glittery goodness in Boots one day, and I just had to have it. It's part of their Luxe collection, which contains four other glitter polishes, but this one just spoke to me. I think it's because it was blue and beautiful, a combination that I cannot say no to. I posted some serious love for it on my Instagram (@ohkalukalay) on top of Barry M Hi Shine Gel Polish in Huckleberry (£3.99, here). All in all, it has that glorious Essie formula, which I adore, with the staying power we expect from them, as they didn't chip for a good few days, or show any too noticeable wear. 

So, this is the end of everything for this month's favourites, folks, let me know what you've been loving this month xx

Finding Inspiration from Tumblr, Sweden and Not on the High Street.

I'm a massive Tumblr addict, so much so, I have the app on my phone, and scroll when I have a few moments to spare - but it never really occurred to me that Tumblr was a place to indulge my love for Scandinavian homes, and the simplicity of their beauty. It was on the site that I stumbled across a post for Fantastic Frank Real Estate site, with perhaps, one of the loveliest, airiest flats I've ever seen; not only that, but it has those quirky little elements that I love. I switch between wanting beautifully spaced clutter and sheer simplicity, and I think the Swedish always do it very well, hence the lust I always encounter whenever I make a trip to Ikea. 

I think it's the light floorboards which have been introduced to me through the wonders of Pinterest and blogging, and the vastness of natural light which make it seem like the perfect place in which to blog about anything. With their neutral colours, it just appears to be the kind of place that you'd blog in, and sigh happily, because you have a wonderful place that's just your own. The kind of magical place filled with white furniture, wall decals and amazing finds from little known shops that no one else has. It's like a little dream flat. Dreaming about my little fantasy flat, complete with boyfriend and Sausage Dog led me to some random googling (we all do it, just admit it) and that led me to Not on the Hight Street. I know, it's weird how it happened, seeing as I knew about the site, but I'd never really looked at it before, however it was kind of just what I wanted.

It's awash with everything I never really knew I needed, and I love it when that happens. Because that's when inspiration strikes. It's all perfectly styled, and although I don't think that's generally liveable 24/7 for me, because I am a bit untidy, it's pretty fabulous, and is definitely something to aspire to have in the future. Below, are just a few pictures that have sparked my interest, as who doesn't love a good wall decal? I like a bit of quirk as well as simplicity, but I also love tons of sentimental items and books, so my flat would be nothing that like the chic bloggers we all see. There'd be crumbs and books everywhere, rings and hair slides left on any flat surface, Formula 1 prints and black/white film posters on the walls, soft rugs, lots of mirrors and pictures of important people to me. It would be the kind of flat that you wouldn't photograph without tidying first, but that's what I'm really looking forward to. The less than perfect days.

Below are my few picks from the site, as to be honest, I could buy everything, but check below and let me know what's taking your fancy. This isn't a sponsored post, or even a post that was prodded at, I just wanted to write a blog post about what I'd be searching over the past few days. I think I have a weakness for cute cushions, quirky prints and faux-foilage. 

                      
                      
                      
                      

Converting to Flickr

I say converting, there was really no such thing, but I've used Flickr for the first time to store some blog pictures, and you know what, I really like it. It never really occurred to me to host my pictures on a site, but when I read about Brittany from life, set sail saying that's where she stored her's, then it kinda stuck in my mind. It's where some bloggers that I really admire store there's before transferring them onto their blog, so I thought, why not? New things, whilst very exciting, can be very overwhelming, so I casually looked into Flickr before running scared, but now, I joined and uploaded. Gasp. It was actually really simple, so I feel like a slight idiot for shying away from it for a good while, but oh well, I've seen the light. 

I used to just upload my pictures from my laptop onto Blogger, and that was that. Job done, nothing else to concern myself about, but now. Things seem brighter and sharper, which is always an awesome thing, right? Flickr has had its first outing in this post, so I thought I'd introduce it, kinda like it's a casual friend, not a boyfriend or anything. Cough. Awkward. Anyway, I'm quite enjoying Flickr, as well as the fact that you can choose the width of the pictures on your post, it's just a quick rehash of the html code, and boom, it's all sorted. I do quite adore this size, although I foresee larger pictures when I get my blog design done once again, as although this one has served me very well (thanks to the amazing and gorgeous Amy from srslylou for that) I feel like a change is in order. Nothing too serious, just some widening of the blog posts so it can accommodate some laaaarge pictures, because I do love a good bit of detail in my pictures, and I just like to snoop on others. Hehe.

So, this is Flickr meeting my blog. What do we think? Thumbs up? Down? Sideways? Let's give it some time, and see what happens. Do you use Flickr, or isn't it your thing? 

Remembering Rimmel's Jazz Funk

This was my Summer colour last year, but this year, it's been pushed aside for some rather fierce coral's and blues, and hasn't made it out of the drawer; until now. Dun dun duuuuuun. I wonder how  could ever have forgotten about such a colour, as... it's a bit wow, being bright fuchsia pink and all that. I'd forgotten how much I loooooved the formulation of Rimmel's Salon Pro polishes, which are opaque after the second coat and chip resistant with a good top coat for the best part of a week. A week, I tell you. There's something so wonderful about wearing this colour on my fingertips - I think it just reminds me of long lazy summer days, where the nights were warm and spent with friends; it's kinda the same now, but where's the warmth? It's pretty much rain central, here in West Wales. Cheers for that, August. 

This polish first came to my attention in Boots, but I passed it off as not my kinda colour, but when Estée from EssieButton wore it in one of her video's, I was sold! I think there's something about seeing it on someone that changes your mind about a polish, and I'm certainly very glad that I did. The formulation is amazing, it's one of those 'One coat is a bit wishy washy, but two coats and I'm sold! I'll have one in every colour' kinda polishes, which are my favourite - the second coat is always the moment where I end up going 'oooooh' or 'oh, that's rubbish'. The second coat is make or break, but this polish passes with flying colours. They retail at £4.49 (here) which I think is amazing considering the colour payoff, as well as the amount of wear you can get from the polish. This colour was adored last summer, and ever since I applied it a few days ago, I've fallen in love with it yet again - short nails, long nails, everything looks wonderful dressed in Fuchsia, and boy does this formula shine on the nails. A top coat is essential, but by itself, it still gets a good few days wear without any noticeable wear on the tips. 

This is one of my numerous selection from the Kate Moss collection of Salon Pro polishes and I'm so glad I managed to dig it out, and step away from my beloved Essie, which I've been wearing a great deal too much... although, can you ever really wear Essie too much? Nope, I didn't think so either. Is this a colour that speaks to you? Do you remember the obsession with Hip Hop and Soul Session from last year?

Almond Breeze Mocha Iced Coffee

I know that I don't really do posts related to food, or drink, but this stuff is so good, and it's been sitting in my fridge, goading me into writing a post about it. So here I go. This stuff, is awesome. Dairy free has always bee a big draw for me, especially as I'm a huuuuge fan of Almond Milk, so much so, I've cut out regular milk altogether, and this has become my staple with cereal and just generally when I fancy a glass of milk. I know the whole idea of cutting out dairy is quite a scary prospect, which is why I haven't cut it out altogether, because, let's face it, cheese is too good and should always be consumed. Damn you cheese for being so amazing and tasty. 

Anyway, back to this. I tend to switch between Almond, Hazelnut and Coconut Milk generally, but with coffee, it's usually Soy milk, as yes, it's the only one they have in Starbucks (don't get me started on the lack of Almond Milk in coffee shops) and I never drink coffee at home - but this little beauty, is totally changing the game. Iced Coffee has always held a big sway over me, so when I saw this in Tesco I bought one almost immediately. The next day, I bought four more and haven't looked back since. They're a little pick-me-up when I need it, and the lack of dairy is just a winner for me. As well as not having any dairy, it has no Gluten, Peanuts or MSG, which I'm not intolerant to, but hey, it makes it healthier for you, so what's not to like about that?

It has that instant coffee kick, but it's not bitter at all, which is the main thing about coffee that I'm not a big fan of - it's quite creamy and easy to drink, so much so that I can drink it in a minute or so, and just have that gentle buzz for the rest of the day. Or I can drink half and put it back in the fridge to drink later, but my favourite way to drink it, is on a hot day over ice; which makes it a bit more fancy in my opinion, and has me feeling quite sophisticated, despite the fact I may still be wearing my pyjamas and sitting in my conservatory. I posted a snap of it on Instagram, and it got a lot of attention, so I thought why not write a post on it? It's obviously something that interests the general public who like Dairy free things, so I decided to spread the word and recommend it to those who fancy something easy to drink without the Dairy/Gluten worries. I'm going to go and drink the rest of mine, and I hope that if you ever come across it, it might strike your interest (: This is the Mocha version, but there is also a Cappuccino drink that I have yet to try. Undoubtedly, when I do buy it, it'll be on my Instagram (@ohkalukalay).

The Life Update, Birthday Month.

Ahhhh, July. It's been good, but now, as we move into August, it's time to reflect back. July, has been pretty good, surprisingly enough, and I know birthdays are meant to be all fancy, with bells and whistles on them, but that's never been my style; low key birthdays are my kinda thing, so I never really get too excited about them. But what has been making me happy this month, is first of all, paying off my student overdraft, which I've been doing slowly over the past year, so yay for that. I know it's really lame to get excited about that, but hey, that's me, lame. I did have some pretty good cake on my birthday, Lemon Drizzle (oh yeah) and it was just lovely, low key and food with my family - kinda just what I wanted.

But you know what else is making me happy, and I'm going to be really cliched and say it's a guy. A guy is making me happy, and nope, it's not Captain America, although he does make me pretty happy (FREEDOM and all that jazz), but it's an actual guy. I know I haven't spoken about anyone on this blog, because if you've been reading me for a while, then you know how hard last year was for me, with the death of my Grandparents, and then the breakup from 'he who must not be named'. But yeah, I don't want to say too much, as we've only been seeing each other for a few weeks, but he really makes me happy, and that's the most important thing, right? I think I spent so long not really realising how unhappy I was (it's ironic that I actually thought I was happy) but apparently, you can hear the difference in my voice - and it may work out, it may not, I'm just going to focus on being as happy as possible. He's pretty darn lovely, and we just get along so well, he really does make me happy.

And what's a post on this blog without a little recount of what products have been making me happy this month? Caudalie's Beauty Elixir, Vaseline's Spray Moisturiser, Nuxe's Reve de Miel lip balm, Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet Lipstick in Red Pepper and Bourjois' Magic Nail Polish Remover. All of these products have just been really wonderful, and although I do have a few more to include in my monthly favourites, these are the ones that have really stood out for me.

I just wanted to include a little update, just to let you guys know what's going on with me and I'll be getting back to my blogging soon. Much love xx