Barry M nails | Love or hate?!

Barry M were the make-up brand of my early teen years. Like many other girls I was obsessed with their dazzle dust pigments & their nail polish collection. However, as I have grown more knowledgeable to higher quality brands I realise that Barry M nail polishes really aren't everything we thought they were.

Even when I was younger I thought that their polishes took an age to dry & vowed not to buy anymore! But recently whilst shopping in Topshop, Oxford Street I spotted an amazing colour. I couldn't resist. & I hoped that maybe, just maybe they had changed their formula. 

I was wrong :( Their  nail polish is just as bad as it use to be. The polish is thick, becomes gloopy very quickly, takes a long time to dry, has visible brush strokes, easily chips & the surface is easily scratched & marked. I hate to be so negative, but it's all so true! 

I really wish that this wasn't the case, as I absolutely love their colour collection! The colour I bought recently  was Teal, and is pictured below. 

Ahhh, it's so pretty! About an hour after I painted my nails in the above photos I got dressed & put on a pair of leggings. After an hour, nail polish should definitely be bone dry! But, when pulling up my leggings the polish on a couple of my fingers creased completely & smudged up the nail. By this point I also had various scratch marks on the surface (due to the sheer thickness of the polish). 

The thickness of their polishes also means that they really don't last very long. Below is my selection of Barry M polishes. Although they look okay of the plastic nail wheel they don't appear like this on my own nails. The polish is so gloopy that it takes a lot of product to cover a single nail. Which still results in a thick, streaky result. However, I will add that the shatter effects polish is completely fine, as is the glittery red polish.

Am I the only person who thinks this about Barry M hair polish?? I'd love to hear your opinions too!

Jen xo

Empties | August

In my last empties post (which was also my first!) I said that I was only going to do the posts when I'd gathered up a good amount of used products. I didn't think I'd use that many... but with it being my first full month of collecting my empties, it appears I was wrong. So from now on I will do a monthly empties post :)

I'm really enjoying gathering up my empty products for this feature.. as sad as that sounds! I find that it really encourages me to use up products that are being neglected & sitting around. I also think it's a great way of keeping a record of which products I like, & which I don't. So I hope you like this feature too! :)

• Dry shampoo by Batiste. As you can see in the picture I have a mommy & a baby one! I love batiste, I don't know anybody who feels differently. I pretty much wash my hair everyday, but batiste is great for when you need a little boost - maybe before a night out or before work (I work late nights at a bar, so this is a must for me!). Would I repurchase? I already have! Though I bought the cherry one this time, for a little change.
• Beautiful ends conditioner by Herbal Essences. I don't know whether it's just me, but I never really notice anything different when I change shampoo/conditioner. They all seem to leave my hair feeling the same.  So I don't really have much to say! It does the job though - leaves my hair feeling silky & it smells nice too. Would I repurchase? Yeah.
• Flake away by Soap & Glory. It's the little pink pot - the label came off in the shower. Anyways, I love this! I think it has to be my favourite S&G exfoliator. Although their Sugar Crush scrub smells a lot nicer, Flake Away is a lot more brutal. But brutal in a good way! I think the grit is a little coarser in Flake Away, resulting in a more intensive exfoliator & smoother skin. Though I know some people don't like them when they are too harsh, so it's just personal preference. Would I repurchase? Definitely!
• Volume glamour ultra black mascara by Bourjois. I don't really have anything amazing to say about this mascara. I think there are definitely better ones out on the high street. Little tip here... you may be thinking 'Jen, where is the mascara wand?'. Well my friends, I thoroughly cleaned it out & now have it sitting with my make-up brushes. Mascara brushes (the bristle ones, not the plastic ones) make amazing eyebrow brushes! I highly recommend doing this :) Would I repurchase? No, probably not.
• Eurax cream. This really isn't a very glamorous product at all, but I thought I'd share because it really worked wonders for me. In my last empties post I mentioned that the Neal's Yard rose moisturiser really irritated my skin & resulted in a horrible rash covering my arms & legs. Mmm, nice. So I picked this up from Boots. It's a relief cream, it really helped to relieve the itching. With me no longer tearing apart my skin & discontinuation of the moisturiser my skin was soon back on track! Would I repurchase? Hopefully I won't need to!
• Lemon zest whipped shea body butter by Mischa Barton. I absolutely love body butters! Prefer them so much more to lotions. & this was no exception. The consistency was really nice & if left my skin feeling lovely. Although it did take quite a while to sink in, so it isn't for days when you're in a rush. The other thing about this product is the scent... I love lemon/citrus smells but I wasn't sure how I felt out it being in my moisturiser! I guess I'm just use to moisturisers smelling girly & Soap & Glory-esque! Would I repurchase? I don't think I would actually. It's quite expensive for the size of the tub, I'm guessing we're just paying for the Mischa Barton name.. 
• Nivea creme. I used this this moisturiser whilst I was nursing my skin back to health, following an allergic reaction. This moisturiser is fab for irritated skin, sensitive skin etc. It contains no fragrance or any additional nasties. Would I repurchase? Not for an everyday moisturiser, but if my skin was having a bad day then yeah.
• Moisturising wiped by Simple. I always buy these baby wipes & use them to remove my make-up on an evening. The packet contains 80 wipes so they last quite a while. I don't really know what else to say about baby wipes! Would I repurchase? Already have!
• Cleansing face wipes by Boots Botanics. I took these on holiday with me & they served me well. However, the packet only contains 25 wipes. I use wipes on a daily basis so these didn't last long at all. Would I repurchase? Probably for overnight stays or holidays, but not for everyday use at home.

I've heard on a few YouTube videos recently that using face wipes is bad for your skin. Oops, I do this everyday! If any of you know why they are so bad, please let me know :) 

Hope you enjoyed my post. Have a lovely week! 

Jen xo

NOTD | Nude & half moon

Sorry I've been a little quite recently guys! I've been a bit of a busy bee... I went to London for a few days to meet some old uni mates, stayed the night in Birmingham for a friends birthday & have been working a long weekend of 4am shifts! But hopefully I'll get chance to write a little more now :) 

What's a better way to start off than with a slice of nail art! You know how I like my nail art :D

Today I'm trying out one the looks from the Wah nail art book. It's called half moon & is kind of a 60's inspired look, or so I think! 

So here is everything I used...

I started by applying the Sally Hansen miracle nail thickener... my nails have seen better days, so I'm trying to strengthen them. This also works as a base coat for your coloured polish. Then I applied 2 coats to each nail of OPIs Tickle My France-y.

It's the first time I've tried out this colour & I really like it. It's different to anything else I own... very nude! I think it would make a great base for a french manicure too :)

Now for the arty bit... Using the Sally Hansen black nail art pen (you could use a nail striper too!) I drew (or tried to!) a crescent shape coming out from my cuticle. Then I outlined just below my cuticle & coloured it all in. It's the first time I've done this so as you can see from the photos it isn't very neat. But I think this is definitely something that comes with practice. Besides, from afar you can't notice the wobbly outlines!  

I really really like this look! I think it might actually be a new favourite. It's pretty simple to do & with a little practice makes a lovely chic nail. It's also pretty versatile & could be done with so many colours.

Lemme know if you have a go & what colours you use!

I hope you've all had a great bank holiday weekend :)

Jen xox


Don't forget to check out my 100 follower giveaway!

100 followers giveaway!! - Closed

Hey girlies!!

For the past few days I've been old London town! I went to visit a few girls that I went to uni with. It was so lovely catching up :) When I came home today I realised my little blog had reached 100 followers. Yayyyy!! So chuffed :D

To celebrate I thought I'd do a little giveaway for one of you lovely people. The products were bought with my own money, so I'm sorry I don't have a heap to give away! Here is what you can win...

Boots Botanics rose water toning spritz. I love this stuff! It's just so refreshing. You can see my full review here.

Bourjois magic nail polish remover. The best thing since sliced bread, honest! Check out my full review here.

Models Own polish in lilac dream. I love this colour, I have to go & get myself one! All of their ice cream sundae collection is so so pretty. 

So there you have it :) To enter my giveaway here are the rules...

• You must be a UK resident. (Sorry everybody else! :()
• You must follow my blog via GFC (Google friend connect) - I will check ;)
• You must leave me a comment including your email address (so I can contact you if you win) & an idea of what posts you would like to see on my blog in the future.

The winner will be picked at random, using random.org. Fingers crossed guys :D 

Jen xo

OPI I Don't Give A Rotterdam | NOTD

This post is a little bit boring compared to my usual NOTDs. But I figured I'm going a little over board with nail art recently & I haven't even tried out all of the new polishes I was given for my birthday. Soo, I thought I'd give OPIs I Don't Give A Rotterdam a go that my lovely boyfriend bought me :)

Here's what I used...

I received the pro white original (on the left of the picture above) in my August GlossyBox. (See my review here). It's a clear varnish that can be used to counteract any staining on your nails & make them gleaming! I thought I'd test this out whilst I had no polish on. It definitely has my vote! After you've applied the polish & it starts to dry it kinda just disappears! Leaving behind dry shiny shiny nails. The only thing is I never have bare nails. I'll save this for when I bag myself a scientist job & am not allowed to wear polish - not looking forward to these times! The picture below is of the pro white original application only.

You could probably use the pro white as a base coat, but out of habit I also applied Sally Hansen's nail thickener. OPIs I Don't Give a Rotterdam is quite a sheer colour, so I thought I'd apply a white base coat first. This makes the colour look a lot more opaque & the glitter in the polish becomes more obvious. I used Barry M's matt white. 

Love love love OPI! All of their colours I've tried are so so pretty & they apply like a dream.

What are your favourite OPI shades?

Jen xo

How much does my face cost? | Tag

I've seen this tag on soo many blogs, & it's always so shocking to see how much us girlies spend on our everyday make-up! So, I thought I'd give it a go..although I am a little nervous!!

Below is a picture of my everyday make-up, give or take. Some days I might use a different eyeshadow, or lipstick, but it pretty much stays the same.

& here's what I use to get the look...

I'll list the products now (in order of application) & how much they cost. Ahh, I'm scared!!

• The porefessional primer by Benefit - £23.50
• Hello flawless foundation by Benefit - £24.50
• Boi-ing concealer by Benefit - £16.50
• Loose powder by No7 - £11
• Bronzer/blush blend by Miners Cosmetics - £4.99
• Hervana blush by Benefit - £23.50
• Brow palette by HD Brows - £19.95
• Big beautiful eye kit by Benefit - £24.50
• Eyebrow shaper & highlighter by Soap & Glory - £8
• Sexy pulp mascara by Yves Rocher - £16.90
• Lip balm by EOS - £5.95
• Modesty by MAC - £14

Total - £193.29

OH MY DAYS! I really didn't think it would total that much :| I'm not sure what to say, haha. I guess it comes to that because I'm quite a fan of Benefit, & unfortunately for me Benefit's a tad expensive. This doesn't even include the brushes I use to apply all this with...

Ahh well, c'est la vie!!

I tag you all to do this! Lemme know how much your cost too. Hopefully it will make me feel a little better, haha.

Jen xo

Most worn things | Tag

The 'most worn things summer edition tag' has been floating around YouTube & all of my favourite YouTubers recently. So I thought I'd bring the same tag over to our blogosphere! There's quite a few things in here so it might be a lengthy post, but what the heck!

Most worn nail polish. 
I have two! I change my nail polish all the time, but I have one that I wore most at the beginning of summer & then one that I wore most after I found OPI ;)

So it's Rimmel 60 seconds in Funtime Fuschia & OPIs Just Spotted The Lizard. Rimmel's polishes are so fast drying & I love this bright pink shade for the summer. Whilst the OPI is such an amazing dupe of Chanel's Peridot & plus, I loved the Spiderman film that this collection is based on! You can see these polishes in reviews here & here.

Most worn hair product.

Most definitely Batiste dry shampoo! This stuff is a girls life saver. I don't know what we did before it! This product definitely came in handy during my holiday - with the ever so humid New York. I just love it, it takes away all the oils from your hair & even leaves you with a bit of volume. Also, it isn't really a product but it works wonders for your hair - the tangle tease brush. It is so much easier to come your hair after a shower with this! Which also means less snags & damage. I'll probably do a review on this pretty soon.

Most worn bag.
I was given this bag as a birthday present in July, so I haven't worn in all summer, but I've made up for it since! It's my J by Jasper Conran tan tote bag. Aaaahhh it's so pweeeetty :) I love it! It holds so much darn stuff & has loads of little sections to keep me all organised. You can see my birthday haul with my bag in here :)

Most worn shoes. 
Hmm I'm a little disappointed that my most worn shoes aren't pretty & sandals or something like that! But, the weather has been so crap in England that I haven't had much chance :( So my most worn shoes are probably my creepers from River Island!

Most worn accessories. 

I don't really change my accessories very much because I never take off my Tiffany necklace & my Pandora & Thomas Sabo bracelets. But, besides those these recent additions are probably what I've been wearing most. My gorgeous gorgeous Michael Kors rose gold watch that I was given as a graduation present & also these two cute little bracelets my sister gave me for my birthday. See my birthday haul & graduation post here & here.

Most worn clothing item.

I'd love to say it's my pretty maxi dress or one of my summery playsuits, but again with this crappy weather I haven't had much chance to wear summery clothes. So I'd say it's probably this high wasted skirt from TopShop. I've worn it on the odd worn day with sandals & a vest top, & also on the colder days with tights & a jumper. 

Most worn foundation.

Unless your super new to the beauty blogging/YouTube world you would have heard everybody & their dog talking about the Rimmel Wake Me Up foundation - so I won't say much more than it's my fave!

Most worn blusher/bronzer. 
I got this blush/bronzer combo in my July She Said Beauty box. You can see the review here :) I love this product. It's subtle, makes a great contour & has just the right amount of shimmer in it.

Most worn lip product.
I bought my No7 nourishing lip shine with the glorious Boot's vouchers & have been wearing it ever since. It's a perfect gloss for summer - girly pink shade, moisturising & not too sticky. Check out my review here. When I'm wearing the gloss I always always have a balm at my side. I'm loving this Nivea soft rose one, it smells amazing!

Most worn mascara.

My most worn mascara is only a diddy one that I recieved in a GlossyBox, seen here. It's sexy pulp mascara by Yves Rocher. I love it! It does everything you'd want a mascara to - no clumps, length, volume. I'll definitely be buying the full size to this!

Most worn eyeshadow. 
This is my everyday go-to eyeshadow palette. It's perfect for creating a natural or smokey eye. It did also contain boi-ing concealer, but I used all that up! As you can see from the outside packaging, it is very loved :)

Hope you enjoyed this tag! I tag all you readers to do this too :D

Also, hope you're having a nice weekend! Jen xo

LUSH | Ceridwens Cauldron

Like 99% of the female population I am in love with Lush! Every single time I walk past - 'oo, I'll just have a little look inside' - even though I've already examined absolutely everything! I can't help it, Lush is.. well, lush!

My darling sister, knowing me very well, bought me a few things from Lush for my birthday. You can see my  birthday haul here :) One of the things she bought me was ceridwens cauldron, which I'd never tried before.

Ceridwens cauldron is a luxury bath melt that comes wrapped in its own muslin bag. You just pop it under a hot tap whilst you're running your bath. The hot water melts the cocoa butter, which in turn releases sandalwood, tangerine & rose oil. 

So here comes my truthful review... hmm, I'm really 50/50 about this product. My skin did feel really soft after using this in my bath, but I just didn't think it was anything amazing! I don't have a very good sense of smell, due to crappy allergies. So I couldn't really appreciate the scents that were being released. Maybe this is why it didn't blow me away..? I also think that it's a little expensive for what it is. Unlike some of the Lush bath products, which you can break up & use at different times, the ceridwens cauldron can only be used once. & for £3.99 I think I'd want 2-3 baths out of it. Or is this just me being cheap??

I hate to write a semi-negative review, especially when it's about Lush! But these are just my opinions. Next on my list to try out is the comforter, which I've heard so many good things about!

Hope you all have a lovely weekend :)

Jen xo

Dazzle nails | NOTD

Hi guys! Hope you're all well.

This post is one I wrote for another blog.. a guest post :) It's being published tomorrow over there, but I thought it's only fair to share it with you guys too! The blog I wrote it for is this lovely one.

I've never done dazzle nails before, but I thought I'd show you how I did it & we can learn together. Ahh, cheese! ;)

So, first things first... what do you need?

• A base coat - I'm using Boots essentials base coat.
• A coloured nail polish - I'm using OPI that's berry daring.
• A Barry M dazzle dust or another sort of pigment - I'm using Barry M shade 71.
• A top coat - I'm using Sally Hansen's InstaDri
• A spoon with a flat end

& here goes! Apply one coat of your base. This step is obviously optional, but doing so will prevent any staining to your nails & will provide a more even finish to your polish. Once the base coat is dry apply your polish of choice. This is where you need to be on the ball!

Now, using the flat end of the spoon pick up a little of your dazzle dust & place it just above your nail cuticle.  Whilst the polish is still wet blow the dazzle dust in the direction of the nail. I learnt from doing mine that if you blow nice & slowly you get a better effect. Otherwise, the dust just goes everywhere. You might make a little bit of a mess, but just do it outside or on a tray & all is dandy! 

Repeat the above steps on each of your nail, & you should end up with something like this... very messy, glittery fingers! 

By the time you've done all of your fingernails the coloured polish will probably be dry. So now you can apply your top coat. 

Once the top coat is bone dry you can clean up your fingers & be left with beautiful nails! I just used a face wipe for mine & it worked great. I did get my sister to help though, preventing any smudging. 

& voila, there you have it! My first impressions... I really like it! I like the subtlety of the colours. I think it gives a gradient/ombre type of effect. Next time I'll use contrasting colours & the dazzle dust will be a lot more obvious. 

If any of you guys try this out, lemme know! & lemme know what colours you think work best :) Send me a comment over at jensbrightandbeautiful.blogspot.com. 

Hope you enjoyed my post! Jen xo

GlossyBox | August '12

It's that GB time of the month again! Only this month they seemed to have pulled their finger out & sent it fairly early on in the month.. which was a nice surprise :)

I am loving the concept of the box this month. GB have called this one 'International Superstars', including products from countries all around the world. I think this is a great idea! It gives us chance to try out things we've probably never even heard of before. 

• Pro white by Alessandro. This nail product comes from Germany. It's a clear/blue base coat which optically brightens your natural nail. A product like this is great for covering up any stained nails, or even just to make yours look gleaming. I'm looking forward to using this, any nail product gets a gold star from me! Fullsize - £7.85. 
• DHC deep cleansing oil by DHC. All the way from Japan this product is a water-soluble cleanser. It claims to remove make-up better than any other cleanser you've tried. I'll be sure to put this to the test! I'm a little weary of putting oil on my face, but I'll give it a go.
• Eve's balm by All For Eve For The Eve Appeal. It doesn't state which country this product is from. It's a multi-purpose balm to nourish chapped skin, & can be used anywhere on the body. With it's little mirror too I think it will be really handy to chuck in my handbag & use it as a lip moisturiser & a cuticle balm. Fullsize - £4.95.
• L'ombre a paupiere margarita by Vera Valenti. This eyeshadow palette is from Spain. I'm not gonna lie - it aint the best! The shadows aren't very pigmented & it all seems a little cheap. But hey, it will add to my collection & I'm sure come in use. Fullsize - RRP £3.85.
• Lipcote by Lipcote. This product comes all the way from the glorious UK! Having recently becoming a lot more fond of lipsticks I'm quite happy to receive this. It's a lipstick sealer that you apply over the top of your lippy; making your lipstick last longer, prevent fading of colour & also adds water resistance. Definitely trying it out on my next night out! Fullsize - RRP £3.99.
• Lipstick in Glossy Pink by GlossyBox. GB are clearly trying to expand their name & products; evident by this lipstick & blush brush given in a previous box. I love it! Like I said just - I'm really getting fond of my lipsticks lately so I really wanna get more colours & shades. This lippy is a lovely girly nude/pink colour, that I think would look nice during the day & great on an evening teamed with a smoky eye. Fullsize - £9.50.

I think GB have done really well this month! What do you guys think? 

You all can get your mits on this months GB too :) If you wanna find out more click hereee.

Jen xo 

Photo 411 | Tag

I first saw this post on Jen's blog & thought it was soo cute! I love looking at old photos & reminiscing, so I thought I'd give it a go :)

Here's what you have to do... Oh, & feel free to join in! Lemme know if you do, so I can have a nosey ;)

1. Your Little Tyke Self - you as an infant/toddler/child
2. Your High School Self - duh
3. Your College Self - if you didn't go to college get creative
4. Your Right Now Self - a recent picture of yourself
5. Your Furry Friend - your real pet or what you'd die to have as a pet
6. Your Manly Friend - boyfriend/husband/gay bff/celeb crush
7. Where You Once Lived - a place you no longer live in
8. Where You Now Live - wherever your butt currently resides
9. What You Love - self explanatory
10. What You Miss - could be anything!

1. My little tyke self. I was probably about 2 here, aww bless :) 1993?

2. My high school self. I don't have many pics from school, cause my silly computer crashed & deleted everything in it's path. This is a picture of us before we went to our year 11 prom. (I'm 2nd from left). I was 15! 2007.

3. Your college self. This is me at college in the UK, so a little different (& younger) than college in America - I think? Here we are in Yorkshire on a field trip. This is actually where I met my current boyfriend :) I was 16. 2008.

4. Your right now self. This is me & my little sis on a night out for my 21st  (she'd recently turned 18 too, aww) before we'd met everybody. This was taken about 2 weeks ago :) 2012. 

5. Your furry friend(s). These are my boys. I love them dearrrrrrrrrrrrrly! Even though I am allergic to the little muts! Bad times. 2011. 

6. Your manly friend. This is me & marr fella last year when we went to visit my uni friend down in Torquay. We're at Kent's cavern, which is a bunch of scary caves! ..hence why I'm looking a little on edge, haha! 2011. 

7. Where you once lived. Because my old man was in the army I made my entrance into this world over in Germany. I lived their for about 3 years I think, before coming home to England :) 

8. Where you now live. I live on the outskirts of beautiful Birmingham. Or not so beautiful... but I love it here :) 



9. What you love. I recently went on holiday with my parents & sister to New York & San Francisco. It was uhhhh-mazing!! I loved it. I am deffo saving my pennies & going again. This photo is me & my sister in times square, New York :) 2012. 

10. What you miss. My uni girls!! So so much :( Heck, I don't miss doing uni work, but I miss living with these girlies. 2012. 



Aww, that was a nice post! Haha :) Feel free to tag along!!

Jen xo