Mani Monday - Barry M Gelly Prickly Pear

Mani Monday is going to be a regular weekly post that I do, if you read my Barry M Gelly Polish Haul post on Friday you will already be aware of my nail polish addiction and my love for Barry M polishes.

As you can see I chose the lilac shade Prickly Pear to wear and I love it, its such a nice colour and really complements my skin tone (I am super super pale). This will definitely be a shade that gets a lot of wear this Spring and Summer.

I am going to do a post on my essential at home manicure items later this week so make sure you check back for that if your nail obsessed like me.

Do you like the shade Prickly Pear on me? What colour will you be painting your nails this Mani Monday?

Barry M Gelly Nail Polish Haul

It is no secret that I have a slight/major obsession with nail polishes. I own ALOT and they all live on salon style shelves in my wardrobe. They used to be on my wall but now I live with my boyfriend they had to be put away (boo). I can happily spend days without make up on but if my nails are unpainted I just feel incomplete. Looking at my collection (which is now too big for my shelves) it is insane to think that I could possibly need anymore however on a quick trip to Boots and Superdrug I was quickly taken in by the vibrant shades and bright pastels and just HAD to grab a few to bring my nails out of my dark greys and purples faze and head into spring/summer happy nails.

Barry M are by far my favourite high street polish brand, in fact it was them that started my obsession with nail polish. I love everything about them. The colour range, price point and formula are impossible to fault and when they bought their Gelly range out my nails were happy happy happy. I love gel nails but I tend to change my colour too often to warrant getting them done in a salon. This gel formula is such a great alternative. Shiny salon looking nails that I can change whenever I want without feeling guilty that I spent money on a manicure and whipped them off a few days later.

The colours I picked up are Prickly Pear a beautiful lilac shade, Grapefruit a coral pink (my favourite colour for sunny holidays), Passionfruit a warm bright red, Papaya a bright pastel peach, Sugar Apple a stunning pastel mint and Green Berry a brighter mint shade.

Not only are the colours amazing but the names are great too, I just can't help feeling summery! There is no doubt a couple (or all) of these polishes will be in my holiday bag at the end of this month!

And just to make things better in Superdrug Barry M cosmetics are buy 2 get one free at the moment...even more of an excuse to stock up.

Look out for my Mani Monday post on Monday (shock!) to see which shade I chose first!

Do you like Barry M polishes? What's your favourite shade?

Boots Haul

A couple of days ago I made a quick stop by my big local(ish) Boots. There seems to be absolutely no correlation between the amount of time I have to spend in there and how much I buy. Yesterday was a prime example of a 'I have five minutes I'll just pop in for one thing' and coming out with six new products. Oops. A third off of skincare is just too big of a temptation.

A couple of the products I got were things I have seen online and been wanting to try out (I have a LONG wish list on my phone) and then a couple were just…you know….things that look nice.

First up, The Sanctuary 5 minute Thermal Mask.
I LOVE this mask, I bought it for my sister for christmas and used it when I was at my parents in January. Its such a nice feeling when it warms up and my skin looked vibrant and clearer after. A five minute mask is a must have for those times when you just need a quick fix. With a third off it was just too good of an offer to not pick one up to add to my own pamper routine.

Secondly, the first of two exfoliators. The Sanctuary Radiance Exfoliator.The Thermal Mask mentioned above is actually the only product I have used from The Sanctuary before and after just one use I was sold so as I was in the market for a new exfoliator (as part of my never ending search for the perfect one) I picked up this one to try. I am also totally sold on any product with the word Radiance in it (I am so desperate to be Radiant).

And then onto another exfoliator. The Superfacialist Rose Brighten & Refine Facial Scrub.
Superfacialist is not a brand that I have used before but I have read good reviews of their products, I was particularly drawn towards the Vitamin C range but it smells of oranges and I have a citric acid allergy and I always worry about putting products like this on my skin. So I went for the Rose facial scrub, again sucked in by the 'Brighten & Refine' label. I love rose skin care, I use rose water as a toner on my face daily and find it so soothing so I have high expectations for this scrub.

Next I thought it was about time to dabble in the oil cleansing world so I grabbed the L'Oréal Paris Skin Perfection 15 Second Miracle Cleansing Oil.I haven't tried cleansing oil before and although I have my eye on the Origins one but thought to start I would go for the L'oreal one which I have read great things about. I have really congested skin and lots of stubborn blackheads on my nose and I am hoping that using an oil with give me a deeper cleanse. Fingers crossed!

After all the love I was planning on giving my face it seemed unfair to leave my hair out of the love in so I grabbed the Charles Worthington Volume & Bounce Texturising Spray.
I have read about this on various blogs and thought it was about time I gave it a try. My hair is pretty flat at times so hopefully this will give it a boost on those flat hair days.

Annnnnnd last but not least I grabbed the Collection work the colour nude eyeshadow.I have seen this budget palette on a few different blogs and for less than four pounds I just had to throw it in my basket. I am not keen on the packaging but for the price you really cant ask for much. I have read that the formulas are good so I cant wait to try these out!

So thats the ins and outs of my boots haul. I am looking forward to trying all these new products, and will hopefully be back with rave reviews soon!

What do you think of my purchases? Have you tried any of these things?

Hello!

Hello and welcome to my beauty and lifestyle blog Honey and Blush.

My name is Lauren and welcome to my blog! I am a graphic designer in my mid twenties living just outside London with a MAJOR love for all things beauty and lifestyle related. My best friend is a make up artist and my mum used to be one too so there has always been a bit of a buzz about beauty around me, but my craziness for products has quadrupled recently and I thought that seeing as I have a fashion journalism degree (which I don't use at all) this would be a great way to excersise my typing fingers again and a place where I can waffle on about different products and ideas (I live with two boys who do not care for my waffle AT ALL). So this will be a place to find beauty gossip and products along with general chit chat and lifestyle posts. I have, in the last couple of months, started enjoying cooking/discovering new foodie things so there will probably be a sprinkling of foodie fun at times.

Here are 10 random facts about me, so you can get to know me...

• I am 26 and still suck my thumb….I also have no qualms with doing it in public.
• I am a freelance graphic designer and a wannabe calligrapher.
• I have a younger sister who is AMAZING the strongest and weirdest person you will ever meet.
• I have a little miniature daxie called Lincoln, he's tiny and naughty and the most wonderful creature ever.
• I have 7 tattoos.
• I have 2 huge rabbits called Ted and Norman, they are bigger than my dog.
• I own hundreds of magazines. I look at them like they are my children.
• I own over 100 nail varnishes yet never seem to have the 'perfect colour' (or know what the perfect colour is)
• Otters are my favourite animal.
• I am OBSESSED with the Kardashians.

So there we go, thats me in a few sentences...I hope you enjoy reading honey and blush. Please comment with your opinions and what you would like to see more/less of.