bloomzy /

Pink Hair, Don’t Care!

Yesterday I stopped by Bleach in Dalston to get my hair topped up. Now by ‘topped up’ I mean darkened at the top and lightened at the ends. As I had such a vivid red before it’s going to take a while to get rid of it all.  So Carl matched my roots again on top with a dark brown and bleached the ends.  My tips are slowly lightening but are going to need more bleaching before they’re blonde. In the meantime he suggested having a colour on the tips that would wash out over time. So he convinced me to go for the pink-purple tips that you see above, and I love it! I’ve never had a colour like this before and the gradient on my hair is just perfect. It’s fun not having a ‘natural’ colour as I always want something vivid and different. 
What do you think?
bloomzy /

Haul: Sugarpill Cosmetics

Sugarpill Brush Set and Cold Chemistry Eyeshadows in Diamond Eyes & Subterranean 
I have followed Sugarpill since the brand started, and love their products. So when I won a $100 gift voucher from Shopify I already knew what I wanted.
Sugarpill have recently released a new set of brushes and I happened to be in need of some. All 4 of the brushes are Vegan friendly, and the set includes a lip brush, precision eyeliner brush, a tapered blending brush, and a large eyeshadow brush. They’re sold separately but I bought the set, as I needed them all, and you end up saving a bit of money too. The brushes are adorably branded and are great quality. Of course I couldn’t be without some make-up from Sugarpill, and the cold chemistry shades were calling me. I did consider the palette but knew I wouldn’t use the purple or black shades, but luckily for me they’re also sold separately – I choose Diamond Eyes (a bright, satin white) and Subterranean (a gorgeous, peacock green). I’ll be reviewing them soon, so keep an eye out!
I did also order another item for a blog giveaway (I wanted to share the love), but there was actually a mistake and it wasn’t put in with my package. I have to commend Sugarpill here though because I sent them an email as soon as I realised, and they replied the same day apologising and letting me know it had been sent out. Now that is excellent customer service, and the perfect way to deal with a problem. So you guys will get your giveaway soon!
You can purchase all of these items at Sugarpill.
bloomzy /

Review: Witch Blemish Stick

Witch Naturally Clear Blemish Stick*

Witch is a well established skincare brand in the UK, and I’ve been using their products for years. For over 40 years, Witch have been using witch hazel as the main ingredient in all of their products. A naturally clever ingredient that helps cleanse, soothe and tone skin, leaving it perfectly balanced.  The Witch Blemish Stick claims to fight the bacteria that causes spots, getting to work instantly. I’ve used their blemish stick previously but not for several years, so this was a long awaited reunion. 
Pros:
+ Easy to use
+ Simple, cute packaging
+ Main ingredient is natural
+ Didn’t dry my skin out
+ Good price point
+ Works well
Cons:
– Strong medicinal smell, when first applied (gone after about 10secs)
Notes:
This product worked the same as I always remember it working. I felt a spot coming under the skin so I popped some of this on and it brought it out. Luckily though this products helps you skip that awkward, gross stage where your spot is all inflamed and gets a head. Instead it goes straight to the calming down stage, where the spot is beginning to fade. It’s a good product and does what it says. Of course it’s not a miracle worker and won’t rid you of spots entirely. Once you realise that, you’ll also realise that this product is worth adding to your collection. This is usually priced around the £2 – £3 mark (depending on where you purchase it), which isn’t bad at all.
You can purchase the Witch Blemish Stick at Superdrug and Boots.
bloomzy /

Review: The Lacquer Lab Nail Polish

The Lacquer Lab Pool Party, Clarissa Explains It All and Joy Ride polishes*
The Lacquer Lab is a new nail polish brand about to make big waves in the beauty industry. I immediately fell in love with their colour collection, and their simple yet stylish branding. It also caught my eye that their polishes are high quality whilst being free from toxins. I was sent a trio of their polishes to try out, and here’s my review!
Swatch of Joy Ride, Clarissa Explains It All and Pool Party in natural light.
Swatch of Joy Ride and Pool Party together, under artificial light.
 
Pros:
+ Opaque in one coat
+ Easy and good application
+ Great collection of colours
+ Stayed on for 5 days without chipping
+ Fair price point
 
Cons:
– Started to crack after 5 days of wear
 
Notes:
For a new nail polish company I am impressed. The Lacquer Lab have managed to create a high quality, pigmented polish, with amazing coverage. These tick all the boxes: opaque in one coat, easy to apply, good brush and stays on for days. My only con is that whilst it didn’t chip, it did start to crack after wearing it for 5 days. For me that’s not a massive problem though as I change my nail polish once (sometimes twice) a week – 5 days is also quite impressive compared to some brands. At £7, these are more expensive than ‘drugstore’ brands, but I think are fairly priced for the quality of the item. You won’t find this kind of high quality polish from cheaper brands, in fact it’s difficult to find from even more expensive brands. The Lacquer Lab has won me over with their polishes.
You can purchase these shades and more at The Lacquer Lab.
bloomzy /

HAUL: Voucher Codes Blogger Swap Shop ’14

So this is a rather odd haul post, as I didn’t actually pay for any of this stuff. 
Wait! What? How? Yep, these are the beauties I picked up at the swap shop I went to. I kind of just grabbed everything that looked nice and was in a size I thought might fit. Well I was lucky because these items are gorgeous and I’m so happy with my mini haul.
What did I get? I managed to grab two dresses, a pair of trousers, a t-shirt, a shirt and a hat. Although I’m not bothered whether something is branded, it’s nice to know what you’re getting. This little collection of items are from ASOS, Topshop, H&M, Dorothy Perkins and River Island. Those are all tried and tested brands that I know and love, and have bought stuff from in the past. I’ve already worn the ASOS smock dress and H&M hat, because I couldn’t wait!
I’m so happy with everything I swapped at the event, it was such a great idea! I’m really interested to know if anyone got any of my items and is now workin’ them. If you happen to read my post and did attend the event, link me to your haul post!
The items that didn’t get picked up at the end of the night were donated to charity.
bloomzy /

Review: Collection Work The Colour Nail Polish

Collection Work The Colour – Raspberry Pink & Sonic Blue*

I can never have too many nail polishes. In fact last week I received 5 new ones to add to my collection. 2 of those were these lovelies from the new Collection range coming out in April. The new Work The Colour range by Collection will feature 24 new nail polish shades. I was lucky enough to receive a manicure with a couple of the colours during the press event. So I thought I would give my views on the new polishes and colours coming out soon.
Swatch of Raspberry Pink & Sonic Blue.
Along with swatch on nails of Baby Blue & Fairy Dust (layered).

Pros:
+ Opaque in one coat
+ Great range of colours
+ Applies easily – good size brush
+ Love the new packaging
+ Good price point

Cons:
– Chipped after a day or so
Notes:
I am so excited by this range because the shades and colours they have coming out are wonderful. There’s a great variety of colours, and the polish itself isn’t too bad. The polishes apply easily, mainly thanks to a very good brush. Apart from the shimmer/glitter polishes in the range, these are opaque in one coat – two coats gives an even better colour pay off. The colours were pretty much exactly what you see in the bottle, although the raspberry pink looks slightly red when photographed. Unfortunately though these chipped after a day or so, but I am putting that down to the top coat that the manicurist used. It wasn’t bad, but I think we all have our own tried and tested ones that we love. I think these would last fine with a better top coat. Priced at £1.99 these won’t break the bank and will easily work their way into your collection.
The Collection Work The Colour Nail Polish range will be available in Superdrug from 9th April.
They will also be available in Boots from 16th April.
bloomzy /

Event: Voucher Codes Blogger Swap Shop ’14

Monday evening I headed off with my friend Anna to the Voucher Codes Swap Shop. I couldn’t make it last year, so I was really excited to swap some unused clothes and meet people. The concept behind the swap shop is that you bring up to 5 items of clothing or accessories with you. You then get stamps, which you in turn use to purchase items that others have brought to the event. I brought 5 items and got 11 stamps, and picked up 5 items too…only to be left with more stamps! The stamp system was great and it meant that anyone could pick up a great piece for next to nothing.
Of course that wasn’t all there was at the event, oh no! There were activities and food also. Food was supplied by Mother Clucker (yes I know, that’s an awesome name) and was delicious. There were also cupcakes, pick and mix, and cocktails to nibble and slurp on whilst we mingled. A few lovely ladies from Pinned It! Made It! were there to help us DIY our own pair of tights. Of course I had to make a pair for myself, which I can’t wait to show you in an upcoming post. The amazing Twistina was also there to make us balloon creations, and leave us in awe of her skills. She made me a floral head crown, and Anna a moose – well, she is Norwegian after all.
Apart from swapping items, and having a lovely time, I met some great people! I discovered a lot of new blogs and chatted with some lovely ladies at the event. Connecting with likeminded people is one of the great joys of blogger events. Thanks so much for hosting a wonderful event Voucher Codes!