bloomzy /

Review; Pop Beauty & Barry M

Pop Beauty; Twinkle: Electric Glimmer | Barry M; Red Glitter NP150

For Christmas I received some gorgeous nail polishes from the fiancé and family. They know just how obsessed I am with my collection, so thoughtfully they added a little something to it. I choose 2 of my favourites to review here. The reason I took videos as well as photos is because I found it hard to show the effect of the polish in just a simple photo – this being most true with the Pop Beauty polish.

The Pop Beauty polish featured in this first video has to be my favourite by far. I’ve not seen another polish like it. I can’t describe how much I love it! Pop Beauty offer some amazing shades and glitters in their nail collection. The bottles are attractive and come with 15ml/0.5floz, which is more than your usual bottle. It took a couple of coats for me to achieve my desired look, nothing more than a regular polish.Being a glitter polish it is prone to chipping more than a regular one. This did happen a couple of times on my thumbnails but was easily remedied by filling in the spaces, which surprisingly were not very noticeable afterwards. Even though Pop Beauty polishes cost a little more than your regular polish, you’re receiving some amazing, unique shades/glitters. I will definitely be buying more from their range – I’ve even made a wish list for my birthday.

Pop Beauty is available online and in selected stores.

Barry M offer a great selection of polishes and I own quite a few of them already. They’re cheaper than PB but then you receive a regular size 10ml bottle, and their shades are often copied by or from other brands. This means it won’t be as unique, but the quality and look is great so there’s no complaints here! This polish took about 3/4 coats to achieve an opaque, strong colour but I have found this with a lot of Barry M polishes.As mentioned before, glitter polishes are prone to chipping and the Barry M polish was no different. I did try to fill it in like the PB one, and it worked but was definitely more noticeable, which is probably due to the shade more than the quality of the product.

Barry M is available online and in most UK Boots & Superdrug stores.

bloomzy /

プリクラ for your phone!

My own personal ‘purikura’
プリクラ (purikura) is the name given to the photo-booths and pictures well known and loved in Japan. Why are they so popular? Purikura machines allow you to take a variety of pictures with different backdrops and lighting, afterwards you are given the chance to decorate the final photos.
As they gain popularity worldwide (they’re in a city near you!) mobile app stores have seen an increase in the amount of ‘purikura apps’.
Here is a small review of my current favourite purikura app; DecoPic
Click ‘read more’ for the full post.

I’m not a fan of a lot of the purikura apps on the app store as I find they’re all pretty similar, but DecoPic intrigued me as the stamps, frames etc are very close to the ones used in the machines in Japan.

Once you have chosen to take a picture or use one from your album (awww look at my cute puppy), you can move and scale it to your needs. Then you have the option of adding lots of pretty, sparkly things.

Options include:

Art filters – much like instagram etc.
Not something you would find on a regular purikura machine. Obviously an addition that is aimed at the current ‘filter’ trend hitting the app stores.

Frames – a varied and not bad selection.

Stamps – 15 pages worth, all of which are just like the stamps you find on the machines in Japan.

Message – add messages such as ‘Today’s coordinate’ & ‘I love you’.

Pen – various colours/styles of pen to write by freehand.
Text – various styles and a selection of colours to write by text.

When adding a message, stamp, text etc. there is the option of: resizing, rotating, moving and undoing the item. 
Finally, when you click ‘save’ the photo is automatically stored in your photo album and you have the option of sharing it with the community, or Facebook/Twitter etc.
I like the categories they have used for the stamps, messages and borders (feminine, blogger, vintage and more) – giving you the chance to pick your item depending on your mood/the feeling of the photo. There is also an ‘event’ category, which changes throughout the year.
With over 300 design options, if you want an app to decorate your photos with that is easy-to-use, authentic to the machines and FREE, then this is the one for you!

Want your own personal purikura photobooth on your iPhone/Android?

 

If anyone knows if it is on any other app stores please let me know.

bloomzy /

Review: Max Series – Violet Circle Lenses

Max Series colour contact lenses*
Lenses – Violet
Power/Prescription: 0.00 (plano) ~ -10.00
Lens Usage: Up to 12 months (depending on care)
Base Curve Radius: 8.8mm
Diameter: 14.50 & 15mm
Water Content: 38%
Click ‘read more’ for the full post.

I have blue-grey eyes, so the effect may differ on those with darker eyes.
The Max Series (by EOS) features a darker outer rim with a graduated inner colour. This helps it to blend easier with your natural colour, whilst still defining your eyes.
Now onto the pictures…
These were all taken in the afternoon, in A/W lighting, without flash, with lighting aid…

Look:
I like the ‘adult look’ that these lenses give when worn. There is definition of the eye, creating a slight enlarging effect but nothing too over-the-top. The colour is good, but isn’t as bright or noticeable as other lenses I have worn. It also doesn’t blend easily, because it’s violet, obviously. However it’s still quite pretty.
Feel:
These weren’t so comfortable. I only wore them for 3 hours, because my eyes were itching and drying out like crazy. This may be because of my allergies, but taking this into account and other lenses, I felt a little let down.
If it is your first time wearing lenses, take it slowly and wear them for only a few hours each day so your eyes will get used to them. I wouldn’t suggest wearing your lenses for too long unless you know it will be ok, and if they get dry just pop some contact lens-friendly eye solution in – never use water!

Thoughts:
Recently I prefer more natural lens colours but these were mistakingly sent to me over some blue ones, so I don’t have much to say on that front. I would wear these again for a short period of time with a more casual look, but not if I wanted to ‘glam up’.
Want to order a pair for yourself? –
They ship worldwide!
For any other questions you might have, check out their FAQ page.
Feel free to leave comments or ask me any questions you might have.
This is the last circle lens review I will be doing for a while as I am now taking a break from it.
bloomzy /

Garnier BB Cream Review

During September, Garnier were offering customers the chance to try out samples of their new BB Cream. I applied straight away, as I was so excited to finally see this product hitting the shelves.

The samples came very neatly packaged in a small fold-out pack, which included info on BB Cream and a money-off voucher. The pack came with three regular sized samples – I went ahead and potted one of the samples…

Not a bad amount, definitely enough for 2, maybe 3 applications.

On the brush…I used a foundation brush to apply mine, although a sponge would probably be better.

Before I show you the results I will quickly mention that I asked for, and received, the ‘light’ version of the cream. I consistently find it difficult to match foundations etc. to my skin tone so I was looking forward to seeing the outcome.

As you can see the BB Cream didn’t match my skin tone (check out the difference between my face & neck) and was visibly more yellow…even my fiancé commented on it.

Did it work?
Skin tone aside, let’s look at what Garnier’s BB Cream claims to do and whether I felt it worked or not.

“light texture that instantly melts into your skin”
“skin feels more supple, smoother, softer”

It was definitely light, but I didn’t feel like it ‘melted’ into my skin. In fact it kind of felt sticky, like a lotion that hadn’t dried properly. I disliked the feel and look so much that I applied a generous amount of powder on top to try and get rid of the sticky, greasy look.

However my skin did feel supple and smooth.

“sheer coverage; imperfections look blurred…your skin looks luminous, smoother and more even”

My skin did look smooth and it certainly evened out the redness around my cheek and nose area.

‘Imperfections’? Well I don’t feel my freckles are imperfections to be honest, but it didn’t cover them. You shouldn’t really expect this from a simple BB Cream anyway, but for those who might be interested in it for those reasons – sorry, it may not be the right product for you.

Overall
I wasn’t very pleased with the outcome. I think my opinion is slightly biased though, as I felt the cream was far too dark for my skin tone.

Don’t take my word for it though! Find out more at the Garnier website.
Those in the UK can still apply for a free sample here.

bloomzy /

Review: Princess Mimi Series – Grey Circle Lenses

Princess Mimi colour contact lenses*

Power/Prescription: 0.00 (plano) ~ -8.00
Lens Usage: Up to 12 months (depending on care)
Base Curve Radius: 8.6mm
Diameter: 15mm
Click ‘read more’ for the full post.

I have blue-grey eyes, so the effect may differ on those with darker eyes.
The Princess Mimi (also known as Bambi) Series is pretty popular right now, mainly due to Tsubasa Masuwaka who is the spokesmodel for the lenses. They offer an enlarging effect for dolly-like eyes in blend-able and bright colours.
Shoppingholics were very kind and packaged the lenses in cute and safe packaging. They also included a couple of free gifts and a kind note – so sweet!


Now onto the lenses…
These pictures were all taken mid-afternoon in Autumn, with lighting aid…

Make-up: Lashes & eyeliner on top, eyeshadow on bottom
Look:
I already have the green pair of lenses from this series and I love them, so I wasn’t expecting anything less from these. I thought the enlarging effect was great and the colour blended well with my own but they just didn’t ‘pop’ as much as the green. 
Feel:
These were extremely comfortable!! I wore them on a night out and didn’t have to put drops in once.
If it is your first time wearing lenses, take it slowly and wear them for only a few hours each day so your eyes will get used to them. I wouldn’t suggest wearing your lenses for too long unless you know it will be ok, and if they get dry just pop some contact lens-friendly eye solution in – never use water!

Thoughts:
I like the effect and look of these lenses, the feel is also an added bonus. I would certainly think of wearing these on a regular day as they’re not too in-your-face and would work well with most styles.
Want to order a pair for yourself? –
Their dispatch/shipping time is very fast and they ship worldwide!
Feel free to leave comments or ask me any questions you might have.
bloomzy /

Review: DearLee Nail Polish


 This post is sponsored by born pretty
Just a quick sponsored review today on some gorgeous nail polishes that I was recently sent by bornprettystore. They also sent me some eyelashes and deco items but I will be leaving those for a later, separate post.
baby blue & orange

Once again I am loving pastel colours, and after seeing some gorgeous blue and orange shades coming out bornprettystore were kind enough to sponsor me these two; Candy Blue & Candy Orange. 
First off, they may look like shatter polishes because of the lid, but they’re not – just normal polishes. So what do they look like on?

Like this!

✧PROS✧
+ Easy to apply
+ Bright, clean colours
+ Lasts a while without chipping
+ Plenty of polish in a decent sized bottle
+ Orange could also work as a nude, with fewer coats
☠CONS☠
– 2 coats are needed
Final thoughts?!
Ok, so that’s not really a con but there really isn’t anything bad to say about these polishes. I think they’re lovely and even though my pastel phases come and go I can see myself keeping these as they’re good staple colours to have.
Want to order these or more?!
Then visit born pretty store now!!
10% discount with code: ‘BLOOMZYK31’
Worldwide shipping is available!
bloomzy /

Review: Candy Series – Grey Circle Lenses

EOS Candy Gray colour contact lenses*
Power/Prescription: 0.00 (plano) ~ -10.00
Lens Usage: Up to 12 months (depending on care)
Base Curve Radius: 8.8mm
Diameter: 14.5mm
Water Content: 38%
I have blue-grey eyes, so the effect may differ on those with darker eyes.
The Candy Series has been a popular choice in the gal and circle lens community for a long time thanks to the amazing enlarging, dolly eye effect the lenses create. 
K-CircleLens were very professional and packaged the lenses really well…and inside the package I was greeted by a very cute bag.

mirror image fail
The items I received were all so cute, and I’m incredibly happy with the quality of the products I received. They also included a very handy travel case. I’ve not purchased/received one before so this was really appreciated. 
Now onto the lenses…
These pictures were all taken in Autumn lighting, without flash…

without make-up

Note: I was rushed when doing this and didn’t have the time for bottom lashes, which is a shame because I think these lenses would benefit even more from wearing them. Next time!
Look:
I adore these lenses. They offer a basic enlarging effect with a simple graduated colour. The colour is simple but effective and they blended so well with my own eyes. I would love to try these out in the green and blue some time. 
Feel:
These were comfortable, but not as much as some of my others. My eyes were very itchy (due to allergies) the couple of times I have worn them though so I think a lot of it could be down to that. 
If it is your first time wearing lenses, take it slowly and wear them for only a few hours each day so your eyes will get used to them. I wouldn’t suggest wearing your lenses for too long unless you know it will be ok, and if they get dry just pop some contact lens-friendly eye solution in – never use water!

Thoughts:
These lenses match the rock-look I have been working into my codes lately, so I adore them. That being said I still think they would work well in sweet/agejo/mode codes etc. and I am looking forward to playing around with a new make-up style with these.
Want to order a pair for yourself? –
– Then visit K-CircleLens here –
Use code: ‘BLOOMZY’ for 10% off any order over $20!!

Their dispatch/shipping time is very fast and they ship worldwide!
Feel free to leave comments or ask me any questions you might have.