Barry M | Vanity Claire

ClaireOctober 14, 2014

October Beauty Haul & Favourites

Aloha beauties! I originally sat down to write a September favourites post, then realised September ended 14 days ago. SORRY, WHERE IS THE TIME GOING?! So instead you get a bit of a random mixed post of things I’ve bought or have been given lately that have made me think ‘this is aiight, this’. I know, the enthusiasm is overwhelming, right?

Tantruth Ultimate Tanning Collection* – £16.99 Salon-Services

I hadn’t heard of Tantruth before I was kindly sent this range to review, but they’re a professional spray tanning brand which also stocks a retail range. This Ultimate Tanning Collection contains three of their retail products, which match the three stages of self-tanning: preparation, tanning and maintaining. The products are:

The Perfectionist Exfoliating Body Scrub, 250ml
The Ultimate Self–Tan Lotion, 195ml
The Prolonger Tan Enhancing Body Moisturiser, 250ml

(Has anyone noticed I left the exfoliator at my sister’s house so it’s not in this photo? No? Oh good, our liddle secret)

I’m really impressed with the tan itself. It has a strong guide colour so you know exactly where you’re putting the tan, and the colour once applied is the closest I’ve achieved to a professional shade while at home. It’s a lotion, whereas I do usually prefer a spray or mousse, but I haven’t noticed any problems with streaking so I suppose that’s not really an issue. The exfoliator is really nice to use – and is also bright pink, so a nice addition to my ~~sister’s~~ bathroom. The post-tan moisturiser is the only product of the three I don’t love, mainly because it’s a very thin, milk-like moisturiser so a lot more spills out of the bottle than you expect. It’s also a bit difficult to apply because of this, BUT on the plus side it does leave skin feeling nice and has a nice whiff to it too.

Overall this is a really nice collection, and I think having the three products together is a really nice touch. I mean, we all know that we should exfoliate the night before tanning but sometimes it’s just a massive CBA. Having this box did force me to be a little more A, so props to it for that.

Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water – £4.99 Boots

Micellar water has been one of the most hyped products in skincare for a while, so I picked up this cheapo Garnier offering (as obviously I would never pay £30 for a bottle, do I look like some sort of fancy Nancy?) With no soap or alcohol, it’s supposed to be a gentle makeup remover and cleanser. And it is. Using this leaves my skin feeling fresh and clean, and is a good eye makeup remover now I’ve got my Hollywood lashes and need one without oil. So… good. That’s as enthusiastic as I’m ever going to get about skincare, I’m afraid.

Juicy Couture Couture Eau de Parfum – £64.36 for 100ml, Boots

As I’m a massive chav I’m a big fan of Juicy Couture perfumes, so was suuuuuper happy to get Couture Couture for my birthday this year. I can’t describe scents at all so I won’t even try, but it’s fresh and girly, which is what I like for my day-to-day stank. I also think it’ll go really nicely with the Juicy velour tracksuit I would also still really like to own…no? WHAT DO YOU MEAN NO?!

Barry M Gelly Nail Paints in ‘Chai’ and ‘Coconut’ – £3.99 each from Boots

Lauren and I both adore Barry M Gelly Nail Paints and so when I had to stop getting acrylics done due to silly things like council tax and TV licenses (zzzz), I knew the only thing that would cheer me up was a couple of new shades. Chai is one of the new releases for autumn and is a steel grey. Coconut is white, but a much nicer white than the plain white Barry am Nail Paint they brought out a couple of years ago. That one was a bit Tippex-y, whereas this is slightly…warmer? I don’t actually know why it’s a better white, but it just is (great reviewer, eh).

Primark Candle – £1
Finally, no, this is not a beauty item. But if you haven’t discovered the joy of Primark’s candles yet then you ain’t living life right.

What do you all think of these items? Have you tried any of them?

ClaireMarch 24, 2014

A Week in Instagram #8

Ahoy there amigos,

If you follow us on Instagram, you will know that we post pictures of our faces pretty frequently. In fact, we post pictures of various body parts, mostly hands and feet too. This is what we have been up to recently.

I like wearing my converse because it makes me feel hip hop and happening.
Claire giving her Dirty Looks hair extensions a whirl, doesn’t she just look peachy?
Sometimes there is little better in life than a brew and a magazine. Claire had a read of Tatler recently on her lunch break at work.
We got sent some exciting summer goodies from Elsie and Fred. Claire got a beautiful pastel bralet, I got some excellent 60s sunglasses and they sent us some little rings too.
How amazing and excellent are these white sandals from Primark? Very. Claire picked them up for a bargain £14.
And here is me giving my Dirty Looks hair extensions a whirl. They dyed to my ginger hair colour perfectly.
A couple of purchases Claire picked up from New Look and Missguided – pastels are our favey.
Claire matching her ring to her nails, what is she like?
I reviewed this fabulous Barry M lipstick, it is a beaut.
More magazines and more tea, life is good.
Claire was sent these absolutely beautiful floral Doc Martens from Cloggs.co.uk
I like wearing animals on my hands and around my neck. Jewellery from Primark and from New Look!
Claire’s excellent outfit, featuring her new Primark shoes.
Frilly socks are the best.
Claire’s top tramp tip: curl your hair extensions to hide any shaggy ends!
And here is a snap of my face featuring my Elsie and Fred sunglasses. HUZZAH.

We hope that you enjoy stalking us from time to time (although I’m not sure why you would, we lead very boring lives). If you want to follow us in Instagram, we are @StylingoUK. THANKS BYE.

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ClaireMarch 7, 2014

Barry M Ultra Moisturising Lip Paint in Black Cherry (160) | Review

Hi gals,

After a very fashion heavy week (check out yesterday’s River Island Spring/Summer 2014 post, it’s grand), I’m bringing you a little lippy review to keep your beauty heads from exploding. Because I’m pretty positive if you don’t read this review, your head will explode. Definitely.

I picked up this Barry M Ultra Moisturising Lip Paint when I had a Boots haul with Claire a few weeks ago. I’ve been meaning to review it for AGES because it is brilliant, but here it is now and we can all get excited.

The basics of this lipstick is that it’s super super (some might say ultra) moisturising, meaning it won’t dry your lips and flake off like some lippies do. The Ultra Moisturising collection comes in a big range of shades, so whether you’re a fan of shimmering, pastel shades or bright, vibrant shades – there is one for every gal (thank you Queen Lizzy). I’m definitely a vibrant lip fan and frankly think I look a bit dead without a bright colour on my face. With this in mind, I was excited to get the Lip Paint in Black Cherry (or shade 160 for those who like to communicate by numbers). I bought it for £4.49 from Boots and you can buy it yourself online here.

Overall, I really love it. It really is moisturising, while still being vibrant enough to be mega exciting. It also fades well and doesn’t cling to the outlines of your lips (no one wants to look like Pammy Anderson with too much lipliner on).

My only bug bear is the colour on the lipstick stick versus the actual colour of the lipstick. If you wound this down to have a nosey at what colour it is, it looks practically black. Or at the very least a super dark purple. Once you’ve swatched it or put it on your face, it’s actually a much lighter pinky/purple – still pretty, but somewhat unexpected. You’d think that Barry M would be able to get the colour of the lipstick stick and the swatch colour the same by now. Come on guys. Fix up.

Besides that (which isn’t really a complaint at all, I just like to complain), I really love this lipstick and recommend it to all you gals who like slathering purple colours on your face. Triumphant huzzahs all round.

What do you think? Have you tried any of the Barry M Ultra Moisturising Lip Paints?

ClaireFebruary 1, 2014

Outfit of the Day: Primark Tshirt Dress & Ginger Locks

Primark Mesh Panel Tshirt | Primark Necklace | New Look Turquoise Heels (old) | Barry M Nail Varnish in Lady | Kate Moss for Rimmel Shade 16

Hey chicks.

This is a super quick post before I hop in the shower to get ready for a night of wild partying. My home gals (and guy) are coming to visit me all the way from Cheshire, so a bitch has gotta look fine.

I bought this Primark tshirt last weekend and couldn’t resist the jazzy print. It was £8, which quite frankly was a bargain (when isn’t Primark stuff? This is why I spend an unhealthy amount of time in the place). It features some saucy mesh panels, which I actually forgot about when I wore it to work (I’m pretty sure the lads in the office couldn’t concentrate because of the amount of belly button on show). This bad boy that is on my body above is a size 12, so you can see it’s quite a baggy fit. It’s also quite long, which apparently meant that I thought it would be ok to wear as a dress. I may have got a few “why is that chump not wearing trousers?” looks, but you know. What’s life if not about not wearing trousers?

I also have dyed my hair ginger now. I’m trying to persuade Claire to dye her hair black and chop it into an endearingly messy crop so she can be the Harry to my Ron, but she’s not biting. Yet.

Anywho, have a great Saturday you wonderful humans.

BYE.

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ClaireJanuary 13, 2014

A Week In Instagram #5

Why hi there homies,

I meant to put this post up yesterday, but unfortunately I spent pretty much my whole day reading The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (I know, about 5 years too late), napping and then being overwhelmed by the new Sherlock episode (anybody else have an inappropriate crush on Moriarty? So glad he’s back in the game).

Anyway, Claire and I have been doing our best to put lots of effort into Instragram and post as much as possible. If you fancy giving us a glorious follow, hit us up at StylingoUK. Our posts are always fashion and beauty related and are usually laced with guilt because we accidentally spent all of our money on makeup. Here’s what we’ve been up to recently:

1. My Primark necklace and Primark fluffy jumper: have so much love for these two pieces. Massively cheap and cheerful but I’ve been wearing them constantly. I featured this necklace in my most recent outfit of the day too!
2. Claire looking like a genuine hotty off to a party over the weekend, featuring one of her favourite Barry M lilac lipsticks.
3. Shameless selfie with a top I bought at The Clothes Show (read about our trip to The Clothes Show).
4. Our love of Primark will never die, Claire picked these cheap and excellent bits of jewellery over the weekend.
5. Claire picked up this amazing MAC makeup shade in a blog sale last week, definitely the perfect colour for daywear (and nightwear, lets be honest!).
6. Another one of Claire’s purchases, recommended by one of our favourite bloggers Latasha at Today I Adore. Keep your eyes peeled for this silver hair dye review.
7. I went to buy a new foundation over the weekend and ended up picking up a Bobbi Brown foundation and concealer (WAHOO, reviews coming soon beauts).
8. How amazing are these Primark tartan leggings? Claire featured them in an outfit of the day recently and they have definitely become a wardrobe staple.
9. The result of Claire’s new silver hair dye – it’s looking fiiineeeee and I basically think she is Daenerys now.
10. Claire’s fit new boots from Boohoo. Read all about them in her haul post.
11. Claire’s epic collection of Barry M nail varnishes!
12. One of my favourite Missguided dresses, the pattern is so lovely!

Well chums, I hope you have enjoyed a peek into our somewhat exciting (?!) lives. If you want to keep up with our updates, make sure you give us a follow on Instagram, Twitter or Bloglovin. Have a fabulous Monday!

|| Don’t forget that you can follow us on Instagram, Bloglovin’ and Twitter! ||

(do you think I’ve plugged our Instragram enough?!?)

ClaireNovember 16, 2013

Outfit of the Day: Mirror Edition #2

Merry Saturday, one and all! So, anyone who gives a tiny poo (i.e. probably nobody) may have noticed that I’ve been somewhat absent from the OOTD hype as of late. This is partly due to some technical problems at Stylingo HQ in the form of our camera finally biting the dust, and what can only be described as personality problems on my part as I’m too lazy to take photos at work.

But, just in case anybody is really curious about what I’ve been wearing recently, here are a few mirror snaps that I’ve uploaded to our Instagram account:
Black Dress – H&M / Kimono – Missguided / Rose Gold Cross – Primark / Brogues – New Look / Bag – Marc B

Remember when I said that I have a tendency to overload on black during the autumn and winter months? Well here is a prime example of me doing so. The lace kimono from Missguided is still one of my favourite items after I first wore it to the Bullring Ten event, and teamed with a simple black dress (which you can’t see at all, but is fitted and has a high mesh neckline) it’s the perfect way to pretty up an outfit. The Marc B bag that I got for my birthday this year is also still a firm fave of mine and rarely leaves the nook of my arm.

Leotard – Primark / Jeggings – Topshop

I’ve had this leotard for probably around two years now but have just brought it out of hibernation again after realising I still love it quite a lot. Worn with my Topshop jeggings it created quite a fun casual outfit – though I still wore this for work, God help me if I ever work in a strict office.

Dress – Topshop / Blazer – eBay / Silver Cross – Primark

This is definitely one of my more work-appropriate outfits, even with the paint-splattered effect of the dress. This dress is a really loose fitting swing dress that is a bit swampy on its own, so the addition of the cropped waterfall blazer (which I also have in mint, so keen I am for it) makes it a bit more fitted. I accessorised with my trusty silver cross, and seemingly some trampy hair bobbles on my wrist, which I always accidentally leave on (but I think they may become super fashionable soon, so it’s fine).

Crop Jumper – Topshop (old) / Skater Dress – Topshop / Necklace – eBay / Nails – Barry M ‘Duchess’

I actually tried to get proper OOTD pictures in this outfit the other day, but the winds were somewhat… shall we say whirlwind-esque? .. so I looked a state in all of them. Layering jumpers over dresses and playsuits is something I definitely plan to do more of this winter, and this cropped Topshop jumper that I’ve had for a couple of years is perfect for it. I’m still loving the Barry M nail polish from the Royal Glitter collection (I reviewed it in full here if you fancy a read) and tend to keep my jewellery quite minimal where I’m wearing it.

What do you think of these outfits? Do you have a favourite?

|| Don’t forget that you can follow us on Instagram, Bloglovin’ and Twitter ||

ClaireNovember 4, 2013

How Much Is My Face Worth?

G’day mates. Today we’re finally getting round to doing the blogger favourite ‘How Much Is My Face Worth?’ post. We both love reading these posts, and are usually left gawping at how much people’s everyday makeup actually costs, and bloggers are usually pretty surprised themselves to find that their collections often add up to as much as £100 or £200. I’m pretty sure that mine is going to be nowhere near this, but you never really know (well actually, I do because I’ve already worked it out. But let’s not ruin the suspense).

Seventeen Stay Time Primer: £5.49
Sleek Be Beautiful Blemish Balm: £8.99
Seventeen Phwoarr Paint: £5.49
Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer: £3.99
E.L.F. Contouring Kit: £3.75
Barry M Lash Vegas Mascara: £6.49
Barry M Natural Glow Eyeshadow Palette: £6.49
Collection Felt Tip Liner: £2.99
Maybelline Eye Studio Master Shape Brow: £2.99

Total: £46.68

This surely has to be in the running for one of the cheapest HMIMFW ever? My everyday makeup actually changes at least monthly and there will have been times when the total would have been a fair bit more, but my current love affair with super cheap and cheerful brands such as Collection and Seventeen means that my total price is driven right down.

I have to admit that I’m torn between feeling like a total pikey and actually feeling pretty relieved that if disaster were ever to strike and I were to lose my everyday makeup bag (possible reasons for this: leaving it on a bus, being mugged by criminals with a penchant for eyeliner, zombie apocalypse, etc) then it really wouldn’t be too much of a hardship to replace.

Have any of you done this tag? Leave your links in the comments below!

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ClaireOctober 31, 2013

Barry M Royal Textured Glitter Polish | Review

Our love affair with Barry M is by now well documented. We have our ups and downs, but ultimately Barry M always manage to win our fickle hearts back with their range of amazing nail polishes. The new Royal Textured Glitter Collection was announced as part of their new releases for autumn/winter (which I did a full overview of that you can see here) and I knew they’d be right up my street as I’m a sucker for a glitter polish. Rather than being like Barry M’s other glitter polishes though, which are usually large glitter particles suspended in clear polish, these are thick polishes that are densely packed with glitter to give a full, textured finish.

I was lucky enough to receive the shade ‘Duchess’ for my birthday, which is primarily a nude with flecks of pale pink. Initially I applied this over a base coat of my favourite nude Barry M shade, ‘Lychee’. Once I started applying though, I realised the polish is so thick that it could easily be used by itself and would give an opaque finish with two coats.

I’m absolutely in love with the final effect. Although it’s very glittery, it dries to a matte finish which actually stops it from looking too full on and blingy. It has a textured finish, but thankfully not in the same way as the Textured Nail Effects paints Barry M released a while ago. I found that they were too gritty, and weirdly they seemed to pick up fluff and colour off other things they came into contact with. The Royal Glitter polish is nowhere near as gritty or rough, so the final effect is much nicer

This collection is commonly likened to the OPI Liquid Sand polishes, which retail for £11.50. I haven’t tried the OPI ones, but considering Barry M’s polishes cost almost a third of their price at £3.99, they’re clearly a much more purse-friendly option. They’re absolutely perfect as we get nearer to the – prepare yourself for the C-word – Christmas season, and I definitely plan to stock up on the other shades in the collection.

Another rousing success for Barry M’s nail polishes. Three cheers for merry England!

ClaireOctober 20, 2013

Barry M ‘Lash Vegas’ Mascara | Review

Hey thurr everyone. We’ve had an insanely busy few days lately, as we both moved into our new house and then I finally passed my driving test! This has meant our days have been a whir of insurance quotes, Ikea flatpack furniture and (of course) celebratory champagne sipping. We don’t have Wi-Fi in the new crib yet so haven’t been able to blog, but today I’ve come to ‘visit’ my mum with the real intention of stealing her internet. Smooth, non?

Enough of my maverick antics, on with the show. Today I’m reviewing Barry M’s mascara ‘Lash Vegas’, which I’ve been using for around the last two weeks.

Despite loving Barry M, I wouldn’t ordinarily have chosen this mascara. Lash Vegas (£6.49) has a bristle brush, which I don’t usually go for because I prefer plastic, but I picked it up for free from Superdrug in a promotional offer so I wasn’t about to complain. Plus, has anybody else noticed the mascara’s oh-so-casual product placement in Iggy Azalea’s ‘Change Your Life’ video? If it’s good enough for Iggy, it’s good enough for me.

The brush is spiral shaped, supposedly designed to separate and define even the smaller lashes. It promises ‘show-stopping volume’ and ‘the ultimate oooooomph‘ – which is, of course, what every lady wants. So, does it deliver?

Overall, I do like this mascara. It’s a very ‘wet’ mascara, a bit like Benefit’s ‘They’re Real’ in the sense that it’s easy to get in a total mess when applying it and it takes a little while to actually feel dry on your lashes. One coat works well at defining your lashes and giving some added volume, though you have to be careful applying extra coats because the formula means it can clump quite quickly. Using an eyelash comb can quickly sort this thought, and you’re left with quite an intense black colour that lasts all day. During my weeks using it, I haven’t experienced any flaking throughout the day, and it never starts to feel at all crispy. The flip side of this is that it’s an absolute bitch to remove, so make sure you have a good eye makeup remover to hand!

For under £7, I think this is a really good value for money mascara. It lasts well, adds good volume and essentially does what it says on the tin. I don’t think I’d re-purchase it, because the only place it falls down is that it’s not fantastic at adding length – which is personally my main want from mascara. But if you already have quite naturally long lashes or are more about the volume, then I think Lash Vegas could indeed be the one for you. Barry M also released the waterproof version recently as part of their A/W range, so that might be worth checking out too.

Have any of you tried Lash Vegas? What do you think?

ClaireOctober 11, 2013

Barry M ‘Natural Glow’ Eyeshadow Palette | Review & Swatches

Ever since writing our post on the Barry M new releases I was feverishly excited to try out the new products. Despite some misses (Brow Pen, we’re looking at you), Barry M are a brand we both love and so I was eager as the proverbial beaver to see them work their magic in their latest products.

I was particularly interested in the eyeshadow and blush palettes, so when I was in Superdrug recently I nearly jumped for joy when I saw that this was finally in stock. I chose the ‘Natural Glow’ palette as, let’s face it, neutral colours will always have my heart and loins. Plus, it had the nicest blusher shade of the three so I was completely sold on it.

On first impressions, this is a gorgeous palette. The packaging is sleek, sturdy and contains an extremely useful and good sized mirror in the lid. It also comes with two applicators, which I don’t think anybody ever really uses but, well, we’d moan if they didn’t include them, wouldn’t we? I like the colour range (though if I was being picky I would like them laid out from lightest to darkest, but Barry M weirdly didn’t ring me to ask my opinion on this) and the equal mixture of shimmer and matte.

So, all is looking positive. And then we move onto the application…

and very unfortunately the product falls down a little bit for me. The pigmentation is simply not as good as I was expecting. It’s much better on the shimmer shades than the matte, but as I’m more a matte girl anyway this isn’t much comfort to me. I mean, really, can you even see that first shade? It just looks a bit like a bruise, and that’s not reeeeally a look I go for.

I’ll hold my hands up and say I’m WUBBISH at applying eyeshadow, so I really need quite strong pigmentation to actually be able to see what I’m doing. People who are naturally more skilled in the eyeshadow department (i.e. everybody, probably even my neighbour’s dogs) will probably be able to get more from the palette, but for me it’s a bit too much of a struggle trying to work colour into the crease for quite little payoff. I think maybe I’ve been spoiled by MUA’s Undress Me Too (which you can see me rave about here) which is just amazingly pigmented.

On the bright side, this morning I realised that the third shade along is actually the perfect match for my light eyebrows so I’ve used it to fill them in a bit. It took quite a few layers to actually, er, see it at all but I’ll definitely get some good use out of it in that respect.

The blusher is a bit more pigmented than the shadows. It’s still quite subtle, but that’s better with blushers anyway because at least you can’t get carried away and end up looking like a clownish idiot. As you can see, it’s a nice pale pink with a slight glimmer to it so I’m much happier with this part of the palette.

These retail for £6.49, which is still an excellent price for six shadows and a blush, and to be honest it still makes a good addition to my makeup bag as a product I’ll turn to now and again. Kind of like if I was a Victorian man and had a mistress – you know, like I’ll never really love her but she’s good for a bit of a change now and then. Yep, that’s my analogy and I’m sticking to it.

Have any of you tried the Natural Glow palette from Barry M? What did you think of it?