Wantworthy - the latest wishlist trend?

So you all remember Fantasy Shopper and the hype that surrounded it, the ability to 'buy' items of your choosing from all of your favourite shops and make outfits with them. I remember wishing I could add stuff from any site, and have everything organised into events, or summer/winter wardrobes.

Wantworthy gives you the opportunity to do just this! All you have to do is sign up then add a 'WANT' button to your bookmark bar, then every time you see something you like you click the button. Wantworthy then adds this to your virtual wishlist and cleverly detects the price, description, picture and category of item (dress, shoes, denim etc..).

Then on your list at Wantworthy you can see the items you want organised by store, category or group.

I really do think that this is a brilliant way of categorising the things on your wishlist. I'm in process of  creating a 'Uni Wardrobe' list of things I'd like to take with me in September, but I've also started a beauty wishlist and a hypothetical 'I'M REALLY RICH' list!

Hope you all enjoy using the site, and make sure to send me your Wantworthy lists- I'd love to see the things your little hearts desire!

Sara

My adventures into SLS and silicone free hair products!

I officially renounce my SLS and silicone stuffed hair care!

There, I said it. It's blog official now so I can't go back on my word. The more I read about how damaging these nasties are for my hair, the less willing I am to use them. I looked into the no-poo method, but I've decided to ease myself slowly into this way of life by starting on a low-poo program.

I've recently had my hair cut from very long and ridiculously dead to rather short but super healthy, so I'm looking to grow it back out in as good condition as possible.

From now on I'll be using shampoos and conditioners with no:
-Sodium Laurel Suphate
-Parabens
-Silicone

I'll be starting my adventures with the Body Shop Rainforest Radiance Shampoo, along with the Body Shop Rainforest Volume Conditioner. I'm hoping that these will help me escape the dull hair, itchy scalp and frizz that I've come to attribute to SLS laden products.

I'll update soon with how I get on - wish me luck! Also does anyone else have any recommendations of products I could use that you've got along well with, I'm all ears!

Sara

New make-up storage system.

Foundation - Samples
Skincare - Eyes
Blush, bronzer, highlighter, powder - Lips

Just a heads up that these three drawer units are only £4.99 in ALDI at the moment, they're perfect for make-up storage! I was worried that the drawers wouldn't be tall enough to fit my foundations, but they fit perfectly. They're even big enough to stand my huge 200ml Clinique Dramatically Different Moisture Lotion.

Although they're not the prettiest storage method, they're functional and I love that you can see inside each compartment. Definite recommendation!

Sara

Foundation for pale skin - Part 1 (with swatches and mini reviews)

Foundation, the ultimate base product. I've been searching for years for one which suits my ridiculously pale complexion. I've always found this type of post really useful, seeing which brands make products which will fit me!

As you see I've developed quite the collection, with prices ranging from about £4 to around £28. This year I've vowed to actually finish some products rather than getting bored and buying new things!

So, here's part 1 of this foundation journey, featuring MUA, Revlon, Rimmel, 17, Clinique and Elf.

(Swatches in corresponding order to the line up below)

MUA BB Cream in Light:
Greasy feeling and doesn't seem to sink in, no matter how much you buff it in. Colour is pretty good though, just a bit yellow.

ELF Tinted Moisturiser in Porcelain:
Orange and oxidates even deeper! Also made me break out.

17 Sheer Moisture in Light:
Colour suits my summer skin, and buffed in nicely. Gave a natural glow. I just wish it had a higher SPF than 12 so it could be my go to summer product.

Rimmel Stay Matte in 100 Ivory:
Nice neutral tone rather than pink or yellow, which is quite hard to find in drugstore foundations. Fair coverage but it felt clogging and quite heavy.

Clinique Redness Solutions in 01 Alabaster:
Heavy and dark. Slid around my face all day, even though it claims to be oil free.

Revlon Photoready in 002 Vanilla:
Good colour, good coverage and good lasting power - so why must it be packed full of annoying glitter?!

Revlon Colourstay in 110 Ivory:
The best colour so far - it's just a shame it's so heavy and clogging. Wearable when mixed with some MAC Fix+, but it just can't compare to Doublewear in terms of lasting power.

Stay tuned for Part 2 featuring Benefit, Estee Lauder, Bobbi Brown, Bare Minerals and Maybelline!

Have you pale skinned beauties found any perfect foundations, either drugstore or high-end? let me know!

Sara

MUA and Collection Haul

I might have done a teensy bit of shopping, oops! Forever 21 and Primark haul is on it's way!

I was drawn in by the 25% off and free delivery MUA offer and picked up these bits. I also had one of those Boots Advantage Machine vouchers so I got 100 extra points when I bought the Collection mascara.

MUA Undressed Palette - £4

£2.99

MUA BB Cream - £4

MUA Lipsticks in 'Juicy' and 'Nectar' - £1 each

I'm loving the MUA bits so far, especially the BB cream- the shade is so perfectly light! The mascara was a total let down however, it didn't seem to make the blindest bit of difference to my blonde lashes!

I'll post a full review of the BB Cream soon, because that seems to be less reviewed than the palette!

Eeeek, is anyone else getting any results on Thursday? I get my A/S level results and I'm crazy nervous! Let me know!

REN Glycolactive Skin Renewal Peel Mask Review

Wow. Simply wow. This mask really does work wonders. Since I started using it every other day a couple of weeks ago I have noticed a drastic improvement to my skin's tone and general condition. It has calmed breakouts and cured my British 'summer' dullness.

You are advised to spread a generous amount all over your face, but I've just been using it on my T-Zone as the rest of face has been doing pretty well recently. It has a nice thick consistency and tingles slightly when applied, which really gives you the impression that it's doing it's job.

Unlike other masks I've applied in the past, this gives instant results. As soon as I wash it off (I've taken to exfoliating it off with a REN muslin cloth) I am amazed by my skin.

I've never been one to skip foundation, but recently I genuinely haven't needed it thanks to this mask. I realise this seems like such a gushing review, I just can't find a negative about this mask.

One thing I do have to add though, is that this costs £30 for 50ml. I know that this isn't astronomical, and you do only need the smallest amount to cover your T-Zone- but I'll definitely be eeking out this 15ml sample tube.

Revlon Just Bitten- Lipstain and Balm Review

 Unless you've been living under a rock for the past couple of months, I'm certain you'll have heard of Revlon's newest offerings of lip stains. Both these stain and balm duos and the kissable balm stains have been sweeping the beauty blogs both in the UK and in the USA.

Today I'll be reviewing the Revlon Just Bitten Lipstain and Balm in the colourway 'Flame'. I initially wanted to get 'Passion' but all of the ones in Boots had been open so I plumped for this equally stunning colour. 'Flame' lives up to it's name as a fiery red with undertones of orange, something which at first I thought would overwhelm my pale complexion. I was relieved to find it actually comes across as an elegant deep red.

The stain element of this product is unbelievable. I apply this at around 8AM and it's still going strong at 6PM. It has usually faded by 11PM, but I was incredulous to find that one day where I didn't remove my makeup (oops!) it was still there! 24 whole hours of wear! Crazy! On that note though, that means that if you make a mistake with the felt tip style applicator, it's pretty darn hard to remove.

We have a dual ended product here, with the felt tip applicator on one end (the lipstain) and the clear balm on the other. I have to say that I find the balm pretty useless. It's meant to deliver the moisture so over dragged from your lips when you apply a stain, but I find that it just gives a very short lived shine. I found that the stain lasted just as long without it, and I just applied a swoop of clear Vaseline if I wanted a really glossy effect. The balm also feels rather delicate in it's tube, as though it could snap off with the tiniest bit too much pressure.

Personally I love the matte lip effect, but if this isn't for you then you might want to try the Revlon Kissable Balm Stains. These give a nice glossy and longlasting flush of colour, but in swatching I found the colours to be less intense than these stains.

Overall I love this stain. I'll definitely be going back to find it in the 'Passion' colour (a bright Barbie style pink). I find it incredible how long it lasts and how intense the pigment is. Well done Revlon!

January sales shoe shopping!

I caved. I admit it. I told myself that I'd save my Christmas money to go towards something sensible, but the lure of the big red reduction signs were too much! 

But hey, shoes are sensible- right? I wear them every day! (Okay, let's not mention everything else I bought for now, shhh!)

Dorothy Perkins
£20 reduced from £35

First up, we have these lush Chelsea boots as I mentioned in my last post. These were only £20 from Dorothy Perkins, and I just can't resist a price like that. They feel really well made and the soles are nice and thick. I was tempted by them even at their full price of £35 (they're still this price online however, sorry..), so I was chuffed when I went in store today and saw the reduction. I'd definitely recommend these if you can't justify the massive Topshop price tag, but want higher quality than New Look.

I think I like that they're more slouchy than their Topshop brothers, but I haven't quite decided yet. I definitely think that they're more wearable, but they're not quite as striking in my opinion.. Super comfy though!

I've just realised how awful the lighting in here is for photography at night, sorry, just bare with me!

These sweet little brogues were £19.99 down from £35 in Republic. They're Schuh though, so you can probably get them there too - although I can't find them online at either store. They're made from really soft suede, which although quite unpractical for this British weather - is just so pretty! It was the ribbon laces that actually drew me to these shoes, I love this style of lace! The scalloped edges, although a little overdone by now, are perfect too.

I'm taking bets on how long these will last though, although they feel well made I know it's going to start raining while I have these on, or I'll have to walk up a muddy hill!

Expect a post soon about my clothing bargains too - I love sales shopping, and I guess my bank balance likes it more than shopping at any other time of the year..

Sara :)

Chelsea Boot obsession!

Welcome to the new year - although I'm sure you've heard that a billion times these past three days!
This is just a quick heads up post to tell you that if you've not yet hopped onto the Chelsea boot craze, these beauties are reduced to just £20 instore at Dorothy Perkins!

I picked some up today, and they're brilliant quality and super comfy! You'll be seeing a lot more of them in OOTD posts this year, I'm sure.

Sara :)

Review: Elf Flawless Finish Foundation

Following the ridiculously popular Elf 50% off offer, who was I to resist a bargain? I made an order, as seen here in my massive end of summer haul post.
The fist thing I'm going to be reviewing is the Flawless Finish Foundation. I'm sure you've all heard of it before, so I won't insult your intelligence by giving you the blurb from the ELF website.

Basically though, this foundation promises exactly what it's name suggests: a flawless finish! So read on to see if it  gave that to me!

Let's start with colour choices, ELF offers a measly 6 colourways, ranging from porcelain (my shade) to the deepest Coco shade. Personally I don't think that this is enough, although (somehow) I found a shade that suited me perfectly, I don't think everybody could be that lucky.
So as I said, the colour was perfect for me. I went for the lightest shade, as usual, and it was perfect. I tend to find that light foundations seem to have undertones of yellow, whereas I need a pink based tone - on which ELF really delivers.

Application goes perfectly with my swanky new ELF Stipple Brush, I find this really gives an airbrushed look, and works the foundation into my pores and blends over any discolouration or imperfections. The foundation is thick and oil free - which is a bonus for someone with occasionally oily skin.

I do however set my foundation with a powder, I personally feel that the foundation looks a little too dewy for my liking. I mean, if that's what you're after in a foundation, then fantastic, but I prefer a slightly more matte finish.

As for longevity, I do find that it looks a little less than perfect by the end of the school day. To combat this I just re-powder at lunch time. This really does work, which is good to know!

Price cannot be faulted, for the finish it gives you, £6.50 is a bargain. Even more so when you get it for half price! 

I really do recommend you try this, I know some people have hated it - but I think you should assess it yourself. Even if you don't get on with it, it's not like you've wasted MAC worthy amounts of money!

What about you, have you tried this foundation - or anything else from ELF? How did you get on with it?

Sara xx

P.S Welcome to any newcomers to my blog - I hope you enjoy reading through my posts!

100 follower giveaway winner!

After a hectic week back at Sixth Form, it was great to take some time out to draw the winner for my 100 followers giveaway.

So.. here goes..

The proud owner of the Body Shop goodies, the Tad Baker tidbits and the amazing book is..

HANNAH
(http://hans-ell.blogspot.com/)

You should all definitely check out her lovely blog, she's a gorgeous girl with gorgeous taste in both beauty and fashion. I'm certain you'll all find something you love on her blog!

Thank you all for entering, it really does mean so much that you all read and enjoy my posts!

Stay tuned for another giveaway in the very near future (I am only 40 followers off 200, don't you know!)

Sara xx

OOTD - 11.09.11

 An autumnal outfit today, it's so good to be back wearing colour after a week in black and white for Sixth Form!

Top - New Look
Shorts - H&M
Tights - Primark (Only £2!)
Necklace - H&M 

How's everyone's week been? Has anybody else just started Sixth Form?

Sara xx

Hairandbeautylicious 150 followers giveaway!

The lovely Cas over at Hairandbeautylicious is having an amazing (and huge!) giveaway.

Go and enter to show your support for her beautiful blog!

Sara xx

Big collective haul! ELF, Boots, Primark, Republic, New Look, ASOS.

 Cosmetics and skin care.

ELF goodies from the 50% off sale - full review coming soon!

Miss Sporty, Rimmel, Ciate, MUA

Rimmel powder and liquid eyeliner, No7 Brows pencil in 'Blonde'

All from Superdrug

Clothing

Primark - £4

H&M - £4

New Look - £6

NEXT - £14

Republic - £2

Bag

My beautiful, gorgeous bag for Sixth Form from NEXT - courtesy of my lovely boyfriend!
£28

Call off the search party!

Shoes

ASOS - £25

I think that's everything! Phew! A big thank you to my mum for facilitating this haul with the money she gave me for my GCSE results (which, incidentally, were 7A*s, 6As and a B ;)).

I start Sixth Form on Monday, scary stuff! I've been planning some potential outfits, so I'm certain they'll pop up on here at some point.

Expect a review of the ELF bits very soon too - having never ordered from them before I must say that I'm a very happy customer!

Sara xx

NOTD - 29.08.11

My boyfriend announced the other day that he wanted to paint my nails! Who was I to pass up the opportunity for a manicure?! After a few teething problems of him trying to dab the polish on with the tip of the brush he got the hang of it and this was the final outcome.

Pretty yes?

Both polishes were chosen by him too - give him a round of applause!

The Miss Sporty polish definitely stood up better than the last time I used their brand (post here).

Sara xx

FIGHT! Makeup Academy vs. Rimmel vs. Clinique

Today's FIGHT! is a little bigger than usual. There are three blushes competing- all great in their own right, but which will come out on top when they're put up against each other?

Here at Shutter Shimmer we will be considering three main competition areas: colour, application and price.

So, introducing our contenders today!

Apologies for the pan in Rimmel - you'll see why!

Colour

The darkest colour of the three blushers is Clinique, with the shade 'smouldering plum' (since when do plums smoulder?!). The next lightest (but most pigmented) I'd say would be MUA, while Rimmel provides the most delicate light colour. When it comes to colour, I have to say that Rimmel provides the widest range of colour, as the compact actually contains three colours; a delicate and matte light pink, a slightly darker shimmer shade and finally a deeper coral-like hue (which is strangely similar in colour to the MUS blush).

My winner for the colour round has to be Rimmel. The plum shade of Clinique isn't actually very pigmented, it required a good scratch to the surface for my brush to pick up any colour. MUA on the other hand is too pigmented, it's far too easy to apply the colour in a clown like manner, even with the lightest of hands. I also find the colour too a bit too dark for my pale skin. Coral shades really don't work for my vampire-esque colouring!

Application

I applied each of these blushes with a fairly large and fluffy blusher brush - simple you might cry! However I found this not to be so simple, as you may expect. The first blush I tried to apply was Clinique. Tried being the operative word. As I mentioned in the last round, this blusher is harder than the Rainbow Road Mario Cart track (read: very hard). Try as I might, my brush just wouldn't pick up any colour. This made application rather difficult! I managed to swatch it reasonably well using my fingers on my hand, but I really don't fancy applying my blusher with my fingers, so that's a no no.

Rimmel applied with a light but buildable colour. I found it was easy to apply quite a lot of product without looking like a circus performer, so I can see why I hit the pan so soon, I'll have to cut down on my usage!

MUA however actually disappointed me (aww no!). The application was so difficult because the product is so pigmented. I don't know whether a different brush would help (which picked up less of the blush), but I'm finding it nigh impossible to apply without looking ridiculous. Sorry MUA! I love that it's so pigmented though, because you really don't need much for intense colour, it's just a shame that the colour is so intense!

Rimmel again, is my winner! Can you see a pattern emerging here?

Price

Price is a round that always plays in MUA's favour in these FIGHT! posts! For only £1 you get an amazingly pigmented product (which unfortunately didn't agree with me, but alas). This is obviously much cheaper than the £5.19 of the Rimmel (at Boots) or the £19 of the Clinique (also at Boots). 

Final rankings

3rd- Clinique.

2nd- MUA.

1st- Rimmel.

All for, as I'm sure you can tell, obvious reasons. Even though MUA provides the cheapest and most pigmented product, an extra £4 gives you the lovely Rimmel - a gorgeous colour and perfect application. Clinique really needs to up its game to keep the high end status it has achieved. 

Did you enjoy this FIGHT! post? Let me know if there are any product combinations you'd like to see put head to head in the make-up arena!

Sara xx

p.s - don't forget to enter my GIVEAWAY!

WANTED: my bag for sixth form

Just a short little Sunday post today.
Here is the bag I'm after for Sixth Form, it's proving harder than I expected to get my hands on since I saw it in NEXT a few weeks back.

So, if anybody has seen the lesser-spotted birdy NEXT bag - please let me know! Apparently it was featured in the Summer Catalogue, but I've yet to see it online other than on ebay for twice the RRP! (Which, incidentally, is £28).

Please help, if you can. It'd make a young girl very happy!

Thank you!

Sara xx

100 FOLLOWERS GIVEAWAY!

Sorry this has taken a while (thank you to you 9 lovely followers who've come since I hit the big 1-0-0!) - I've had to wait for all the bits to arrive before I could start the giveaway - I realise I should have probably planned it in advance, but I never dreamt that my baby blog reach 10 followers, let alone 100! I realise that everybody says this, but it's true! I expected to just be like the crazy cat woman, discussing fashion and beauty with myself in a corner! The world of style blogs has been so welcoming to me and my rambling posts, and you all have no idea how much I appreciate your support!

SO.. I wanted to thank you all by hosting a little giveaway - I know it's not much, but I just wanted to give a little back to all you lovely people who read my blog!

Drumroll please..

The prizes are:

- Looking For Alaska by John Green - one of my all time favourite books (I reviewed it in this post - this is a new copy, don't worry)
- A range of The Body Shop body lotions - in all my favourite scents (Strawberry, Mango and White Musk - mmmm!)
- Some Ted Baker goodies (these smell amazing!)
- Some friendship bracelets from H&M, because y'know.. we should hang out ;)
- A lovely handwritten card from me!
- Whatever else catches my eye in the next three weeks!

How to enter:

For 1 entry (everything here is compulsory):


1. Follow my blog via GFC!
2. Comment on this post with your name, your GFC name and an email address I can contact you at.
3. Cross your fingers and wait!

Extra entries, I hear you cry!

For 1 extra entry: Follow me on Twitter here and tweet this: '@shuttershimmer is having a giveaway at http://shuttershimmer.blogspot.com/ - go and try your luck!' or words to that effect, making sure to include a link to my blog (or this post) and to mention me in the tweet! Then add your Twitter name to your comment on this post, and a link to your tweet.

For 2 extra entries: Blog about this giveaway, using the picture at the top of the post and a link to this blog post. Then link me to the post ( I'll make sure to check out your blog too!) in your entry.

Also for 2 extra entries: Add my giveaway to your sidebar, with the picture above and a link to this post, then link me to your blog!

If you do all of the above you will have 6 entries to my first giveaway!

Rules:
- I will ship internationally but won't be held responsible for any custom charges, so enter at your own risk!
- Entries without a name or email address, or by anybody who doesn't follow my blog are void.
- If you're the lucky winner you must respond within 48 hours of me emailing you, otherwise I will pick another winner.


Giveaway ends on FRIDAY 9TH SEPTEMBER - 3 weeks! So get your entries in before then!


Thank you all again for your support!

Good luck!

Sara xxx

OOTD - 18.08.11

Shirt - ASOS

Shorts - H&M

I've had these shorts for a few months now, bit have never worn them because a). They look awful without a tan, and b). I've never found anything that actually goes with them until this shirt arrived!

The shirt is technically for Sixth Form (next Sixth Form outfit coming soon!), but I just thought it was so cute with this outfit!

What do you think? :)

Sara xx

Back to Sixth Form - Outfit 1.

Here's potential outfit one for Sixth Form. I teamed a simple, but gorgeous little black dress (from the lovely Laura over at Through The Eyes Of Laura) with a studded belt and a birdcage necklace.

I think that this would be perfect teamed with a blazer and some cute pumps such as the ones below from Topshop.

Topshop - £22

What do you think?

Sara xx