Make Up- Carnival by Seventeen

I love nail polish but I hardly ever wear it, my day to day grind of activities means that any polish I can afford gets chipped, scratched or dented within a few hours and it just isn't worth the bother. However last month one of my friends recommended that I try out some of the Carnival range of nail polishes by Seventeen at Boots.

This shade is called Deep Red Sparkle, it comes in a 10ml bottle and costs £1.99. My first impression is fairly positive, I've had it on my nails for 24 hours and so far it has not chipped though I do seem to have a scratch on one of my nails, but that's still a lot better than my old polish!

The polish doesn't actually 'sparkle' as advertised which is disappointing as it looks more shimmery and glittery in the bottle than it does on my nails.

Make Up- Stargazer Turquoise & Blue Review

I ordered a bunch of make up from Stargazer as I have never used their products before but know they don't test on animals so I want to see how they perform. Please note I am not being paid or sponsored in any way by Stargazer for this post, this is just an honest review of some of their products.

Turquoise Lipstick- 4/5

This lipstick is pretty eye-catching but it does need to be applied fairly thickly to get a nice even colour. Once it's on though it is fairly hard wearing, it does rub off slightly while eating and drinking but that can be solved easily with a lipstick sealer. 

Liquid Eyeliner- 5/5

I am really impressed with this eyeliner! It lasted for 10 hours without any kind of sealant and only suffered a tiny amount of smudging along the crease of my eye during this time. (And by tiny I really do mean less than 10% of it smudged.) The applicator brush allows for intricate patterns like the one below and you get a lot of eyeliner in the tube for your money. 

This liner looks pale when it's first applied but it does darken as it dries. It's colour is also more of a greenish-turquoise rather than a blue turquoise. 

Turquoise Mascara- 2/5

I think this product would work well for people with naturally light eyelashes (ie: blondes and red heads) but for brunettes it just isn't strong enough. I had to apply 3 layers of mascara just to get the level of colour in the photo below and as you can see it doesn't really stand out. I would like to try this out again later with a base layer of white mascara first to see if it is any better. 

Blue Eyeshadow- 3/5

This eyeshadow is ok, not great but not terrible either. I had to apply two layers to get a nice colour build up but once the colour is there it is a lovely true blue shade. It didn't last as well as the eyeliner and after 4-5 hours it had worn off along the crease of my eye and needed to be re-applied.  

Make Up- How to Make Lip Balm

A couple of years ago I experimented with making my own lip balm and although I still buy the occasional lipstick I have to say that I haven't bought a new lip balm since learning to make my own. There really is no comparison, I found shop bought lip balm had to be applied between 3 to 5 times a day, and when I stopped using it I had a maximum of 2 days before my lips started cracking and splitting in cold weather. However with my homemade stuff I never have to apply it more than twice a day and if I stop using it I have 3 or 4 days before my lips start to crack.

Having made my own lip balm I'll never buy it from a shop again, this stuff is amazing!

Before we start please note- My body is not your body. I do not know what allergies or reactions you may have to the ingredients I have used. Please be sensible and always test them first.

Things you will need-

• Beeswax
• Linseed Oil (also known as Flaxseed Oil)
• Vanilla Extract (optional)
• Small sized pot
• Medium sized pot
• Cosmetic lip balm pots
• Scales
• Small spoon

First you need to weigh out your ingredients. If you like solid lip balms I suggest a ratio of 40:60 beeswax to linseed oil. If however you prefer softer lip balms try a 30:70 mix instead. To fill up five small cosmetic pots I used 12g of wax and 18g of oil.

When melting wax it's important to always heat it indirectly otherwise it will burn. Fill the medium sized pot with water and heat it up to a gentle simmer. Place the smaller pot inside the medium sized pot and add the beeswax. 

Once the beeswax has fully melted add the linseed oil and stir it thoroughly. Add a few drops of vanilla extract for flavour (if you wish) and thoroughly stir again. You don't have to add any flavouring but linseed oil has an unusual flavour so you may prefer something more familiar. It's not bad but it is strange. The best way I can think it put it is there's nothing wrong with the flavour of potato but no one sells potato flavours lip balm!

Remove the mixture from the heat and while it is still hot carefully spoon it into your cosmetic pots and allow it to cool completely.

My one small pot of lip balm has lasted me almost two years now without going bad or losing its effectiveness. And in case you're wondering these also cost less to make from scratch than they do buying ready made from a shop.