Rimmel Apocalips Lip Lacquer in Luna | Review and Swatches

I'll be the first to admit I'm not one of those girls that has a deep obsession with lip products, but after seeing the Rimmel Apocalips lip lacquers plastered all over my blog feed I just had to try them. I actually firstly bought Celestial but my friend lost it after I'd only worn it once (I haven't forgotten Becca!), but I'd actually always had my eye on Luna, I just wasn't sure if it would be too bright for me, and how wrong I was. Luna's peachy coral colour compliments my skin tone perfectly, and although it is quite an out there shade, I feel like I can wear this as an everyday lip without feeling too over the top. It's such a perfect shade for the Spring and Summer months as well, the perfect pairing for a floral dress and sunglasses.

The lip lacquers are effectively a liquid lipstick, that glides on effortlessly, giving a gorgeous, and slightly glossy but natural finish. The dipped shape of the applicator, means that the most product is applied to the center of the lips, a god send for an amateur lipstick applicator like me, saving me from getting it all over my face. Impressively, Apocalips last with a glossy finish for around two hours, and then leave a lovely stain to the lips lasting for around a further three hours. However I do think that the lasting power does depend on the shade, although Luna does last for a great length of time, brighter shades from the range like Big Bang (orangey red) and Apocaliptic (blue based fuchsia) would last longer and leave a deeper stain on the lips.

As a light shade, I have found that Luna does pick up on chapped lips, but nothing so severe that it can't be fixed with a quick sweep of lip balm before application. I'm so happy I took the plunge and left my comfort zone when it comes to lip colour, Rimmel Apocalips really are worth the hype. Now I just need to decide which shade I'm going to buy next!

Have you tried the Rimmel Apocalips, do you think they live up to the hype?

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Aqua Green Glitter Nails | Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine in Greenberry

BREAKING NEWS! We can report that Charlotte is still alive. Er, hi guys, it's been a while hasn't it. Almost a whole two months in fact, oops. I've had a lot going on in my personal life, some things I can share with you, and others which are a little too personal for the entire internet to know. I'll probably do an update post at some point. Anyway, the good news is that I'm back and heavily armed with blog content. I've missed you! 

It's hardly a surprise that I'm diving straight back in with a nail post, I just love nail polish. After seeing the massive hype sweeping my GFC bloglovin' feed (cheeky) that is the Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine nail polishes, I couldn't resist, but then again I can never resist a nail polish. I instantly knew Greenberry was the colour for me, it became love at first application, and a perfect colour for the impending summer months... if they ever arrive. I just want to wack out my shades, coral lipstick and hear the sounds of the ice cream van! With my massive adoration for Models Own polishes, I had to add a coat of the hugely coveted holographic glitter Juicy Jules, it looks amazing when my nails catch the light - even more reason for the sun to come out.

However, as much as I loved the colour, I wasn't so impressed with the formula, and it's a real shame. I agree, it does live up to the label of 'hi-shine', but when it comes to the lasting factor, I found mine to be chipped after one day of wear - not impressed. But, I have to be honest, I'm willing to put up with this annoying element because the colour certainly makes up for it. It took two coats to achieve a glossy finish, but I reckon you could actually get away with one, I should also add it took a pretty long while to dry.

I'm glad I tried this polish out, and it didn't break the bank at £3.99, but I have been left a little disappointed by the lack of longevity. I'll still be using this polish a lot though, it's just such a beautiful colour. I guess I'll just have to hunt out a seriously strong top coat! I hope you're all well, I'm sure I'll be back soon.

Have you tried the BarryM Gelly Hi-Shine polishes?

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25 Completely Utterly Totally Random Facts About Me

Another random facts post, I couldn't help but jump on the bandwagon currently taking the blogging world by storm. I sometimes feel I don't put out my full personality in my blog, so I love doing a few personal posts or tags here and there. I hope you find these interesting, I've loved reading other peoples!

1. I've never broken a bone or been stung by a wasp or bee
2. I sucked my thumb until the age of eleven
3. I've applied to study Communications and Media at university, with hope of someday breaking into the world of PR or Marketing - I reaaaally want to go to the University of Leeds. I changed my mind about what I wanted to study at university six times, finally returning to the course I wanted to study in the first place
4. One of my relatives invented the lawnmower
5. I'm in my third year of studying A Levels, otherwise known as Year 14, I also moved to a new college where I'm currently studying Sociology and History A Levels, having already achieved an A in Media Studies and a B in English Language and Literature
6. My most played song on iTunes is Latch (feat. Sam Smith) by Disclosure
7. Last summer I spent three weeks in Poland teaching English to five to ten year olds, it was an interesting but very fun experience. We had past criminals staying in the hotel room next door (DODGY) and they ran into my room when I was in nothing but a towel shouting 'Police! Hide us!' it was a very awkward situation
8. I absolutely love going to gigs, my favourites have been Foster the People, Friendly Fires, and Example. I was very lucky to get tickets to BBC Radio 1's Hackney Weekend last Summer
9. I only flew for the first time in Summer 2011 when I went to Spain and I absolutely loved it
10. I rarely get more than six hours sleep a night and most nights I stay up until 4am, I prefer the night time
11. I have a scratch away world map on my wall, surrounded with tickets and postcards from my travels
12. I have really really weird dreams and lots feature the apocalypse, zombie and alien invasions
13. I've been using a £10 Samsung phone for two years because I'm so stubborn about getting an iPhone
14. I've lived in the same town, same house and until two years ago the same bedroom my entire life
15. I went through Winter with only dolly shoes, I'm a very fussy person when it comes to shoes
16. I'm a complete social media geek and addict and spend faaar too much time watching Youtube videos
17. I was selected by Channel 4 to attend a Music Journalism workshop, it was awesome
18. I literally leave everything to the last minute, but somehow tend to always 'pull it out of the bag'
19. I hate going places by myself, I always feel very awkward. I'm hoping university will change this
20. I went to Disneyland Paris when I was six and got separated from my entire family, I ended up going to the lost children's place and watching French Disney films and drawing until they found me
21. Last February I was lucky enough to go to Los Angeles with my school Media department. I met Mumford and Sons in LAX airport, saw Jessie J, Gwen Stefani, Bradley Walsh (hahaha) the producer of The Big Bang Theory and one of my teachers saw David Guetta
22. I haven't had my hair cut since last April, the longest I've ever left it I wear my hair down every single day
23. My first crushes were Leonardo Dicaprio and Zack from Saved By The Bell
24. I had an unhealthy obsession with the film Titanic when I was younger, and I'd always turn the television round during the car scene so I wouldn't get embarrassed watching it in front of my parents
25. I love watching documentaries, I highly recommend Louis Theroux and Michael Moore

Link me if you've done a facts post as well!

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#3 What Did I Buy This Month? - January

If I were to sum January up in one word, it would be... stressful. I had a bit of a meltdown at the start and pretty much just gave up on things, something that seems to happen to me a lot. I need change, this change hopefully being university in September. I've started to receive offers from universities, so far from the University of Nottingham, Newcastle University, and Bournemouth University, but I know there's only one university I really want to go to. Please have your fingers, eyes, heart, toes, arms and anything else that you can possibly cross for me guys! On a more positive note, I had great fun in London for my best bud Allie's birthday at the Ice Bar, I highly recommend checking it out if you haven't been before.

Eylure Naturalite Lashes 107: I have to admit, I've only worn fake eyelashes a couple of times, and I'm completely useless at applying them myself, but I really want to teach myself so I invested in some.
Simple Soothing Facial Toner: A re-purchase, all that I need from a toner.
La Roche-Possay Effaclar Duo: Wow, this product has received a huge amount of attention across blogs and Youtube recently. I've had problem skin for a long time and couldn't resist giving this a go.
Soap & Glory Supercat Eyeliner Pen: Another product that's been praised by bloggers, I really wasn't getting on with my gel eyeliner so it was the perfect opportunity to buy and try.

Q&A A Day Five Year Journal: After seeing this unique diary over on Sophia's blog I just had to get myself one. I love the idea of looking back on my answers after five years and seeing how much I've grown and changed as a person. I thought I would be perfect for the next five years especially as I'm finishing A Levels, going to university and will then be in the big wide world.
Jillian Michaels The Collection: If you've read my 2013 blogging, beauty and lifestyle resolutions post you will know that one was to get fit and lose some weight. I've never really fancied the idea of going to the gym or going for a run, I'm a little too self conscious to exercise in public so workout DVD's seemed to be the next best option. The 30 Day Shred is a killer, I wanted to kill Jillian.

New Look Brown Double Buckle Ankle Boots: Having really awkward shaped feet, and a very fussy mindset when it comes to shoes resulted in me spending the whole of Autumn and Winter in dolly shoes. I finally found this pair on a trip to London, I love the simple design and they were a bargain at £19.99.

I'm hoping February will be a better month than January. I've been trying very hard to motivate myself to get back on track with college, and it's working so far. I just need to remember it's only four months until the summer, and then I have fourteen weeks of freedom to look forward to and university at the end of it!

What have you treated yourself to this month?

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Wishlist: River Island Bags

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

Whilst I was wishing my time away during a five hour free between lessons the other day, I found myself in River Island. Yes, I may have accidently fallen into River Island, where I was met with a wall of beautiful bags. I was tempted, I won't lie, but my self-constraint and lack of funds stopped me (damn you). So instead, I found myself on the River Island website staring at these lovelies and writing a blog post about them. I guess that's as far as it's going to go... for now. However, it is definitely time I treated myself to a new bag, but I suppose I should find myself a job first. By the looks of things, I seem to be favouring beige at the moment.

Which of these do you like?

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NOTD: Models Own Beths Blue and Juicy Jules

Wow, it's been a while since I did a NOTD post. It's not that I haven't been painting my nails recently, I just always forget to photograph them (blogger problems). I haven't really been into nail art much either, so my nails haven't been the most interesting. It's no secret that I love Models Own polishes, and I've been loving this combo, the cornflower blue tones of Beths Blue look gorgeous with the holographic glitter in Juicy Jules. Please excuse my random short nail, it broke the other day, and It was a very sad day indeed.

LOOK HOW PRETTY IT IS! These colour's are great for anytime of the year, but I'll be wearing Beths Blue throughout Spring especially. I love Juicy Jules because it can jazz up any manicure, and I always get compliments on my nails when I'm wearing it, I also find my manicure seems to lasts longer. So, quite obviously the love affair with Models Own isn't over, I have almost bought every colour I like though. I don't know what I'll do after. I suppose they'll just have to keep creating new shades, I won't be complaining!

Would you like to see a post about my nail polish collection? 

What have you been wearing on your nails recently?

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Tag: Goodbye 2012

I bet you're thinking 'oh no not another 2012 related post!' (so last year) and yes I have to admit I'm starting to get to that point as well, but I saw this tag over on Rachael's blog and I loved the idea. I haven't really properly had a think about last year, so this tag will definitely bring some memories and feelings back.

What did you do in 2012 that you'd never done before?
I ventured out of Europe for the first time, I went abroad with no adults, bought alcohol, went clubbing, and probably plenty of other things that I can't remember!

Did you keep your new years resolutions, will you make more for 2013?
I guess to an extent I did. I can't remember any specific ones I made in 2011, but I know a generic one for me is always to lose weight, and that I did. I ended up losing around 3/4 of a stone last year. I've made a post with my new and crazy resolutions here.

Which date from 2012 will remain etched upon your memory?
I literally can't think of one. Maybe my 18th birthday, I spent it in Poland and it was a pretty awesome night!

Which countries did you visit?
I was luckily enough to visit Los Angeles in the USA, and also Poland (still a post to come at some point).

What would you like to have in 2013, that you lacked in 2012?
More self discipline, motivation, and money. An iPhone would be rather fab too.

What was your biggest failure?
A failure that I keep making year on year is my self discipline when it comes to school. I left all my revision to the literal last minute, and all my first drafts of my coursework were handed in the day it was being marked and sent to the exam board. I put myself through hell.

Did you suffer illness or injury?
I was very lucky and didn't even suffer a sickness bug, just the usual common cold.

What was the best thing you bought?
I largely extended my nail varnish and make-up collection. I didn't buy anything too extravagant.

What did you get really really excited about?
My trip to Los Angeles. I'd spent four years knowing I was going and getting very excited, so it was amazing when it finally happened. It felt so surreal.

What song will always remind you of 2012?
There's quite a few! Pumped Up Kicks by Foster The People, Sweet Disposition by The Temper Trap, What Makes You Beautiful by One Direction (guilty pleasure), We Found Love by Rihanna. There's so many songs that trigger memories of 2012, but I'll stop there.

What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned the glorious alcohol-inducing age of 18. I was actually in Poland for my birthday, and ended up going to a beach, a shopping center, the beautiful city of Gdansk (never seen anywhere else like it), and then spent the evening at a music festival in a park opposite our hotel getting hideously drunk. There was also fireworks dead on midnight which was a pretty special end to my birthday.

Compared to this time last year, are you sadder or happier?
I guess a bit of both depending on the aspect of my life. I had more money this time last year, I hadn't hit the stressful and pretty serious patch at school, I had more of a social life, and every one of my close friends were still around rather than being at university.

Thinner or fatter?
I'm proud to say I'm thinner, lets hope I can say the same next year.

Richer or poorer?
Definitely poorer, I need a job again. It's not just the money I miss, but the independence that comes with it.

What do you wish you'd done more of?
School work by the deadline, less feeling sorry for myself, spending more time with my friends, and exercise.

Who were your best friends?
It changed from the start of the year to the end. I've lost touch and drifted with some people, but I'm happy to say I'm back talking to some of them and rebuilding friendships. 2013 should be a good year! I have a lovely group of amazing best friends, they know who they are.

What were your favourite TV programmes?
The Vampire Diaries, 90210, Gossip Girl, New Girl, Take Me Out, also agree with Rachael about Cherry Healy's documentaries! I also watched a lot of Louis Theroux documentaries online.

What was the best book you read?
The Hunger Games. I absolutely adored it, and managed to read it in under 24 hours. I was actually on holiday and took it out to a restaurant and read it under the table because I literally couldn't put it down!

What was your favourite film of the year?
Not exactly a new film, but I loved going to watch the re-release of Titanic at the cinema. It's always been one of my favourite films, so it amazing to see it on the big screen.

What did you want and get?
Somehow I managed to get pretty decent A Level results, still to this day I don't understand how I actually pulled it out of the bag so last minute. I don't think my teachers really understand how either!

What did you want and not get?
A size 8 figure, and clear skin. I can dream!

What one thing would of made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
A holiday with my friends, going to university, losing weight, having more money. Oh.. that wasn't one thing.

What kept you sane?
My bed, my friends, my family, chocolate, alcohol, and my blog.

Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Henry Cavill. That man is just the epitome of sexiness. Be mine.

Who did you miss?
Nearer the end of the year, I missed all my friends that left to go to university. It didn't help that I was majorly jealous that they'd left the boring town we live in for more exciting cities!

Tell us a valuable life lesson you learnt in 2012.
It's natural and part of growing up to lose touch with people, to think about what I want from life rather than thinking about what other people want from me all the time, and that I will eventually get to where I want to be, its just taking me a tiny bit longer.

Well that's definitely made me think a lot harder about 2012, it was a pretty up and down year full of stressful times but amazing experiences as well. I tag anyone who wants to do this!

What was your favourite memory from 2012?

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