I'm back & A Catch up

Hi everybody - I'm back! It's been ages since my last post, in fact it was last April - I used to blog almost every day but slowly lost interest, especially as I didn't seem to have as much time anymore to take photos, prepare posts, read and comment other blogs and so on. However, I recently really got back into beauty blogs (to be fair, I never stopped reading them), I started buying and using more make up and nail polishes again aaand I also really enjoy watching Youtube videos of my favourite bloggers now! It all reminded me of how much I enjoyed blogging so here I am again - I probably won't be able to whip up a new post every day but I'll try my best to blog fairly frequently and you never know, I might even do a video every now and then? :) I also want to change the design of my blog as soon as I have time and come up with something nice!
Anyway, a LOT has happened since my last post back in April - here are some instagram photos (@monaarndt if you want to follow me!) from the last few months and a short summary of what's been happening in my life: spent a month in Germany with my family and friends, went on holiday to Austria and Croatia, started University in September (I'm studying Civil Engineering) where I met lots of new people, me and Kev moved into a new flat right in the city centre, I turned 21, sat my first uni exams, we spent Christmas in Germany with my family and had an amazing New Year's party back in Edinburgh. I enjoyed 2012 a lot but hopefully 2013 will be even better!

No7 False Lashes '40 Intense Volume'

I'm a big fan of fake lashes but I'm rubbish at applying them which is why I only ever use them for nights out. I usually stick to Eylure lashes as they come in a wide range of styles, they're affordable and the quality is brilliant - I especially like the Girls Aloud range! However, I had a couple of £5 No7 vouchers from Boots left during the last event and I randomly picked up a few products, including these pretty falsies. No7 false lashes retail at £7.50 which I find a little pricey but they are a bargain and worth a try at £2.50 if you have a No7 voucher!
I love the look of these falsies - they are long and voluminous which is great for a night out but to my surprise, they are natural enough to wear them in the daytime too! Application was - even for me - really easy and they are comfortable to wear. I'm quite impressed with the quality too, I've worn these a couple of times now and they still look and feel like new! However, the glue that comes with these lashes is rubbish - I threw it out after a few tries as it does not stick at all. I've been using my Eylure lash adhesive instead which works brilliantly and lasts all day without having to worry that my lashes might fall off! All in all, I do really like these falsies as they're easy to wear and look beautiful but I wouldn't buy them at full price - and I would definitely recommend using a different type of glue! xx

Instagram Updates #5

Nails, tea and biscuits, new top, fav breakfast, Kindle arrived!, loving my Kindle, outfit, dominos, bowling, new Kindle case from etsy, rainbow, Skrillex at the Corn Exchange, trip to ikea, new picture frames, healthy lunch, nail stuff, milka with smarties, clouds over Edinburgh, fav frink, face, Innocent smoothie, new Yankee Candles, drinks, doing my nails, view!

NOTD: Strawberry Ice Cream Flakies

Hello lovelies! Today I'm wearing one of my favourite nail polishes, Barry M 'Strawberry Ice Cream', and a stunning flakie top coat from Essence called 'Night In Vegas'. I'm a huge fan of flakies but they are quite hard to get in the UK, especially since Gosh discountinued their 'Rainbow' polish - and unfortunately my bottle is now pretty much empty! However, during my last visit to Germany I spotted a few new additions to Essence's Nail Art Special Effect Toppers range, including 'Night In Vegas' which seems like a great dupe for Gosh 'Rainbow'. I picked up a bottle right away (for only 1.80€!) and I'm in love with it, it's super pretty layered over dark polishes (that's when flakies show their full potential) but I also really enjoy topping light, pastel polishes with it. Layering it over a baby pink polish the flakies shimmer in blue, purple and gold which I think is beautiful! What are you wearing on your nails at the moment? xx

Revlon Lip Butter 'Sweet Tart'

Revlon's much anticipated Colorburst Lip Butters have finally arrived in the UK!
I popped into Boots on my way home from work a few days ago to check them out but unfortunately they only had a couple of shades left. I've been looking at a lot of swatches online and I instantly knew that I would have to get my hands on Sweet Tart - luckily it was still in stock and quickly went into my shopping basket. I managed to behave myself and only buy one of these little beauties but after using it for two days I am certain that a few more shades will follow very soon!
Basically, Revlon Lip Butters are a lipstick/lipbalm hybrid - they are moisturising and lightweight like a balm but have the colour payoff and staying power of a (sheer) lipstick.  And they are definitely not like your average 'tinted lipbalm'! I was really surprised at how pigmented they actually are, the colour payoff beats that of a lot of my sheer lipsticks, like Dior Addict or 17 Mirror Shine lipsticks. I also love how moisturising they are and how soft and smooth they make my lips feel. Yet, you hardly notice that you are wearing anything as they are super lightweight and non-sticky. Staying power on these is brilliant too; I was wearing Sweet Tart all day yesterday and today and only had to touch up approximately every three hours!
I'm a sucker for pink lipsticks so it's probably not surprising that the shade I picked up is Sweet Tart, a bright medium pink which looks slightly cool toned on my lips. It's super shiny and glossy and doesn't contain any glitter particles. I absolutely love this shade, it's quite bright and interesting yet very easy to wear and perfect for summer - I can definitely see myself reaching for Sweet Tart a lot!
All in all, I can definitely recommend Revlon's Lip Butters as they are the perfect lip product hybrid, and I simply can't fault them. You get the benefits of both lipstick and balm, there's wide range of shades to choose from, the packaging is very pretty and sturdy and £7.99 seems like a fair price for me! Thumbs up! xx

NOTD: Minty Green Tips

Hi lovelies! Sorry it's been so quiet here over the past few days - I've worked pretty much nonstop since I came back from my holidays, but I should have a bit more time again now to show and review all the lovely things (both beauty products and clothes) I bought recently, I've also got a few recipes I need to share with you andjust generally catch up with everything! :)
So for now, I'm going to show you a really easy manicure I did a wee while ago when I was a bit short of time before a night out - I wanted to use my new Essence Colour&Go polish called 'Viva La Green' and I reckoned that only painting my tips would take less time to dry.. Anyway, I did like this manicure a lot, it's very simple but pretty and so quick to do! Viva La Green is a lovely mint green polish, it applies easily and dries super quick. I'm really impressed with Essence's nail polishes, they've improved a lot over the last few years and they're such bargains - the small Colour&Go polishes retail at 1.25€ (approx. £1) and come in a huge variety of shades! Do you own any Essence polishes?
PS: Excuse the tipwear, the pictures were taken three days after painting my nails! xx

New In: Beauty Shopping in Germany

 Essence Better Than Gel Nails Top Sealer / Essence Special Effect Topper / Essence Colour&Go Polish 'Viva La Green' / p2 Last Forever Polish 'Flirt With Me'

 p2 Spring Please Blush (LE)

 Gliss Kur Hair Repair Oil

 MaxFactor False Lash Effect Mascara and free Lash Extension Effect Mascara / Catrice Infinite Matt Foundation

Essence Eyeshadow Brush / Catrice Eyeliner Brush