Essie: Watermelon

Taking the photographs for this blog post has definitely got me in a summery mood! Spring can now move over and make way for summery brights, ice creams and sunshine!

I picked up Essie's Watermelon on one of my blogging trips to London last year and have only worn it several times so far. It's quite a bright shade, that I only tend to bring out when the sun in shining or if I'm feeling ill and need a little pick me up.

Colour-wise, in the bottle it looks like a standard deep pink polish but as you can see from the photographs I have taken it actually applies slightly orangey/red (obviously try to think of the inside of a watermelon!). 

Application is the same for all Essie polishes I have tried, it's fairly thick and you can definitely achieve the perfect mani with just two coats. I always give mine a spray with the Elegant Touch Rapid Dry Spray  after to make sure it doesn't smudge or chip.

I would definitely recommend this polish if you like pinky/reds but if you're after the colour that you see in the bottle then you might be slightly disappointed.

Do you have Watermelon in your Essie collection? 

What do you think to the colour?

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May Favourites

Can you believe that next month we will be half way through the year? It only feels like five minutes ago I was organising my work Secret Santa and madly dancing round the room to Christmas songs. I'm even still using my Philosophy Granny's Apple Pie Shower Gel and Lush Snow Fairy Shower Gel which always make me feel Christmassy - anyway...onto this month's favourite products!

I finally managed to track down Essie's Truth or Flare polish after Lily Pebbles mentioned it on her blog at the beginning of April and of course Boots were having their famous 3 for 2 offer at the time so I couldn't resist picking up some extra goodies too which is how L'Oreal's Butterfly Lash Mascara and No7 Eyelash Curlers have made it into my favourites this month too. Somehow, when we moved last year I managed to lose my eyelash curlers, how, I have no idea. We definitely removed everything from our previous flat but somehow they never made it to the next one! I didn't actually miss having a pair until I purchased Benefit's They're Real Mascara as I thought my eyes would look even better with curled lashes which is when I realised I'd lost them. I've been switching between both mascaras this month but I think L'Oreal's offering just pips Benefit's as I don't end up getting it all over my face each time I use it!

I've taken a break from palettes this month and have been getting a lot of wear from MAC's Naked Lunch eyeshadow. I won this in a blog competition at the end of last year but because I've been using my Naked palettes so much it ended up being a little bit forgotten. It's the perfect neutral shade to wear to work and dress up. If you want to see a more in depth review of my thoughts on it, I actually did a full blog post on it, which you can read here.

Finally, I've been testing out Clinique's 3 step cleansing system. I bought this back in February on my trip to Meadowhall Shopping Centre and have really loved the results so far. I've been using it quite sparingly so it's lasted me longer than the months supply it says on the box so I think I will purchase another trial pack once this one is finished so I can save a few pennies!

What have been your favourite products this month?

Have you tried any of the products I've featured?

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Review | Ole Henrikson Sheer Transformation Facial Moisturiser

At the beginning of this year I set myself a few goals and one of those has been to get my skin sorted. So far this year I have dedicated several posts to new skincare discoveries and today I have another little gem for you. I was recently contacted by the lovely people at Beauty Expert to ask if I would be interested in trying out the Sheer Transformation Facial Moisturiser* from the new Ole Henriksen range.

Ole Henriksen is a brand dedicated to creating products that deliver results which are achieved by adopting six key principles, dedication, stimulation, hydration, age defense, pampering and being cruelty free. It was developed by Ole after his own encounter with acne as a young man. His experience made him determined to create products that showed visible results and fueled his passion to educate others in the transformational powers of skincare.

Sheer Transformation is a lightweight, oil free facial moisturiser which is suitable for all types of skin. It has a silky consistency and melts onto the face and neck when applied. It also doesn't take long to dry which is perfect for when I'm rushing around in the morning getting ready! I was sent the 0.5fl.oz size which has lasted me several weeks so far and I have been using it morning and night although I mainly focus on my face rather than my neck.

Since starting to use this product, my skin has been feeling more plump and revitalised. I've also noticed a reduction in the dark circles I get underneath my eyes, so I'm very pleased about that! The blend of sandalwood, geranium, and chamomile soothes the skin and leaves it looking fresh and healthy.

With regards to acne issues, since sorting out my skincare routine I have noticed that my skin has cleared up a lot and I was pleased that this product didn't upset my skin or cause any breakouts.

The Ole Henriksen Sheer Transformation Facial Moisturiser is available at Beauty Expert for £52 for 2.5oz.

Have you tried any Ole Henriksen products before?

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Weekly Round Up | 021

This week really seems to have flown by! I can't believe it was over a week ago I met up with some lovely bloggers at the #sotonmeetup. I had a lovely time. I definitely recommend that if you get the opportunity to go to a blog meet up, that you go. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank Alice and Amy again for organising it!

On Sunday I went to a family BBQ and filled myself with burger, chicken (and salad!) My sister also offered to be my model for the afternoon so I could post the first ever OOTD on my blog! The weather was gorgeous (a little different to what it's been like over the past few days in the UK) and I even got a little sunburnt! Oops!

I also got a little surprise this week when I hit 850 Bloglovin followers! I'm really proud of where my blog has come in almost two years now. I'm really hoping that I can reach 1000 followers by my blog's anniversary in August. Just a little heads up that Impatience is a Virtue is now on YouTube! I subscribed a few months ago and posted one video (which has since been removed as I wanted to start again). I'm still undecided as to when I'm going to start making video's at the moment, but I would really appreciate it if you could leave a comment below with the type of videos you like to see!

Also this month, although I haven't advertised it, I've sort of been on a bit of a spending ban. I've really tried to be careful with my money and I can't believe that I've gone the whole month without stepping into a Boots! I'm definitely having some serious nail polish withdrawal! I'm trying my best to save as much money as I can for reasons which will be revealed soon! This week I posted a guide on how to blog on a budget which will hopefully help me write some good quality posts without being too hard on my purse!

Today, I'm going to watch my husband's first home American Football game. It's his first season with The Bournemouth Bobcats. I just hope he stays in one piece! (Sorry Bradley!)

What have you been up to this week?

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Blogging On A Budget

Blogging can sometimes be a bit tight on the ol' purse strings so it's important to stick to a budget you can work with. I thought I would share with you some of the ways I can blog but not break the bank...

Samples

Samples are everywhere, I find that most beauty counters and department stores are willing to give out samples as they want to keep you coming back. Samples are a great way of trying a product without having to splash out the full amount. It gives you a chance of seeing if the product is right for you so either way you are a winner, if you love it you can spend your pennies, if you don't you spend them on something else. 

Voucher Codes

Whenever I shop online I do a quick search to see if there are any promotional vouchers for that website. Sometimes you can get money off, or free delivery and if you're a student you can usually find websites that offer 10% off. As so many products are available on so many different websites, you're almost guaranteed to find at least a little discount.

Points Cards - Boots, Debenhams etc

I love reward cards, I dedicated a whole post to my favourite beauty reward cards recently so I won't ramble on too much about them now. Boots is most definitely my favourite, I usually build up enough points to buy something and then spend them but I've been really good this year and have managed to save some up. I'm not quite sure what I want to spend them on yet but when I've got a craving to spend and no money in my pocket I'm going to whip this out!

Blog Sales

Blog sales are a great way to get products that little bit cheaper. I've definitely been guilty of buying a product and then just not using it. I've only held one blog sale in the past but I sold quite a few products on it. I always check out blog sale posts when they come up on blogs I read, to see if there are any products I'd like to try but not pay full price for - usually there is only a small amount of product gone and you can get some great bargains.

Do you do any of these things? 

Do you set a specific budget for your blog?

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#sotonmeetup | Southampton Bloggers Meet Up

On Saturday I got to spend a lovely day in the sunshine meeting some lovely bloggers in Southampton at the #sotonmeetup. The event was organised by the lovely Alice and Amy who did an absolutely amazing job! The meet up was held at The Orange Rooms in Bedford Place, Southampton so after a lazy morning I jumped on the train and did the 30 minute journey from Bournemouth. Luckily the venue wasn't that far from the station as I had foolishly taken a jacket with me and was a little bit hot although Southampton looked particularly gorgeous in the sunshine!

I arrived a little early and found Alice, Amy and Laura setting up in the Tiki Bar upstairs. I grabbed myself a drink at the bar and when they were finished we sat outside waiting for the others to arrive. There were 22 of us at the event in total, the biggest one I have been to, to date. Out of everyone there, I had only met and spoken to two other bloggers before, Megan and Brogan so it was nice to chat with them and catch up and also meet and chat to some new faces.

After a while, our food was ready, Alice had been super organised and told the venue ahead of time what we were having so we didn't have to wait too long. I chose my standard BBQ burger and chips (my favourite) and sat down with Sophie, Fiona and Jessica and nattered about uni life, men and of course, blogging!

After we had all finished eating there was a little raffle with prizes that had been supplied by local businesses and other companies - unfortunately I wasn't one of the lucky winners but Alice and Amy had worked really hard contacting lots of companies and put together an awesome goody bag for everyone - it was literally full to the brim! My favourite items are the Lush Massage Bar as I have always wanted to try one and an eyeshadow crease brush from e.l.f which I can't wait to try! We drank and chatted for a while after and it was lovely to find out about everyone's blogs - the only disappointing thing was that I couldn't get round to speak to everybody!

After the meet up I met up with my friend Kayleigh and we went for some ice cream at Tooti's Gelato and headed down to the docks as there were four large cruise ships getting ready to set sail. By the time we got there we had missed two but we managed to see the Aurora leave - I had no idea how huge they are!

If you came to the meet up, please leave your link in the comments below!

Have you ever been to a meet up before?

(the top two images in this post were taken by Alice)

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Family BBQ | OOTD

Today I have a special treat for you, an OOTD post! Yesterday, I popped over to my Mum & Dad's house for a family BBQ, the first one of the year (hopefully the first of many as I love BBQ's!) and whilst I was there my beautiful sister Hannah offered to be my model for the afternoon. She is definitely more stylish than me, my "style" is very casual, literally consisting of jeans or jeggings and a basic oversized jumper, but Hannah knows how to put together outfits and stay on trend.

The daisy print is everywhere at the moment and the shorts from Topshop add a little bit of trend without being too in your face. As they are a black print they go with a lot of tops and the white cut out top from New Look compliments it really well.

With the changeable weather in the UK at the moment it's always important to carry a jacket with you. Once the sun goes down it can actually get quite nippy. Hannah is wearing my black faux leather biker-style jacket from La Redoute* as at the moment it's too warm for a full coat. The colour goes with a lot of items we have in both our wardrobes which means it's going to become a bit of a staple for the summer months when the sun goes down. It's got an asymmetric side zip, which creates a flattering silhouette and its quilted with zipped pockets so I can pop my phone, train tickets and essential cards with me without having to worry about carrying a full size bag around with me. If you like the look of this jacket, they also have it in several other colours including camel, navy blue and red and it's currently reduced by 50% making it £27.50!

Model - Hannah

Jacket - La Redoute*

Top -New Look

Daisy shorts - Topshop

Shoes - Topshop

Necklace -H&M

Nails (fingers) - Essie Truth or Flare
Nails (toes) - CND Polish in Cake Pop

What do you think to this OOTD?

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Weekly Round Up | 020

This week I have mostly been thinking that everything and everyone seems to be so much happier when the sun comes out! It's been a glorious weather week down in "Sunny Bournemouth" and although I've been at work, sweating under my lab coat (...attractive!) everyone I've seen or met has definitely been in a better mood. I've enjoyed walking to work this week, strolling casually in the sunshine getting my intake of Vitamin D.

On Tuesday I invited some friends over for pizza and we watched Despicable Me 2, it was the first time I had seen it and I think it was definitely better than the first movie. Yesterday, I attended the #sotonmeetup which was organised by the amazing Alice and Amy at The Orange Rooms in Southampton. I had a great time meeting over twenty other bloggers from around the Hampshire area (there will be more to come on my day in a blog post soon!). After the meet up I met up with my friend Kayleigh and we went down to Southampton Quay to watch the huge cruise ships leave the harbour in the sunshine and sneak in a cheeky ice cream from Tootis!

On the blog this week I have been sharing the contents of my sample stash with you. I used to hate samples as they always got in the way and were unused but since becoming a blogger, I've developed a little bit of an obsession with them and pick them up whenever and wherever I can. I also talked about my top ten products that are all under £10 and shared what my dream dressing table set up would look like. I think a trip to IKEA might be on the cards soon!

What have you been up to this week?

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Top 10 Under £10

The majority of my make up collection is from the drugstore. My favourite place to shop is Boots because they stock most of my favourite brands AND you can collect points on your purchases to spend in store as well. Today I'm writing about my top ten products which are all under £10.

Essie Nail Polishes

I don't think its much of a secret that my favourite nail polish brand is Essie. At £7.99 a bottle they're not cheap (unless you come up trumps on Fragrance Direct and bag some for £2.50 each) but the quality is amazing.

Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation

At £6.99 this is well within the £10 budget and is my favourite drugstore foundation. I recently wrote a post on the Rimmel Match Perfection foundation and the comments I received on it showed that lots of you love it too.

Sleek Blushes

I own two Sleek blushes, Mirrored Pink and Rose Gold. The latter has been described as a dupe for NARS Orgasm blush which I'm yet to get my hands on. These drugstore alternatives are only £4.49 each which are great quality for the price.

Benefit They're Real Mascara Mini

I managed to squeeze this one in here because I bought the mini version instead of full size. This little one was £9.95, just inside budget and has been my everyday mascara for the last few weeks. I haven't quite mastered the art of not getting it everywhere yet but (if you've tried it, you might know what I mean) but it really makes a feature of your eyes and defines them beautifully.

Topshop Blush in Morning Dew

Costing £7 this cream to powder blush is a very purse friendly option to give your cheeks a pop of colour. I love the cute polka dot packaging and inside there is a handy little compact mirror for when you're on the go.

Topshop Nail Polish

Continuing the Topshop theme, I also wanted to include their nail polishes. At £6 each I inititally thought they were a little on the expensive side for a high street shop brand but once I tried one I was hooked and each time I pop in, one always mysteriously ends up in my basket!

Rimmel Stay Matte Powder

A pressed powder which is easy to apply for a fresh faced matte look. I use this everyday over my foundation and have repurchased several times. I've also recently converted my sister to using this and at £3.99 each they're great when you're on a budget.

Real Techniques Brushes

I'm pretty sure ever blogger has at least heard of Real Techniques make up brushes, if they don't own half of them already! I have a fair few in my collection but am still yet to get the blush brush and expert face brush. Most are under £10 in Boots or Superdrug but I recently learned that some of these are available on the Fragrance Direct website with a little money off.

Rimmel Scandaleyes Kohl Eyeliner

I'm pretty sure this costs about £4.49 but I bought it so long ago, I cant remember! I mostly use this with a smokey look on a night out (which shows how long its been since I went on a night out!) It's great for on your waterline to add definition to your eyes.

What do you think to my 10 under £10 picks? Do you use these products yourself?

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My Dream Dressing Table

My current make up set up believe it or not consists of me sitting cross-legged on the floor in front of my full length mirror pulling the contents of my face out of my make up bag one at a time. All my other products that I don't use frequently are stuffed into boxes - not very blogger friendly. Even hubby has said that it's time to sort me out a proper set up and my aim over the next few months is to put together some money to finally purchase my dream make up set up.

So I've been thinking about what I would like to have in my little make up corner and have created a little wish list of products that will help me create my dream dressing table.

Firstly we have the dressing table, I think pretty much every blogger dreams of having the IKEA Malm Dressing Table, it's blogger photography friendly, has a glass top to clean up all the any mess I might make and has handy drawer space underneath where I can store all my unused products.

On top of the dressing table in addition to my No7 make up mirror I'd like to get the IKEA Tysnes Table Mirror, as I'm completely blind without glasses or contact lenses, I need a mirror I can put really close to my face so that I can actually see what I'm doing!

I'm also after a Muji Acrylic 5 Drawer Box, I love that it's clear so I would be able to see what products I have, rather than storing them in boxes and I can get organised and fill each drawer with a different make up product.

Finishing touches I would like to add are a little Ensidig Milk Bottle Vase with some Smycka Flowers in to add a splash of colour. The Smycka flowers are just like the ones I had on my wedding day almost two years ago now. The little pink and green pots are actually candle holders but I would like to use them to store my make up brushes and make up remover pads. Lastly, I'd love to get a pretty, large glass jar that I can fill with all my nail polishes so that I can see them all on my desk.

What do you think to my dream dressing table design?

Do you have one like this yourself?

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Sample Stashing

I love samples, I try to pick them up where ever I can, from shops, out of magazines and beauty counters. It's a great way to try a product without having to splurge on the full size product. I'm pretty sure I must have saved myself a ton of money trying before I buy. I've been building up quite a collection in an old perfume box on my dressing table.

My favourite samples to get are perfume samples and samples of shampoo and conditioner as these are the ones I used most frequently. The perfume sample sizes are the perfect size to throw in your handbag on a night out or if you're popping away for a few days and don't want to take a full size bottle with you. The shampoo and conditioner samples are also great if you're staying in a hotel for a night (obviously one that doesn't provide mini shampoos or conditioners).

I've found that most shops are quite willing to give out sample sizes if you get chatting to the assistants on the counters. The most successful I've been is in Southampton Debenhams where I got five samples of various different perfumes to try when I purchased something from the Urban Decay counter. The shop assistant was lovely and we got chatting for ages!

Another place to get good samples is online, there are some websites that specialise specifically in freebies (although I don't know which sites are trustworthy as I haven't actually used them myself) but when I've placed orders with Benefit and Lush in the past, I've always found a few extra treats in my haul!

How do you feel about samples? 

Do you like them or do you just throw them away?

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Weekly Round Up | 019

I can't believe it's been a week already since my last Weekly Round Up post! Maybe it's the fact that it was a short working week due to Bank Holiday Monday or that my week was split into two normal working days and two late shifts, but it seems to have flown by!

This time last week I had just returned from my day trip to London where I did some sightseeing in the capital. I usually visit London for specific events so it was really nice to amble around a bit and take in some of the sights I wouldn't normally see.

On the blog this week besides chatting about my recent London trip I was given the opportunity to review Save The Blow Dry which has been saving me tonnes of time in the mornings! My friend Michelle also lent me her entire Revlon Spiderman Nail Polish collection to review. I may have tried to sneak Spidey Sense and Gwen's Crush into my stash but she noticed.

I've really been getting into watching YouTube recently, more so than reading blogs. I recently found that I can watch videos on my TV so every evening instead of watching the usual boring stuff that's on, I've been watching tutorials, hauls and GRWM videos! I've been addicted to several channels, including Essie Button, Jaye Rockett and Gh0stparties.

I'm visiting the Christchurch Food and Wine festival today so be on the look out for lots of scrummy looking Instagram pics! (you can follow me on Instagram, my username is @impatienceblog) and a blog post next week! Also keep an eye out for my very first OOTD which is going to be a casual everyday look (I'm by no means fashion conscious at all!).

What have you been up to this week?

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My spidey senses are tingling...

To coincide with the release of the new Amazing Spiderman 2 movie, (which has been out a few weeks now) Revlon have released a limited edition Spiderman nail collection. The collection consists of six shades which have been generously donated to me for review purposes by friend Michelle who, 1 - loves Spiderman and 2, is addicted to nail polish (probably more so than me) which is how I have been able to review the entire collection for you!

As previously mentioned, there are six shades in this collection which are all named with a Spiderman theme, from top to bottom we have, Super Powered - a vibrant metallic blue, 1000 Volts - a gold shimmer, I'm Electro - an iridescent pearly blue/purple, Gwen's Crush - a gorgeous pink, Spidey Sense - a beautiful pinky/red and Electrified Web - a bright orange. All the swatches on the photo above were with two coats of polish which applied evenly with the brush in a few strokes.

I love the attention to detail on the bottles as each one has a web on the brush handle, I always think it's nice to have something a little different on limited edition collections so they they stand out in your own collection.

At £6.49 each it would cost you quite a bit to complete the whole collection but I know these were purchased whilst on a Boots 3 for 2 (as I helped enable the purchase - to be fair, not much persuasion was needed!). My favourite is Spidey Sense and if I was to buy one this would be the shade I'd pick. It's unlike anything else I have in my collection - I wonder if she'll notice if it went missing?

What do you think of this collection? Which one is your favourite?

Would you be tempted to buy a product if it was based on a film you liked?

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London Calling

If you read my Weekly Round Up post this week, you would have seen a few snaps from my recent trip to London. I went with two of my friends, husband & wife duo, Carly & Paul. Bradley was supposed to come along too but due to work, he couldn't make it. 

I was rudely awaken by my alarm at 5am to get up and ready for a 7am coach, we made it into Central London by 9.30am and made our way to Tower Hill to visit The Tower of London. We had a guided tour of the Tower by a Yeoman Guard who was very informative about The Tower, beheadings and The Crown Jewels (which were beautiful - but you couldn't take photos, you will just have to take my word for it!).

Afterwards we jumped on the tube to Leicester Square to take a wander round M&M world. I couldn't resist filling up a bag full of pink peanut M&M's which went down very nicely on the way home! I wish I had picked up the M&M dressed as a guard - he looks so cute in his little busby hat!

We ended up at The Diner just off Carnaby Street for lunch where I scoffed a BBQ Chicken Burger (obviously), fries and a Snickers Shake. I definitely didn't need anything else to eat after that. I also dragged them both to Zest so I could grab some more Bioderma and was very impressed I was able to find it myself as I've only ever been with bloggers that have known the way before!

A walk was required after all that food so we took the tube to Green Park to wander through the park before reaching Buckingham Palace, we walked along to Westminster to see Big Ben and The Houses of Parliament before heading back to Victoria for the coach home.

The sun was shining all day (despite initial weather reports I'd read that it was going to rain all weekend) and I even managed to get a little sun burnt on my forehead! It was the perfect start to a great Bank Holiday weekend as I spent the rest of it relaxing and planning blog posts!

What are your favourite sights in London? 

If you're an overseas reader, what places in London would you like to visit?

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Review | Save The Blow Dry

I'm always rushing about in the mornings, my routine consists of the alarm going off, resetting it several times then waking up in a panic that I won't have enough time to do my hair/makeup/eat/walk to work so anything that saves me time in the morning is a god send!

I was recently given the opportunity to try an amazing product called Save The Blow Dry*. For all intents and purposes, its a shower cap, but not just any shower cap, it has an internal layer of super absorbent micro weave towelling which keeps out humidity and condensation to keep your hair dry and frizz free!

I have bad memories of my Mum putting shower caps on my sisters and I when we were younger so she didn't have to wash and dry our hair all the time (we all had really long thick hair) and at the time I hated it but now I definitely understand why she did it. Maaan washing and styling takes so much time!

I've thought of several instances where I've wished I'd had something to keep my hair out of the way whilst showering or in the bath. Mostly when I'm going out on a night out and want to style my hair but don't want to wash it so the style stays in longer or when I get home from work and fancy a nice bath but don't want to dry my hair before bed.

 The cap has two layers, a waterproof outer layer and a micro fibre towel layer on the inside. The inner towel layer is what keeps out the humidity. Around the bottom is an elasticated stretchy band which is one size fits all.

Something else I also learnt from the handy little tip on the packaging is that you can turn the cap inside out and put it over a hair treatment like oils or a hair mask so that it works more effectively (and doesn't drip all over the carpet!). Once you've used it, you can leave it to dry between uses. I turned mine inside out so that the towel layer definitely dries. You can also hand wash it, to keep it nice and fresh.

I'll admit that I felt a little silly sitting in the bath with a shower cap on but after all, who is going to see me...and if I still have gorgeous looking hair, then who cares?

Save The Blow Dry is available from the Save The Blow Dry website and Feelunique. It's available in two different colours, the original pink design and the limited edition turquoise design pictured above and is priced at £14.95. Feelunique currently have £5 off the turquoise one which makes it £9.95.

What are your thoughts on shower caps? Would you try this?

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