New Shoes

I have been wanting a nice pair of brogues for ages, and I finally found a pair that I liked, and could afford.

So, when I spied these babies in River Island I was pretty happy. I wanted a black pair, as they will go with most of my clothes, and I'm boring like that!

I like that these are not too clumpy, like some of the brogues I have seen, that just remind me of shoes my Dad used to wear. I do prefer to buy shoes that are leather, and these aren't, but for something like this which is a bit of a seasonal trend, its no big deal.

I'm not entirely convinced about the tab detail on the back, its a bit like a trainer I think!

I do like the inside though. These cost £26.99, so not too bad! However, I wore them today, and they killed my feet. I am partly to blame for this, as I bought them knowing they were tight, as they should slacken off, and I don't want them ending up really loose. I was also wearing them with socks, to keep my wee toes warm.

Have you bought into the Brogue trend?

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Another Bargain Haul.

As you have probably realised by now, or if you are a new follower, will come to realise, I love a bargain. My pursuit of  bargains is usually counter productive, as I always fall for 3 for 2 offers and the like. My most recent bargains have come courtesy of that shop of wonders, Poundland! I must give a shout out to Nicola from Magic's In The Make Up for this, as she mentioned on twitter about the huge new Poundland that had opened in our city. I hot footed it down a few days later, and it is indeed massive. Once I had got past the wee old lady asking me about using black eyeliner on her eyebrows, I managed to find a few goodies.

We have a Revlon Nail Growth Treatment, which is supposed to help your nails grow and be strong, when applied every day. There is then the NYC concealer foundation stick. It states that you can use this as a concealer, or all over as a foundation. I think I will just be sticking to using it as a concealer. Once getting it home I realised it is going to be a pain to sharpen, as its huge, much thicker than the normal large pencils. Ah well. Lastly, I got a couple of Rimmel products, an eyeshadow and a blush.

The eyeshadow is in the shade Bronzed, and is funnily enough, a lovely metallic bronze! Ideal for a wee Christmas night out! The blush is pink rose. Its a subtle shade, with just enough shimmer.

Hope you liked my small lot of bargains, and I can assure you I have lots of more exciting posts coming up, as I had a mammoth photo session tonight!

Have you picked up any bargains lately?

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Avon Super Shock Gel Eyeliner

In a first for pink pom poms, I got a product today that I am so excited about, I had to photograph and blog about it straight away. Hence the poorly light photos, Scotland + winter + evening= darkness! Anyway, the product in question is the Avon Super Shock Gel Eyeliner, in Silver, from the recent luxe lace collection. I just got it this evening from my friend/rep Katie, and was so impressed I had to share it straight away!

The packaging is standard Avon, black with silver writing. I have mentioned this before, but I think Avon tend to use too much packaging. There isn't really any need for a box for an eyeliner, its like they are trying to make it look high end. I just tend to throw it away, so its not very environmentally friendly. What do you think?

Pretty standard pencil, huh? Like I said, this is from the luxe lace collection, which basically means it has that pink lacy design on it! 

The pencil itself has a quite fat tip, and is so soft and easy to apply. It does give a quite thick line, but a bit of sharpening should help to make it thinner.

Not the best swatches, but you get the idea. This eyeliner is so shiny, a really bright silver. I love it, and can't wait to wear it over the festive season. Now, I am a rookie at applying eyeliner, and I found this really easy to apply. I guess silver is a bit more forgiving, but I would hope that other colours would still look ok.

Speaking of which,  there are a few other shades available. From the Luxe Lace collection there is a black, and from the regular line there is black, khaki and bronze.

As with all Avon products, prices vary from brochure to brochure. The official price is £6, but I paid £3. You can still get the luxe lace versions for £3 in brochure 18 and online, but they go up to £4 in the next brochure, which is 1. The regular range colours appear in a Party Perfection supplement with brochure 1 for £3, but are £6 on the website right now. So, get in there quick for cheap luxe lace, and hold on for regular!

I think i'll be ordering the black luxe lace, and maybe some regulars.

Have you bought any good products for your Christmas looks?

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MUA Eyeshadows

I'm sure you have all heard of MUA, the range of make up sold in Superdrug. The best thing about the range? Everything costs a pound. Yes, £1.  I have tried out quite a few of their products, as they are a guilt free cheap purchase when I need a little pick me up! I thought I would show you the eyeshadows I have, as I think these are the best items in the range. (except maybe the glitter eye liners, but thats a whole other post!)

I took a photo of the backs too, not really sure why, but might as well use it!

You get 2g of product for your pound, which I think is a good deal. In fact, I don't think I have ever used up, or 'hit pan' on an eyeshadow in my life, so they could probably be tiny and i'd still be fine. That said, I have already bought a back up of one of these shadows, keep reading to find out which one. Also, as with all MUA products, there are no names, just numbers. The eyeshadows are numbered, and classified either Matte or Pearl. If you can read the numbers above, you will see I only have 1 matte shadow, as I think the pearl ones are much better.

The photos aren't amazing, I really couldn't get shots to do the colours justice. I have some closer up ones of the individual shades which show them a little better.

This is shade 16, a matte pink. This is probably my least favourite of the lot, as it doesn't really give much colour pay off. Could be useful as a base I guess.

 This is shade 11, a pearl brown. This has a nice shimmer to it, and is a good day time shade. I like browns for the winter!

 This is shade 1, another pearl. This is probably my second favourite colour. I am not very good at doing complicated eye looks, or even simple ones for that matter, so I tend to just wear a wash of one colour. This is ideal for a subtle daytime look, and can be used as a base if I am attempting something more exciting. Would also work well as a highlight I think.

 This is shade 9, pearl. I think this one is supposed to be a dupe of a MAC eyeshadow, but as a cheapskate, I know not of these things. Its a nice shimmery purple, which is very pigmented and bold, something i'd keep for a night out on the tiles!

 Shade 8, pearl, is a shimmery green. I don't think I've ever actually worn this, but I will get the courage one day!

Last, but by no means least, is shade 4, yes, you guessed it, another pearl. I LOVE LOVE LOVE this shadow! Its so wearable. Its a shimmery lilac, which has silvery undertones. I wear this during the day, at night, all the time! This is the one I already have a back up of.

I usually wear the shadows over ELF primer, and they last well, and usually still look ok by the end of the day. They have a lovely creamy texture, and great pigmentation.

Lets have a look at some not great swatches-

As you can see, or not see, the pink shade is not even visible. So, I wouldn't really recommend that one, but would heartily recommend the rest.

Have you tried anything from MUA?
Would you like to see the other products I have from the range?


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I went shopping!

Again, I am sorry for my prolonged absence. I think I need to accept I can't do everything, and my final year of uni needs to come first. I am feeling a little snowed under with my dissertation, 12,000 words! As I am studying Nursing, I chose to do my dissertation on Eczema, specifically looking at if eczema patients health needs are being met, and the nurses role in this. I know some of you have eczema, so any opinions or experiences about this would be greatly appreciated, annapinkpompoms@gmail.com, if you are so inclined.

Anyway, I did manage to sneak in some cheeky shopping trips, this one being in Boots and Superdrug, when I had a little time to spare between uni and a meeting. Does anyone else do that? Just pop in to Boots for a browse, and come out with loads. (I suspect the answer is yes, this is why we are beauty bloggers).

Nothing too excessive, as there was a 3 for 2 on 17. You may notice most of the things I buy are in some kind of offer, I think this is how I justify it. I realise this makes no sense, as it means I buy more to get the offer. Ah well. The sleek blush and vaseline were full price, but I wanted to try them both as they were new, another terrible trap I have fallen into since blogging.

 The sleek blush is in pomegranate. I know everyone has been talking about rose gold, and how lovely it is, but they were sold out when I was in. Just means I can buy another. This was £3.99, but if you join Sleeks facebook page they are giving out a 50% off code this thursday.

The vaseline with cocoa butter is the latest addition to their lip therapy range. Its odd, I have at least 3 tins already (orginal, rose and aloe), which I don't even really like, yet I couldn't resist this! I love the smell of cocoa butter, and although this is a little artificial, it is still nice. I think it feels nicer on the lips than the other kinds too. It cost £1.89.

From the 17 range I got eyeshadows in statuesque (left) and gold emerald. The blush is plum puff. I find myself buying more 17 these days, I think they have really upped their game. The eyeshadows and blusher were £3.49  each, but like I said, 3 for 2.

(L-R Sleek Pomegranate, 17 Plum Puff, 17 statuesque, 17 gold emerald)

Sorry about the terrible swatches, I never seem to get home before its dark these days. This is no way does the sleek blush any justice. Its a deep colour, with just the right amount of shimmer. I have been loving wearing this. The 17 blush isn't as exciting, but will be good for a toned down look. I love the 17 statuesque, its a lovely creamy metallic browny bronze. I am a little disappointed with gold emerald. I wanted a nice gold for the festive season, but its not very pigmented or as metallic.

Can you recommend a good bargain gold eyeshadow?
What have you been buying recently?


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