Magazine Freebies GALORE

I do love a good magazine. I’d say I’m a habitual glossy mag buyer, even if  I don’t have time to  read them, I still can’t resist tearing them off the shelves. That said I’ve been a little better recently, weaning myself off the weekly’s and sticking mainly to my top monthly’s (Glamour, Instyle and Elle).

All that, of course, goes out of the window in the summer months when our wonderful magazines are throwing freebies at us.  We’ve all been there, in the airport stockpiling canvas bags, sunglasses, lotions and potions. Clearly I don’t need much of an incentive to buy a mag, so stick a free REISS top on the front and I’m sold….

Yep, you heard me, buy July’s edition of Elle Magazine (in shops now £3.80) with the super-hot Rosie Huntington-Whiteley on the cover and receive a free limited edition Reiss vest top. Designed exclusively by Garance Doré with 4 colours to choose from. I picked up the beige.

 

Of course it’s made on the cheap and it’s quite thin but it’s not a bad effort and will look great layered under or over another top. It is however quite small, beware they market these tops as one size fits all but I’d say this is an 8.

Here’s just some of my magazine loot I’ve picked up in the last year…

 

As the freebie season is upon us, keep your eyes peeled on the news stands, here are some worth watching out for.

Jemma Kidd Lipglosses with Red

This one’s already out and flying off the shelves fast. Red Magazine (Cat Deeley on the front) are giving away full size Jemma Kidd glosses, worth £14, available in three colours a coral, light pink and a red.

Benefit Make up in Glamour

Watch out for Glamour magazine, out  June 9th for some free benefit  High Beam, Benetint and Posietint. Beware, unlike previous Glamour/Benefit collaborations, these are not full size products. The free samples are Approx. 4 mls, around a third of the regular size. Still, not a bad deal considering they retail between £18.50 and £23.50 for 12-13mls.

Body Shop gift voucher with Instyle

Pick up July’s edition of Instyle magazine for a free £5 Body Shop voucher. Out June 9th.

Also this month you can pick up a free full size Inika Mineral Eye liner or Inika Mineral Eyeshadow with Marie Claire Magazine and an £11 Leighton Denny Nail Polish with Harpers Bazaar magazine (£4.20).

Cue a rush to the newsagents.

Orange Make up – Eek or Chic?

I make no secret of the fact that I’m a big fan of corals and peaches but ORANGE, is that a step too far? As we know it was a huge look at the Spring/Summer 2011 catwalks, but can it translate for real people living real lives?

With celebs including Fergie, Scarlett Johansson and  Chloe Sevingy embracing tangerine trend, it looks like it’s working its way down the food chain, so should we get ready?

The thought of wearing orange or neon make up in general conjures up not so fond memories of scrunchies and cycling shorts, but in my attempt to overcome the 80s trauma I’m ready to give it a go… are you?

Starting with nails

I’m rocking Nails Inc’s Candy Orange nail polish today (courtesy of InStyle magazine) which looked pretty funky at home when I was applying it, but today in the outside World, I’m worried I look like I’ve coloured them in with a highlighter pen.  Still, they’re bright, bold and oh so eye catching and for summer, I think they fit right in.

That’s a thumbs up for the nails (I think) but zesty eyes and lips may be a step too far; That I’ll leave to models, teenagers and Top of the Pops 2.

The good…

Fendi Spring Summer 11

The bad…

Not so Fergilicious

If you’re feeling brave, here’s my top punpkin picks.

Illamasqua Toxic Nature Collection Lipstick in Flare £15.50

MAC lipstick in Neon Orange £13.50

FREE Lunch Time Treats… Nails Inc Polish

Ladies you might want to hot fot it down to your nearest newsagents for a free treat… Well kinda free. With this month’s InStyle magazine, featuring the beautiful Thandie Newton on the cover, you can bag yourself a free Nails Inc polish worth £11.

Available in three exclusive and HOT shades Candy Orange, Electric Teal and Fashion Fawn.

I’ve picked up the candy orange as it fits nicely with my current obsession for all things bright and beautiful. The teel’s pretty cute too, and the Fawn is very similar to Barry M’s mushroom, which I already have.

Not content with one, why not pick up all three.

June edition on sale (and flying off the shelves ) now £3.70

Review: Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat

Every now and then a product comes along and you wondered how you ever lived without it, I’m happy to say that Seche Vite’s Dry Fast Top Coat is one of them. Although it’s been around for years, I’ve just tried it for the first time.

I love wearing nail varnish, but let’s face it, it’s a time zapping pastime, not like slapping on a bit of lippy. So when I take the time to prep, paint, dry, paint again and then sit fingers a kim-bo, not touching anything for an hour, I expect my efforts to pay off for more than a couple of hours. Until now, that was just a pipe dream. I’d paint my nails on a Saturday night and by Sunday morning they’re chipped! I’m not using cheap nail varnish either, it’s usually Nails Inc or OPI, then a friend introduced me to Seche Vite!

It functions like a normal top coat, except it’s got serious staying power. It glides on easily, dries quickly and is completely transparent. To put it to the test, I painted my nails on Saturday night, finishing one hand with Seche Vite and the other with my regular Sally Henson topcoat… the results are pretty astounding.  It’s now Monday, the Seche Vite hand is still going strong, whereas the other is heavily chipped. Sorry, no photos, have you ever tried taking a picture of both hands!

There’s no wonder Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat is a solid member of Instyle’s beauty hall of fame; it’s a solid member of mine now too.

Just £7.60 from Feel Unique.