Late on the bandwagon | Review - Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine Nail Paint

Hiyaaaa, 

Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine Nail Paint in shade GNP7 Satsuma

So I'm sure by now you've all read about 1000 reviews of this product but I've only just got round to buying it so here's a late one in case you missed the hype!

Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine Nail Paint (try saying that five times fast!) is the new range from Barry M. The basic premise of them is they are meant to give a really high gloss finish. The colour should be more vibrant and have a nice shine.

I've been on the hunt for a nice, bright orange nail polish for a while now plus I've been dying to try this out. I thought I'd kill two birds with one stone and opted for GNP7 Satsuma.

The thing I really like about Barry M products is the intensity of the colour and the Gelly Hi-Shine is no different. I put two coats on just for good measure but one could have been suffice. It's a really lovely, rich orange and the "bottle to nail difference" is pretty minimal.

I was a bit worried that the product wouldn't live up to the grand promises it makes about 'extra gloss' and 'high shine' but I think it does. The finish was really nice and definitely glossier than most other nail varnished. So much so that I didn't bother with a top coat  which I know is a cardi-nail sin (SEE WHAT I DID THERE?! PUNTASTIC!)

Overall, I absolutely love this nail colour! I think I may have to buy it in a couple more colours before they inevitably stop making it (all good things come to an unfortunately early end...especially in make up terms!). The colour range is gonna be great for summer - I'm currently eyeing up shade GNP14 KeyLime and GNP12 Green Berry.

Oops, forgot to take a non-Instagrammed picture of it. Here it is on the nail...with a filter

Sooo, have you tried the Gelly Nail Paints? Did you like them as much as I did? What colours? 

Life's a Bleach | DIY Bleached Tie Dye

Hiyaaaa,

Ok don't know if I'm the only person who has this problem but I absolutely hate it when something is in season that I know I could do at home for a fraction of the price! I'll be shopping and see a lovely tie dyed pair of leggings (for example) but my brain just won't let me buy them! NO TOPSHOP I WILL NOT FALL FOR YOUR FAUX-FESTIVAL MARKETING!!

Anyway, tie dye is totes all the rage at the mo. This is something I used to do loads when I was little, like my wardrobe was just full of tie dyed items so why not do it now? My lovely friend Jennie made a tutorial to remind us how to do it which you can read here (it'll be much better than mine)...or you can read mine

So you'll need just a normal t-shirt. I bought this one from Primark for like £3. I think they call it 'The Boyfriend T Shirt' because it's oversized and you can wear it with leggings woohoo! (This photo just shows how much I need to start ironing...)

Lightly dampen your t shirt using a sponge or a spritz bottle or whatever you have to hand...

Take your t shirt in one corner and twist it into a spiral thing. Keep twisting til all the material is twisted up...

Something like this...but keep twisting. I found this bit the most difficult because I am unbelievably heavy handed so don't worry about being too precious about it. 

Secure it all with elastic bands or string. You can fold it over whilst you do this, it doesn't have to stay in the spiral

Then cover your t shirt in bleach. You're probably going to want to put it in a bowl because, remember, bleach will bleach EVERYTHING! I managed to bleach my garden table whilst doing this...

And leave it for about half an hour...

Ta dahhh! Yeah...I wasn't expecting it to turn orange either haha! 

Hang it up to dry! It'll probably change a bit because it's still got the bleach on it working away so if you're not happy with it you can leave it and if you're dead happy then rinse it off straight away...

So I left mine overnight to bleach more and it looks like this now...a bit odd but I kinda liiiiike it! Wear it with pride and you can look super indie hippy everywhere you go (plus leave the faint smell of bleach yummm) 

So you gonna give it a go? If you do, put them on instagram and tag me (@maisiemaizz) so I can see if your's worked out better than mine (it definitely will...)

Quote Me On It #3

Heyaaa,
Sorry this post is a little late. I scheduled all my posts for this week and forgot about this one. Doofus! Oh well here it is for a boring Tuesday morning.

If you like this quote you can follow my Pinterest board where there are more like it...

I love the free stuff | Review - Garnier Moisture Match

Helllllo

Garnier Moisture Match - Tailor-made moisturisers?

 If there's two things in life I love it's free testers and moisturisers! I am self-proclaimed queen of the moisturisers, I have one for every kind of occasion, skin type or body part you could imagine. If anything it's getting a bit ridiculous!

Oooo love a bit of packaging! 

Anyway, when I saw a big ol' advert for Garnier Moisture Match I knew I wanted to try it so I sent off for a little free tester and then it arrived and now I am going to write about it and you will read it and YAY!

Anyway, the tester came with three little sachets in. There is nothing I hate more than those stupid squeezy sachets that moisturisers get put in - they are the worst invention EVER! But I persevered anyway. On the website you had to pick the moisturiser you thought would be best for you which meant I was very confused when three samples arrived but wotevs.

This is the one I tried...possibly 'Start Afresh'?

I've only tried one of the little sachets so far, the one which is designed for 'normal skin'. I'm pretty sure the one I used was the 'Start Afresh' but the packaging was not crystal clear so I can't be sure. If so, Garnier promised me 'SPF 20' combined with an 'extremely lightweight and oil-free texture' (also some gubbins about 'light reflecting particles' to make me look like I've been at the beach...)

I really can't decide how I feel about Garnier Moisture Match. It was definitely a nice product and it smelled nice which is always a bonus! My skin definitely feels less dry.

My face afterwards. Oh maaaan why is my skin always so shiny?!

Despite all this, my face feels a little oilier than it does with my usual moisturisers and I definitely don't have a 'just-got-back-from-the-beach glow' (maybe that's just because I am ghostly pale...). I do like the product but I just don't think I'll be buying it. I'm definitely going to give the other sachets that came in the pack a try - I'll keep you updated...

Have you used Moisture Match? Which one did you use? Did you like it? 

Struck by Tara Starlet

Hiyaaa,

Floral Knot Top, Vamp Cape, Lucia Skirt with the Lucia Bralet

So a new clothing line has just shot straight to the top of my lust list!

Tara Starlet is a vintage inspired line which uses screen icons like Audrey Hepburn and Marilyn Monroe as muses. The pieces are based on classic patterns so it's all traditional, ridiculously flattering cuts. Sometimes I'm a bit wary of such retro designs because, unless you have a whole wardrobe full of them, they can look a bit out of place with more everyday items. But I think, after giving the website a thorough going through, a lot of these things would look really good with just a simple pair of jeans.

I stumbled across their website a few days ago and just can't get enough of it, I want literally everything on there. I've picked out a few of my favourites to give you a taste of what Tara Starlet is about but there's loads more to look at.

I think my favourite piece is the 'Vamp Cape' - I just want one for winter. Unfortunately the price tag is a liiiiiittle out of my range at the moment but when I'm rollin' in dollar these will be first on my list!

So do you like Tara Starlet? Have you heard of them before? What's your fave clothing line?

Honolulu Dress, Seaside Playsuit, Honolulu Shorts

Caramel Apple Muffins | Recipe

Hello there, 

So my relationship with my dad is basically a life long episode of Great British Bake Off! We are constantly trying to out-bake eachother with our amazing creations. So what better occasion to show off my baking prowess than Father's Day? I concocted a recipe for Caramel Apple Muffins using an Edd Kimber recipe for Apple Pie Cake and a basic muffin recipe and the results were awesome...so here ya go

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On my bookshelf - The Reluctant Fundamentalist

Helloooo,
I am notoriously crap at finishing books. Honestly, name any classic book ever written and my reply will always be "I read the first half...". I don't know what it is, maybe I just have a really short attention span. Whatever the reason, working in a book shop for two years sure was embarrassing when you haven't read any of the 'must-reads...'

Anyway, for my birthday a lovely friend bought me a copy of "The Reluctant Fundamentalist" by Mohsin Hamid. He claimed it was his favourite book and so he wanted me to read it (also I think my indignant 'I never finish books' stance was getting a bit annoying.) Well I finished this one! So here's a lil ol' review like thing

The Reluctant Fundamentalist - buy it online here (not reluctantly at all...)

The Plot
This was one of those nice wishy washy books that doesn't really have a plot - which I quite like. The story revolves around a Pakistani man named Changez. He moves to America for college and ends up working for a huge corporation. Whilst still in his youth, he falls in love with a girl called Erica who's battling her own demons. The book culminates at the 9/11 attacks, at which time Changez feels increasingly isolated from everyone especially Erica. All the big things he used to love about America seem stale and he becomes really disenchanted.

What I liked
The book is written as one half of a conversation. I'd never read a book like this before and it was a cool style to read in - made it feel like the author was guessing all the questions you might have. It also raised loads of really interesting questions for me about how we treat outsiders...

What I didn't like
Sometimes I felt like Changez was bit wallowy and it almost made it difficult to like him...but he does go through some tough stuff so it's justified!

Recommended? 
By me - Absolutely, espesh to anyone interested in politics and America...
By Waterstone's - 3.9/5
By Amazon - 4/5

Have you read this book? Or any others recently? Recommend me something below...