Graduation Day Wishlist

So once again things have been a little bit quiet on the blog front for me this month. After finishing my exams, I have been using the time to catch up on things that I had missed out on. I've been catching up with family and friends and spending some well earned time with my boyfriend, as well as applying for jobs and graduate schemes. 

Today I thought I would show you what I'm hoping to wear for my Graduation ceremony in July. I have a few choices so would love your help deciding. Here's my wishlist...

1: Black and Cream Dress link £40

2: Black Collared Dress link £40.45

3: Colour Block Shoes link £24.99

4:Patent Heels link £45

5: White Chain Clutch Bag link £20

6: Graduation Charm link £35.00

7: Viktor and Rolf Flowerbomb link £49.00

8: Graduation Bear link £28.50

I am a little unsure about which dress but I definitely know that it is going to be between these two. This is the same for the shoes but i do think that I will end up choosing the black and white ones as they are just a little bit more interesting than plain black ones. I chose this bag as I will be able to use it again  and it will add a bit of interest to my outfit. As my outfit should be quite formal, I though that this bag would be perfect to break up the outfit a little bit.

The last three items are not essential to the day but would be nice little touches. One item I would love is the Graduation hat charm. I have a Pandora bracelet which I got for my 18th birthday. Since I got this I have added charms to it that mean something. I have a charm on there that I got from my Grandma just before she passed away and I have some from my Boyfriend that were a Christmas present, so I would love to add this to my bracelet as a memento of the day. The perfume is one that I love and find myself constantly lusting after it. It's such a classy scent that it would be perfect for this kind of occasion. Finally, how cute is this little bear, how could anyone deny it?! This is just too cute to say no too but once again isn't an essential.

I hope that you've enjoyed this little wishlist of all things graduation related! If you could help me choose between the two dresses then I would be extremely grateful :)

Are you graduating this year? What's on your most recent wishlist?

Sleek Lip4 Palettes

As a huge fan of lipsticks, I was extremely excited when I saw that Sleek were going to be releasing a palette full of lip shades. There are 5 different palettes (four permanent, one limited edition) that are available and I have two of the shades, Ballet and Showgirl,  to show you today. 

I was passing these in Superdrugs a few days ago, then noticed that it was 3 for 2 on all makeup and lashes so temptation got the better of me and I placed two in my basket. As soon as I got these home, I grabbed some cotton pads and some Bioderma and prepared to swatch away. However, I do have slight mixed thoughts about these palettes and here's why...

First of all, I have no issues with the packaging. They are exactly the same as their other cased products, packaged in a matte black case with a full size mirror, and the brand name emblazoned on the front.

My issues with this fell with the formulation of some of the shades included. There is a combination of matte and creme finishes, both of which I love, but the mattes are a little too drying in these palettes, and require a lot of work to get an opaque finish. I think this is because they are so solid in the palette that they take a little time to warm up. The creme finishes are so super pigmented which is amazing, but they are a little too liquid for a palette like these. If you are a fan of the OCC Lip Tars or Sleek Pout Paints then this should be no issue for you.

Ballet is full of really pretty neutral pink tones, that will suit all skin tones and will be perfect for all year round. Here is each shade...

The winner: Tutu - it just has a lovely milky tone to it that shouldn't work but it does.

The loserL Swan Lake - This is so dry and really hard to work with, which meant that it felt dry on the lips.

Showgirl, consists of bright, punchy pinks that will look lovely in the warmer months (if we ever get any real sun). Here is each shade.

The Winner : Lola - a fabulously bright pink that goes well with any skin tone

The Loser: Dancer - I really wanted to love this and I was expecing a Mac Candy Yum Yum sort of shade but sadly, it was dry and hard to apply evenly.

Overall, I do like these palettes, I'm not in love with them though. But at £8.99 a palette you can't really complain for that value for 4 lipsticks. They are perfect for travel purposes though, so these will be what I throw in my handbag each day.

You can purchase these from Superdrugs or from Sleek Online for £8.99 each.

Sleek Snapshots Palette

Finally, I can get back on the blogging bandwagon as yesterday I finished my final exam at university, and my final exam ever! As revision took up a large chunk of my life, I took a small break from blogging, with a few posts thrown in here and there. But now I'm back! 

Today's post is one that I'v been looking forward to writing for a while. Have you ever found a product and you instantly knew that it would become a staple for you, and that you would get so much use out of it that it's almost criminal? Well I knew that this was definitely going to be the case with Sleek's Snapshot Palette.

Filled with extremely bright and tropical colours, this palette just screams summer! Normally I would prefer colours as bright as this to be a matte finish but I love, love, love the high frost finish on the majority of these shades! Oh and thankyou Sleek for not including the standard black that you always seem to include, I have enough of that shade now thanks :). 

The formula of these shades is beyond amazing, even the matte shades have great pigmentation and blend like a dream. However, the frost shades require the slightest touch for a highly pigmented splash of colour that will last all day! There is one matt shade, Sand Walker, which is pretty much invisible on my skin tone but it does look lovely all over the lid on my skintone, for when the tone of my lids is slightly patchy.

I have already declared this my summer palette. I just can't wait to create some bright looks with this, and I think my preferred way will be to use these on the lower lash line with tons of black mascara, so I just have a pop of colour. 

If you love wearing a bit of colour on your eyes, or are just looking to experiment then I would definitely recommend purchasing this. You can buy it from Superdrugs or Sleek Online

P.S Due to the demise of GFC I'd love it if you could follow me on some other platforms below, as I'd hate to lose any of you :)
Facebook / Bloglovin / Twitter / Pinterest / SheSaidBeauty

Other Places to find RL

I wrote this post when everyone first got their knickers in a twist about GFC leaving us forever, but forgot to post it and found it amongst a few draft posts that are waiting patiently to be posted. 

I'm sure you're all aware that GFC is sadly going to be stopped very soon and those that use Google as their main way of reading blogs, have been left trying to find other platforms to read their favourites on. Well here are the other places you can find me...

Facebook - RetroLove Blog

Bloglovin

SheSaidBeauty

Baobella

Twitter

So those are the links that you are most likely to find me on. I'm kind of really sad that GFC is soon to be gone. but it has made me get my act into gear and use other platforms properly. I love all of my followers and really appreciate you taking the time to follow my little blog, hopefully I'll see you on other platforms. 

Thankyou all, and please leave your links for other platforms below so I can make sure to follow them :)

NYC Appleicious Lip Balms

I’m a big lip product lover. I have to have more than one shade of a lipstick. So when I

was passing by these in my local Superdrugs I couldn’t resist!

The NYC applelicious lip balms come in three shades all with cute little names but they are a little hard to read on the bottom of the tube. In terms of packaging they are really simple, but nothing more is needed for a lip balm is it? However, it has to be said that they are extremely sturdy. These have been rolling about in the bottom of my handbag over exam period and have remained unscathed.

Th actual lip balm is just beautiful. They are very very similar to the Revlon Lip Butters in terms of consistency and pigmentation. I’ve found that these lip balms are extremely moisturising but dry down to a semi matte stain which lasts for quite a few hours. I’ve also found the red shade perfect for layering under a red lipstick.

The design is just beyond cute, with an apple core running through it a few shades lighter than the outer. They also smell divine. Like a whole shop full of sweets!

Overall I would repurchase these and have been loving wearing them over the past few weeks. You can purchase these for £1.99 from superdrug stores and online.

OPI The Best of the Best

Hello! I apologise that I've been MIA for a few days but I have been so busy with my finals at university. I've been revising non-stop and have already done two exams, with two more to go and then my degree is over. I'm treating myself to a day off today so I'm going to be catching up on TV and Blogs. On to today's post...

I've been switching my nail polish more and more often recently as it seems to be the only ting getting me through revision (that and lots of bags of sweets) but I've really been enjoying this little set from OPI. I've lusted after some OPI nail polish ever since my mum got some in her salon, and this set that I won in a very generous giveaway from OCbeauty has been greatly appreciated. 

This set consists of the 10 best selling shades from OPI of all time, and wow, there are some beauty's in there. They're all in miniature from which I really like because now I know exactly which shades I am definitely going to repurchase. So here is a run down of each shade...

1. Alpine Snow: The best white polish I have ever tried. This was quite streaky on the first coat but a second coat made it opaque. The creme finish is just lovely.

2. Bubble Bath: This has to be the sheerest nail polish ever. That said it is still a very pretty colour, and looks very pretty layered other other shades.

3. Tickle My France-y: I LOVE this shade! Its a great nude colour that leans slightly taupe or pink in different lights.

4. Strawberry Margarita: I'm not the biggest fan of pink nail polish but this shade is so pretty for the summer. It does had blue undertones which look great with a tan.

5. Cajun Shrimp: This bright orange coral is another summer dream. I love this shade and think this will look amazing with a tan and coral accessories.

6. Big Apple Red: Whilst this is a beautiful true red shade, I think it will be so easy to find a near perfect dupe on the high street, so have a look in your collection before splurging on this.

7. I'm Not Really A Waitress: My favourite of the bunch! A deep shimmery red that I wore quite alot over the winter period.

8. You Don't Know Jacques: I remember when this was launched and everyone wanted it. This is a classic taupe shade that will suit everyone and their mum! I did find it a little streaky on application.

9. Russian Navy: This shade is just beautiful! A deep navy blue with red and purple shimmer running through it. The shimmer is so finely milled that it makes the polish look 3D when the light hits it. This was a little streaky on application but I think it could even up with another coat.

10. Lincoln Park After Dark: This shade is a deep blackened purple that required 2 coats to get to opacity. This is definitely going to be my go to shade in the winter!

I would definitely recommend this set to anyone who is wanting to branch out into a new polish brand. It's also a great way to try some shades before buying the full size bottles. 7

Have you tried this selection? What's your favourite OPI Shade?

A quick apology...

I just thought that I would take 2 minutes to just explain why there has been a distinct lack of posts lately here on RL. Anyone who is a university student will understand. Last month I had the stress of Dissertation Deadline which pretty much drove me into the ground. Now I am under constant stress due to revision. I have exams over the next two weeks and then I have finished my university life. After these next two weeks, I will be back to blogging as normal. There will still be a few blog posts here and there whenever I get a spare few moments.

Thankyou for being so understanding and I can't wait to get back into the full swing of things!