I want it all, I want it now! -January Wishlist Edition-

Oh man, all the pretty things!

First things first, I desperately need a new camera... My old Canon compact has been AWOL since about May :( I remember bringing it back from university with me, but somewhere along the way it's gone missing. Strangely I have the memory cards all accounted for and the charger - but no camera. Weird. I have yet to decide what I want but I am seriously considering moving towards a nice, sleek bridge camera rather than a point and shoot again. Currently the main contender is the Canon Powershot SX500. I must admit, I am a bit of a shameless Canon fan girl... (If you have any better suggestions or comments on the Powershot, please leave me a comment!)

For some reason I am craving new lipsticks... odd, as I don't really wear lipstick (for one, I don't really like my mouth, and for two, my other half can't stand lipstick). I'd love to try out a blood red lip, but I fear I'm too pale so my preferred shade is a sweet baby doll pink or natural nude. Currently I am lusting over Mac's 'Impassioned' unfortunately £15 for a lipstick is just a little out of my price range, so I'll be searching for a decent dupe!

Personally I think that black skinny jeans are a wardrobe must have... which has left me baffled as to why I don't actually *have* any! They don't have to be fancy, they don't have to be expensive, but they have to be comfy which is why I will almost certainly be picking up a pair of these supersoft skinny jeans from New Look as soon as possible.

For most beauty bloggers and readers, it won't come as a surprise that I would love to get my hands on the Naked 3 palette. Or the Naked 2 palette, or Naked palette for that matter. But really what I'm waiting for here is the MUA dupe that's bound to appear! Whilst I wait though, I really need the MUA Smokin' palette. I wear nude and neutral eyeshadows almost exclusively so having a variety of palettes in the shade range is very important to me. Smokin' would allow me to add a hint of deep colour to my looks whilst remaining subtle and professional.

My final dream item for January is this absolutely gorgeous bag from Accessorize. I love the colour, the size and I need it in my life. Right about now. I love greens and this deep shape is no exception.

I'd also love a car, a pink driving licence, a few dozen reliable memory card readers, a new fish tank, pretty 'home' bits and bobs, more jewellery making stuff (luckily I have a gift card for Hobbycraft that will take care of that little problem!), a nice new blog design, stationery, loads more nail varnish, another fluffier onesie, a kitten or two and a Fitbit Flex if anyone is feeling generous ;)

June round up

4 days until the end of June, where has the time gone? Next thing you know it'll be Christmas!

I'm still unemployed (unless you're a teacher, builder or careworker in my town you're pretty much stuffed...) and there doesn't seem to be a job on my horizon any time soon which is irritating as I need the cash to save for uni next year. I've spent June not really doing much in all honesty, just painting my nails and taking pretty pictures of cats and owls.

Lets jump right in with the fiends of the last month... I got a selection of Soap and Glory sample sized products for my birthday, including a tube of Soap and Glory 'Glad Hair Day' Thick Conditioner. Boots tells me that the full size product is sold for £5.50 - I would be so disappointed if I had paid that myself! This conditioner is sticky and just clumps on my hair and seems to disappear within seconds of me putting it on. My hair doesn't feel any different or like it's been conditioned at all and the few times I've used it, I've had to rewash my hair later on because the conditioner just won't budge. I got the small 50ml bottle and have only got four washes out of it, definitely not value for money and not one I'll be buying again. Which is a shame, as I am a massive Soap and Glory fan!

Previously featured in my dotty nails post from last week is the E.L.F 'Mint Cream' nail varnish. I didn't really talk about it much during that post but unfortunately, it's turned out that I feel the need to talk about it here! Application wise this nail varnish is fine, if a little bit too watery, but it really falls down in the longevity stakes. Even with a heavy wear top coat it chipped and peeled within minutes of hardening. After a few days my nails were showing the amount of wear I'd expect to see from a week of heavy duty typing - not lazing around brushing a cat or two. I love E.L.F products for their price and durability but unfortunately this fell through the cracks for me.

Lastly, it's another make up item that I am slamming this month. When I first heard about Superdrug's launch of their bargain bucket make up range 'MUA' the savvy money saver in me jumped for joy; I picked up my first pieces from the brand the other day. I got two black eyeliner pencils and an eyeshadow and I have to say, even for £1 I'm disappointed. I haven't got a link as the MUA website seems to be broken and Superdrug's website appears to have no knowledge of this product, but it was the intense colour eyeliner pencil in Black that I picked up. What's wrong with it? It doesn't stay on my eye for longer than a minute! Literally, I can apply this to my lower lash line and go to pick my mascara up and it's gone. It's so slippery and fluid that you can't touch it, or it transfers onto your finger. Rubbish.

Now for the things I have loved this month! Firstly, I picked up a jar of Tresemme Deep Conditioning Treatment Masque from Asda for the fantastic price of £4. I've been using this once a week and the results are fantastic - it leaves my hair smooth, shiny and feeling nourished. It also has a lovely scent which isn't overpowering but is sweet and delicate. The jar is quite big (500ml) and I've made barely a dent in it so far, so I predict this is a product I will continue to love for many months to come.

Another birthday gift I received was a bottle of Nirvana Spa Raspberry Milkshake bath and shower gel from the n-spa fruits collection. This stuff smells ah-mah-zing. It's simply gorgeous! I hate eating raspberries but the scent of them is one of my favourites. I've been using this for a month and it leaves my skin feeling lovely and is such a nice smell to wake up to in the morning. It's a great size and really brightens up my bathroom with it's bright pink colour and quirky packaging. And the best bit? Whilst I got mine for my birthday, it retails at just £3 and would make a fantastic gift to anyone you love, even yourself ;)

My third and final love for this month is but a simple one, and probably an odd choice but it's something I couldn't live without now. And it's the cheapest item featured this month! Unfortunately, once again, I have no direct link to buy it if you wish but all you need to do is get yourself down to your local Wilkinsons store and pick up a shower comb. The wide teeth untangle knots with no fuss in the shower (I use mine once I've conditioned) and leave my hair manageable and ready to style when I get out. I had one from Boots which was pretty much the same but cost me about 4 times the price - yes, the shower comb in Wilkinsons set me back just 60p. Best purchase of the month I think!

What have you loved and hated this month? What can't you wait for in July? I'm hoping for some decent weather so I get my shorts out!