New Year, New Goals!!!

Hey girlie's!!!

Firstly Happy New Year too you beautiful, sparkling bunch!!! I love the start of a new year, it honestly feels like some sort of weight has been lifted to me, I feel anything negative can be left behind and everything can start all fresh and positive. Today I thought I would share with you all some goals I want achieve this year, I'm not calling them resolutions, just things that Id like to conquer and kick butt too ha ha.

Here we goooo....

Push Myself More!
Most of you don't know this but for the past 3 years I have suffered with Labyrinthitis, I don't want to talk about it too much in this post but I'm happy to do a separate post if you'd like to learn more about it, Labyrinthitis also has its fair share of side effects and the one that effects me quite alot is... Anxiety. Anxiety had stopped me doing so many things I've wanted to do in the last 3 years, for instance going on holidays, going to concerts, going on certain trips and even the simplest of things like going into a busy shop can be horrible experience. I do honestly feel like right now my anxiety is the best its ever been, I do still get my bad days but generally its alot better, so instead of being worried or scared this year I'm just going to go for it and push myself that little bit harder to do things that I really want to do, I've had enough of missing out!

Lose Weight/Be More Healthy!
Yes I know this is really predictable but I've been wanting to lose weight for a very long time, I've not been in the right mind set previously but now its the start of a new year and I feel I am. In September 2013 I went on Slimming World for 3 weeks and managed to lose 6lb's but I never kept up with it, however I loved Slimming World's concept so this January I'm going back on it and will succeed!!! I don't want to just lose weight for the appearance factor but I want to lose weight for my health and fitness too.

Blogging
2013 was an amazing one for me in the blogging world. I started my blog on the 17th January 2013 and started posting the odd post here and there and soon fell completely in love with blogging and the blogging community, I never thought my little blog would reach over 50'000 page views, its so overwhelming and exciting!!! Even though I do have a job along side my blogging hobbie I'm still going to go for it in 2014 with my blog. I'm so passionate about Haysparkle.com and the support I've had from all of you lovelies during 2013 means the world to me and it really does inspire me to achieve bigger and better things for Haysparkle.com in 2014. So watch this space girlie's ha ha!!! I've also started to find myself loving photography, I'm really working hard on making the most out of my little camera and I'm hoping the new lighting studio I was kindly gifted for Christmas will help me achieve better, more crisp photo's for my reviews in 2014... whoop!

And there you have it, the 3 goals that I have set myself to achieve throughout 2014!!!

Have you set yourself any goals or resolutions this year beaut's??? Let me know in the comments below, Id love to know he he!!!

Have a smashing, sparkling New Year girlie's and thank you again for all your support!!!

Don't forget I'm currently holding a Nanshy Eye Brush Set GIVEAWAY, you can enter here.

Hayley

2013 Beauty Favourites ♥

Hey girlie's!!!

As we are nearing the end of 2013 I thought I'd do a little round up of a few beauty products that have become either favourites of mine or staple products that I repurchase over and over and cant live without. I could of put silly amounts of products in this post as I really have loved alot of products in 2013 but here are the handful I have chosen....  

Real Techniques Brushes
Firstly I have to start with my beloved Real Techniques Brushes, without them I'm sure my makeup would look a horrible cakey mess ha ha. My collection started off with the famous 'Buffing Brush' and ever since then I've never turned back and over the past year I have tried to collect as many of the brushes as possible, yup I love them that much! They honestly do make a huge difference in the way your makeup looks and feels, everything just looks so flawless and I'm sure I'll be loving each and every brush throughout 2014 too.

SesatioNail Gel Nails
I first got introduced to SensatioNail back in September and ever since I've been addicted. Its basically a brilliant little kit that allows you to do gel manicures and pedicures yourself in the comfort of your own home, and can last up to 2 weeks without chipping, amazing right!!! I have literally used this kit constantly and would highly recommend it to any one who is really into their nails, you could also save yourself a lot of money in the long run if your a gelish lover.

Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer
I honestly could never live without this concealer now, I've repurchased it countless amount of times and will continue too!!! It's the best drugstore concealer you will ever come across, its so creamy making it easy to blend and work with, it provides full coverage without looking cakey, it also covers blemishes and dark under eye circles superbly. Another little use for this concealer is that it helps conceal and fill pores really well too, brilliant!!! For £4.19 you really cant go wrong. The only downside is the packaging quality, as you can see from my picture the writing has completely rubbed off and it does that every time I buy one within a week, but apart from that I love it!!! 

Cocoa Brown Tan
I must admit I was never ever a fake tan lover until I started using Cocoa Brown Tan, I always thought it was too much hassle, unpredictable and hardly ever natural looking for me, but now whenever I want a natural glow I can have one within an hour, that doesn't smell like biscuits, that isn't orange looking and lasts me around 5 days. If you'd like to know more about Cocoa Brown Tan feel free to check out my review here, it features before and after pictures too.

MUA Matte Lipsticks
It's no surprise really that something from MUA would make it into my 2013 beauty favourites, to be honest throughout this year I've been really impressed with MUA as a brand, they have launched some awesome products and everything I've tried from them this year I've loved included these two matte lipsticks in Wild Berry and Scarlet Siren. The quality of these matte lipsticks is incredible and the fact they are only £1.00 is incredible, I have been addicted to Wild Berry, so much so that I'm on my second lipstick and Scarlet Siren has been my go to lipstick during December, its such a gorgeous festive bright red. You can check out my full review of both these matte lippy's here.

Urban Decay 'Naked' Palette
As you can see my poor Naked palette is battered and bruised and has been well loved for the last couple of years. The quality or each eyeshadow is incredible and the shade range is beautiful. It's the only palette that I constantly go back too and definitely couldn't ever be without.

Collection Extreme 24 Hour Felt Tip Liner
For years liquid liner is something I've always struggled to master, until this year when I thought id give Collection's Extreme Liner a go. To be honest I wasn't expecting anything too impressive and the fact I've always struggled with precision and application of liquid liner made me think this would be another fail, but NOOOO, the first time I used this liquid liner it was honestly like I was a pro, it literally took me seconds to create precise straight liners and even flicks/wings and since then I've been addicted to this liner. 

And there you have it, a few products that really have made an impact on me during 2013.

What have your beauty favourites been during 2013??? Leave me you links if you've done a similar post as id love to read it.


Don't forget I'm currently holding a Nanshy Eye Brush Set GIVEAWAY, you can enter here.

Hayley

What I Got For Christmas 2013 ♥

Hey girlie's!!!

Today I thought I'd join in on the 'What I Got For Christmas' bandwagon, personally I love reading these type of posts and seeing what lovely gifts everyone receives, I know this is abit of a love/hate post so I just want to add a little disclaimer that in no way am I bragging/ showing off, I'm a super lucky lady to receive all the lovely gifts I got and I really am grateful and thankful!!! Anywhoo lets get going....

Beauty/Make-Up/Perfume


Firstly let me just squeal in excitement at the fact my boyfriend Michael managed to get me the Naked 3 Palette...Eeeek!!!!! Words cannot describe how much I'm in love with this palette, its just so beautiful!!! Michael also got me the gorgeous Ted Baker Large Make-Up Bag, I've been lusting after one for a super long time so I'm thrilled to have one, its so cute!!! My Mum & Dad then surprised me with some MAC goodies & a Urban Decay Mascara,  it just goes to show my Mum doest actually switch off when I talk to her about make-up constantly ha ha bless her. 
Bath Sets
I'm a huge Soap & Glory lover, everything about the brand is amazing in my eyes so I was super thankful for these 2 beaut's. My Mum & Dad got me the 'Once Upon A Lime' Set which smells absolutely incredible, its so refreshing and will definitely wake me up when I have my morning shower. The 'Bright and Bubbly' Set was from Michael and contains 4 miniature Soap & Glory classics and a body buffer, this little lot is definitely going to keep me going for a while.
Electrical
Michael spoilt me so much this year bless him as the 'Remington Pearl Pro Curler' was a gift from him also, this past year I've really got into curly/wavy/textured hair so I'm super excited to try out this bigger barrelled curler and see what looks I can create. The 'Oral-B Electric Toothbrush' and 'Paloma Floral Lamp' where gifts from Michael's parents, after using the electric toothbrush I actually cant believe how nice your teeth feel afterwards compared to when you use a standard toothbrush, its bizarre but great ha ha. 
Candles
If you know me you will know I'm obsessed with Yankee Candles, I always have them burning everyday in my house, I'm such a crazy candle lady he he!!! I received a medium 'Beach Walk' candle from my Auntie, I must admit it's never really caught my eye when buying candles in the past, but my goodness it smells incredible!!! My Mum and Dad kindly got me a Christmas Samplers Selection, they know how much I love my Christmassy scents ha ha and Michael's parents bought me the large Apple Spice candle which again smells incredible.

Slippers
Oh my... How stinking cute are these slippers from Next!!! My Mum and Dad got these little beaut's for me and they are literally the softest most cosy slippers that my feet have ever seen ha ha.

Blogging Goodies
I actually couldn't believe my eyes when I opened up this... a Portable Photo Studio!!!!! How amazing!!!!! I've been lusting after lighting for my blog pictures for a while as taking blog photos at this time of the year is impossible so this present has just answered alot of my prayers ha ha, I love the fact that the set is all portable, making it so easy and lightweight to carry around and if I only want to use the lights out of the set I can or If I just need the tripod etc. I'm really looking forward to having a play around/photo session soon and hopefully my picture quality will improve. Major boyfriend points for Michael for treating me to this ha ha. 

So that's most of my gorgeous gifts, my goodness I'm a lucky girl!!! I also received some comical stocking filler gifts, a tonne of chocolate that I think will last me a lifetime ha ha and this year me and Michael received quite alot of money so we will be treating ourselves in the sales I'm sure!!!

What did you get for Christmas beaut's??? Leave me your links below as I'd love to see.


Don't forget I'm currently holding a Nanshy Eye Brush Set Giveaway, you can enter here.

Hayley

My Sparkling Christmas | 2013

Hey girlie's!!!

Firstly, I hope you've all had an amazing Christmas with all your family and friends and of course, I hope you've indulged on silly amounts of turkey and chocolate!!! So today I thought Id share a small slice of my Christmas pie with you all and fill you all in on how I spent my Christmas....
My little Alfie bear ready for Christmas, My Christmas Jumper and a few of my Christmas presents.
Christmas Day selfie, My two favourite men, Mum's festive table and me and my Mum.
Two hungry little boys waiting for turkey, the chef aka my Mum, me with my pink Christmas cracker hat on and me and Michael after a few cheeky drinks, yup we go very silly!!!

I always wake up super early on Christmas morning, I'm such a big kid when it comes to Christmas ha ha, as me and my boyfriend Michael live together we started the day with a cup of tea and tin of biscuits and dunked away whilst we opened our presents ha ha, we've done this for the past 5 years since we've lived together, its become our own little tradition ha ha.

We then divide the day into two, spending half of the day with my family and half of the day with Michael's family, which also means we get two Christmas Dinners, yes you did read that correctly, TWO!!!  

The morning/early afternoon was spend at my parents house, with me and my Mum sorting the Christmas dinner whilst Michael and my Dad relax with the comedy DVDs and then the late afternoon/evening is spent at Michael's parents, again demolishing another Christmas dinner and opened more presents. Every year we always take our Nintendo Wii over and play lots of games which this year included Trivial Pursuit, id like to add that my team won whoop. We then played some drunken charades, which was absolutely hilarious, I literally had mascara running down my face as I was crying with laughter!!! 

Overall the day was amazing, we also spent Boxing Day over at Michael's parents, Michael's Mum put on a festive feast and we exchanged more gifts and played more party games, it was truly amazing!!!

I wish it could be Christmas forever!!!

Don't forget I'm currently holding a Nanshy Eye Brush Set Giveaway, you can enter here.

Hayley

December Favourites


 Hey girlie's!!!

I cant quite believe its that time again.... December favourites time!!! Did you all have a sparkling Christmas??? Did Santa leave you lots of beauty treats haha??? It's gone so quick!!! Anywhoo today I thought I would share with you all my favourite beauty products I've been loving throughout this festive month... So here goes... 

Rimmel Space Dust Nail Polishes
How gorgeous are these polishes!!! I bought them about 2 weeks ago and I've been wearing them constantly, they are just so pretty and perfect for the party season. My favourite is Aurora closely followed by Moon Walking ha ha. You can read my full review of the Space Dust polishes here.

MAC Quad Palette
For the last few months MAC's Satin Taupe and Naked Lunch have been my go to eye shadows as they just work so well together. They are such versatile shades, you can create lots of different looks with them not to mention the quality/lasting power of the eye shadows is incredible. But be warned these little MAC palettes are addictive, once you buy one you want to keep buying eyeshadows all the time as having an empty space in your palette is torture ha ha. 

Dr Brandt Microdermabrasion Skin Exfoliant
I got this little beauty in my October Birchbox and even though its only a sample size it has lasted me ages. It's basically an amazing skin exfoliant that I've been using twice a week and the improvement in my skins appearance in phenomenal, my skin is just so clear and near enough perfect! It's a shame the full size is a whopping £67.00, but I love it that much that I might splurge and treat myself, I could always put my Birchbox points towards it to he he.

MUA Matte Lipstick in Scarlet Siren
Its not a huge shock to see an MUA product in my favourites as I just love MUA, and their matte lipsticks have certainly been a hit with me. Throughout October and November I used the shade Wild Berry alot but in December I've been loving Scarlet Siren, it just goes beautifully with a gold eye look and looks so festive and christmassy and lets face it for £1.00 you cant go wrong.

Laura Mercier Long Lash Mascara
Another goodie from my Birchbox that I've been addicted to is the Laura Mercier Long Lash Mascara in Black. This mascara is great if you like incredibly long lashes, and as I have quite small eyes anything that will make my eyes look bigger is fab. When using the Long Lash mascara my eyelashes are so super long to the point where I've been asked if they where in actual fact my real lashes ha ha.

V05 Plump It Up Dry Backcombing Spray
This stuff is incredible!!! I hate backcombing my hair as its such a chore, not to mention how much it damages your hair but I do love abit of added volume at my roots so this stuff is like magic in a can for me haha. You simply give the can a good shake before use then spray evening on dry hair, including your roots, I then rub and jujj where ive sprayed the backcombing spray and then your left with loads of volume, woohoo!!!

 What's been your favourite beauty products this month??? I'd love to know!!!

I will doing my 'What I Got For Christmas 2013' post very soon girlie's so look out for that!!

Don't forget Im currently holding a Nanshy Eye Brush Set Giveaway, you can enter here.


Hayley

Merry Christmas!!!

Hey girlie's!!!

It's CHRISTMASSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!! Ha ha.

Just a quick post for you all today, to wish all of 'you' my gorgeous followers and blog readers a Merry Christmas!!!

What are you girlie's up to this Christmas??? I will be having lots of quality family time and of course stuffing myself senseless ha ha, pigs in blankets are my weakness!!!

As this is my blogs first Christmas I just wanted to tell you lovely bunch whether you follow me on GFC, Bloglovin, Twitter or Instagram you are never unnoticed and your support means the world to me, so thank you so much!!! I'm nearing 50'000 page views now and I also reached 400 Bloglovin' yesterday (yayyy) and I cant explain how happy that makes me, I really hope that 2014 will bring many more followers and readers to haysparkle.com and don't worry I already have lots of blogging plans for 2014 so keep your eyes peeled ha ha.

Have a sparkling Christmas beaut's and a Happy New Year, enjoy every minute of it!!!


Hayley

Christmas Jumper Fun on Christmas Day

Hey girlie's!!!

Today I thought I'd do abit of a fun festive post as I just couldn't resist sharing my love for some cute Christmas Jumpers that I've had my eye on!!!

I know lots of us girlie's have different traditions on what we like to wear on Christmas Day, It could be a PJ day, a casual day, a dress up day, which is what I usually do, but this year I'm embracing the Christmas Jumper!!!

I mean, whats not to love about a Christmas Jumper, their cute, snugly and they are great at concealing the massive food baby that I will have on Christmas Day ha ha.

Here are some of my Christmas Jumper picks for this Christmas Day....

I love this gorgeous knitted sequin present jumper from Topshop, it is quite pricey being £59.00 but I think if your wanting to splash out this Christmas this is definitely the jumper for you.


How adorable is this!!! I love the fact that this jumper from New Look isn't too in your face and doesn't really scream Christmas although you still know its for Christmas time wear.



As soon as I saw this jumper I immediately bought it!!! You may or may not know I'm slightly obsessed with watching the film Home Alone so this 'Merry Christmas Ya Filthy Animal' jumper is right up mu street and just had to be mine. I got mine from Boohoo for £15.00.



I love cute little reindeer's, I generally buy anything with cute little reindeer's on or fawns, I'm terrible, i just cant resist the cuteness ha ha. You can find this Rudolph Reindeer jumper on chiarafashion.co.uk for £14.95.



I thought this was quite a girly option with its sweet little love heart pattern, the back of the jumper is also completely covered in little red love hearts too! It's also think you could get away with wearing this throughout winter as it not too Christmas crazy ha ha. You can get the jumper from shelikes.com for £16.00.


And there you have it, some Christmas Jumper Fun!!! I hope you liked this quick festive post and don't forget it not too late to join in and embrace the Christmas Jumper trend ha ha.

Are you going to wear a Christmas Jumper on Christmas Day??? Id love to know!!!

Don't forget to enter my giveaway here girlie's!!!

Hayley



Velvet Nails | Nail Rock Review


Hey girlie's!!!

I recently received my December Birchbox and within my box of goodies I got the Nail Rock, Nail Velvet in Burgundy!!!  I was super excited to see this in my box as textured nails and nail polishes seem to be everywhere at the moment and  Ive wanting to try velvet nail effects for what seems like forever, so I was really happy to finally get my hands on a good one to try out.

The nail velvet comes in 2 parts, a 10ml nail polish which acts as your base/glue and a 5g pot of the velvet. When it came to the application of the Velvet Nails it seemed simply enough when you read the box but it can be quite tricky and messy to begin with, here's how I apply mine....

1. Firstly you need to paint your nails with two coats of the nail polish, I found the nail polish dried super quick so bare that in mind when you apply your second coat as you need to move fast if you want your velvet to stick well.

2. Once you've applied your second coat you need to immediately dip/press your nail into the nail velvet, this is the tricky/messy part, as the pot of nail velvet is so small its hard to get your finger to bend in there and get a complete coating of the velvet onto your nail, I found the best way is to sprinkle a small pile of the nail velvet onto a piece of kitchen roll and press your nail into the velvet that way, trust me its the best way ha ha.

3. After your nail is covered in the velvet simply tap off the excess onto the kitchen towel and then repeat with the other nails, allow 15-20 minutes for your nails to dry completely.

4. Voila!!! You have a set of velvet nails that really do feel soft and furry ha ha.


I must admit the effect does feel very strange at first, I was worried that getting my nails wet would ruin the effect but it actually doesn't, the velvet does get wet but it dries back to normal. I never experienced the velvet shedding at all although it did attract any bits of fluff flying around which was slightly annoying. As for lasting power.... Its very disappointing, mine didn't even last me 2 days, also were I had been cooking, washing my hands, showering etc it really made the velvet effect look slightly shabby.

Overall I do think the Velvet Nail Effect is good and it certainly feels quirky and different but I think it's best used as an accent nail and not on all of your nails, I definitely think you would get more wear time that way.

Have you tried Velvet Effect Nails before??? What did you think???

Don't forget you can enter my giveaway here to be in with a chance of winning some fabulous make-up brushes!!!

Hayley

Real Techniques Sam's Picks Make-up Brush Set | Review


Hey girlie's!!!

Today I'm back with an exciting review featuring one of my most favourite brush brands Real Techniques. Real Techniques brushes are designed by the lovely Samantha Chapman from Pixiwoo. Sam has released lots of different individual brushes and brush sets so far but her new set 'Sam's Picks'* is a definite must have for any make-up or beauty lover.

The set contains 6 full size brushes, 4 face brushes and 2 eye brushes, all of which Sam has hand picked  for the set naming them her favourite brushes, not forgetting that within the 6 brushes shes thrown in an exclusive never before seen brush which makes this set that extra bit special.

The brushes in this set include....

Multi-Task Brush*
The Multi Task Brush is so super soft and perfect for applying powder products to larger area's of the face, including blusher, bronzer and setting powder. I also love the fact that the multi task brush isn't overly large, making it really easy to work with and you feel you have a more controlled application of your make-up products.

Setting Brush*
The Setting Brush is great if you want to set the more delicate, harder to reach areas on your face such as under the eye area where concealer can crease and around the nose. It's also a great little brush for applying a precise yet flawless dusting of highlighter to the brow bone, cheek bones and down the centre of your nose

Buffing Brush*
My all time favourite Real Techniques Brush 'The Buffing Brush'!!! This little beauty was previously available in the Core Collection and its fair to say its a well loved brush in the blogging world. I use it more or less everyday to apply my liquid foundation as the finish is just completely flawless, theres never any horrid brush stroke lines and it always blends my foundation into my skin in a matter or minutes, which is great if you are in a rush but still want perfect skin.

Pointed Foundation Brush*
The Pointed Foundation Brush is aimed at building coverage in certain areas of the face that need it with your preferred foundation, I must admit I personally never use this brush for foundation as I'm so in love with my Buffing Brush however I do find this brush is best used for concealer, its the perfect size and shape for under the eyes and its pointed bristles mean you can apply your concealer in the most awkward of places. 

Essential Crease Brush*
This little brush is the set's exclusive brush and my goodness its a good'un!!! It's tapered end allows you to apply eye shadow to the contours of your eyes to perfection, whilst the rounded bristles allow you to blend your eyeshadow out flawlessly, so essentially its doing two jobs at once, brilliant!!!

Fine Liner Brush*
The Fine Liner Brush was one of the brushes from this set I was really excited to try. The brush perfectly lines your eyes with either gel or cream eyeliner and creates precise lines, whether you prefer thick winged out liner or a more subtle liner this brush will help you create your desired look with ease.


All of the Real Techniques brushes in Sam's Picks have light weight aluminium handle's making them really easy to use and are made up of  hand cut ultra plush synthetic taklon bristles which are great to use with cream, liquid and powder products and are all 100% cruelty free which is a major plus. 

Overall I think this 6 piece set is genius, you are literally getting 6 brushes that can complete a whole make-up look and more, as most of the brushes can be used in a multitude of ways, you really cant go wrong with Sam's picks.

 You can buy Sam's Picks by Real Techniques from cloud10beauty for £29.99, that's just £5.00 per brush, what a bargain!!!

Have you tried any of the brushes from Sam's Picks??? What did you think???


Hayley