Fujifilm Instax Mini 8 Camera Review & How-To

My main present for this Christmas just gone was the amazing Instax Mini 8. I had been eyeing this baby up for quite a while, having seen it on tumblr a lot and a few popular blogs. I've always loved polaroid style cameras, since I had one of the Polaroid i-Zones when I was younger that printed a photo sticker, and the fact that you can have a tangible photo within seconds is amazing to me so as soon as I saw these new cameras I knew I had to have one!! 

My mum bought the camera from Amazon for me as I believe they are cheaper online than to buy them from somewhere like Urban Outfitters and you have the option to buy bundles that come with extra packs of film. I asked for the Baby Blue coloured camera (was torn between this and the pink) and my mum chose a bundle for me that came with 4 packs of film, ten prints each, and also a set of rechargeable batteries with a charger. I think altogether this pack was around £60-£70 which is really good value considering some places sell the camera alone for above £90! 

First of all the camera is really easy to set up, the AA batteries fit in a panel on the back and the camera comes with a hand-strap that loops into the top corner. The film comes in silver packaging which you simply peel open to reveal the black box which you then place into a panel in the back with the two rectangular shapes facing towards you. To open the lens on the camera you press a button located to the right bottom corner and then according to what kind of light/brightness setting you are in, the light at the top of the dial on the lens will light up and you switch it to whatever mode the light is shown over. All you do then is point at your object, looking through the little viewfinder on the back, and press the circular button to the left of the lens and see the photo printed out of the top. Altogether the camera is very simple to set up and you don't really need the instructions, which are mostly Chinese, as it is really self explanatory. 

Baby Blue Instax Mini 8 

Selection of my prints with sharpie dates! 

The first time you put new film into the camera, the first shot you take will be the plastic backing of the film coming out so you don't need to worry about the first time you press the "take" button as this will be dispensed before you take your first photo. A window at the back of the camera also shows you how many photos you have left to take. When the film is finished you simply open the back panel of the camera again and take the plastic container out before putting in a new one. 

The photo prints come out of the camera about credit card size and they are really cute and dinky, also with really high quality which I was very impressed with upon taking my first photo on Christmas morning!! You can get all sorts of exciting film for the camera at around £10-£15 a pack depending on what you choose and I have seen various designs on sites like Ebay including Disney Princesses which of course I am going to buy for my very own Princess' 21st birthday next month for some bday snaps (hi Jade heheh). 

Closer Photo of a Print about Credit Card Size 

I would say the Instax Mini is definitely a must have camera if you're into the polaroid revival and it's just a really nice thing to make memories with I think. You can keep the photos forever and never have the worry of having to save something that is digital. They're a cute thought to give to friends and with them growing quite popular now there are more accessories about such as bags and cases and also photo albums that you can use with your Instax & the prints. Can't wait to take it to Berlin on my Uni trip next week for some more little snaps that I can keep til I'm old!!

Sleek Palette & Contour Kit Review

I'm one of those people who is all about affordable drugstore makeup that works well and reflects a high-end product. I don't fork out on expensive products often as I like to pick up new cheaper things that I have heard good things about (or just look interesting to me) and can try without the fuss of much money being lost if I don't like them. Most of my makeup collection comes from Boots, UK high-street pharmacy, as I have a large store close to me which carries the most makeup lines and always has stock of new collections.  

I've been aware of Sleek Makeup for a while, correct me if I'm wrong but I think it started off as quite a small collection in Superdrug and then has branched out with a wider range in Boots. If you know me by this blog you'll know I'm quite a loyal follower of the Pixiwoo sisters and I have seen them use Sleek products before, including one of the palettes, but never tried them until now. My sister is very into their range of palettes and recommended my first one should be the 'au naturel' palette which was fine by me as my daily makeup consists of natural hues as I'm far too lazy to experiment further with the little time I have in the mornings. 

At first glance I was impressed with the colours in the palette and they are very similar to that of an Urban Decay Naked palette and they are all shades that I would definitely use on a daily basis. The lighter colours will serve me well as highlighters and a lot of the darker shades I can use for liners as well as eyeshadow. The palette is really highly pigmented and what you would get from a more expensive product and there's little difference between this palette and my Mac & Urban Decay shadows. 

Colours from LtoR: Nougat, Nubuck, Cappuccino, Honeycomb, Toast Taupe
Conker, Moss, Bark, Mineral Earth, Regal, Noir

While the "buy one get one half price"offer was on the Sleek range, I thought I would also try the Face Contour Kit as I didn't yet have a powder highlighter I had always used creams. I bought the Medium kit as my skin tone is more olivey than pale and the bronzer is the perfect colour and works suprisingly well at bringing out my cheekbones whereas usually I would use a lighter bronzer (see, you never know if you never try!).  The powder highlighter is an alternative that I will probably be using more often than my Benefit High Beam which I feel is sometimes too dewy for the daytime and more disruptive to your makeup underneath. All in all, two good purchases and I'm definitely going to look at the other palettes from Sleek and see if I can find the Brow Kit to try out.. 

I love the clean cut black packaging!

January Sale Winter Coat Haul

Happy New Year & all that Jazz! 

It's January and the ever so joyous (not) time of mad busy sales and trashed clothing racks everywhere you turn but hey who's not up some shoulder barging for a bargain here and there. Living in England, the cold weather continues long after Christmas has been and gone and we're still suffering the 10 degree and under temperatures by February/March time. So while there are coats on offer at a discounted price, you go for it really. 

Here are my three lovely coat purchases that, I believe, I will be able to wear and style for hopefully most of the year as I've chosen three particularly different coats that will go with a range of different things in the months to come! I'm not going to model the coats cause let's face it, I'm not a model.. however you may see me wearing them in future posts.

NEW LOOK: FAUX LEOPARD FUR JACKET
Was: £44.99.. Purchased for £17

TOPSHOP: BOYFRIEND POPPER COAT
Was £58.. Purchased for £18

ZARA: WOOL COAT
Was: £59.99 .. Purchased for £49.99

As far as I'm aware all three of these coats are still available to buy and if it's not as cold where you are, they're still good enough bargain buys to whip them out next winter!