Wednesday 14 December 2011

Snowman Nails!


So I spent the best part of 5 minutes trying to come up with some sort of pun for this blog title, but there was snow way it was going to happen... no? Nevermind then. Moving driftly on...

Winter is well and truely setting in and I thought I'd get a bit festive with my nails this week by painting on some cute little snowmen. Once again, I used CutePolish's nail tutorial that you can find on her YouTube (link below). I used OPI 'Alpine Snow' as a base colour then added No17 Glitter top coat to give the nails a bit of an icy sparkle. I then used a dotting tool and Rimmel's 'Black Cab' to create his eyes and mouth and then a random peachy/orange polish I had lying around for his nose.





If you were feeling extra creative you could probably adjust the size of the face and create a vertical striped tip for a scarf, which I might give a go next time.

Hope your all having a good week guys x



Sunday 13 November 2011

I mustache you a question.

I've been really getting into my nail art recently, and with the arrival of Movember I've been rocking some little handle bars on my nails! Pretty much all of my male friends are growing out their pathetic attempts of facial hair (sorry guys) and in all honesty, I've been feeling a little left out. But no more!







I used OPI 'Alpine Snow' as a base, and then painted on the taches with Rimmel 'Black Cab' using a dotting tool. They aren't perfect, I only have one size of dotting tool so I did find it a bit difficult getting perfect flicks. I've had quite a few compliments on them though, so I'm satisfied.

Hope you've all had a great weekend!

Wednesday 28 September 2011

To Infinity and Beyond


I had a go at 'Galaxy Nails' recently. I decided to channel LLYMLRS and go for some cheap stick on nails from ebay as they're a lot easier to paint (I have no patience when it comes to nails!) and also because my nails are so short and stubby my galaxies would have been pretty non existant.

There was a 3 for 2 on makeup items at boots, including No.17 nail polishes so all the colours used were No.17. (excluding the white, which was OPI 'Alpine Snow')

I followed the cutepolish tutorial, she is epic at nail art and has some amazing easy to follow tutorials that you should definitely check out. I've put the video below. But any way, check them out! They weren't as hard as I anticipated, infact they're perfect for begginers. They took a while with all the different layers but they were so worth it.




Cutepolish Tutorial


Autumn Updates


Autumn is my favouritest of seasons. Mainly just because it gives me an excuse to layer up in furs (faux, obviously), scarfs and mittens! But also because of the colours, rich plums and burgundies are an A/W must and they give me a feeling of sophistication and, lets face it, we all like to feel a bit posh sometimes.

Topshop are fastly becoming one of my favourite makeup brands. I guess because they're orginally a fashion brand, they always seem to get every season right as far as colours and textures go. For A/W they released the 'Smoke and Mirrors' collection, and if I'd have had the money I would have indulged in all of it, but alas I did not. So I chose to buy a lip colour and a nail colour, two of the easiest ways to update a beauty look without going OTT.









'Confessions' lipstick if a gorgeous coral red colour. I find corally/orangey reds work best for my skin tone and really compliments my blue eyes. The polish, called 'Bourbon', is described by Topshop as being a dark chocolate colour, which I'd say is pretty spot on as long as you imagine the darkest chocolate you can find! It looks black in some lights and I found it quite hard to photograph its exact colour, but has an amazing rich red undertone running through it.

Very much looking forward to rocking these colours!

Sunday 28 August 2011

Steady as she GoGos


I mentioned in my last Sunday Summary how I was so excited to receiving my GoGo Philip order, and it arrived, but I wasn't so excited about what I had received. Long story short, the order was completely messed up due to it having been shipped from a store rather than a warehouse.

The people at GoGo Philip were so unbelievabley kind to me when I contacted them about it. They told me not to go through any hassle of returning the jewellery and that they would refund me my money and send the correct items free of charge. I was flabberghasted! All in all I've received around £80 worth of jewellery, and not because I was a blogger (the order was put in under my mums name as I paid for it on her PayPal account) but just as a regular customer. Now that's what I call good customer service! I think it's so important for companies to have good PR, it really makes a difference to the company's reputation. Some companies (and this is from personal experience) will try and claim no responsibility, mess you around for sometimes weeks on end and try and make it unbelievabley hard for you to get your money back.

It's strange how such a messed up order turned into the best customer service experience I've ever had, I will definately buy from GoGo Philip again because now I know that as a brand, GoGo Philip care about their reputation, they care about their customers and that's what companies should be like. But any way, on to the jewellery...




















Some of the jewellery I was sent isn't on the website, so I couldn't give you exact prices. But feel free to go check out the website as they have some amazing pieces! What's great about GoGo Philip as well is their jewellery is either gold of silver plated, perfect for people like me who have allergies to base metals.

Hope you're all having a good weekend xo

Monday 22 August 2011

Mr Bright Side





Some of you may remember a post I did a while ago about my rather out of character purchase of Costa Chic by MAC. I thought I'd just give you a bit of an update on it - I'm in love! I wore it almost every day whilst on holiday in Spain. Since it's quite a bold colour, I'd say it probably suits more tanned skin tones. So being the untannable woman myself, I find it easier to wear it sheer and dab it over some lip balm. I usually pair it with Head Over Heels cream blush by Topshop, they're very similar colours and so go perfectly together!

Any one else crazy for Costa Chic?

xo

Sunday Summary - In the Middle





1 ; I've been sporting a center parting on and off for the last month or so, I was craving a change and center seems to be the new side nower days! I'm still not 100% sold on it, every now and again I go back to the comforts of my comb over only to find it doesn't look right now I've grow out my fringe. I love center partings on other people, and would kill to have that long Kardashian-esk barnet but I feel my face can't take the serevity of it.

2 ; I've been indulging in Topshop a lot the last year, to the point where it has become almost the only store I shop from. I feel Topshop caters for all different types of people with all different styles, and they are able to make really fashion forward pieces that are still toned down enough to last you more than one season. I think I'm going to do a haul post soon with my recent buys.

3 ; I bought some jewellery from the GoGo Philip website, but it hasn't arrived yet and I'm starting to get a bit worried! Has anyone bought off them before? or know the usually delievery time? I just hope it comes soon, I cannot wait to get my hands on it! I bought a gold chain and some gold earrings. I was suprised to find that GoGo Philip jewellery is mostly gold plated, which is excellent for me since I'm allergic to base metal.

4 ; Going to see HP Deathly Hallows PT2 again tonight, this time I'm taking the mother. She likes to wait until the films are almost finished at the cinema to watch them so she can sit where ever she wants and not have to worry about noisy people. I'm treating her to her first 3D film experience since the 80's! No doubt she'll spend the first 10 minutes tripping out haha.


Hope you all had a spiffing weekend x

Monday 1 August 2011

Auntie Naomi!


It's been what feels like forever since I last posted, I definitely deserve 'The worlds most Inconsistent Blogger Award". I've had a lot going on, exams and what not, but truthfully my lack of posts is more down to lack of inspiration. I often at times think Im incredibly boring and that no one really wants to read half the ramble I consider posting. But since it's the summer and I have at least another 6 weeks of sweet F.A, I'm going to focus on getting my blogging back on track!


But any-hoo... Over the weekend I headed down south to Leighton Buzzard to visit my older brother and his wife who have just had a little baby girl! She's so gorgeous, she's just over 2 weeks old now. She's ever so quiet and just likes to stare at things, particularly the giraffes on the side of her moses basket. It's so strange to see my brother all grown up with a family, but he's an amazing dad and I just wish he lived closer so I could have more likkle baby cuddles!







You'll have to excuse my shabby appearance, it was 6.30am, I hadn't showered yet and I'd literally just sweeped a bit of mascara on when my mum said she was going to start taking pictures. But here she is, even when her face is squished into my shoulder she still looks cute!


xx

Thursday 9 June 2011

Xen Tan Pop-up Event & Absolute Luxe Review

Last week I was lucky enough to be invited to my first ever event as a blogger and just as lucky that it was for a brand I absolutely adore! Xen Tan had a pop-up boutique in the Selfridges' beauty hall, holding personal consultations to help you find your perfect tanning routine. Along with a number of other Bloggers, I was given the opportunity to have a consultation.





I was so nervous as it was the first thing I'd ever done as a 'Blogger', but the girls were so lovely and offered me a red velvet cupcake on arrival (yes please!). For the consultation I was asked a number of questions all about my skin, my fake tan routine and my fake tan preferences. After talking through all the products and which ones were best for me, I was given a list of the perfect Xen Tan products for my routine.





At the end, I was given a little goodie bag with a 'Little Book of Tanning', a Luxury Tanning Mitt and a product of choice to review. Unfortunately, they didn't have my coveted item in stock, but they were kind enough to send it me in the post.

I chose the Dark Lotion Absolute Luxe. I already use the Dark Lotion and am completely in love with it but I've been considering the Absolute Luxe for a while now, and it didn't disappoint!





I've heard a few not so brilliant reviews on the product before, which was the main reason I never went out and purchased it (plus it's not the cheapest of fake tans if it didn't work!). But I can hand on heart honestly say, it blows the Dark Lotion out of the water!


Colour Pay Off

The colour pay off I get from the Absolute Luxe is almost twice as much as I get with the Dark Lotion. When using the Dark Lotion, I've always 'double dipped' (used two applications) and so being able the have a product that gives the same pay off in one application is a definite plus.






Application


I've heard a few comment about the Absolute Luxe that it isn't the easiest of fake tans to apply and that it takes a bit more effort than most, but I didn't find this at all. The only possible down side is that there is no colour guide (I totally freaked out the first time I started applying it) but if like me you usually go into autopilot when applying fake tan this shouldn't cause too much of a problem. For the first couple of seconds when applying the tan, it does go a very faint white colour so I find that helpful when trying the gage where I've already applied the product.





Streaks/Clinging to dry skin?

Definitely not. This fake tan is a lot more luxurious and moisturising than the Dark Lotion and I have had no steaks or darker patches where my skin is slightly drier.


Does is break you out?

No. Granted this isn't the most glamourous subject to talk about, but in reality a LOT of people suffer from break outs on there back, shoulders or chest and I have a friend who avoids fake tanning purely for this reason. I'm not someone who suffers from breakouts in those areas all the time but I definitely steer clear of using body lotions in those areas because if I use something too moisturising I can get the odd blocked pore or spot on my back. Thankfully this product doesn't give me any problems.


Does it smell of mouldy biscuits?

Not as bad as most! Xen Tan products have something which they call Scent Secure, an ingredient within the products that wraps around the DHA (what makes fake tan go brown) to avoid that awful biscuity smell. In reality, it does smell very faintly, but by no means as bad as most fake tans on the market. To anyone with a less sensitive nose, it's probably undetectable.


Is it worth the price tag?

In my opinion, yes! Granted, it's by no means cheap, coming in at £39.99. But it can be bought off discount websites such as www.feelunique.com if your not willing to pay so much. As I said, the colour pay off is almost double that of the Dark Lotion so for £10 extra, it's something I'm willing to pay for.


Hope you've found this review helpful. What are your favourite Xen Tan products?


x

Saturday 14 May 2011

Oh so Costa Chic!

I ventured out into Manchester today with my dearest friend Natalia, we were both on a mission to do some serious shopping (my mission was not as accomplished as hers) and lets just say one umbrella between two girls in flood worthy rain was a bad move! We got totally drenched looking for Ryan's Vintage up near Piccadilly, but I did purchase a gorgeous vintage scarf so the day was not all doom and gloom.

I took the opportunity whilst in the city centre to return some empty compacts to MAC in return for a lipstick of choice. This time round, after numerous nudes and pinks, I decided to get a bit adventurous and picked Costa Chic. I know this shade might not be adventurous for some, but for me it's nothing sort of an achievement!







Im not totally won over by it... yet! I'm sure it'll grow on me, especially when the weather starts to act more like Summer than Winter. Hopefully I'll be able to get a FOTD up using it, as today's rain has made me look like I've been dragged through a bush backwards I thought I'd give it a miss until another date.

Think I'm going to snuggle up with a brew and watch the Eurovision now! Hope you all have a good weekend



Monday 9 May 2011

A years supply of Xen Tan... Interested?


So if the title of this post has lured you in I'm guessing, like me, you are faux tan fan!

Xen Tan will be popping up in the Selfridges beauty hall at the Trafford Centre from 29th May - 04 June and are offering a personalised consultation to find the perfect colour for you!

And if thats not enough to tempt you, you could be in with the chance to win a years supply of your perfect Xen Tan product!







I'll be attending a consultation at some point throughout the day on the 1st May, so if your also there and happen to see me, don't forget to say Hello!


x

Sunday 8 May 2011

My Crowning Glory


It's pretty difficult to convince myself that revising for my A levels isn't a waste of a day when the sun is out and shining. But I took a break from re-reading Pride and Prejudice for the third time to do a quick post showing what my new Crown and Glory floral crown looks like on, as it was requested in my recent post :)









Every time I've worn this beaut I get so many compliments on it, which makes me adore it even more! It makes me feel instantly more summery and I know I'll definitely get a lot of use out of it in the coming months. I also bought a second floral crown and three floral bobby pin sets that you can check out in my last post.


Hope you've all had a good weekend and I can't wait to get back into blogging and YouTubing once these darn exams are over!

x

Wednesday 27 April 2011

Crown and Glory Haul





You may have already heard of Crown and Glory, as their beautiful assortment of hair accessories have been gracing the heads of a number of bloggers recently. But for those who have not, Crown and Glory is a line of handmade hair accessories ranging from floral garlands and clips to velvet and suede turbans. It is the brain child of Sophie King, a Photographic Art Graduate on a mission to create a line of hair accessories that would make the wearer feel pampered and unique the second they put them on.

For me, my hair IS my crowning glory, I spend endless amounts of money and time trying to make it into a barnet to be proud of, so I was instantly attracted to Crown and Glory and their wide array of gorgeous accessories.

I purchased a number of items, including two of their glorious garland 'crowns' which are made to measure (you will receive an email asking for your measurement). I was shocked, but very pleased, at how quickly I received the items and was not at all surprised to find they were packaged with as much thought and care put in as the items themselves.

So without further or do... on to the good stuff!










"My Only Sunshine" Floral Crown, £8.00










"Over the Picket Fence" Floral Crown, £10.00







"Purple Rain" Bobby Pin Set, £6.00







"Plum Pudding" Bobby Pin Set, £6.00







"Seven Seas" Bobby Pin Set, £4.00 (On Sale)







I also received a free gift of a keyring/bag charm, which unfortunately my cat has taken a serious liking to and claimed as his own! Must be the birds me thinks!


I absolutely love this line of quirky accessories and if given the chance and the budget, I would buy one of everything. The floral crowns are the perfect addition to summer looks and the bobby pins give an instant update of intrigue and glamour. For the beauty and craftsmanship put into the pieces, they are more than reasonably priced, making them the perfect little indulgence!

So what do you think guys? Are you liking Crown and Glory?


x


PS. to take a gander at their website, simply click to banner below.



Thursday 14 April 2011

It's in the bag


I'm totally obsessed with all things neutral toned recently; tan, mink, peach and everything in between! So when I went to pick up a new bag for the summer, I B-lined straight for this beaut.







It's from River Island - my go to shop for accessories. It's made of leather and feels incredible, not like something from the high street at all. The label states it as being "Cream" but it's definitely more of a mink if you ask me.







It has a long leather strap with a gold chain detail that can be adjusted via a buckle on one side.







It's interior, which I lovelovelove, is a blue and silver almost holographic fabric, with a strange print that's somewhere between leopard print and snake skin.







I also picked up a purse in the same sort of colour scheme, only the purse is a slightly cooler stone colour.







It has a coin section, two sections for notes and a very handy twelve card slots! Perfect for me with my accumulation of store cards and loyalty cards.

The bag was £29.99 and the purse £19.99. Absolute bargains when you consider how much they would be for their quality in places like Topshop.


I'm in love

Thursday 3 March 2011

Ebay Lashes: 50 pairs for £14!


Hey Lovelies!

So recently I purchased some lashes off Ebay. I'm a keen wearer of the Nicola Roberts lashes by Eyelure, but working out at about a pound a wear, they were a bit pricey! So i decided to investigate the super cheap lashes you can buy in bulk from places like Japan. I'd heard they can take up to two weeks to be delivered, so I was thrilled to find a seller of these beauties that was a UK seller.

I bought 50 lashes priced at £13.95 with free postage and packaging, a bargain if you ask me! There are five different styles of lashes and I received 10 of each style. They come in long, thin boxes with 10 to a box. They look slightly misshapen in the box as they are stretched so the edges fit in the wholes that keep them in place, but they're completely fine once removed from the packaging.








There are two more natural lashes, these being the most natural









These are very similar to the last pair, only the lashes are slightly longer









Theres also a pair of 'criss cross' lashes, which I've never been very fond of, but would be really nice for more dramatic looks









The last two styles are my favourites, super long and super thick!









The second of the thick lashes are similar to the first, but the lashes are more clustered, giving a great fanned out effect









Heres the link to the Seller i bought the lashes off, you can buy just ten lashes, twenty, or however many you want!


http://myworld.ebay.co.uk/white-cliffs/?_trksid=p4340.l2559




Have any of you bought lashes in bulk off Ebay? What are your thoughts on them?


x

Saturday 19 February 2011

My Xen Tan Mission!


I've always been of the impression that I was too pale for fake tan. I've tried almost every fake tan there is, from gradual tanners to the infamous St Tropez. But it seems no matter the price tag or the blurb of promises, I always end up an orange mess. I'm really pale, something I can thank my Irish ancestors for, and not just your usual pale, but the pale that is almost white! (Think Nicola Roberts or Dita Von Tease) I pondered whether my lack of tanning success was down to the tan needing the pigment in your skin to work off, so i wrote off fake tan and submitted myself to a life of palery!.. Yes, I did just make up that word.


And then, like a knight in golden armour, came the mighty Xen Tan! I'd heard nothing but praise off other bloggers and YouTubers of this revolutionary fake tan. That it mopped the floor with the ever popular St Tropez, and the fact that it smelt of vanilla didn't hurt either. I ordered myself the Dark Lotion, Body Scrub and a Delux Tanning Mitt off ebay, not really expecting much.


I can hand on heart say, this tan has changed my life. I'm now a tanning addict, marvelling at my brown (NOT orange) skin! But I was having one problem with it, it claims to last up to 7 days but I found myself having to re-apply after 3. I mentioned on my Twitter my disappointment about this and Xen Tan did there best to help me out.


As I've not been a big tanner in the past, I think it's safe to say my rapid fading was down to two things; 1.) application technique and 2.) my insistence on showering twice a day!


The lovely Amy from Xen Tan advised my to purchase the Transform Luxe Gradual Tanner and apply when I feel my tan needs topping up, rather than applying a full whack of the dark stuff! She also sent me a little tanning guide with useful tips and tricks on how to get the best of both your fake tanning routine at home and if you get a spray tan at a salon.















I thought this was really nice of them. It's a welcome change to see a company actually caring about their customers opinions and trying to help them out. I'll be doing a more in depth review on my Xen Tan routine when I feel I have truely mastered it. But for now all I can say is I seriously recommend this product!


x

Some Lush Storage


Evening Lovelies!

So I was browsing ebay for some sort of storage for my Lush collection, as it was taking up a much needed draw. I was thinking of a glass bowl or maybe some kind of decorate 'platter', but I couldn't find anything that caught my eye.

Then I found myself watching DollyBowBow's room tour video and saw a lovely shabby chic cake stand she used to store bits and bobs. I typed "shabby chic cake stand" into ebay and voila! There it was!

It was priced at £23 including postage and packaging. I would have liked it to be a bit cheaper, but hey ho!











I love it so much! And it's perfect for all my lovely Lush goodies.



x