Liparazzi

Molton Brown, Soap & Glory & An Update

2012-01-31T13:31:00.001Z

So here I am apologising...AGAIN. Once more I have been a little more absent from the world of blogging than I would like to be. To be perfectly honest, I don't think that will change for the next couple of weeks. I have been so busy with the business, getting organised for another wedding show in February and agonising over moving house. So I will try my best to keep blogging during this time...I promise!

Today I just wanted to mention a few things and give a bit of an update on what's happening with me. Firstly, I had to share my growing obsession with good quality scented candles. Let's face it, all women like scented candles because they lend a sense of luxury and romantic ambience to a room. There are some divine scents out there but this week I have been obsessively sniffing the Molton Brown Myrrh Muske & Cypress Medio Candela. It's gorgeously musky and woody and it gives the room a real sense of warmth and cosiness. I know quite a few people who would baulk at the thought of spending so much on a candle but the more expensive candles have a higher quality of wax and tend to burn more evenly instead of just burning a well in the middle of the candle wax. I also prefer the more authentic scents that the expensive candles emote...there's nothing worse than plasticky synthetic smelling candles. I like to buy these candles as a treat to myself and drop massive hints to everyone that they're always a lovely gift to receive!

I know everyone in the blogosphere is well aware that Soap & Glory now have a make up line but I have only just looked into the range. I have heard mixed reviews about the products so I was intrigued about what the range had to offer. The first product I want to talk about is Glow All Out - a luminising radiance face powder.

"Use it to lift up your cheekbones or dust lightly all over for a 'moonlit' look. Featuring LIGHTSCRAMBLE™ lumisphere pigment pearls, an ultra-fine creamy powder shimmer finish and extended wear silicone technology."

I know a lot of people aren't keen on the Benefit-esque cardboard packaging but it really doesn't bother me. I do like the whimsical product names and fun vintage-inspired packaging for this brand.

The powder itself is a light pink with shimmer that is definitely more of a sheen than shimmer. It translates onto the face as a slightly pearlescent radiance...pretty. The texture of the powder is pretty smooth and it's easy to blend into skin without too much work. I personally wouldn't use this as an all over face powder as I prefer the soft matte look with sheen confined to the heights of my cheekbones.

For £11, this highlighter does a good job of lifting the cheekbones whilst looking subtle and pretty. It's a nice Spring product for when you want that fresh look to your skin. Does it compare to my beloved Dior Amber Diamond Shimmer Powder? Well, no, but relative to it's pricetag, it does what it says on the tin and when you're on a budget, you can't say fairer than that!

Supercat Carbon Black Extreme Eyeliner Pen is priced at £6 features "unique INKJET™ colour release & Gloss–Fix™ finish to give a rich and intense colour. The foolproof marker tip creates two looks - Fine point for a natural look or thick edge adds a dramatic flash! Uses long lasting, long wear pigments plus a high percentage of carbon black for intense colour release".

I am a huge fan of the felt-tip style liquid eye liner because they are simple to use, create a clean crisp finish and usually have good lasting power. The precise nib on this eye liner pen gives you the versatility of creating a thin or more substantial line, depending on what look you're going for. I was impressed with the intensity of the black liner and didn't have to apply it over and over to get the effect I wanted. I did find find that it began to fade on the inner corners of my eyes by the end of the day but I would always take an eyeliner pen around with me in my make up bag anyway for touch-ups. For £6, this liquid eye liner does a great job and given that I rock the cat-eye liner look almost every day, it's nice to have a cheaper option to pick up when I'm short on cash. Another great liquid eye liner is the Loreal Super Liner for £6.49.

Now you know I am always looking into new ways of covering up my dark eye circles a.k.a. the bain of my life! Trick and Treatment Under Eye Dark Circle Concealer is priced at £9 and is described as a "long-wear, light-reflecting, under-eye concealer/brightener formulated with HALOXYLTM dark-circle -lightening peptides. (So you simultaneously hide and treat.) Trick & Treatment features a special yellow pigment mix to neutralize dark purple under eye circles, includes soft-focusing spheres to instantly minimize the fine lines, and is formulated with clinically tested levels of HALOXYLTM to help mobilize sluggish, dark under-skin pigment (so it slowly attacks the root of dark circles while instigating a quick ‘cover up’".

You can see from the pics that it obviously has yellow tones which are always good for hiding those purple tones under the eyes. The texture of this concealer is creamy but light enough not to feel heavy on the delicate skin under your eyes. I tried using this product on it's own but I actually felt it worked better when used OVER my Bobbi Brown Corrector in Light to Medium Bisque. With those two products combined, my undereye area looked flawless! I was so happy to have fresh, bright eyes. When used in conjunction with the BB Corrector, I found it didn't settle into fine lines around the eyes and it didn't budge all day. Sometimes products just work better when you mix them up with other things you know will work on you!

HOUSE UPDATE!!!

Well, as of today, our flat/apartment has officially been sold and we couldn't be happier! There's a lot of waiting around for things to be confirmed and signed and thankfully that has all been processed with no problems. We have found our dream house in the country (but strangely enough, it's also close to the city...very unique). The property we are looking at is a converted mill that was built in 1850. It has loads of land, loads of character and it's right on a riverbank with beautiful views.

Fingers crossed we get this place and if we do, I will let you all know as well as show you some pics of the interior. It needs a lot of work but me and Chris are definitely up to the challenge!

Nature vs. Science

2012-01-25T21:14:00.003Z

As a bonafide cosmetics junkie, I ~~own~~ hoard a plethora of products and there is a clear division within that stash of organic versus chemical. It has to be one of the major issues that divides the beauty world. Are you addicted to scientifically sourced wonder creams or do you prefer to go eco with plant-based formulas? Well, I would love to say that I have a distinct loyalty to just one of them but the truth is that I struggle on a weekly basis to make up my mind which team I want to be on.

Let's take a look at some of my favourite not-so-natural brands:

Estee Lauder

Bobbi Brown

Benefit

Dior

Lancome

And the brands I love that fly the flag for natural ingredients:

Korres

Ojon

Origins

Liz Earle

L'Occitane

Obviously natural remedies and solutions to beauty related problems have been used since records began. However the whole organic trend has peaked in the noughties (ughhh...I hate that term) and shows no sign of dying down any time soon. There is a valid reason for this. We like to feel that the products we put on our skin are as natural and pure as they possibly can be. Surely slapping on truck-loads of sulphates, mineral oils and other parabens can't be the secret to flawless beauty? Why suffocate your skin in simulated ingredients?

Well the answer to this has to be that scientifically based products often give swifter results and initially appear to make a considerable difference. I have often been wowed by silicon based hair products that, in the short term, make my hair look amazingly shiny and feel silky soft. However, if you consistently use a product containing silicon, it actually has a negative effect on your hair. It can build up and make your tresses dull, lank and lifeless. So 9 times out of 10, these types of products give short term fixes to a problem that is probably related to diet and lifestyle. Will I stop using them?...probably not. Sometimes I'm a quick-fix kinda gal!

Now I would love to renounce all the nasty chemical-based products that fill my cupboards BUT I love my vibrant lipsticks, my shampoos that foam to a gorgeously lush lather and wonder creams and masks that clearly refine my pores and leave my skin feeling better than ever.

That said, some of the most effective products I own are clearly members of team natural. I adore my Korres Lip Butters, Origins is by far my favourite skincare brand and has been for the last year. I also swear by Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser which I have used for around 5 or 6 years now. There IS something to be said for holding out for results that are garnered by nature. The fact that a girl was shocked when I told her I was 29 last weekend made my ~~day~~ month! On asking how old she though I was, she said "Well, I assumed you were about 21 or 22! I never realised you were THAT old". Hmmm, now I have written that down, I'm so sure I can take that as a compliment! ha ha.

The products that require those nasty chemicals to make them incredible are bright lipsticks, fake tan and foundation. I am yet to find an organic version of each product that works as well as my favourite non-organic ones. It's clear to me that sometimes you need chemicals to give products that extra oomph in colour or super staying power. Until I discover amazing natural alternatives to these beauty wonders, I will have to keep slathering on the chemicals.

But tell me, when you consider your whole make-up and skincare collections, which team holds more HG products for you...Natural ones or Synthetic ones?

Do you ever feel like you should be investigating more natural ways to look your best?

Do It Yourself

2012-01-20T13:16:00.002Z

Ever since I found this blog, I have felt inspired to try some, if not all of their DIY tutorials. I felt like I just HAD to share this blog with you because there are so many cool things on it! I love getting creative and making things so it's right up my street!

My first attempt at one of their tutorials was this braided beaded bracelet:

I got all the supplies I needed from Ebay for next to nothing:

Waxed Linen Cord

Seed Beads (size 8/o)

Two hole button

It took me around 15 minutes to make it and I'm looking forward to trying it out with the hot pink and purple waxed linen cord I got. I like the stacked bracelet look so I want to pile them up in summer! The fact that they look quite delicate really appeals to me as well.

There's something really satisfying about making your own jewellery because it can be truly bespoke. You can add whatever you like to the bracelet to customise it. My next project will be the wrap bracelet variation on this design...

They have loads of DIY posts spanning across jewellery, clothes, shoes and home-ware.

Here are some of my favourites:

DIY Miu Miu Jeweled Heels

DIY Beaded Button Down Shirt

DIY Box Braid Necklace

DIY Lace Shorts

I've Got That Spring Time Feeling!

2012-01-19T18:45:00.000Z

I know, I know, I have been a bad blogger! I feel like I'm not as connected to the blogging world as I used to be because I'm continuously trying to balance my time between work and play. This inevitably means I spend almost all my waking hours in front of a laptop and that can't be healthy! However, I am really trying to make sure I update my blog as much as I can because, well, it's important to me. I never want to just let it fall by the wayside (speak to me when I'm 40 and I may say different!).

I have had a huge number of client enquiry emails to get through following the wedding show at the weekend which is great for my business but conversely bad for my blog. So I thought I would ease myself back into things by talking about a couple of products that have made me feel Spring-like today!

The first Spring-inducing product is the new blush from Nars featured in their Spring Collection. The name pretty much encapsulates my feelings towards it. 'Gaiety' is a bright, cool-toned candy pink. Be not afraid of it's vivid appearance because once on the skin, it translates as a fresh, healthy glow (that's coming from someone who normally favours blushes in the peach/coral family).

My relationship with Nars blush products has been chequered in the past because I am not a fan of the cult Orgasm blush that everyone and his dog seems to like (except me). It's a strange creature that leaves glittery debris on my cheeks and this I do not like. However this Gaiety blush goes on almost like a matte blush with minuscule shimmer particles (which are invisible to the naked eye) work behind the scenes to ensure your cheeks don't look powdery or flat. I personally don't like that look.

I simply tapped my blush brush twice into the pan and dusted in circular motions towards the height of my cheekbones (I find this avoids the doll-like appearance of blush circles on the apples of your cheeks).

And as you can see from my pic below, the blush creates a really soft, delicate flush of pink on your cheeks that looks natural and healthy.

There's nothing like a good bit of Spring collection make up to freshen up all the darker hues we see over the Winter months. It's a breath of fresh air!

Another product that instantly brightened my mood today was this lippy from Topshop called Brighton Rock. I have to say that I think these TopShop lipsticks are fantastic value considering their quality and longevity on the lips. I adore the Ooh La La shade I got a few months ago too and it's made it's way into my top five bright lipsticks.

For only £8.00, you get a creamy, highly pigmented smooth formula that paints your lips a vivid hot pink hue. And it's lasts too. It has a satin-matte finish so no weird pearlised finish or shimmer. As with all bright lipsticks, it's always a good idea to prepare the canvas before you slap your warpaint on. By this, I mean exfoliating your lips. You can either slap on some vaseline and gently rub your lips with an old toothbrush OR if you have a muslin cloth then you can wet that and rub gently in circular motions to remove any dead skin from your lips.

This will work two-fold:

It smooths the lips to give the lipstick the smoothest canvas to adhere to.

It plumps up the lips to make the most of what you have.

I'm a sucker for a pink lipstick and this one is a beaute! It's moisturising and really sticks around. This particular pink hue has a brightening effect on my complexion and I love any product that can have that freshening effect. Just what you want for Spring!

So what products have made you feel all Spring-like this week? Any recommendations?

NEWSFLASH

Oh and just one more thing. As you know, we put our apartment on the market on Friday afternoon and had 4 viewings at the weekend. We went to closing yesterday with sealed bids and sold it! We didn't expect it to happen so quickly but we feel so lucky that it was swift and hassle free. So we now have 9 weeks to move out and find a house! Wish us luck!

I will keep you all updated on our search for a house!

YWE Wedding Show 2012

2012-01-16T15:26:00.000Z

The reason behind my absence in the blogging world is because I had been preparing for a wedding show which was a two-day affair. We started building our stand on Friday at 2pm and by 6pm, it was almost finished apart from some finishing touches. We had a 7:30am start on Saturday and after 9 hours of standing in high heels with no rest, lets just say my feet didn't thank me for that. As promised, here are some pics...

No, we aren't starting a new trend...we had to wear hi-vis jackets for health and safety apparently! Doesn't look like mum is taking this very seriously...you just can't get the staff nowadays!

Myself and my mum/business partner posing in front of our finished stand!

We went for a 'bringing the outdoors inside' kind of theme as the beautiful wallpaper has iridescent bare trees on it that caught the light in a really nice way. We also had three big white trees so it created a 3D effect.

We used white muslin to hide the metal frame of the stand and then used voile fabric for side curtains with simple hydrangea tie backs.

I really liked the effect of the cream roses wound around the post, it gave the stand a more romantic feel.

We made our own chair sashes with some cream fabric we got from Ebay, some white chiffon rose trim and crystal trim. We finished them off with an artificial cream rose. It's funny because we put them together quickly on Saturday morning and that happened to be one of the things that got the most attention over the weekend! People kept asking where they could buy them!

Our centrepiece was a collaboration between ourselves and our florist. We wanted something simple but dramatic and also something that was practical too. A lot of wedding centrepieces are too big and you can't see the person across the table from you. The florist used real orchids and rose petals to decorate the twigs.

The laser-cut stationery we used was from a company we often work with called Intricate Creations. We loved the birdcage design and it fitted in well with our outdoors theme.

I saw this idea in an interior design magazine and I loved it so much, I decided to recreate it for our stand. We just used vintage style wine glasses from Laura Ashley and put artificial roses under them, with a small pillar candle on top.

We just bought a plain wooden rattan heart decoration, painted it white and then attached glitzy brooches to it. It sparkled in the light and looked so pretty!

I just adore this stationery!

One of my very favourite parts of the stand was the small ombre cakes that sat on candlesticks which we got from Ebay...

The papery thin icing looked so delicate and our cake maker took the trouble to hand paint the edges with pink colouring. I think they look so cute! They would be amazing for the top table at a wedding and could be given away as gifts to the mothers or even to children.

Our florist made up a gorgeously simple hand-tied bouquet with cream roses, orchids and some beaded wire.

The pretty little laser-cut favour boxes we had were filled with flower biscuits dusted with iridescence...so cute!

I had a fabulous weekend at the show and met so many lovely people...potential clients and fellow suppliers. We ran out of all our brochures and have so many enquiries for consultations. We have also been asked to do the window dressing for a bridal boutique for their revamped store. So exciting!

Update

2012-01-09T15:13:00.000Z

I just wanted to do a quick blog post to give you an update on what's happening with me at the moment and also to explain why I have been so crap at blogging lately!

If you follow me on Twitter, you will already know that we just got the property pictures taken for our flat/apartment to go on the market next week. We hope it will sell quickly as all the properties on our road seem to get snapped up within 2 weeks. We still haven't found a house we like yet but hopefully there will be more on offer once we head out of January. I will keep you all updated on this and you will of course get the whole moving house journey and changing rooms-style makeover pics!

We had to have a massive clear up of all our stuff because you have to make the place almost clinical and neutral for the property pictures. The problem for me is that I have had to put a lot of my things into storage, namely my make up collection, clothes and a lot of my other beauty products. Therefore, it's kind of hard for me to blog at the moment because a lot of the stuff I was going to blog about had to be packed away! Hopefully this won't be the case for too much longer but I hope you can bear with me, while I get everything sorted out.

Now the thing that has taken up the majority of my time is this. Massive news this week is that my Wedding Planning business, Perfection By Design, will be showing at a big wedding show this weekend. It has come around really quickly but after months of work, we have everything in place and I can't wait for it to all come together. I will post some pics after this weekend so you can check out how we got on! If you live in the Aberdeen area and are attending then feel free to drop by our stand and say hi!

You can like my business Facebook page here if you so wish! All the 'likes' help the traffic through my website and Google ratings.

And finally an update on the legend that is...Wolverine. He is entering the twilight years of his life. He is 2 years and 8 months old and hamsters only live 2-3 years. His fur has started to thin and he sleeps a lot more than he used to, but he still seems to have the energy of a young thing because he still runs around his cage every night and generally causes havoc! As long as he is healthy, I'm happy and I think he has had a really good quality of life. We could never get another hamster because he has just been such a little sweetheart, he can't be replaced.

And the last bit of update news for this post is that I am feeling rather happy with myself today after losing 3lbs in 10 days. I put on 4lbs over Christmas after overindulging in every possible way, leading to me feeling generally bloated, yucky and self-conscious about my body. My clothes felt that bit tighter than normal and I found myself having to hold my stomach in all the time!

On the 2nd of January I started a healthy and balanced eating plan full of wholegrain food, fruit and veg and I continued to go to the gym 4-5 times a week. I cut out chocolate, crisps, soft drinks and alcohol (I am having a dry January!). I always try to lose weight in a healthy and sustainable way and I hope to lose another 7lbs doing this. However, everyone knows that elusive last 7lbs are the hardest to shift! I am going to persevere with my healthy eating plan and work out sessions and will let you guys know when I hit my goal weight!

OOTD: Leather & Sparkle

2012-01-04T15:49:00.000Z

I got a gorgeous black real leather jacket from my mum for Christmas from Next and I have to say that it has quickly become a wardrobe staple for me. I knew I wanted a black leather jacket in a biker-style but I never seemed to find one that I both liked and could afford! So you can imagine I was extremely pleased when my mum got me this one reduced from £160 to £80.

Jacket: Next (Signature)

Jeans: New Look

Top: Reiss (link)

Ballet Pumps: Awear (link)

Scarf: Ebay (link)

Bag: Fiorelli

Ring: Oasis

I bought the Reiss top at the same time as my gorgeous sparkly shoes I posted about in my last blog. Being the magpie that I am, it spoke to me immediately and as Reiss clothes tend to last for ages, I couldn't resist. I really rate Reiss for pieces that wash well, don't lose their shape and feel lovely and soft. The rope and embellished detail on this top is gorgeous...

I love the fact that the Next leather jacket has quilted shoulder detail and is made from the most buttery, soft leather I have ever felt!

I also like the fact that the sleeves have a ribbed jersey material on the underside which allows some stretch and gives the jacket a unique edge...

Another Christmas present from my lovely mother-in-law, Maddie was this beautiful peacock blue silk blouse from Oasis...

The silk material almost has a suede-like feel and it feels so lovely to wear. I love the way it drapes on the body and the colour seems to really suit my complexion and hair colour. Speaking of hair, my fringe has pretty much grown out BUT I actually like it like this because it's so much easier to style than when it's short. I am a big fan of the side fringe and I reckon I'll be rocking it for some time to come.

A pretty little piece of jewellery I have been wearing a lot lately is this wishbone necklace from this ebay seller. It was only £4.00 with free delivery and I have found myself wearing it almost every day. It's so delicate and I like to think it brings me a little bit of luck when I wear it.

Another Ebay find was this cross ring which was £1.09 with free delivery. I have wanted one of these cross rings for ages now and since there are so many great ones on Ebay, I finally bit the bullet. I figured that at just over £1, I wasn't setting myself to lose much if it wasn't up to my expectations. However, the ring feels solid, it's bright in appearance and it doesn't leave you with discoloured fingers!

A great beauty find from this week was this Organix Brazilian Keratin Therapy Shampoo which I picked up from Boots for £6.49. I recently decided that I want to grow my hair a couple of inches longer and in that, I will have to step up my hair care regime to make sure my tresses are in tip top shape. This sulfate and sodium chloride free shampoo contains organic cocoa nut oil, cocoa butter, avocado extract and keratin.

Although this is a rich and moisturising shampoo, it doesn't weigh my fine hair down. It adds incredible shine (which you can see in the pics above!) whilst keeping my hair smooth and soft. The best thing is that my hair is so manageable and easy to style. This shampoo smells yummy, like cocoa butter so if that's your bag, then you'll love it. I haven't tried the conditioner in this range yet so I'm not sure how well it works in conjunction with the shampoo but I may pick it up next time I'm in Boots!

The Reiss-on For My Happiness

2012-01-04T14:36:00.002Z

I had coveted these shoes on the Reiss website for months, wincing over the £169 price tag and secretly wondering if I could justify such a purchase just before Christmas. The answer was an unequivocal no.

Surely I would be happier with these in my life? (at least that's what the consumerist in me was whispering). After my lovely hubster had announced to me that he was going to give me money for Christmas as well as some other things, I had started to ~~watch~~ stalk the Reiss website to check if they were included in the sale. Sure enough they were and that's when the real panic set in...what if they sold out before I got a chance to swipe them?! I shuddered at the thought.

Checking the Reiss sale became a daily (ok, thrice daily) event. Then Christmas Day finally arrived and it was time to be united with my perfect party shoes. I quickly logged on to the Reiss website with baited breath. What happened next confirmed to me and those shoes were always meant to be in eachother's lives. There was only one size left and it was my size! It's destiny! (oh the things we tell ourselves before we off load money!)

The shoes were reduced from £169 to just £50 so the fact they were a fantastic bargain made the purchase all the sweeter. But then I started to worry...what if they didn't live up to my expectations or cut up my feet so bad that I had to hobble home? (that has indeed happened before). I could only wait until the Reiss parcel arrived to find out. It arrived within 2 days which I think is impressive after a Christmas Day order! I actually made Chris drive me to the courier depot because I missed the initial delivery. He kept saying "what's the rush, they're just shoes!". I naturally shot him a stern look.

I could hardly wait until I got home to tear into the parcel. The excitement built as I tore the paper aside.

They were even more lovely than the pics on the Reiss website.

They possess everything I look for in an 'occasion' shoe:

Go-with-everything black? Check!

Perfect heel height for glamour AND comfort? Check!

Platform? Check!

Straps that don't cut into your feet? Check!

Sparkle factor? Check!

They feel SO high quality and the crystals have been securely glued and won't be budging any time soon.

Happy is not the word. I wore them on New Year's Eve and spent half the night staring at my feet. Sad? Maybe...but such is the life of a shoe obsessive.

It's Goodbye From Me...

2011-12-20T13:44:00.002Z

It has just dawned on me that I won't have time to do any more blogging until after Christmas! Usually I would post about my Christmas day etc but I just won't get a chance to this year so I will update you all when I get back. I leave for Ireland tomorrow afternoon and I have client and supplier meetings for the rest of today. So I just wanted to say that I hope you all have a fabulous Christmas with your loved ones. I will no doubt post something before New Year so I will catch you all then. I can't wait to read all your Christmas posts!

OOTD: The Detail Shirt

2011-12-17T12:56:00.000Z

Ever since Wolverine chewed through my beloved Zara cream silk blouse, I have been looking for a new one that fitted my criteria:

Relaxed fit

No embellishment

Long sleeves which can be rollled up

Slightly below hip level

Blazer: A Wear

Blouse: Warehouse (I can't find the link online but have a look in your nearest store)

Skirt: Rise Fashion

Shoes: Next (link)

Bag: ASOS (link)

Necklace: Ebay (link)

Bangle: Gift from my mum

The Warehouse blouse has a lovely cross-hatch detail on the back which gives it that extra something. It also has lovely pleating detail coming down from the shoulder area.

It's sheer so if you're not a bra flasher (which I'm not) then it's best to invest in a nude vest for underneath or layer it up with something. I found that this top I got from Oasis looks perfect with it!

I also got this adorable ring from my latest hunting ground...Ebay. It's so dinky and cute!

It has an adjustable band to fit an finger size. I got this Mesh Bow Ring from this Ebay seller for just 99p!!! It's from China so at that price I'll have to wait and see if it turns my finger green. But for 99p that isn't really a major issue!

TAG: Top 11 for 2011

2011-12-17T12:37:00.001Z

Following in the footsteps of fellow blogger Tali, I'm gonna go on ahead and name some of my Top 11 things of 2011...

Top 11 Products

It was so hard to choose just 11 products and it goes without saying that Estee lauder Double Wear would have been on there but since you guys know how much I love it, I thought I would include something else instead.

Estee Lauder Maximum Cover - THE best concealer ever for blemishes. A complete life-safer.

Clarins Skin Smoothing Eye Mask - Your only friend when your bags are big enough to carry your weekly food shopping!

Urban Decay De-Slick Setting Spray - Keeps your face flawless and shine free all day and night.

Clarins Mosaique Bronzing Powder - Natural, streak-free golden glowy-ness.

Bobbi Brown Corrector - Hides my dark circles like no other colour corrector.

Loreal Studio Secrets Smoothing Resurfacing Primer - Fills pores and smooths skin out for complete flawlessness.

Ardell 110 Lashes - The best lashes for a volumised look without looking too obvious.

Bourjois Volumizer Mascara - Makes the most of my feeble natural lashes!

Orly Polishield - Makes any nail polish last 3 times as long. Genius product.

Daniel Sandler Micro Bubble Lipstick in Flamingo - I always get asked what I'm wearing when I put this on.

Dior Shimmer Powder in Amber Diamond - There's a reason why this features on SO many blogs. Lives up to the hype.

Top 11 Blogs

The Gloss Goss

Glossy's Wardrobe

The Yummy Mummy's Beauty Blog

After Style Comes Fashion

Bubblegarm

Top 11 Songs of 2011

Foster The People - Pumped Up Kicks

Rihanna - We Found Love

Adele - Rolling In The Deep

Avicii - Levels

Lana Del Rey - Video Games

Calvin Harris - Feel So Close

Florence & The Machine - Shake It Out

Chase & Status - Blind Faith

Chris Brown - Beautiful People

Two Door Cinema Club - Undercover Martyn

LMFAO - Party Rock Anthem

Top You Tube Videos of 2011

Lizard Playing With iPad

Hamster Of Doom!

Damien Walters Showreel

Mishka

Walk On The Wild Side

Eamonn Holmes Flaky Day

Keyboard Cat Reincarnated

Ultimate Dog Tease

Candy Thiefs

Danny MacAskill

Penguin Stealing Rocks

Top 11 Things That Happened in 2011

Started my own wedding planning business

One of my best friends got pregnant

Had my one year wedding anniversary

Finally met Tali in London

Had my first group holiday with friends

Figured out how to use false lashes

Rocked bright lips for the first time

Made In Chelsea came into my life

I mastered how to curl my hair without it looking a mess

I got a new to play with, my Canon 550D SLR camera

I met even more lovely fellow bloggers

I now tag Holly, Chloe and Emma.

OOTD: The Shirt Dress

2011-12-16T20:52:00.000Z

I possibly got SLIGHTLY sidetracked today whilst Christmas Shopping. It's the season of giving but in this case, I gave to myself (ahem). After catching sight of this navy shirt dress on the Warehouse website, I instantly wanted it. It's a fabulously versatile garment that can take you from work to dinner and drinks with the addition of the right accessories and heels. I feel like there's something effortlessly stylish about a shirt dress in a drapey material. Like the mac, the black blazer and the perfect pair of jeans...it's a style staple!

The dress is made from viscose so it hangs in just the right way, it has a drawstring waist with gold hardware and tab sleeves. I like the way it curves up at the sides revealing a bit more leg and because of the drawstring waist, you can alter how short the dress is...genius!

I figure this dress will also work with black tights and boots/flats for the cold weather we are experiencing.

Blazer: M & S

Dress: Warehouse (link)

Shoes: Dune (link)

Bag: Ebay (link)

Necklace: Accessorize

Bracelet: New Look

I have been wearing this gorgeous nail polish from Pop called Golden Metal (46) and it's the perfect festive metallic that's also day-appropriate. I've never tried Pop polishes before but I have been incredibly impressed by this nail varnish.

It goes on like a dream, no streaks and actually can just be applied in one coat. The thing that I love about this polish is that it dries in record time so you don't have to wait around for ages. The golden shimmer is so finely milled that it appears as a true metallic i.e. no chunky glitter!

I have a feeling this will be my favourite for Christmas Day!

Chantecaille and Max Factor

2011-12-15T14:38:00.000Z

There's nothing quite like a luxury make up brand to ignite the excitement of a beauty blogger and Chantecaille has to be one of the most talked about luxe brands of late. Tali recently did this post on various products from the brand.

This gorgeous New Classic quad contains three lovely wearable cool-toned eye shadows and a brightening pink cheek shade that are perfect for this time of year. The pans are larger than your average eye shadow and feature an embossed 'C'. The quad palette itself is chrome, sleek and contains a mirror.

"Three classic and extremely wearable eye shades in Valerian, Thistle and Lavender

Brightening pink cheek color in Rose is enriched with vitamins A, C and E

Glamorous and highly pigmented Lavender can be used to define the eye, or create a smoky look

Pearlescent Valerian’s subtle shimmer can be used to highlight the brow bone, or the inner corners of the eye

Neutral Thistle is the perfect silver gray lid shade for both day and night."

Here are some swatches with flash....

And without...

The eye shadows and cheek colour all have good pigmentation and a smooth texture. I like the lovely lilac tones in the eye shades and they offer a softer alternative to harsh greys and black. All of the soft shades contain delicate shimmer that doesn't create any messy fall out. I really like this palette but be warned, it's VERY expensive and I would only consider something like this as a big treat!

I'm always on the look out for cheaper make up brushes that also maintain quality. Max Factor now offer a small range of brushes and I just wanted to do a quick overview of 4 of them to give you my thoughts on which ones are worth a look.

On first impressions, I was impressed by the packaging. Usually pharmacy/drug-store brands just package their brushes in flimsy plastic sleeves, however Max Factor brushes come in sturdy matte black boxes which instantly make them seem more up-market.

Let's take a look at their Powder Brush first which retails at £15.35. The Powder Brush is full, soft and silky on the skin. I have been using it to apply face powder and it does the job beautifully, applying JUST the right amount. I can't say that it doesn't shed at all, I would say that on average it sheds maybe one fibre every third time I use it. To me, that's pretty good for a cheaper brand of make up brush. I have washed it once and it definitely sheds even less now it has been cleaned.

The Blush Brush retails at £11.25 and is also soft to the touch with a fluffy feel that I often prefer in blush brushes, due to them distributing the product more evenly and lightly. It hasn't shed at all as of yet and I have also cleaned this one once. It seems to pick up just the right amount of blush and gives that natural look with even the most vibrant of colours.

The Eye Shadow Brush retails at £6.50 and even though it was voted as part of Bazaar Beauty Hot 100, I wasn't as impressed with this one. I think Elf actually do better budget eye shadow brushes, specifically their eye blending brush. This Max Factor brush is ok but it doesn't seem to pick up very much powder and I often found myself having to apply eye shadow in layer after layer to get the desired effect.

This Eye Definer brush also retails at £6.50 and has been designed to line the eyes with powder shadow. I wasn't keen on this brush because the bristles were too sparse to create clean definition. I prefer a definer brush with a sharper edge to give me more control.

So, in conclusion, if you were thinking of trying these brushes, I would recommend the Powder and Blush Brushes. They are very reasonable in price given their quality and performance but for cheaper eye shadow brushes, try Elf.

Birthday Post

2011-12-13T11:53:00.000Z

Yesterday I turned 29 and I'm still in shock to be honest because in my head, I'm still 21! I can't say getting older bothers me that much though because I'm happier now than I ever have been before so I would never wish that away. 2012 is going to be a very exciting year so I'm looking to the future with a positive attitude!

This post will just be a quick over view of what I got for my birthday. I was very lucky to get both birthday presents from my hubby very early and that was my Canon 550D SLR which is my favourite toy at the moment...

He also got me this Reiss dress which I plan on wearing over the festive season!

My brother and his lovely girlfriend, Vicky, surprised me with £100 of Oasis vouchers which I was VERY happy about because I had spied a few things I wanted in there. The first item I pounced on was this silky embellished top which wasn't in the sale but I just had to have it! I love the beaded detailing around the neck...the styling almost has a 1920's feel to it.

Since wearing my Warehouse waterfall black blazer TO DEATH, I decided I better get myself a new one because it's a wardrobe staple for me! I plumped for this drapey one in Oasis. Lastly I picked up some soft shorts by True Decadence at Oasis. The go-with-everything pale taupe shade and soft tailoring makes them perfect to wear with black tights and they will last into next summer too.

My beautiful friend Patricia, who is currently 6 months pregnant and looking amazing, gave me these three gifts...

A cute mouse ring holder (which I was in dire need of!).

A pretty little japanese-inspired cosmetic mirror.

Inglot Nail Enamel in 212 which creates the shattered effect on nails.

I tried it out yesterday with a pale gold nail polish underneath and I like the cool effect it gives...

I did treat myself to three presents from Ebay and luckily they arrived ON my birthday. The first was this leopard print and pink patterned soft scarf which was only £8.42. It did take a couple of weeks to arrive but it was being shipped from Hong Kong so I expected that.

The second scarf I got was this Alexander McQueen-inspired pale grey skull one which was only £3.24 from this seller.

The last present to myself was this variation on the Alexander McQueen skull clutch. It was £16.21 from this seller. It's made from faux leather and has the skull, jewel and ring design finger handle. It also has a delicate chain which can be concealed inside the bag of you want to use it as a clutch.

My mum gave me this cobalt blue blazer and I COULDN'T believe it when she told me it was from Marks & Spencer...I never shop there and wouldn't even think of looking there for a blazer. I absolutely adore the vivid colour which is actually slightly darker in real life and the drapey/relaxed feel to it.

I also got this cuff from my mum which has my birthstone set into it, Turquoise. It's quite rare to find such good quality Turquoise nowadays but there's an amazing crystal shop near us where they make jewellery out of rare stone, gems and crystals. Turquoise symbolises speaking your truth as it have a strong effect on the throat chakra. My mum is a Reiki master and alternative therapist so that may explain the gift and the symbolism behind it.

Wrap It Up

2011-12-09T12:40:00.001Z

I am a nail wrap virgin so when I was sent these Myleene Klass ones to try out, I thought I could give it a go. Nail wraps boast:

No gluing

No polishing

No Chipping

No Smudging

No Peeling

These red glitter wraps are part of the Myleene Klass Sparkle collection...

They come with full instructions on how to apply them...

There are 24 nail wraps in the pack (presumably the extras are to cover mistakes) with a nail file included...

I made sure my nails were clean and dry and then began to match up the different sizes of nail wrap with my fingers and toes. I have narrow nails so I had the cut them to size, smooth them on, then bend the wrap over the tip of my nail and file off. It was really easy to file the end of the wrap off and create a neat finish which I was impressed with...

Apart from a couple of small creases, I thought I did a pretty good job!

So, the big question is, what did I think of them overall?

Well, this is the not-so-fun part of blogging when you don't like a product. BUT I think it's really important to blog about product that didn't work for you as well as ones that did. Now, I have a couple of problems with this product:

a) The nail wraps only lasted about an hour before they started to peel away at the edges and I constantly had to keep smoothing them down. I washed my hands once and they began to loosen. That disappointed me as surely this would be classed as a normal day-to-day practice?!

b) I don't feel like the wraps are cost effective when you can buy a nail polish and then seal it with something like Orly Polishield to prevent chipping etc. You get multiple uses out of bottles of polish whereas you only get one use out of the wraps.

I understand that they offer a unique design or finish that is difficult for a novice to achieve with nail polish but the fact that you can't even wash your hands without the wraps peeling off is very disappointing. When I was forced to remove the wraps after the first day, they left a messy gluey residue on my nails which was removed after some scrubbing with nail polish remover.

I do have a couple of Nail Rock ones that I recently got with amazing designs so I'm hoping that they fare a little better.

Are all nail wraps like this or have you found a brand that works for you? Is it better to stick to wraps that are professionally applied by a beautician?

Strapless Party Dresses

2011-12-08T18:11:00.001Z

I seem to have developed a penchant for strapless dresses of late. Well, less of a penchant and more of an infatuation. Strapless dresses used to be a no-go area for me because I could never find a strapless bra that worked and actually stayed up. I got to the point where I just vetoed any dress that had to hold itself up. Then I discovered the Wonderbra Ultimate Strapless bra which I blogged about here. If you are a big-busted lady like me or have trouble finding good strapless bras, then you need this in your life! I get mine from Amazon because they tend to be cheaper there BUT I advise trying it on in a store first because they run a little small around the back and you often have to go down a cup size. I really like the new design with black lace on nude and bought two recently.

Anyway, I just wanted to run through three strapless dresses that I got recently. The first is from ASOS and only cost £27 in the sale!

I absolutely love the bronzey-gold colour of this dress and the textured fabric makes it all the more interesting! It also makes the dress feel expensive and luxe. The thick black waistband nips you in at your smallest point and the length of the dress is perfection. It has a really interesting back which I forgot to take a pic of so here's the image from the website to demonstrate...

The only problem with the back of this dress is that you get more than a little self-conscious about where the back of your bra is located in relation to the elasticated straps across your back. It is possible to conceal your bra at the back but I think I may get someone to safety-pin the dress to my bra to make sure it doesn't shift during the night! (that's a job for the hubster). This dress feels really festive to me because of the metallic look of the fabric. The best thing is, it's perfect for any occasion. The cleavage is minimal so you could wear it to a meal but the length and look of the dress would easily lend itself to a glam night out too. It could be teamed with opaque black tights on colder nights too.

Now you'll have to excuse my pasty legs in these pics. I haven't applied any fake tan so I can't be held responsible for you being blinded by the glare coming from my legs!

This next dress is also from ASOS via an Ebay seller and was only £14.99 with free delivery (I have coupled it with a skinny gold belt from ASOS and my blazer from AWear). I must say that on my figure, I much prefer this dress WITH the blazer than without. I feel like it's more figure-flattering when the chest and torso area are minimised by the vertical lines of the blazer.

It's made from VERY light cotton so it doesn't feel as high quality as the first dress but the boning on upper section of the dress adds shape, support and definition. I love the fan pleat ruffle hem and the delicate pale peach hue. Because this dress is cotton, I feel like it could be dressed down with a long cardigan and ballet pumps.

This next dress is from Boohoo for £20.00 (the brand of the dress is actually AX Paris which I think is also available in New Look stores). I ordered a size 12 but the sizes run a little small so this felt more like a size 10! After a lot of jiggling, humping and shimmying around, I got the dress on. It's VERY bodycon and for that reason, I would wear a blazer over it to tone it down a bit. It's difficult to wear certain dresses when you have a big bust without them looking overly sexualised so I often find it best to neutralise it slightly with a drapey blazer.

I think if this dress is going to fit me at Christmas then I'll have to lay off the mince pies! This week was going quite well gym-wise until I woke up today with a horrible cold! I didn't know it was possible for the body to produce this much snot. Attractive!

OOTD: Leopard Print

2011-12-07T13:56:00.001Z

I don't know if it's down to blogging or just an evolution of style as I get older, but despite never being keen on leopard print, I have recently found myself adding touches here and there to outfits. I guess before I always had a vision of Bet Lynch in mind which inevitably put me off completely! (if you don't know who that is, click here).

It's always nice to find ways to utilise your summer wardrobe (i.e. summer shorts) and cosy them up for the cold weather. These 200 denier tights are SO warm!

I can't ever see myself donning say, a leopard print dress, but I do like to add accents to an otherwise plain outfit.

Blazer: Zara

T-shirt: H&M

Shorts: A Wear (link)

Boots: Faith (link)

Scarf: Ebay (link)

Bag: Moda In Pelle

Necklace: Ebay/River Island (link)

Ring: Topshop/Ebay

My hair was a lot fuller than this until I got rained on! It's absolutely freezing outside so I chucked on a winter coat over this ensemble. I think it's going to snow here soon!

I have more Ebay finds to show you in upcoming posts. Are you partial to a bit of leopard print? Any great Ebay finds to report?

Enrapture, New Make Up Case & an Imposter!

2011-12-06T12:07:00.001Z

I love wearing my hair wavy, because it gives my fine hair that extra bit of volume and shape. On lazy days though, sometimes it can be a bit of a faff! I wanted to try out a new hair tool so I very quickly waved my hair on Saturday night and this was the result...

I'm not wearing any hair extension in these pics so it's just my own hair. I used the Enrapture Encode Totem Styler which is the first styler to have three heat zones that can be independently set to different temperatures. This means that you choose how tight your curls, whether you want loose waves at the roots and tighter ones at the ends etc. For example, I styled my hair using the 1-2-2 combo which gives you larger waves at the top and gradually getting a bit more wavy towards the ends of the hair.

The Encode Totem Styler comes in a gorgeous cobalt blue box and right away, it looks and feels like a high quality styling tool. I fully intend on keeping the sturdy box for storing the styler. You get a heat resistant travel pouch and a style guide to help you try out all the different heat combinations. This styler heats up super fast and I only had to hold the styler in place for 10 seconds to get the desired effect.

It has a mini flipper so you can use it like traditional tongs but I prefer not to use that as that often leaves kinks in my hair where it gets clamped. It didn't snag or pull at my hair whatsoever and the titanium plate technology is supposed to increase performance and longevity hence the 3 year guarantee on this styler.

I really like this hair styling tool because it's so flexible and is basically a conical wand and curling tongs in one. It's also really simple to use and gives you waves in a jiffy.

I just noticed that the Enrapture Encode Totem Styler is on sale at Curry's at the moment (reduced from £74.99 to £49.99) AND remember that you can also pick up Boots Advantage Points from the transaction by logging into Boots Treat Street before you buy. I always seem to forget about Boots Treat Street but it's worth remembering because you can build up loads of points and spend them on lots of lovely cosmetics and beauty products!

I used Tigi Catwalk Volume Collection Your Highness Root Boost Spray which held the waves in my hair all day. It gives nice volume at the roots too which I could always do with.

"Introduce some texture and lift to your hair with TIGI Catwalk Your Highness Root Boost Spray. This amazing styling spray foam delivers the lift and support essential for a long lasting, dramatic style. Magnificent volume starts at the roots and with TIGI Catwalk Your Highness Root Boost Spray you’ll get just that. The conditioning ingredients of lavender, wisteria, jasmine and violet coat each strand of hair, injecting it with nourishment and shine. The lightweight formula is ideal for fine hair and will leave it moisturised without being too heavy."

I love the smell of this Tigi range and I particularly like the shine spray they do as well. This Root Boost Spray doesn't weigh my hair down or leave any sticky/greasy residue so it's ideal for my fine hair. I just spray it straight into the roots of my hair, work it in and then run the remainder of the product on my hands through the lengths of my hair to keep the curl. I don't like using too much hairspray on my hair because it can look too solid and unnatural. That's why I need a good volumising spray to rely on instead.

And now for another fab item which I bought from Ebay last week. I felt like I wanted a portable make up case for my cosmetics and spotted this one for £30.96 with free delivery from this seller. There are other sellers who also provide the same case in pink.

The case is 31cm x 24cm x 25cm and has a zip down top, shoulder strap (not shown in pic), carry handles and is made from a sturdy, wipe-clean faux croc fabric. The inside of the case has two 2 tier interlocking shelves with different sized compartments...

The tiered shelves open outwards to reveal a larger section underneath which is roomy enough to house MAC palettes and any larger items you have. You can fit absolutely loads of stuff in this case!

I just like to have my most used items in one place and my smaller make up bag was full to the brim. This way I can keep all my favourite products clean, tidy and organised. I think I will mix up the case once a month and introduce new products to make sure I'm making the most of my whole collection (which is now disgustingly vast!).

Maybe I am slightly OCD but organising my things in this way gives me a sense of enormous satisfaction and calm! ha ha.

I was notified last week by the lovely Sophie that someone had stolen posts from my blog and is passing them off as their own. This fake blog hasn't posted since last year BUT that's not the point. It really annoys me that someone thinks it's ok to plagiarise like that and use my photos (which is just plain weird). I just wanted to bring this to your attention and also say that unless you get an email from liparazzi@googlemail.com then it's not me contacting you. I worry that someone will try and scam people using my good name. I notice that similar things have happened to other bloggers of late so it's just something to look out for. That is all.

To close this post on a more positive note, I just wanted to share this song which I'm loving at the moment...it's deliciously chilled!

Red Lips, Fat Lashes & Ebay finds

2011-12-05T12:46:00.001Z

This truly is the perfect time of year to rock a vivid red lip what with everyone starting to feel a tad more festive. I used to feel utterly self-conscious about wearing bright lips but the more you don those vibrant hues, the more you start to appreciate the feeling of glamour. I also like the way it gives shape to your lips unlike nudes and more natural shades.

Step up YSL Rouge Pur Couture Golden Lustre Lipstick in Rouge De Venise (no.112)...

Sleek gold packaging teamed with the regal YSL emblem...drool.

"The three emblamatic golds of Yves Saint Laurent; Classic Gold, Pink Gold and White Gold deliver a trilogy of golden metallic sparkles sprinkled across 8 vibrant shades. ROUGE PUR COUTURE 'GOLDEN LUSTRE' subtly dresses the lips in shimmering gold reflects for a luminous result, created exclusively for Yves Saint Laurent by our International Make-Up Artist, Lloyd Simmonds."

This red is rich, cool toned dark red and because of that, I did find it's better to apply a bit of fake tan to make sure it doesn't wash you out too much. It definitely has a lustre to it and that gives the lips more dimension. I do like matte lips but the luminosity in this lippy looks just that bit more glamorous without being at all glittery or overly shimmery.

I just paired Urban Decay Sin with Chase, a little Skimp on the brow bone and some Vanilla in the inner corners to open my eyes up. A thin dash of black liquid liner and one coat of black mascara and voila. I kept the cheeks toned down with a touch of Estee Lauder Peach Nuance blush.

My lips always look so much fuller when I wear a bright lip because their shape often gets lost when I wear neutral shades. I like the fact I can reclaim my top lip! This lippy has great staying power when I teamed it with my favourite red lip liner Estee Lauder Double Wear Lip Liner in Red. Your lip colour will stay on all day/night with that powerful duo.

Preparation must be carried out so lip exfoliation is a must for even application and coverage. These lipsticks are not cheap at £22.50 each but the colours are really gorgeous. This red is a classic and the fuschia and coral shades look amazing. You do get what you pay for with these lipsticks.

Ever since I heard Tanya raving about Bourjois Volumizer mascara numerous times on YouTube, I have wanted to give it a go. I love thick, fluttery voluminous lashes so I was hoping this could be a cheaper alternative to the amazing Rouge Bunny Rouge Amplitude mascara. Although this isn't the cheapest of 'drugstore' mascara's at £10.49 a pop!

BUT since I had some Boots advantage points to spend, I thought I would give it a whirl! Here's a few more deets about the product:

"The new Volumizer mascara works in just 2 steps to build up to 11 x more volume, clump-free.

Its secret? AN INNOVATIVE TRANSFORMABLE BRUSH. Choose the volume that suits best your style or the occasion:

- Use Step 1 for extremely defined lashes with 2 x more volume, perfect for the day or if you want to focus on your lips.

- Use Step 1+2 for dramatic lashes with up to 11 x more volume with no clumps, perfect if you want the ultimate show-stopping eyes.

How does it work:

Step 1 - the lightly loaded brush gives you a defined volume and prepares lashes for a second stroke without clogging

Step 2 - the fully loaded brush will coat your lashes to boost and build maximum volume with no clumps.

Its formula builds instant volume to lashes and can be applied layer upon layer without clogging, boosting volume with every stroke.

... And it's good for your eyes:

Enriched with fortifying and repairing ceramide, natural waxes and provitamin B5, it is suitable for sensitive eyes and contact lens wearers."

So, here are the results.

Step 1

This brush is a traditional bristle mascara wand which I actually think works best after trying rubber wands, plastic wands etc.

Step 1 gives you subtly defined daytime lashes with no smudging, flaking or transfer throughout the day.

Step 2

This second mascara wand is also a traditional bristle one and is more tightly packed to deposit more product on your eyes and add volume. I did find it was better to quickly scrape the brush on the top of the tube just to remove any excess product. I'm not into clumpy lashes.

This second step certainly added more length and volume to my lashes and it's very easy to layer and build up to the desired level. My lashes are a bit crap at the moment but this mascara really made the most of what I have. It didn't budge throughout the whole day and that is a must for me when testing out mascaras. No panda eyes for me thank you!

Despite mixed reviews, I really like this product and feel like it does what it says on the tin. £10.49 is a lot cheaper than shelling out for a YSL Singulier or Faux Cils!

Remember I said I picked up loads of bits and pieces on Ebay? Well they have started arriving so I will just post about them whenever I receive them. I became almost obsessed with Ebay for about a week or two, mostly because you can pick up items which have been discontinued in stores or have sold out. I have added links were possible.

First up, this Topshop Cage Armour ring which I got for £5. I have a thing about statement rings and I haven't got anything like this piece in my collection.

I love the way it looks on but I made the mistake of trying to make it fit on my index finger, got stuck and then spent the following 15 minutes trying to work it off with washing up liquid! Thankfully I got it off eventually and realised that it's supposed to live on my middle or ring finger on my right hand. Something else I realised about this design on wearing it out on Saturday is that it restricts the movement of your finger i.e. you're unable to bend it. That meant that I had a a rather interesting way of holding my drink for the night. Fashion is pain!

I then got this River Island fabric necklace for £3.99 which features loads of sparkly jewels mounted on felt with a stain ribbon tie. You can wear it high as a choker necklace or slung lower. I love this for a bit of bling and it looks amazing when you team it with a simple cream flowy blouse!

This next multi-chain Topshop Leaf necklace was only £4.99 and looks great slung over plain t-shirts. The leaf detailing is really delicate and gives the necklace real weight and makes it more of a statement piece.

Lastly, I love my Faith wedding shoes so much that when I spotted them on Ebay, I just HAD to buy them. They were only £30 (original price £80) so I thought it would be rude not to! I have worn the other ones a lot since my wedding last year so they could have looked better. Now I have a brand spanking new pair and can rock them over the festive period. They are pretty much the perfect party shoes.

Nude, go-with-everything shade? CHECK!

Sparkly? CHECK!

Insanely comfortable? CHECK!

Perfect heel height at 3 inches? CHECK!

Make legs look longer? CHECK!

I would marry these shoes if I could! (sorry hubster).

Review of Babyliss Pro Ceramic 215 Straighteners

2011-12-05T09:06:00.001Z

I am not a straighteners daily devotee but I do like to have a pair on hand for those days when my hair just won't behave itself. I have had a pair of GHD's for a long time now but it's always good to have a more lightweight, portable and affordable travelling pair. It's never a good idea to take £99 straighteners on your travels so the fact that the Babyliss Pro Ceramic 215 straighteners ones are only £14.39 here , makes them a smarter choice.

I wanted to do a quick size comparison with my GHD's just to give an idea of how they differ. The Babyliss straighteners are much lighter in weight and narrower and therefore much more efficient for travel purposes. It has floating ceramic plates for even pressure, multi-voltage for worldwide use and reach a temperature of 215oC (GHD's generally reach 210oC). They also come with a 3 year guarantee.

These Babyliss straighteners have a simplified look with just an on/off button and indicator light. My only gripe with this is that the light goes red when you switch them on and stays that way so you never really know when they have reached maximum temperature. I generally wait 2 minutes or so before using them though.

Now before I talk about how they straighteners perform, I feel like it's important to mention a few things about my hair. Everyone's hair is very different and I think it helps in a review such as this to describe how your hair normally behaves so you guys can make an informed decision. So here goes:

a) I have fine hair and quite a lot of it

b) My hair dries generally quite straight with a few kinks

c) I only ever have to run straighteners over my hair once for it to work

d) It never takes more than 5 minutes for me to straighten my hair

After using the Babyliss Pro Ceramic 215, this is how my hair looked....

It's smooth, straight and shiny so all in all, I'm a happy bunny. Now before you try to compare these straighteners to your GHD's (which you undoubtedly own), just remember that would be like trying to compare a Fiesta and a Ferrari. These straighteners aren't trying to be GHD's, they're trying (and succeeding) at being budget straighteners that are ideal for travelling or even for first-time users of straighteners.

The only downside to these is that they do sometimes snag your hair SLIGHTLY but not enough to cause breakage. I do think they would work better on fine hair as I believe thick, wavy hair can be a nightmare to straighten. If you have notoriously difficult hair, then it may be best to invest in a pair of GHD's. They also don't come with a heat-proof mat but at such a low price, extras like that are rarely included.

So in conclusion, these straighteners are a handy little addition to my travel bag and will definitely be coming with me for my trip to Ireland over Christmas. http://www.vouchercodes.co.uk/currys.co.uk

A Rediscovered Love & A Disappointment

2011-11-30T14:05:00.001Z

Rouge Bunny Rouge is definitely at the very upper scale of price range when it comes to make up, much like Chanel or Dior. Although I often baulk at their prices, I can't deny that there are a few of the RBR products that never fail to impress me. I love their Amplitude mascara for unrivalled super thick lashes, their Highlighting Liquid in Sea Of Showers for an ethereal glow and the star of this post, their Devotion Ink Quartz Liner in Tiger Eye Essence...

"A soft, water-based formula ensures tender application. We also added Borosilicates - minute particles of artificial quartz that fill the formula with an incredible shine and shed a coquettish lustre onto the lines. The Eyeliner allows for high coverage, dries quickly, is super long-wearing and has excellent skin compatibility. An elegant brush means you can apply both fine thin lines and passionate wide lines. You can use the Eyeliner alone or over your favourite eye pencils or eye shadow. "

The Quartz Eyeliner has a medium-fine felt applicator that makes it incredibly easy to apply. The impressive bit comes when you see this product swatched (in hindsight, given the price of this, I shouldn't have used so much for the swatch!!!).

The reflective properties of this bronzey brown eyeliner are just beautiful and I love the way the gold particles catch the light. It's an ideal liner for this time of year when you want to inject a bit of glamour into different eye looks. It's hard to capture how pretty this is on camera and the best representation can be seen in the swatch above.

Here's a video from Zuneta that gives a good demonstration of how to use the product:

I wore this yesterday and was asked 3 times what I was wearing. It's long-lasting, intense, undeniably eye-catching and would look incredible used as part of a brown smokey eye for festive glamour! My love for this product has totally been reignited after digging it out a couple of days ago. At £27 it's eye-wateringly expensive BUT I got mine in September 2010, I used it a lot and it hasn't dried out so to me, that's pretty damn good!

And now to something which I had high hopes for but unfortunately, it didn't live up to my expectations. The Nars Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Bolero seemed like the perfect peachy pink in a long-lasting pencil formula.

"The convenience of a pencil with the application of a lipstick in a jumbo-size crayon design. Instantly coats lips with rich pigment, imparting a velvet matte finish for seamless color. The long lasting yet non-drying formula is enriched with special emollients for a creamy texture, while a combination of unique silicones ensures long-lasting, velvety color for hours."

Sounds great right? However, on application, it soon became apparent that this product was not going to work on me. I had exfoliated my lips beforehand and applied a lip balm to prime them. Once the balm had worked it's magic, I applied the Velvet Matte Lip Pencil straight onto my lips and this happened...

It just looks chalky, uneven and made my lips look dry and parched (when they're not). If anyone has any suggestions on how best to apply this then I would really appreciate any advice.

I'm On Twitter

2011-11-28T12:35:00.001Z

I have finally decided to have a Twitter account for my blog...I know, about time right?! I already have one for my business but for all the beauty blogging related stuff and more about what I'm up to, please follow me here. I would love to get in contact with you guys on there.

Thanks folks!

Clarins Rave Review and Update

2011-11-27T20:53:00.001Z

It's no secret that I have become a really big fan of a lot of Clarins products lately and I'm not sure why it took me so long to get into this brand. This post however will be dedicated to three gorgeous Clarins Rouge Prodige Lipsticks.

The packaging is chrome, modern and sleek with subtle branding detail...

Uhhh, even just looking at the pic of these three babies makes me drool. These shades really appeal to me and as soon as I saw them, I knew this was a love affair just waiting to happen!

Left to Right: Rosy Coral, Sunset, Paradise Pink

"An unrivalled formula that delivers long-lasting lip colour, shine and hold that lasts for hours. High Fidelity Pearl technology ensures that colour and shine stay true for hours while this creamy, rich texture provides nourishing skin care benefits to lips. A wide range of colours to choose from to create your own glamorous look."

These lipsticks swatched a little more sheer than I expected and but the great thing about that is that it makes them so wearable for daytime. They inject that juicy burst of colour on your lips without being too in your face. They smell lovely and the consistency is quite balm-like with a comfortable and moisturising feel to them. It's difficult to describe the finish on the lips other than luminous with great shine. I really can't choose a favourite between all the three shades! They all have a brightening effect on my complexion and have decent lasting power. These are definitely taking up home in my mobile make up bag. Holly and Tali, you would really like these!...just saying.

The Clarins Rouge Prodige lipsticks are available in a massive 30 shades, are priced at £17.00 and are available here.

General Update

I spent some of today sorting through my make up collection. We all know how difficult is is to keep everything neat and orderly when you are constantly rummaging around for things. I can't wait until we move to our house in April and I can begin to really set up an amazing make-up/wardrobe room for myself. I could squeal with excitement!

I have had the talk with hubby and he has agreed that I need a whole room to store my stuff. I can't wait to deck it out in style! I dream of a dressing room like this one with an added make up area! My friends would visit and never leave!

Nail It

Here's a random thought. I was sitting at the hairdressers on Friday afternoon and I suddenly spied a gorgeous pink hair product. I remember thinking I would love to find a nail polish that was EXACTLY that colour. Then I thought...wouldn't it be great if you could go somewhere where you could take along a coloured object, they would scan it and mix up a custom nail polish colour just for you! Just like the paint section in B&Q! Maybe someone has thought of that already but I've never heard of it before.

Square Eyes

Since Chris is working offshore at the moment, this weekend I have been mostly working and watching TV. I have watched countless trash tv and films this weekend and weirdly loved every minute of it. I totally pampered myself and recuperated after a week of feeling a bit ill. The only downside of that is that I have been pigging out way too much and will now have to make up for it by gymming it up starting tomorrow!

Inspirational decor

My thoughts have definitely turned to us buying a house next year and more importantly, how I am going to decorate the house. I am a massive interior design fan...any excuse to get creative really. I have been checking out loads of inspiration decor blogs pouring over everything from wallpaper to cushions to wine glasses. I am really interested in DIY decor too and found these fab ideas...

Brooch Wreath

3D Wall Flower Scene

DIY Lace Light Shade

Ebay

I have gone a bit Ebay-mad recently and have been buying all sorts from there including make-up storage, clothes, shoes and jewellery. There's just so many bargains to be had on there and quite often you will find pieces that have sold out in shops. I will be posting on all the bits and pieces once they have been delivered so stay tuned for that.

Hubby was supposed to be delayed but I just got word that he is back tomorrow after 15 days offshore...HURRAH!!!!

Clarins, Beauty-Boxes & MAC

2011-11-26T21:12:00.001Z

Nothing excites me quite like Limited Edition palettes because they always have a pretty design feature, be it on the exterior packaging or on the pan itself. Well this Limited Edition Clarins Passion Face Palette has both! The unique Aztec design on the metal compact and on the powder pan is very eye-catching!

Now I always talk about how products from luxury brands feel weighty in your hands, giving you that satisfying feeling that you are holding a luxury item. Clarins aren't messing around with this compact because it weighs a ton! It's definitely not the kind of palette that you would nonchalantly toss into your handbag of a day. It's the kind that you might display proudly on your dressing table...on some kind of decorative pedestal...with appropriately flattering lighting. Ok, maybe I wouldn't go that far but it IS beautiful.

Sometimes I get confused with these kind of face powders because they aren't quite a face powder and they aren't quite a highlighter. However, the tiny gold reflects in this peach-toned powder with the slightest hint of bronze act like a veil of radiance on your face and in that you can assume you would use sparingly and on specific areas of your face (centre of forehead, high on your cheekbones, down the centre of your nose). This is definitely a product that works better with night-time make up because it adds that extra polish and glam factor. Possibly not a good product for anyone who feels they have very oily skin and are self conscious of shine. I personally like the glow it gives my skin, which is so subtle, it's very hard to capture on camera hence the lack of picture.

Don't be scared of the gold overspray on the pan, this disappears after a few sweeps of your powder brush. What you are left with is a large section of glow-inducing powder under the design and the rest is a luminous pressed powder. This is by no means a glittery or even shimmery product, it leaves a healthy gleam on your skin that has a soft focus effect. It certainly avoids that flat matte look you can get from using super matte powders and gives your face more dimension.

It's pricey at £35 here on the Clarins website but it's a lovely Christmas treat that feels and looks expensive and even when it runs out, I fully intend to use it as a cosmetic mirror in my handbag!

I was sent a lovely little treat from Beauty-Boxes which is a website that specialises in beauty accessories including cosmetic cases and travel cases.

They sent me their Large Powder Room Pink Make Up Pouch which retails at a very reasonable £15.46. The pouch is made from faux leather which has generous measurements of 22cm (w) x 8cm (d) x 15cm (h) which makes it perfect as a handbag make up bag.

The lining has a really cute multi-coloured polka-dot design and the zip opens really wide so it's easy to longer objects such as make-up brushes in there. It's a pet hate of mine when you almost damage your brushes trying to squeeze them into a little make up bag!

It's a really handy size and fits everything I need in my handbag for touch-ups during the day. I like that the exterior is faux leather because it means it's wipe clean so it will never get all grubby.

For the longest time, I have wanted MAC Jazzed lipstick because I'm still mad about peachy shades on the lips and although this shade verges on orange, it's a very wearable orange! My hairdresser Leigh passed it on to me after deciding that it didn't suit her, explaining to me that "it looks like I've been eating spag bol!!!". ha ha. That wasn't the best recommendation for the lippy but I braved it and tried it on.

It's a rich peach with definite orange tones but it's incredibly wearable and on my complexion, it has a nice brightening effect. It isn't the easiest to apply, with the dabbing method being employed to prevent that patchy look. However, if you pat it on, it actually goes on evenly and can be built up for a more intense colour pay off.

I had a search through my lipsticks to find MAC Costa Chic so I could compare and contrast since I had seen people group them together in the past.

I have to say that Costa Chic is far more vibrant and has an almost pearlised finish which I usually hate but somehow that lipstick pulls it off beautifully. Now examine the sad, grubby little Costa Chic lippy below...that's what happens when you take your favourite summer lipstick to Greece in 40oC heat! Lesson learned people!

I think Jazzed will make it easy for me to transition my love affair with peach lips into Winter without looking like a crazy woman!

My Current Loves

2011-11-22T22:38:00.001Z

I am a bit of a fusspot when it comes to perfume and I generally stick to three main favourites that I rotate depending on the occasion:

YSL Elle

Gucci II

Armani Code

I had seen YSL Cinema around but I had always assumed it would be one of those heavy perfumes that would stick in the back of your throat. Don't ask me why but I had this preconception in my head.

However, on my visit to London back in Oct, Tali over at the The Gloss Goss mentioned she liked it. To say this girl smells amazing is an understatement! She smells divine! As creepy as it may sound, it's true. She cited YSL Cinema as a scent that she liked so that's what initially sparked my interest! As you can see, the bottle is very pretty with a real glamorous feel as we have all come to expect from a luxury brand like YSL.

YSL Cinema is definitely in the Oriental Floral category and consists of:

Heart Notes

Amaryllis, Peony & Jasmine

Top Notes

Cyclamen, Clementine & Almond Blossom

Base Notes

Vanilla, Musk, Benzoin & Amber

This to me feels like a very sensual and warm scent that isn't at all overpowering. The Vanilla, Amber and Musk are the notes that really linger over time and the more it develops, the more I like it. I have been wearing it every day for the past few days and the warm base to it feels comforting to me. Loving this!

You can pick up the YSL Cinema EDT 35ml for only £24.99 here at The Perfume Shop.

Another her product this past couple of weeks has been the Urban Decay 15 Year Anniversary Eye shadow Collection...

It has such a gorgeous mix of colours which you can see in more detail in my original post here. I have used it every single day since I got it. Vanilla, Flow and Chase pretty much create the perfect everyday natural eye look. My other palettes haven't had a look in because this palette has everything you need to create a paired down daytime look or something more dramatic. The matte black shade is great for smoking it up or just tidying up black eye liner. I would always chuck this in my bag without any hesitation that it contains everything I need (Holly, you would LOVE this!).

On crack-of-dawn early mornings, Clarins Daily Energizer Wake-Up Booster certainly lives up to it's name. It's a liquid toner containing radiance inducing ingredients like green coffee, redcurrant extract and natural anti-oxidants like White Tea extract. I apply it every morning after cleansing and before moisturiser and it just gives my skin this amazing glow and life. You only need a very small amount because of the liquid consistency. My only gripe is that it just has a hole where a spray applicator would be much more useful and practical.

You can pick up a 125ml bottle of this product for just £11.99 over at Escentual as they are having a 20% special offer at the moment!

It's been a while since I used this little pot of flawlessness but I picked one up after trying other primers and not being quite satisfied with the results. Loreal Studio Secrets Smoothing Resurfacing Primer smooths the skin, fills pores and fine lines and creates a fantastically even base for make up. I always notice the difference when I wear this underneath my foundation and it just goes on so evenly with this. It makes your skin look completely flawless and who doesn't want that?! It comes in such a small pot though, I just wish they would create a larger size!

I'm a big believer in taking care of my skin, especially at night time when your body works overtime to repair and renew itself. Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair is a product I apply every single night before my moisturiser. It always seems to fade any scars from spots a lot faster than anything else and as my skin has a tendency to go red in Winter, it also helps to calm that down and keep my skin tone even. I'm sometimes wary of hyped up products because they have a tendency to not live up to your expectations. However, in this case, I can see why everyone is so in love with this super serum.

I have seen these stupendously studded shoes on a few blogs and they never fail to make me drool...

It's the Sam Edelman Lorissa Truffle Shoes and since they are priced at £180...they aren't exactly in my usual shoe price bracket. I may have to justify the purchase somehow because they are just too beautiful. I am praying they are on sale at some point! I mean, I could argue that I have to buy them for my own safety...given that they could be used as a weapon of self defence in the event of an attack!

OOTN, Ardell & Orly

2011-11-20T20:32:00.001Z

I have had so many emails commenting on the fact that I always seem to find great dresses on ASOS. I am well aware that the quality and fit of garments on the website can be inconsistent at times. I guess the key is that I generally know what styles suit my body shape and what fabrics will work on me. I think that is a general rule when it comes to online clothes shopping though because with so many online boutiques popping up, it can be hard to know what will look good. I struck gold with my recent purchase of the ASOS Cream Mesh Twist Bandeau Dress, which I wore on Saturday night for a girl's night out...

Dress: ASOS

Blazer: AWear

Shoes: Next

Necklace: Accessorize

Ring: Dorothy Perkins

My lovely hairdresser Leigh came over and curled my hair with a conical wand, did a bit of back-combing. I used two tracks of my FoxyLocks deluxe clip in hair extensions in Honey Blonde. Just as a side note, I got my hairdresser Leigh to put some lowlights into the extensions last year to break the colour up with my natural hair colour. It just makes the extensions less obvious and to be honest, people never know I'm wearing them, they just think my hair looks good. It's a pet hate of mine when extensions are really obvious...it kinda defeats the purpose of wearing them!

My new Next nude platforms got their first outing and went perfectly with the outfit. I like the chunky heels and they are definitely easier to walk in than stilettos! My legs were on the pasty side so I chucked on some Rimmel Sun Shimmer Instant Tan in Light Shimmer. I have had a couple of emails over the last few weeks after some of my OOTD posts asking what leg exercises I do at the gym/at home which is very flattering. So let me know if you guys would like me to do a post on this as I do have some specific routines?

I tried out the Ardell 117 Lashes and I have to say these are the longest lashes I have ever worn. I usually wear the 109's or 110's because I like to go with the more natural look. I figured I would try something different for this night out and these lashes looked pretty glam in the packaging.

They look good when my eyes are open and they wing out my eye shape which looks really pretty. They were easy to apply and felt secure all night.

However, my issue with these lashes is that when you look down, the lashes just look too artificial for my liking. The inner lashes are MUCH longer than my own so you get that real false lash effect. If that's your bag, then that's perfectly ok, but for me, I like my lashes to look more natural and blend in with my own, graduating out.

A nail product I just HAVE to talk about in this post is Orly Polishield 3 in 1 Top Coat. This stuff is a godsend! I often have trouble keeping my nail colour intact for more than a couple of days. Finding a nail polish that dries quickly, stays put and resists chipping is no mean feat. But when you have an amazing topcoat that fuses with the polish to create a durable seal...well, it certainly makes a huge difference and saves you the time of constantly re-applying nail colour!

I had heard about Orly Polishield via Twitter and a few blogs and since I have been searching for a great topcoat for as long as I can remember, I was all over this stuff like a rash. I couldn't wait to find out if it was as good as people were saying. It is marketed as:

a) chip-resistant, high shine top coat

b) a quick dry treatment

c) providing UV protection

The proof is in the pudding they say, so I applied Polishield over my Essie Buy Me A Cameo polish on Thursday and after 5 days of wear (including a night out), this is what my nails now look like today...

Perfect! Not one chip or smudge to be seen. Polishield dries so quickly over the nail colour and seals it in immediately. Within 10 minutes of applying it, I accidentally hit my nail off a sharp edged door handle and expected there to be a chip or smudge. However, on inspection, the nail was still flawless...now that is what I call a topcoat! The thing I am most pleased about is that it will provide a long-lasting seal for the lower quality polishes in my collection which chip within a day or so. I often don't use those said polishes because of that annoying problem so Polishield has completely solved that issue! It's definitely a hero product for me.

Orly Polishield is priced at £7.95 and you can get it here.

An Early Birthday Present

2011-11-18T15:44:00.001Z

Ok, ok...so my birthday is still 25 days away but whilst prowling the pages of the Reiss sale (my favourite online haunt), I laid eyes on a particular garment that stole my attention from the get-go. The hubby offered to get the dress for my birthday under one condition...I didn't wear it until my birthday. A cruel dilemma, but one I was willing to deal with to get my grubby mitts on this dress! After placing my order only 2 days ago at night time, the parcel arrived today and my excitement was palpable!

I got the Reiss Rich Royal Blue Bodycon Dress which was reduced from £179 to only £53! I have never owned a proper bodycon dress before and to be honest, I didn't have the body confidence to until now! All that clingy fabric would have broken me out in a cold sweat before my gym days. I'm not a skinny girl but I think you have to have some curves for the bodycon dresses to work. (Excuse the makeup in these pics...I had been traipsing around town all day!)...

The fabric of this bandage dress is thick and feels really high quality. It's a mix of viscose, nylon and elastane which means that it's really easy to wash and take care of. The black cage detailing is really slimming and the way it sections the torso, means that it's great for camouflaging a less than flat stomach (I'm still working on that!).

The v-neck is flattering on big-chested girls like myself and the dress itself is extremely comfortable to wear with a zip running the full length of the back of the dress. I am a size 12 and I ordered a Medium on the Reiss site which fits perfectly without being too tight. There only seems to be Size Large left on the Reiss site but if you search for 'Reiss bodycon' on Ebay, there's a few people selling them on there. The dress also comes in a nude and black colour combo but it's priced at £125 in the sale. I personally prefer the vivid blue shade though!

My trusty black Warehouse waterfall blazer compliments the dress perfectly!

Now I just have to hold back from wearing it until December 13th...hmmmm...

FINALLY a rival for By Terry BDR

2011-11-16T12:57:00.001Z

In the past (here) I have waxed lyrical about the wonder lip product that is By Terry Baume De Rose. It truly is an amazing lip balm that repairs, softens and smooths the most chapped of lips, whilst adding a pretty pale pink tint to your pout. However, and it's a BIG however, it's priced at £35 for a 10g pot! That instantly relegates it into the once-a-year-treat bracket for me.

However, last week I discovered a multi-tasking product which finally matches up to the repairing and softening qualities of the By Terry product. Step up Rodial Glam Balm LIP...

"Rodial glam balm™ LIP is a special formula designed to plump & fill the lip area, while repairing dry and chapped lips. Filling Spheres inject volume to plump lips and fill fine lines, smoothing imperfections for a flawless appearance. Rose Wax & Shea Butter nourish and soothe chapped lips, while Vitamin E protects against environmental damage".

The thick balm akin to that of By Terry BDR also contains salicylic acid and beeswax. I have heard of people using this under their eyes to lock in eye cream or brighten the area. However, in my personal opinion, a thick balm such as this would be far too heavy to apply to such thin, delicate areas of skin. I also wouldn't apply it all over my face because:

a) It's too expensive to use so liberally

b) It would most likely clog my pores due to it's viscose consistency

I have to say though that this product truly is a multi-tasking wonder for me and a must-have for my handbag because:

1) It can repair chapped lips after one overnight treatment

2) It can be used on any small patches of dry skin on the face to soften and smooth

3) It can be used to tame flyaways

4) It can be used to repair dry or split cuticles

5) It's been said to be a good aftersun (not applicable at the moment obviously!)

The only aspect of the Rodial Glam Balm that differs from By Terry BDR is that it doesn't leave a pale pink tint but that doesn't bother me as it still leaves my lips looking glossy and I use it mostly at night as an intensive treatment. The consistency reminds me of vaseline but with super-charged effects. Like By Terry BDR, it has a slight fragrance of Rose which I really like.

I have heard a few bad reviews of the original Rodial Glam Balm but those all featured complaints about it clogging their pores so that doesn't apply to this lip version of the product.

I have been applying this every night to my lips and they are now in incredible condition, all set for wearing bright shades for the festive season! It has also repaired my dry cuticles within 2 days and they now look perfect. For me this is a must have product for Winter and I have now added it to my Beauty Must Haves.

Rodial Glam Balm LIP is priced at £19 for a 10ml pot. I know it's not cheap as chips BUT it's not £35 and you only need the tiniest amount for each application, we're talking a a quarter of a pea-sized amount for the lips! So this lip balm is set to last me a long, long time. This would make a great stocking filler actually!

Benefit,YSL & Update

2011-11-14T14:34:00.001Z

I had been harping on for an age about picking up Benefit Cha Cha Tint but never seemed to get around to it. Well, the opportunity to get my grubby mitts on this product came around in the form of a swap with my mum's friend, Mandy. She had bought Cha Cha Tint but decided it wasn't right for her colouring...so I very generously took it off her hands! That was nice of me wasn't it.

After swapping some of my back up Benefit products with her, I finally tried it out today.

Let's kick off by saying that I love the metallic packaging and functional small brush that comes with all of the liquid Benefit products. I had (luckily) been pre-warned about the vibrant mango shade and the fact that it stains your fingers. The product is described as a cheek and lip tint and it has a 'creamy' appearance with a more gel-like consistency than Benetint.

You only need the TINIEST amount of this on your cheeks to get the desired effect. As mentioned above, it stains your fingers so I prefer to apply it with a brush designed especially for liquid blush products. I use the brilliant Waterbrush by Daniel Sandler. I have a plastic petri dish that I use to distribute the colour on the brush before applying to my cheeks. By using this method, you avoid any staining or patchy appearance. The product dries very quickly so you have to blend it in as fast as you can.

There is absolutely no shimmer in this tint so it imparts a gorgeous peachy apricot glow to my cheeks sans glitter! I think it would suit medium to darker skin tones the best as it may be too vibrant for paler skins. I would say Posietint would work better on fairer complexions. The pic below shows Cha Cha Tint on my cheeks and on my lips.

As a lip product, it's very subtle but I actually really like the result. It adds a warmth and although I don't particularly like this well-used blogging term, it gives a 'my lips, but better' effect. It's also worth mentioning that the tint feels very comfortable on the lips and doesn't dry them out.You can layer it a bit more to get a more vibrant result but I quite like the simplicity of just having a hint of colour. It definitely suits my skin tone and I'm really happy this is now in my collection!

Mandy also gave me a YSL Rouge Pur Couture lipstick in no.23 (Coral Poetique) and as always, I am a big fan of the luxurious feel of the classical gold packaging. There's something about YSL Rouge Pur Couture and Rouge Volupte lipsticks that feels special (possibly due to the pricetag!!!).

Peach-toned lipsticks really work with my complexion and although this shade is called Coral, I would say that it looks more of a pink-toned apricot with a cream finish. The consistency of this lipstick feels creamy and expensive but it also takes after the Rouge Volupte lipsticks, in that it doesn't last that long. It's moisturising of course BUT it does seem to apply slightly unevenly and takes some work to pat in and blend.

It's a gorgeous colour but the fact that it slips off your lips within an hour makes it an expensive purchase in more ways than one. It would be nice to balance a gorgeous shade with longevity of wear but this lipstick just disappointed me on the latter.

And now for a quick update of my highs and lows of the past week...

Made In Chelsea

Loving this series at the moment and don't want it to end!!! (roll on tonight's episode). I know it's staged and verging on the ridiculous at times but that doesn't impede my enjoyment. I actually prefer it to TOWIE and always find myself being wowed by Millie's make up and generally spotting lots of clothes that I would like for my own wardrobe.

Frozen Planet

I am a bit of a geek when it comes to programmes about nature and I especially love anything that David Attenborough is involved in! The new Frozen Planet series is fascinating and this is one of my favourite clips featuring the penguin thief...

Ardell 117 Lashes

I picked up these lashes at Boots at the weekend and although my favourites are normally the 110's for their natural appearance, the 117's are amazing for a more dramatic look. Roll on the girl's night out on Saturday! It's sad to admit but getting ready whilst blasting out good tunes is sometimes one of the highlights of the night! What can I say? I love make-up!

New Car

Something which you may not know about me is that I am currently learning to drive! I started when I was 17 but then I left to go to uni and basically couldn't afford to keep having lessons (and was too preoccupied with spending every night of the week in the student union!). I am 28 now and I guess that I never really needed to drive what with always living in the city centre...until now. With the new business and plans to move next year, I have to have means of travel so I hope to pass my driving test in the next couple of months. I will be picking up my new car next week and don't get too excited...it's nothing fancy...a blue metallic Fiesta Zetec but it'll be my baby!

Korres & Rodial Lip Balms

These lip balms are the only thing that keeping me from having horrible, flaky dry lips these past few days. Whenever the weather takes a turn in Winter time, my lips are the first things to suffer. I am a long-term fan of the Korres Lip Butters and the Rodial Glam Balm is my super-boost hydration treatment for night time (post coming on that).

Hot Chocolate

Winter = Hot Chocolate time. Nuff said.

End of TOWIE

I have a love/hate relationship with The Only Way Is Essex in that quite a lot of the 'characters' do my head in BUT I have a compulsion to watch it. I also always watch when they stick the needle in my arm to have my blood taken. Maybe I have a problem?! Anyway, I was sad to see the series end even though the last few scenes were beyond ridiculous and painfully staged. That's what TOWIE is all about really though.

Sparse Eyelashes

I don't know what's up with my eyelashes at the moment but they just look rubbish. They are kind of sparse and quite short. Thank god I learnt how to apply false lashes, that's all I can say! I may have to start using some lash growth serum again...although some of them actually cause a bit of lash loss BEFORE they induce any growth. I don't know if I have the lashes to spare though!

Stila £10 Palettes

2011-11-11T12:36:00.001Z

These three cute little Stila palettes turned up in the post a few days ago and I was surprised to find out that they retail at a tiny £10! Stocking fillers anyone?! I know a few other bloggers have already posted about these but in case any of you missed that, here's my take on them...

Living The Life in Laguna

"Inspired by an idyllic seaside retreat, this Stila Beach Palette in Living The Life In Laguna channels the organic beauty of this cultural beach town while boasting coastal inspired shades perfect for creating a natural Californian glow. Tucked away from the hustle and bustle of the city, Laguna has a uniquely laid-back atmosphere. This Stila Beach Palette in Living The Life In Laguna is a bohemian selection of gorgeous shades that are perfect for evoking the hippy-chic Laguna vibe."

This is a nice everyday palette with soft shades that are easy to wear. I especially like the blush in Seashell and although the consistency of the powders isn't the best I have ever come across, they are good quality for a palette that only costs £10. As long as you keep in mind that these palettes are of the cheap and cheerful variety, then it's all good.

Each palette comes with a handy little guide which indicates how to use each shade. Great for younger girls or beginners in the make up field!

Wonderful In Waikiki

"This limited edition Stila Beach Palette in Wonderful In Waikiki was inspired by Chelsea’s trip to paradise. Say aloha to these tropical tones! Grab your lei and grass skirt and head to the white shores of an exotic location with this Stila Beach Palette in Wonderful In Waikiki. If you’re sunning it up in a backdrop as stunning as this why would you want to look anything but jaw-droppingly gorgeous?"

This screams summer to me so it's a shame it's only landed in my hands now...this would have been a great palette to pop in my holiday bag! It's full of warm tones, bronzey hues and a shot of vivid azure blue for good measure. Great for those days when you're feeling more adventurous and a bright liner feels on point.

I was disappointed with the colour pay off of 'Wahine' and 'Sarong' but the other shades are great.

Striking In South Beach

"If two words could sum up South Beach it would be sunny and sexy! This Stila Beach Palette in Striking In South Beach enables you to fit right in with its selection of super sexy shades that’ll have you sizzling in the sun! Turn up the heat as you soak up the rays with this Stila Beach Palette in Striking In South Beach. We all know that the beach-dwellers at this sought-after resort are all absolutely gorgeous, so up your ante with this travel-friendly set from Stila!"

This is my favourite palette of the three, probably because the cool shades appeal to my winter persona at the moment. The soft, cool toned eye shadows combine to create a wicked smokey eye and I really like the bright pink blush shade in Art Deco.

Also, I feel like this palette is the most consistent when it comes to colour pay-off. I haven't tried many Stila products but I'm glad they are back in the limelight after their relaunch. Their products come across as being fun and slightly whimsical which is right up my street.

Which palette would you plump for?

General Mish-Mash Update

2011-11-09T16:54:00.001Z

My first piece of news (and believe me, I'm letting out a huge sigh of relief) is that our new snazzy Perfection By Design website was launched this morning www.perfectionbydesignuk.com. It has taken a long time to get it all sorted but I'm so much happier with the new look! Thanks to everyone who followed us on Twitter and liked us on Facebook after I mentioned it recently. It means a lot to me to have your support.

I must say that I'm not a fan of the fact that it's getting dark at 4:30pm now! The days feel so much shorter and I feel like I'm not getting as much done. But on the upside, it's my birthday in about a month and then Christmas so at least that's something to look forward to!

Now that the days are getting colder and the nights are drawing in, I have switched to a gradual tanning product that will give me a healthy glow rather than a full-on tan. Daylight becomes a lot harsher in the winter time and it tends to show up your skin in a completely different way compared to the rays of summer. Although I like gradual self tan products, I find it difficult to find one that shows up on my skin. I have been looking for a product that gives just the right amount of colour.

I recently started using a new gradual tanner, Xen Tan Transform Luxe Daily Self Tan which has been designed "For those who prefer to build their tan gradually, but still enjoy a rich, natural-looking finish, Xen-Tan's Transform Luxe is an ideal choice. Containing more of the active tanning ingredient DHA than our other gradual body tanner, Transform, Transform Luxe lets you achieve a darker colour after just one application. The luxurious lotion goes on clear and develops into a wonderfully natural-looking tan that captures the much sought-after healthy holiday glow perfectly.

Packed with nourishing moisturisers and with a lovely fresh fragrance, Transform Luxe comes in a larger size than Transform, so you can enjoy even more impressively long-lasting results from every bottle".

I like all the Xen Tan products I have tried so far and this one didn't disappoint. I always get a really natural result with Xen Tan products because they really give an olive based tan without any hint of orange. The products also smell a lot more appealing than many other alternatives on the market. The only thing that bothered me about this daily self tan is that the consistency is quite thick so it takes a bit of extra work to blend into the skin. So it may not be the best product if you are in a rush but to be honest, I never apply my fake tan in a rush as that can be a recipe for disaster!

Xen Tan Transform Luxe Daily Self Tan is priced at £24.99 for a 236ml tube and is available here with free delivery.

Metallics are a huge trend at the moment from clothes to makeup to nails. This GORGEOUS Limited Edition nail polish from Nars is called Space Odyssey...

I have been looking for a lighter silver metallic polish for a long time but they always seem to be gunmetal shades which can be too blue-based for my skin tone. Space Odyssey is a much easier shade to wear and more eye-catching too! It contains loads of tiny shimmer particles that give that really reflective effect. You can apply one layer for a iridescent metallic sheen or two layers to amp it up and have full-on silver talons. I have two layers of the polish on in the pics below...

Love it!!!

The polish has also had good staying power and has remained chip free after 3 days wear. The drying time is pretty quick and it really adds an interest to any outfit. It's priced at £13.50 and you can get it from the Nars website here.

I wore my lovely ivory dress on Friday night (I originally posted about it here) and I quickly realised on that day that I needed to pick up some nude heels that would be comfortable enough to walk around in all night. After a mooch around the shops, I happened across these Nude Suede chunky platforms in Next for £45...

They are definitely a 'goes with everything' kind of shoe and because they have a platform and a chunky heel, they are very comfortable to wear for extended periods of time. The sling-back and lack of ankle strap means that they have an elongating effect on the legs. I also love the slight gold metallic piping and floral lining.

Basically these are great shoes for a night out or to team with a smart daytime outfit.

I have two videos for you today...one just to make you smile/laugh...

Keyboard Cat really does rule and he never fails to make me smile! He's one cool cat!

And on the other end of the scale is a song with you that I like to listen to in quieter moments...love this girl's voice...

LINK!

Urban Decay 15 Year Anniversary Palette

2011-11-08T15:23:00.004Z

I love my Urban Decay Book of Shadows 4 and have used it every day for the past 3 or 4 weeks but this Limited Edition 15 Year Anniversary Palette has just recently nudged that aside. Cast your eyes over the bejewelled lid and laser-cut detailed lid and tell me you don't love it!?

"Urban Decay 15year Anniversary Eyeshadow Collection. 15 mesmerizing shades for 15 years ofUD. The perfect mix of neutrals and brights, darks and lights. Satisfying everypossible eye shadow need in one collection, these 15 hues feature a signature`low binder` formula, pairing cashmere soft textures with enormous pigmentloads, resulting in mind-blowing blend ability and knock-out colour payoff.Encased in a collectable shiny gun metal box, topped with a faceted purple `UD`jewel that highlights the laser cut edges. Simply remove the shadow tray toreveal a purple, velvet-lined compartment ideal for stashing your favouritejewels and momentos".

The palette contains 15 brand new, never-seen-before shades from Urban Decay and the biggest improvement that I noticed instantly on swatching these shades was the lack of glittery fall-out. That is often a complaint with Urban Decay shadows. I so often hear "oh I love the colour, just without the chunks of glittery fall-out". The shimmery shades do have glitter but it's much more finely milled than we have seen from Urban Decay in the past so kudos to them for listening to their customers! The palette really does encompass every shade I would need to transform a day look into a night-time look. There are the right ingredients to create a natural, smokey or bright look.

All of the eye shadows in this palette are smooth, easy to blend and have great colour payoff. I will have to do some FOTD posts using the different shades to show you guys how lovely they are. I also love how you can pop the eye shadow tray out and keep the decorative box.

If you are a fan of matte shades then this palette isn't for you because all of the shades have a metallic, shimmery or sheeny finish. I personally prefer that type of finish in my eye shadows as matte shades just look flat on me and really hold no interest. I always think that the key to wearing shimmery or sheeny eye shadows in the day time is to keep the brow bone colour matte. This balances things and prevents the overall effect from looking overdone.

Here's a breakdown of each gorgeous shade in the palette:

Midnight Rodeo (brown pearl with silver)
Tainted (palematte purple with golden shimmer)
Deeper (deepshimmery golden brown)

Midnight 15 (oysterpearl with silver glitter)

Junkshow (metallicbright pink with slight blue reflects)

MIA (darkvelvet brown)

Vanilla (creamywhite gold)

Omen (metallicbright purple with blue shift)

Ace (darkgunmetal)

Flow (softpeach shimmer)

Evidence (deepmetallic blue)

Blackout (dark saturated black)

Chase (brightbronze)

Deep End (brightteal)

Half Truth (deepgreyish purple)

This limited edition palette is available here for £39.00. It's not cheap as chips but it's a fantastic and versatile palette to have in your collection. Throw enough hints around and you might get it for Christmas!

Our First Wedding Show!

2011-11-07T15:22:00.001Z

We exhibited at our first wedding show yesterday and it really couldn't have gone any better than it did. Everything went so smoothly, we were super organised and our eye-catching table design went down brilliantly. We got so many enquiries from couples and from other suppliers so we couldn't be happier. To be honest, I am still buzzing from the whole experience and it just served to solidify my passion and enthusiasm for what I do.

As promised, here are some pics from the show to let you see our table and all the little details....

We went for a lime green and hot pink colour scheme to really stand out. Although this may be too bright or quirky for some couple's tastes and we can certainly do traditional and more toned down, we wanted to really get everyone's attention.

We wanted our floral arrangements to look really fresh and original so we used an oasis inside to ensure the flowers were secure and then sliced limes and used them to camouflage the oasis and flower stems. I love how they turned out!

We collaborated with a lovely lady we know called Maggie to make these cute mini wedding cakes and the white roses she hand-crafted for the top are just perfection. Maggie also made the hot pink macaroons which are just the perfect contrast.

We also collaborated with a company called Hannah Bakes Cakes to come up with the Jam-Jar Cupcakes in the pic below. The we decorated them and made little 'I do' signs to further customise them.

I found cute little heart charms on Ebay which added a nice touch to the cupcake signs...

We used these gorgeous plants in the floral arrangements which were actually a type of cabbage!

Maggie crafted some beautiful wedding-themed and heart cookies for our stand as well which would make great favours.

The wedding stationery we used is by an incredible company called Intricate Creations. We met the couple behind the company at the London wedding show in September and as soon as I saw their amazing laser-cut designs I knew we HAD to work with them!

I love what they came up with for our table and it matched in perfectly with everything.

So now this show was a roaring success, we are now coming up with creative ideas for the bigger show in January. It's the largest wedding show in the North of Scotland so we really want to make an impact. I can't wait to start working on it!

I love my job!

It would mean SO much to me if you could support our business by liking us on Facebook and following us on Twitter. Even if you aren't getting married, the more followers/likes etc that we get, the better. Our revamped website will be launching in the next couple of days so I can't wait to share that with you all!

ASOS Bargain Dress!

2011-11-02T21:10:00.000Z

Now you guys know that I'm not averse to a little bargain hunt on what seems to be a permanent sale-fest on ASOS. Whilst I was innocently browsing yesterday, I happened across this Mesh Twist Bandeau Dress priced at a ridiculous £17! (down from £38). I procrastinated for all of 2 minutes about whether it would be too short on me/unflattering and then just threw caution to the wind. It's only £17 after all.

I was delighted to see that I have been upgraded to Premier next day delivery status so it arrived on time today, ready for me to rip open and inspect my swag. The dress is fully lined and is covered in criss-cross chiffon-feel material (but is actually nylon). It's feels very soft so no scratchy fabric against your skin (I added that bit for you Tali as I know it's one of your main concerns!ha ha). There's no zip on this dress so you just pull it on basically. This DOES mean that it's extremely comfortable though! It's a short dress and to gauge how short it would be, it measures 33 inches from top to bottom and I am 5'7 (I ordered a size 12). It does appear MUCH shorter on the website model however she is 5'10 (this makes things so much easier when websites tell you that information!).

I was worried that it would highlight the fact that I have a less than flat stomach but miraculously, it turned out to be super flattering. The crossed sections of fabric have a real slimming effect on your torso. Just what the doctor ordered!

I have a night out on Friday with the girls so I think I may debut this little number for that occasion. I decided to tone the whole look down with my blush A Wear Blazer as without it, I felt a little on the naked side.

On the same innocent ASOS flight of fancy, I picked up this ASOS Knuckleduster Ring With Hanging Spikes for £6.00.

It's not my usual style but I liked the edgy look to it. Although whilst trying it on, I hadn't previously anticipated the fact that it really minimises the range of movement in your hand. Not surprising really as it basically clamps your fingers together. It's actually quite comfortable to wear but I would hazard a guess that it's best to wear on your less-used hand.

Let's hope I don't get stopped at the door of the bars for wearing an offensive weapon! But if someone spills their drink on me...so help me god...

In other news, I may be a bit quiet in the next few days as we are preparing to exhibit at our first wedding show on Sunday. I am equally nervous and excited. I will let you guys see all the pics afterwards but until then...stay safe and have a fab weekend!

Ciao for now!

OOTD: Monochrome

2011-10-29T18:33:00.004+01:00

Ahhh, there's nothing like a good lie in and I treated myself to an especially satisfying one today. Today consisted of food shopping (yawn), looking at a couple of possible new cars, the gym and then, later tonight, a few drinks in town with friends. I love any excuse to get dressed up!

Anyways, I digress, this OOTD post is to showcase a couple of new purchases I wore a couple of days ago...a monochrome blouse from A Wear and some wedge boots from Faith@Debenhams. I kept this look very simple and felt like it didn't need any jewellery to complicate the overall effect.

Monochrome may seem like an easy trend to adopt but sometimes it can look a little plain or too obvious. I like to break up the look by mixing it with grey tones and pairing it with a red lip (Estee Lauder Pure Color Lipstick in Raspberry in this particular case).

I love this monochrome blouse from A Wear because it's bang on trend, a flattering fit and for a current piece, it won't break the bank at £30. The only con to this blouse is that the material is the kind that builds up static easily...don't you just love synthetic fabrics!? The blouse is on the more fitted side so don't be fooled into thinking it's an oversized garment. Just order your normal size!

Jacket: Zara (link)

Blouse: A Wear (link)

Leggings: H&M

Boots: Faith (link)

Bag: Ebay (link)

The boots are EXTREMELY comfortable and fitted the bill for my transition into more sensible shoes for the cold weather. They offer a more casual look but they still maintain a smart look. The wedge is also a great height of about 3 inches which means they aren't awkward to walk in.

The boots are made from suede so a little care and maintenance is required. They also come in a light beige colour but I figured the black ones would be more versatile to wear with black tights. We all know that wearing the same coloured shoes as your trousers/tights has a lengthening effect! I'll have some of that!

These Faith boots are currently on sale for around £48 so it's best to pick them up now if you are looking for really comfortable, sturdy boots for Autumn/Winter.

In other news, myself and the hubster have been looking at houses in the view to moving in March...VERY exciting. Yes, I have already started to compile a folder of inspirational decor on my laptop...it may become an obsession I fear! Anyway, once we get a house, we have decided to get two puppies! We are both big animal people and a house without dogs just seems wrong to us. I am in two minds about whether to get a Golden Retriever (my family have always had those) or a Bernese Mountain Dog....

Could he be any cuter????

Chris wants a long-haired Alsatian...

Also VERY cute! I just want to cuddle him!

We wanted to get two so they can keep each other company. Dogs also seem to learn a lot faster when they have another pup to observe. Although we have our little hamster chap, Wolverine, we have both always had dogs at so having a couple of them will just complete our family.

Fake Bake@New Look And New Shoes

2011-10-28T13:31:00.001+01:00

New Look and Fake Bake have joined forces to offer an affordable paraben-free self tanning range specifically designed for younger users and also first-time tanners who are a bit iffy about using stronger formulations. The 'Lovingly Formulated By The Boffins At Fake Bake For Fair Maidens' self tan contains less DHA to give a more subtle and natural tan. I was sent all four of the products in the range to test out:

Rough To Buff Perfectly Smooth Body Polish (£5)

Dull To Delicious Soft 'n' Juicy Oil Free Moisturiser (£5)

Bland To Tanned Sun Kissed Self-Tan (£10)

Pasty To Tasty Wash Off Instant Tan (£6)

The packaging is simple and quite obviously geared towards appealing to younger girls. That said, it looks fun and does the job so no complaints there. The range is called FanTANista but it doesn't feature this brand name on the packaging for some reason and the 'Lovingly Formulated..' bit is a mouthful! Click here to see all the current info and competitions on their Facebook page.

The 236ml bottle of Body Polish contains tiny granules of pumice, Aloe Vera, Chamomile, Elderflower, Sage, Fennel and Yarrow. The scent is slightly tropical and very pleasant but I am aware that not everyone likes the same fragrances. This one is definitely not offensive though. Because the 'loofah' particles are so small, the Body Polish is very gentle on the skin and doesn't scratch or irritate. Therefore, this would be a good gentle exfoliator for delicate or sensitive skin however I preferred to use my exfoliating gloves with this product to get the best result.

The moisturiser contains Green Tea and Ginger to retain moisture instead of oils which can lead to your tan fading a lot faster. I am not a massive fan of the fragrance but that wouldn't stop me from using it because it's surprisingly substantial for an oil-free moisturiser. It sinks in quickly leaving no residue and left my skin soft and smooth, ready for the self tan.

The tinted Self Tan cream is quite dark in appearance and you have to take care to make sure it has been blended in properly. I was really happy with the natural result though and my skin looked even and sun-kissed as promised on the tube. I would say that I would prefer self-tanning products without tints because otherwise they make a mess of my bed sheets! This product was easy to use and can be built up to get a a slightly darker tan when applied on consecutive days. I wouldn't apply this product to my face though as I prefer to use self-tanning creams especially formulated for the face. Given that your body is a large area, it's great to have a self-tan cream that doesn't break the bank.

The instant wash-off tanning cream doesn't contain any shimmering particles so it gives a nice sun-kissed and natural look. I applied it swiftly with my bare hands and then washed them immediately with soap and warm water. The cream didn't stain my hands which is a big bonus! It also sets nicely and doesn't leave your skin tacky or greasy so it doesn't transfer onto your clothes either. It's very similar to the Rimmel wash off tans however they are much worse when it comes to staining your palms! Also, you get 133ml in this tube for £6 whereas you get 125ml for £5.99 so that's a little bit more for your money.

So in conclusion, it's a good cheap range that performs well for it's price range. It doesn't compare to St Tropez, Xen Tan or Clarins BUT it's not trying to. It's a self tanning range for a whole different market and taking in mind what they were trying to achieve, I think it's a valiant effort.

Next up, the wedge heel ballet pumps I picked up in A Wear...

I can't tell you how long I have been looking for shoes like this! Basically, here's the deal...I can't wear completely flat shoes because I have flat feet and although that should be a match made in heaven...it's not. I find it uncomfortable to wear totally flat shoes, they make my size 7 feet look huge and I also walk funny. It must be the years of high heel trauma I have put my tootsies through but now they refuse to be housed in flat shoes!

For longer than I can remember, I have been looking for cute ballet pumps with a small wedge heel but I never seemed to find what I was looking for. Then I spotted these babies!

Reasons why I love these shoes:

1) They come in Black, Monochrome and Metallic Pewter (two massive trends this season)

2) They have a 1 inch wedge that's comfortable and easy to walk in

3) They have black patent detailing on the back and toe

4) They have a gorgeous bow detail on the toe with laser cut design and chaining

5) They are made from leather and can be easily wiped clean

Finally a sensible shoe that actually looks good on me! I will get so much wear out of these and they are smart enough to wear when I'm working too.

The only problem? Now I want the Black and Monochrome ones too!

Random music moment...this cover song is featured on the Twinings ad at the moment and I love it!

Have a wonderful Friday everyone!

OOTD: Cranberry Goodness

2011-10-25T23:32:00.000+01:00

I took a short vacay to visit my lovely in-laws in Cork, Ireland for a few days and it's always nice to have a mooch around the shops over there as they have a few stores that aren't in bonny Scotland. One shop that ALWAYS seems to be packed to the brim with garments which appear to be made for me is A Wear. I almost always find 4 or 5 things that take my fancy.

I picked up a few things from their current sale and also from their new collections. This outfit of the day post features two of those items: a pair of cranberry skinny jeans and a blush/rose coloured casual blazer. I absolutely ADORE both of these items and I actually think the unusual colour combo works well together. My love affair with skinny jeans in the brightest hues continues!

My fringe was annoying the hell outta me today so I decided to tie it back so please excuse my five-head (I think Rihanna originally coined that term). On referral of the urban dictionary:

"A "four-head" is when you can only fit four fingers between your eyebrows and your hairline. You have a fivehead if you have such an abnormally large forehead that you can fit all five fingers".

I carried out this experiment today and I can fit five fingers between my eyebrows and my hairline. I would however like to point out that I have VERY skinny fingers!

Blazer: A Wear (I can't find this on the website but you might be able to find it in store in the sale section)

Skinny Jeans: A Wear (link)

Blouse: Zara

Shoes: Dorothy Perkins

Bag: ASOS (link)

Necklace: Accessorize

Bracelet: New Look

Ring: Dorothy Perkins

Although you can fit chuff all in the small ASOS Grab Bag, I still love it regardless. It's so unusual to find such a lovely contrasting colour combination and the fact that it's real suede just adds to the stroke-able pleasure of it! The Dorothy Perkins shoes were another amazing find. They just look and feel incredibly high quality considering they were so reasonably priced. It's a great shop for really wearable, on trend shoes.

I love Zara for beautiful basics like this floaty casual blouse. It can be teamed with almost anything and just adds a smart-casual vibe.

I have a few other bits and pieces from A Wear to share with you guys so stay tuned!

OOTD: Let's Do The Twist

2011-10-24T14:31:00.001+01:00

You'll be pleased to see that I look considerably more smiley in this Outfit Of The Day post! I thought I better crack a smile before I became known as the moody cow blogger! ha ha. I am still consoling myself with wearing bright colours even though summer is well and truly O.V.E.R! It's lifts my mood and I always look better in vibrant colours. It has a nifty way of lifting your complexion.

I got this Twist dress with draping and a tulip style skirt from ASOS. Their sale is in full swing again and I picked it up reduced from £30 to £16. It's made out of viscose and elastane which is usually pretty easy to take care of. I had to pair it with black tights because it's a rather chilly 5oC outside today and I didn't fancy freezing my butt off.

Check out my nonchalant jacket-over-the-shoulder catalogue pose here...ha ha ha ha ha. You can see by my expression that I'm laughing at myself!

Dress: ASOS (link)

Jacket: La Redoute

Bag: ShoeDazzle

Shoes: Zara

Necklace: Monsoon

Bracelet: ASOS

Ring: Accessorize

Belt: H&M

These amazing black Zara heels with gold keyhole detailing at the front are one of the comfiest high heels in my closet. I am gutted because they are almost on their last legs and I will be very sad to see them go. It's quite difficult letting go of a pair of shoes you're really fond of!

Given that I was wearing a bright coral dress, I decided to break out my Topshop Confession lipstick in Ooh La La. To think I never used to wear bright lipsticks and now I am completely and utterly addicted to them! Go figure! The weird thing is, a bright lip makes me look totally different in photographs. I put it down to the fact that my lip shape shows up more whereas nudes mean that my lips get lost in pics.

Are you ready to don more toned down shades for Autumn/Winter or are you holding onto those vibrant hues?

My Top Winter Wants

2011-10-22T16:11:00.000+01:00

Looking forward into my Autumn/Winter wardrobe, I've seen some absolutely stunning pieces in various shops. Here's a quick overview of some of the garments I have been lusting after of late...

Zara Black Leather Jacket

Warehouse Embellished Placket and Cuffs Blouse

All Saints Arbican Dress

Reiss Brewer Bamboo Tassel Shoulder Bag

Reiss Cosmos Gold Heel Platform

Reiss Chrisie Draped Cherry Blazer

Reiss Sabina Kingfisher High Waist Shorts

French Connection Eternal Youth Maxi Skirt

French Connection Aztec Beads Vest Top

French Connection Silver Simmons Top

French Connection Fire Beads Dress

OOTD: What A Stud!

2011-10-20T08:53:00.000+01:00

Although the title suggest that this post could be about Ryan Reynolds topless, I'm sorry to disappoint you but it's just about little old me and what I wore today. I have made no secret of the fact that I ADORE studded clothing of all kinds and lucky for me, it's one of the key trends for A/W. Hurrah!

I got this heavily embellished Monsoon dress last year and the funny thing is that I actually have it in two sizes. I originally got it in a size 14 but when I lost weight, it was too big. So the one I have on in the pics here is the size 12. It worked out quite well because I can wear the bigger one on bloated days when I want a looser fit and the smaller one for when I feel like a slim jim! I'm not in the habit of buying two sizes of one item though, I assure you! That would be slightly extravagant.

Dress: Monsoon

Jacket: Zara (link)

Boots: Rebel Heart@USC

Bag: Ebay (link)

I got the grey Zara jacket/blazer with zip detailing recently and I absolutely love it. A word of warning though...the sizes are TINY (rather ironic that I put that in big letters). The sizes are like Hobbit-tiny so if you are ordering online, keep that in mind. The sleeves are especially small in all of the sizes but I'm assuming that's just the style of the jacket. I can't wait for the day when shops start to actually use some kind of standard sizing! I'm a different size in every shop! We all know that it can make or break your day.

It would be boring to keep the whole outfit in shades of grey so a pop of cobalt blue was in order. I just realised that 3 out of the 4 components of this outfit are studded! Oh well...I did mention my fixation...Stud overload!!!

I now have my beady little eye on this studded Zara blazer! I have a serious problem my friends.

On a separate note, I have been listening to this song a lot on my iPod...a nice chill out tune :) It's very Florence + The Machine-esque with the harps and ethereal vibe.

Weekly Favourites

2011-10-19T12:24:00.002+01:00

It's always helpful to know what someone's favourite products of the moment are, although some of these are old re-discovered favourites too. This week's most used products and tools vary from Lancome to Bobbi Brown to TopShop.

Although I don't have oily skin, I do get a very shiny T-Zone which can be very annoying. However, a really fantastic powder for this is the aptly-named Clarins Shine Stopper Powder Compact. The powder is encased in the usual sleek Clarins packaging and contains a mirror and a sponge. I apply the powder lightly over my whole face with a powder brush and use the sponge for touch-ups during the day. The powder is translucent and super light so it's undetectable on the skin. the best thing is it keeps my face softly matte all day without any powder residue or cakey effect.

Although I have used many under-eye concealers, I can whole heartedly say that the Bobbi Brown Corrector in Light to Medium Bisque is the best. I have deep-set eyes that are prone to dark circles and this is the only corrector/concealer that completely obliterates the shadows. The peachy tone of this particular shade camouflages my dark circles and leaves my eyes looking really fresh and bright. The other things I love about this corrector are the consistency and formulation. It's so easy to apply with your fingers, easy to blend, doesn't settle in fine lines and stays put all day when set with powder. This is definitely an HG status product!

Two brushes that have been constants in my daily routine for a while now are the Bobbi Brown Concealer Blending Brush and Daniel Sandler Contouring/Powder Brush. I normally prefer a fluffy blending brush for my concealer but the Bobbi Brown Concealer Blending Brush actually works really well. Although the brush is flat, the bristles are very smooth and don't scratch or pull at the skin. This brush is perfect for blending concealer over blemishes or even blending under-eye concealer.

The Daniel Sandler Contouring brush is the perfect size for enhancing cheekbones. It fits perfectly into that hollow and with soft, circular motions, you can make the most of your bone structure. The bristles are soft but firm enough to be used for this function. Also, it never sheds fibres which is a massive plus!

This huge Lancome Star Bronzer compact has been in my makeup collection for a long time but it lay unused for a few months. As you can see, it's almost finished and there's a reason for that...it's frickin brilliant! This bronzer is definitely in my top 5, right up there with Dior Matte Sunshine and Korres Monoi Oil Bronzing Powder. The Lancome bronzer is a beautifully natural subtle bronze that never streaks or looks orange. It feels moisturising on the skin and lasts all day without fading or having to be reapplied. Love it! They now have a newer version on the Lancome site with the same formula but more shades.

My most used blush product of the last two weeks has been the TopShop Powder Blush in Pop - an almost neon coral shade. Even though this looks like more of a summer blush, I love this product to brighten my complexion. All you need is one tap of the blush brush on the pan to get enough colour. I apply it lightly for a real pick-me-up. I would say it suits light/medium to medium/dark complexions the most due to the colour pay off. It's a fantastic blush and the fact that it's only £6 is quite simply unbelievable!

I haven't tried many Benefit powder eye shadows before but these two shades have been my daily choice for the past week. Leggy (a pale peach/champagne with pearlised finish) and Where There's Smoke (a grey-toned taupe with pearlised finish) are the perfect combo for a soft and wearable neutral eye. They both have a smooth texture, are easy to blend and have great colour pay off. These shades look particularly good against blue eyes. If you want a more intense look, then you can just apply more of the Where There's Smoke shade as it can easily be built up to transform your look to get a more smokey, sultry feel. I also love the delicate bird motifs on the lid...so pretty.

TopShop have really outdone themselves with their make up range because there's so many of their products that I really like. I have been using this Eye Crayon in Zephyr which is a gunmetal grey with tiny flecks of shimmer in it. I like to use this retractable chunky crayon for roughly lining my top lash line, then smudging in to create a very relaxed, soft look. This would be an amazing liner for a smokey eye because the creamy formula means it's super easy to blend.

The shimmer in this liner is so small that it just translates as a metallic sheen on the eye...gorgeous! This isn't a liner for precise and crisp lines but it's great when you just want to pop something on your eye and blur the lines. Although the formula is creamy, it's also long lasting and stays in place all day without bleeding or transferring to your lower eye line. I think this shade would look amazing applied all over the lid and smudged out!

Here's how I have been wearing it with the Benefit eye shadows all week (I applied a tiny bit of liquid eye liner really close to the lash line for extra definition)...

I have really been getting into make up setting sprays over the past year or so and they are a great way of ensuring your make up doesn't look powdery or cakey. They also really do help to ensure your make up stays out for longer. My new favourite make up setting spray is Urban Decay De Slick Oil Control Make Up Setting Spray:

Normally make-up sprays give your skin a fresh, dewy look so I was a bit dubious about how this product was going to keep my skin MATTE all day?

I have to say that this stuff is amazing and it really does work! This super-fine spray is weightless, easy to use and really does control shine. I spritz it lightly over my face after applying my foundation and all powder products (I do it at this stage as I don't like doing it when I have applied mascara...sometimes it can cause it to clump together).

The result is that my skin looks fresh but matte and it stays that way all day. This also means that you hardly ever have to re-apply any powder. I will be using this before any special event or night out because it's the perfect way to prevent a shiny face. I highly recommend this spray if you suffer from a shiny T-Zone or have oily skin.

Now I wouldn't normally blog about underwear BUT this Wonderbra Ultimate Strapless Bra is incredible. I already have two in nude and black and when I bought them, they completely transformed my wardrobe. Before I could never wear strapless dresses or tops because I could never find a strapless bra that fit me properly or was reliable.

This smooth, moulded strapless bra with 'hand tech support' has silicon inner trim to ensure the bra stays in place and now comes in some really pretty designs. I love this new black lace version over a nude shade. It's a more glamorous and feminine take on the more basic versions. Being a larger-chested lady, this bra is the ONLY strapless one I can wear and feel totally confident.

One thing I would say is that although I'm normally a 34E, but I have to buy these Wonderbra Ultimate Strapless Bras in 36D to ensure a good fit. Wonderbra generally makes their bras slightly smaller around the back and a smaller cup size is required for a secure fit. I would highly recommend trying one on in a store and then ordering it on Amazon using the link above to get it at a cheaper price.

I am so thankful that I found these bras because they have opened up loads of new clothing options for me!