OOTD: Winter Walk:

29.11.13



In my family whenever we have some time together we always go for a walk no matter what the weather (I mean no matter what the weather by the way, we've walked through torrential rain before). The weather is getting much colder lately though so I thought I'd put together a cute, cosy outfit for you all.


Starting from the top and working my way down, a beanie is such a wardrobe must have in my opinion you can get them in so many different styles and colours to suit and face and any outfit. This red wine coloured one is super cosy and cost me around £12 from Accessorize.


If you know me outside of my blog then you'll know that over the past few years I've accumulated a pretty substantial collection of scarves, so this is just one of many. It has to be one of my all time favourites especially for this time of year because its so big and cosy but with a nice colour and patter on it too. Sadly I couldn't give you a brand name for this one as I got it for a pound in a little seaside town shop. I know amazing bargain considering it's such good quality and has lasted me for years too! But do not despair if you really like the look of this scarf I've seen lots of similar ones in high street shops of late.

I haven't included the jeans because they're just plain blue denim from Primark. So, straight on to the leg warmers and boots. The leg warmers are from (you guessed it) Primark and they honestly do make a huge difference, I feel so much warmer when I'm wearing them compared to when I'm not wearing them, and because they're a nice plain colour and pattern they can be paired with anything without looking too garish. They add a nice little touch to a winter outfit too.

The shoes are actually from George at Asda a really long time ago. As I only have teeny tiny size 3 feet I find that on of the best places to find shoes is the supermarket clothing brands because they seem to cater for smaller feet. I know a lot of you may hear supermarket clothes and run for the hills thinking of cheap and tacky stuff, and I wont pretend that you wouldn't be right to do so a fair amount of the time but if you have more of a look you can find some really nice pieces. I love ankle boots I just find them much cuter with an outfit than knee high or calf length boots (which I also love but I just think they give off a different look). The cute little buckle detailing on these is what sold me on them.


 Well, that's the end of another post. I have to say I've really enjoyed making these outfit themed ones so if it's something you'd like to see more of I'd love to do so. Also, what do you think of the photography in this post? It's something I'm trying to improve on and spend more time with so any feed back is more than welcome.

Empties #1:

26.11.13


This is going to be my first ever empties post and it's something I've wanted to do for a while, I was originally planning on talking about five products per post, but I'm such a neat freak that I just couldn't wait any any longer to finish another product and be able to chuck away the empty bottles that were cluttering up my dressing table!

Sally Hansen Nail Polish Remover - For Dry, Brittle Nails:

I really do like this remover, I find that it gets off nail varnish really quickly, including those stubborn glitter nail varnishes. As for this doing anything fr dry/brittle nails I do think it's made a slight difference in the quality of my nails, but I wouldn't say that it's been a life changing product which I rushed straight into the supermarket to repurchase when I've got plenty of other bottles rolling around in my nail collection. Overall though, I would recommend this product if you want something that will help take care of your nails and will really get rid of nail varnish instantly.

John Frieda Frizz-Ease Serum:

I'm sure you're all bored of hearing me rave about this in pretty much every other post! So I won't go into too much detail here other than saying it's amazing! I'll leave you with this review, and tell you all I'm mourning the loss of it already. 

nspa Raspberry Milkshake bath and shower gel:

Again this is a product I've mentioned before. This one was in  my Monthly Favourites, so from that alone you already know I loved it. The smell is so true to it's name and it leaves you're skin feeling soft and smelling lovely whether you use it as a shower gel or a bubble bath.

Sure Clear Diamond Crystal Anti-Antiperspirant:

At the very beginning of using this product I loved it, it worked perfectly for my needs and stopped me sweating totally, there was no white marks on my clothes or anything it did exactly what an antiperspirant is supposed to do. But then, a few months into using it it just stopped working as an antiperspirant completely. I still had no white marks but it wasn't doing what it should be, I think my body got used to the chemicals in it so it didn't have the same effect as it used to. With that in mind I personally probably won't be buying it again but as a recommendation to you I'd say if you want to buy it then do, but maybe alternate it with other antiperspirants to make sure the effects don't wear off.

Well that's everything, if you enjoyed this post then as always please let me know in the comments and if you'd like to see more empties (I've already got a few empty bottles aside ready) then do the same, as with any other requests.

xxx

5 Winter Nail Varnishes:

23.11.13



When I first started thinking about some nail themed posts to do I originally wanted to do a my top ten nail varnishes post, but then the sheer amount of nail varnishes I own dawned on me and I started to think about how the nail varnish you choose depends on your mood, the season a specific thing you're planning on wearing and so on and so on...
So I thought to do 5 nice wintery nails would be a much better idea instead, although if you'd still like to see an overall top ten most worn varnish then let me know in the comments.

These are going to be in no particular order but first we have a Revlon Top Speed polish  in 880 Black Star. The name of this colour is just the perfect description for it its silvery and shimmery like a star but with a glossy black background so its a nice mixture of sophisticated and sparkly fun.
Another Revlon polish next, but this time it's a Nail Enamel in Vixen 570, which even though it's not one of the Top Speed varnishes still dries just as fast as one (which by the way is ridiculously fast!) It's also a lovely winter colour a deep berry red which sadly isn't showing up too well in the photo as opposed to in person but still christmassy nonetheless.


I love this colour by nails inc. it's West Hampstead which is a nice deep almost plum toned purple which I'm sure for all of you screams out Autumn into Winter. There's not really much else to say I'm sure you all know just how good nails inc polishes are they're amazing quality in colour and consistency and you can usually get away with one coat if you're in a rush.

My love for nails inc. shows again here, except this time with a sparkly blue and silver colour, which always has me thinking of a beautiful night sky. This polish shimmers when you view it at different angles and the fact it's such a cool almost icy tone meant that I just had to include it in this top 5.


Last but by no  means least is this plain and simple, pillar box red by The Beauty Emporium (which is an M&S brand). I have to admit this isn't technically mine it's my little sister's but we share nail varnishes all the time so I'm sure she won't mind ;). I chose this because when it comes to Christmas or winter beside from all of the blues, whites and icy tones one colour you just can't resist is a nice Christmassy red. This one is nice and glossy and has a really good colour intensity meaning you can get away with just one coat although I usually go with two just to be on the safe side.


That's it for this post, I hope you all enjoyed it. If you did please let me know, also if you'd like me to do more top 5 nail varnishes then please let me know in the comments. Maybe I could make this a seasonal thing, or in sections like top 5 pastels or top 5 berry shades?

xxx

NOTD: Cloudy Nails:

20.11.13


I love these nails, They're perfect for all seasons, I also love the fact that you need no skills or special skills for this and they don't even to look good!

 The fist thing you need to do is paint your nails a block blue, I've gone for my favourite one from Nails inc. 
 Now comes the fun part, much like with the spotty nails I showed you in a previous post all you need to do is get an old hair grip and create a close group of dots until they from a cloud shape and keep going as much as you want to all over the nail, 

Try to get the clouds going at different angles and in different shapes and sizes so they look more like real clouds. Then just wait for them to dry and smooth a top coat over all your work so all of that work doesn't go to waste. 

And that's that it's really nice and simple quick and easy to do and always looks good no matter what because no two clouds look the same. 

I hope you enjoyed this post and if you give it a go I'd love to see some pictures on twitter or instagram! 

xxx

NOTD: Autumn Leaves:

16.11.13


A few days a go I got the idea to make a nail look that looked like Autumn leaves falling down from the sky and this is what I came up with.


You will need:

A base coat
A nude base colour
Lots of pretty colours that look like Autumn leaves
A thin slanted paintbrush


After you've base coated your nails and put on a block nude colour then the fun begins.


Pour out a really small amount of your chosen colours, take your paintbrush and very very lightly dip it into one of your colours and with a gentle hand just stroke some of the colour onto your nail. There's really no right way to do this, just get creative and see what you come out with. Build up your colours and put on as many or as few leaves as you want to. The beauty of this look is that using a slanted brush will look like the leaves are curled or spinning as they fall, and no two nails will look the same, which only adds to the detail and  beauty of it.


I hope you enjoyed this post, please let me know if you have a go at this look I'd love to see any pictures so feel free to tweet or instagram me the pictures.

xxx


Straightening Haircare Routine:

13.11.13

If you follow my blog regularly than you'll already know that my natural hair is extremely curly, so to keep it in good condition I don't very often use heat on it. However, when I do I want to know that it's well protected and will stay straight a good few days. Due to this over the past year or so I seem to have developed a little routine when I'm planning on straightening my hair. 

The first thing I'll do is wash my hair with a good cleaning shampoo and conditioner to make sure it doesn't have any left over residue of products in my hair because I'll be covering it with products soon too so I don't want any unnecessary dirt or products in there making it look any more greasy than it needs to. 


I hugely recommend Head & Shoulders Smooth & Silky shampoo and conditioner as a purifying shampoo and conditioner they really get all of the dirt out of your hair and leave mine feeling squeaky clean without drying my hair out.


The next thing I'll do is cover the ends of my hair in a leave in conditioner. The one I've been absolutely loving lately is the 3 Minute Miracle Luscious Long from Aussie. Despite the fact your'e supposed to leave this in for 3 minutes I'll usually tie my hair back and leave this in for hours and hours before washing it out. Even though it always leaves my hair super soft when I do this I really get that just walked out the salon feeling.


Next comes serum for wet hair, as my hair naturally forms strong ringlets it does have the tendency to look very frizzy so I'll use my John Frieda Frizz-Ease serum which has it's own full review and has been mentioned so many times on my blog already that I wont go into too much detail here.


Then I'll use some form of straightening treatment I'm almost always using one of these three when I'm straightening my hair. My John Frieda 3 Day Straight is one of my all time favourites and I've had it for years, the only negative I can think of is that it does have the tendency for feel a little sticky but this does wear off after a while.
The Body Shop's Macadamia Straightening Balm, is another one of my favourites it leaves my hair feeling soft and shiny as well as smelling amazing it was the smell that sold me on this in the shop because it's just such a nice smell, it's really true to macadamia so if you like the smell of that you'll love this.
Iv'e left my favourite of them all until last, the Phil Smith Total Treat Argan Oil Hair Transformation Cream. This is so good! I honestly don't think I've ever enjoyed or loved a product so much from first use before. It makes my hair feel so soft that it slides through your hand and smells just the right mixture between clean and a nice perfume. It keeps my hair straight for days, but not an uncomfortable poker straight like some products.

Now, after I've blow-dried these into my hair at a downwards angle, I'll top up the heat  protectant. Even though the straightening treatments I use have a built in heat protectant to them I'll always add more just so I'm safe in the knowledge that my hair is truly looked after, because I'm so into taking care of my hair. 


The one I use is VO5's Heat Protect Styling Spray, which, again I won't go into too much detail about as it's been featured in my rainbow tag post. I then just go through my hair in sections with my straighteners and
make sure it's all nice and straight.

 

Then, I always smooth down the ends with some serum for dry hair. One that I've been loving to bits lately is the Loreal EverSleek serum, which has a full review too. 


Last but not least just before leaving the house I'll spray some of this Tresemme Salon Shine Argan Oil spray through my hair which I really do think makes a noticeable difference. It really adds shine and has a light weight feel to it.
I know this is a lot of steps but I really like to take good care of my hair. So if you'd like to see any more hair based posts then leave your requests in the comments below and let me know along with any requests for anything else you'd like to see. 
xxx

A Teeny Tiny Haul:

10.11.13

Whilst on holiday in Dorset, I didn't really do any shopping other than food shopping, mainly because it wasn't that kind of holiday but also because we all needed a relax and I don't like the thought of dragging my boyfriend around shopping other than on special occasions.

The first thing I got was a cute and cosy Christmas jumper from Store Twenty One. I know it was October when I got this but I have such a love for Christmas any time of the year and just look how cute it is! A cute little Rudolph with a girly bow, would you have been able to leave it lying there in the perfect size AND on sale in the store? I know I didn't.



Secondly, if you follow me on instagram then you'll already have seen this but its a little vintage style ice cream tin from a souvenir shop. It goes with the vintage style cutesy decor that I'm beginning to introduce to my bedroom. I've been using it to store cotton wool pads in too so it has a use. I'm really not one of those people who likes the look of random figurines and clutter all over their shelves and desk. 

And, other than a few gifts I couldn't resist for my best friend, that's all I came home with from the week. It seems so strange to say that I'd usually be cramming bags back into the car when packing to come back home from the shopping I've been doing but I guess this was an off week! 

xxx

Have picked up anything you'd recommend from the shops lately? Or have you been relieved of the shopping bug for a while like me? 

Grapefruit to Grape, Final Thoughts and a First Impressions:

5.11.13



Within the past few days I've come to the end of my usual daily face scrub and started using a new face wash. As the first was the Neutrogena Visibly Clear Pink Grapefruit Daily Scrub and the second was Garnier Fresh Essentials Refreshing Daily Wash with Grape Extract, I thought it would be a good idea to write up my overall impressions of one and first impressions of the other.

Neutrogena Visibly Clear:
One of my absolute favourite things about this product is it's amazing smell. Pink grapefruit is my all time favourite fruit and the smell of the product is really true to the fruit, so it smells really fresh and clean and is perfect to help wake you up in the morning.
It also has a very gritty texture so it's good for getting rid of dry skin patches and any dead skin cells, I would always feel squeaky clean after a good scrub with this.
I always use my face washes with a flannel for a little extra abrasion and so I really know that I'm getting deep into my skin and giving it a good cleanse.
As for cleansing and removing blackheads, which is what the product claims to do, I have to say that I did notice quite a bug difference in my skin in particular the blackheads that can tend to pop up on the nose and cheek area.
So, all in all it's a huge thumbs up from me and I would 100% recommend this to anyone with a similar skin type to me (mildly oily to combination) and would almost definitely purchase again in the future depending on whether or not some other products get in the way beforehand.

Garnier Fresh Essentials:
As with the grapefruit scrub, the first thing that drew me to this product was the amazing smell. It actually smells of grapes! Really fresh and clean just what you want from a daily wash. Whereas previously I was using a scrub this is just a clear gel wash, which I think is better for me personally at this time of year as my skin is much less oily now it's getting colder, it's usually sunny and hot weather that breaks my skin out into it's oily phases. So this is going to be much more gentle on my skin than a scrub which is something that I've noticed already from early uses.
I do get some abrasion with it however, as I do use a flannel with my daily washes as I've said before. I find that this provides just the right mix of gentle cleansing and scrubbing.
This wash creates much more of a foamy lather than the Neutrogena scrub, which again for me is better in these winter months, but it's all about personal preference and skin types when it comes to choosing skincare.
Overall, despite the fact I've currently only used this wash once or twice, so far I'm really enjoying using it its amazing at removing makeup, so who knows it could be being added to my shopping list again in the coming months.
That's all for now, If you would like a more in depth review of the Garnier face wash after I've used it a little more then please do let me know in the comments. As always I hope you all enjoyed this post, and I'll see you all next time!
xxx 

Monthly Favourites: October:

4.11.13




 I've got the largest bottle of available and I've had it for over three years and I'm yet to finish it! If your'e  looking for a product that will last you forever and is nice and affordable then look no further. It has a really firm hold with the thinnest layer of spray. All in all it's good but I have to warn you against applying too much of this without it leaving you with sticky wet looking hair, which is never a good look.


I love the smell of this product so much it really does smell of raspberries, and makes me feel fresh and clean. I've used it as both a bubble bath and a shower gel, when used as a bubble bath it makes hundreds of lovely smelling bubbles, and when used as a shower gel it foams up really well and makes my skin so soft.


This is another product I've had for years but got lost in the back of my make up collection. Towards the beginning of  the month I pulled this out for the look I wore to the Rocky Horror Picture Show and fell back in love with it all over again. It lines both the tight line and the water line instantly and creates a nice dark black, which lasts hours on end without smudging.


Sadly the names of this product has rubbed off but I had to add it to my favourites because I've been wearing it so much lately. I've put a link to where you can buy Wet n Wild products anyway, because they're so hard to find in the UK. The colours are so highly pigmented and smudge really well so if you can get your hands on them I would recommend picking some up.


This is a nice thin brush so I've been using it through my T zone as a setting brush to keep my foundation in place. This one in the picture is the old packaging as I've had it for a while but I don't the brush itself has changed too much,


This is the perfect brush for a higher coverage of foundation, without it looking like your'e absolutely caked in make up. The shape of  the brush also means that you can get into all the crevices of  the face well meaning that you can get into all of the areas of your face. 


I won't go into too much detail about this product as it has a whole review of it own and it's already been in my pamper evening routine post. But, what I will say is that this is an amazing smelling and feeling scrub which I wholly recommend to anyone with oily skin like mine. 

That's all I've been really loving this month, I hope you enjoyed this post. As always if there's any products you've been loving this month then please let me know in the comments along with any requests for future posts. 

xxx

Step by Step: Winged Eyeliner:

2.11.13




 First of all I have to say please excuse the fact my face looks so dirty  in these pictures, I don't know what happened here but I promise I'm squeaky clean in person!

But anyway, on to the point..

Step 1:

 Line your eye with a thin line of eyeliner, go slow and steady with this if you're just starting out then this could take a while to perfect but stay calm and keep trying. Believe me if anyone knows how stressful it can be going wrong and having to try over and over again then I do!
 

Step 2:

Create a line going diagonally into the line you just made where you want the wing of your eyeliner to be.


Step 3:

Lastly you're going to want to go over and join everything up, basically paint over the lines you  just made in a sweeping motion until you're happy with the thickness of the wing, I went a little thicker than usual to make it easier for you to see in these pictures.



That's all you need to do just three simple steps to a dramatic winged liner look. As I've said before this is going to take practice but it will be worth it when you have the ability to do this in a rush or on more of a regular basis practically stress free. But if it does get you annoyed and worked up just remember that everyone had to learn and practice to get good at it and plenty of people still have off days where it all goes wrong, just stay calm and keep practicing with different types of liner too. There's pencils, gels, liquids, liner brushes, angled brushes, thick lines and thin ones. The list is almost endless just experiment until you know which one works best for you and until then, good luck!

xxx

I hope this post has helped a few of you out and if it has I'd love to know in the comments?