In-Flight Skin Rescue

Having only ventured on to a plane for the third time in my life this week I may not be the expert with it comes to all things flying, but one thing I do know is that it reeks havoc with my skin. On my first trip I donned a full face of make up not knowing that by the end of the flight and hours of recycled air later I'd want to pull my skin off it felt so awful. A lesson was sufficiently learnt and this time I came prepared.

August Favourites

August has drawn to a close in what seems like lightening speed so once again it's time to share with you my favourite products from the month. From a new ultimate shampoo/conditioner duo to a well loved oldie thats been given a revamp, see what I couldn't keep my hands off over the last four weeks below!

It's Your Prime - An Introduction to Smashbox

Smashbox is a brand I've always admired from afar, but having no counter to swatch colours and test textures I've never owned a great deal from them. All that's about to change however as recently the brand has been rolled out into larger Boots stores, making things a whole lot more accessible - oh how my bank balance weeps.

Mom Jeans

Another day, another item of floral clothing. I'm by no means a girly girl when it comes to style, but similarly with the trousers from my last fashion post I've been loving all things bright, flowery and printed. This bomber jacket* from She Inside is the perfect lightweight piece to throw on now it's getting a little colder and adds a bit of colour to an outfit, something I'm guilty of never wearing!

The Skin Recovery Facial

I've found myself taking a far more laid back approach when it comes to make up these days. No longer do I feel the need to be contoured, highlighted and lined to within an inch of my life and I've really been enjoying using minimal products for a simple everyday look. The same can't be said unfortunately for skincare.

8/30/2011

Studded



Skirt: H&M
Shirt: Primark


A lazy outfit to go with my ridiculously lazy bank holiday weekend. I haven’t felt inspired to get dressed at all this week, it’s been pyjamas all the way!

I got a whole bag of studs from eBay the other day for about £2 and have literally been studding everything I own. I was going to order these adorable little collar tips from Asos, but decided to make my own instead! Speaking of Asos, I managed to drop £400 over there today. How, I have no clue. For my bank account’s sake I’m hoping nothing will fit. But how is anyone supposed to say no to the lure of free next day delivery?

Also, I finally got round to using the Daniel Sander Jumbo Jet mascara I got with this month’s GlossyBox and really wasn’t impressed. To me, having ‘jumbo’ in the title suggests that it’s meant to give some serious volume, but as hard as I tried I couldn’t build up more than one coat, and it didn’t even look like I was wearing mascara. Pretty disappointed by that, but at least now I’ve got one less mascara in my collection! Did anyone else get one and like it?


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8/23/2011

Aztec


Models Own Nude Beige
Essie Mint Candy Apple
Black and White Nail Pens

My first attempt at Aztec nails, a trend that seems to be everywhere at the moment. Got my inspiration from one of my favourite nail blogs on tumblr. No idea how some of the people on there do it, incredible stuff. Does anyone else get as excited as I do about nails? After struggling to paint my tiny little stubs I'm tempted to get some falsies, a lá Gem, which would make things a whole lot easier. Has anyone ever used them before? Are they very damaging to your nails? Let me know!

Sadly, I managed to chip half of these off within a few hours while I was doing the housework. Being a domestic goddess comes at a price.

8/21/2011

This Week #08



01. Since being back at work I’ve found no time to do anything, let alone blog! I’ve managed to catch up on a whole stack of posts today, but I’m starting to get frustrated with only having 2 days a week to myself!

02. Since seeing the lovely Charlene’s post on her huge box of nail pens I’ve decided I really want to get back into nails again. I ordered my own little set and hopefully I'll start making my ‘nails of the week’ a regular thing. Go and have a look at her amazing nail designs, which you can buy right here!

03. Thank you for all your comments about the oh-so-important dilemma of my hair. I think I’m just going to go to a hairdresser and tell them to do whatever they want. It’s a little scary, but I just need a change. As long as I don’t come out bald I think I’ll be alright.

04. How excited are we all that X Factors started?! I think I love it so much because as soon as it finishes, Christmas is right around the corner. How ridiculously early to be talking about it in August though? I’m working until ten in a few weeks time to set up all the decorations and gift sets in store and I’m so excited! Seriously, like a child when it comes to the holidays.

05. Loving Sam, Natasha and Hayley's blogs at the moment.


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August GlossyBox




Just a quick one to show you what I got in my GlossyBox this month. These reviews are everywhere, and I think most people are getting a little sick of them but personally, I find it interesting to see different people’s opinions on things!

There isn't anything that really jumped out at me this week as being amazing. I like the idea of the Rebel Nail Wraps, but the thought of neon yellow toes doesn't really appeal to me (the picture doesn't do justice to how florescent they are). I was surprised to see the KMS shine and shield in there, a brand that I used for a long time until I thought they had gone out of business after not being able to get hold of any of their products. At the moment I'm using the Kérastase Ciment Thermique, on of my favourite hair products ever (the smell, oh my god) before I dry my hair, so I'm a little bit hesitant to start using something different, but next time I wash my hair I think I'll give it a go!

I used the Ahava body lotion last night and I have to say it felt lovely on my legs until I got half way through X Factor and had to go and wash it off again because of the smell! It was fine going on, but after a while it turned into a very strong powdery scent, along the lines of Chanel No5 or one of those other 'old lady' perfumes. I'm not saying I hated it, or that it would smell the same on anyone else, but for me it was just so overpowering!

Nice to see the full sized Daniel Sandler Jumbo Jet Mascara in there. I'm going to be waiting to use it though after looking through my makeup bag and realising I had about six half used tubes of mascara on the go, all opened within the last three months. Such waste! I'm currently on a mission to cut down not only the beastly size of my collection of cosmetics, but the massive amount of money I seem to spend on new things every month which is making me more and more tempted to take out an overdraft! From now on I’m going to be using up what I have until I actually need to by something!

The one product I am excited about though is the Murad Cleanser. My skin has been awful at the moment and unlike most other anti-blemish cleansers this one doesn't foam up and leave my skin feeling totally striped. And its anti-aging too! I definitely think I’m becoming a bit of a cleaners addict. I have well over 20 half used bottles of the stuff tossed aside in my bathroom cupboard!

I'm a bit undecided as to whether or not I like this month's GlossyBox, but I don't think that’s going to stop me subscribing. I’m hooked! Did everyone else like their boxes?

8/18/2011

Blue Silk


Dress: Primark
Belt: Accessorize
Cardigan: Charity Shop


I was rooting around in my suitcase of old clothes I refuse to throw away when I found this little beauty that I'd forgotten about! It was only cheap, £5 I think, but it’s the perfect dress to just throw on in summer or winter.
Loving my huge granddad jumper I found in the men's section of my local charity shop. I've even worn this to bed it’s so cosy!

Getting a bit bored of my hair as well. I've been trying to grow out my fringe for almost a year, but now that I have its getting so frustrating I have to keep clipping it back. Might get a box fringe or something? And my hair desperatley needs a cut. Oh, fringe woes. What do you all think?


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8/16/2011

Fashionology Wishlist



1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6


A few things from my favorite jewellery brand on the planet, fashionology.nl, that I’ve been lusting after this evening. NEED that feather arm cuff to be in my life, asap.

8/15/2011

Missha BB Cream




Missha Perfect Cover BB Cream (light beige)

So here it is, the new wonder product that everyone’s been talking about. BB cream - short for 'blemish balm', claims to be a moisturiser, primer, foundation, concealer, sun block and anti-aging cream all in one. Quite a lot of promises! There’s a huge launch of these creams this month accross the market, from Garnier to Esteé Lauder, Dior and Mac, but I couldn't wait for (or afford) all of those so I ordered mine all the way from South Korea, where BB creams seem to be getting a lot of hype.

Mine is from the brand Missha which to be honest, I know nothing about. It was the one that seemed to be the most dominant on eBay and for only £4.89 including P&P, I didn’t think I’d be wasting much money if it all went horribly wrong. I’ve been wearing this for a couple of days now and the best way I can describe it is like a thick tinted moisturiser with a full coverage. It’s very similar to the Illamasqua Skin Base, which they say is based on BB cream itself, just with the pesky light reflecting SPF taken out. If you’ve read this post, you’ll know I was annoyingly given the wrong colour when the MUA matched me up at the Illamasqua counter, so I’ve tried mixing my BB cream in to lighten it up a bit and absolutely love it.

On its own though, I find it best to use either as little product underneath as possible, or something oil free at least as it already has moisturiser inside it and layering the two up make it feel quite heavy. I also wouldn’t recommend using a powder over the top as it can become very cakey, due to it being quite a moist, dewy finish, but maybe just a light dusting of a translucent powder if you need that extra bit of staying power. I tried a few brushes with it but I think it’s best to use your fingers to blend it in properly.

As for it being a concealer as well I think it does work. I suffer from the darkest under eye circles known to man so I did have to slap on a bit of boi-ing to get rid of those, but I think it could potentially eliminate the need for using more than one product. I wish this had come before my holiday, because I would have only needed to pack this along with mascara, eyeliner and blush for a full face!

The only down side I can find is the colour choice. Although this may vary from brand to brand, the Missha creams only came in three light shades and the Mac BB cream looks like its going to be one colour fits all. Luckily for me and my pasty face though, the lighter shades are what I usually go for, but for those with darker skin or even just a bit of a tan, they look far too light.

Overall though, I really like this BB cream and its simplicity. The fact that it has SPF 42 is brilliant, even though I’ll have to avoid flash photography, and it blends into my skin so well its almost invisible while still giving the full coverage that I like my foundations to have. I think this is something a lot of people will come to love once its fully established here in the UK!

8/14/2011

This Week #07










First of all, hello new followers! Big thank you to Rachel for mentioning me on her twitter, and the beautiful Emily as well! My blogs still only a baby and it’s lovely to see people actually appreciating my mad ramblings!

These are a few photos from my holiday this week, so hard to whittle it down to just eight. Loved walking around little village shops crammed with thousands of trinkets, having breakfast at midday and lazing around the beach. Coming home made me realise how small and noisy the town I live in is. Country girl at heart, lolz.

Going to see Super 8 tonight and hopefully drag Darren to Nando’s (my second home). I think it’s the least he can do now the new seasons started and like many others, I've become a football widow.


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8/13/2011

Feel Unique Beauty Box



Bare Escentuals bareMinerals Flawless Definition Volumizing Mascara, Thalgo Frigimince Spray, Jimmy Choo Eau De Parfum Sample, Xen-Tan Transform Luxe, Philip Kingsley Elasticizer, Decleor Foaming Cleanser

I signed up to the Feel Unique Beauty Box months ago and completely forgot about it until it came in the post last week! Ever since receiving my first GlossyBox I think I've been hooked on the idea of these monthly boxes of goodies and decided one wasn't enough! A lot of people have signed up to Boudoir Privé, but for some reason I wasn't completely sold on it and seeing as its not been very well recieved I'm glad I didn't! It just happened that I was looking through Feel Unique and saw that they had a box too and after seeing some of the brands they had teamed up with (Redken, Elemis, TIGI, Jemma Kidd... the list goes on) I signed up straight away. Also, at £9.95 a month with free delivery it’s the cheapest box of them all!

I nearly screamed when I saw the Xen-Tan, something I've been wanting to try for so long! Decided I need to buy a good body exfoliator first though after many orange elbowed mishaps. Any suggestions?

The Decleor foaming cleanser is beautiful. You only need the smallest amount and a splash of water and it lathers up into a gorgeous rich foam that's polished off with a muslin cloth. I've been using it all week and have nearly run out of the tiny sample, but I think it’s something I'll definitely be buying the full size of because its left my skin feeling unbelievably soft and moisturised! The Bare Escentuals mascara is also brilliant. I've used the Bare Minerals foundation before but never thought to try any of the other makeup. I think this one might rival my all time favourite!

The product I'm most intrigued by though is the Thalgo Frigimince Spray, which is supposed to reduce the appearance of cellulite and drain away excess fluid. It’s lovely and cooling on the skin so it would be great for a hot day. The only downside though is that it smells like extremely strong toothpaste, almost chocked myself using it! It definitely feels like it’s doing something though, but I think I’m going to have to use it a few more times to see the full effect.

All in all I’m really happy with everything in the box and can’t wait for next month’s! Did anyone else sign up for the Feel Unique box as well?

8/12/2011

Leopard





Leopard Body: Primark
Shorts: New Look
Waistcoat: New Look
Neckalce: H&M


So today was the last day of my holiday in Wales. I've had so much time off this month with holidays and training courses that I've only worked about a week out of the month! As much as I like my job and am thankful for it, I think being away has made me realise that what I really want to do is work for myself, not a company! I've got a few ideas floating around in my head and who knows, maybe they'll amount to something one day, but for now, I guess it pays the bills!

This leopard body is actually a swimming costume I found on the wrong place in Primark and didn’t read the label until I got it home. I've worn it in the sea (which was freezing !) a few times but I like how it looks with a pair of shorts thrown over the top.

I'm also pretty impressed with the tan I've managed to build up this week too! Now, I know you're probably all looking at my pasty white limbs and wondering what I'm on about, but for ghostly white me, this is pretty extreme!


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8/07/2011

This Week #06



01. So, I'm in Wales! Not a particularly exotic holiday, but I've been coming here nearly every year since I was two and it’s like a second home to me! I might do some sort of holiday outfit post at the end of the week, but to be honest I don't feel all that inspired to dress up when I'm just wandering around the beach in sandals and a bikini!

02. I've been to no less than THREE River Islands this week looking for the Chelsea boots I posted about in my wishlist and haven't been able to find them! I'm beginning to wonder if this is a sign that I should give up looking and save my money. But I am determined, even if I have to search every store in Wales!

03. Got my Feel Unique Beauty Box today! Another equivalent to the GlossyBox (a concept which I'm now obsessed with) and I'm actually really impressed with the products I got! Post to come soon..

Hope everyone else on holiday at the moment is having a lovely time!


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July Favorites


Chanel Chance Eau Fraîche: Got this for my birthday, lucky me! Love this perfume so much, such a fresh summery scent with a bit of a twist. Definitely go try this one when you’re near a perfume counter.

Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair Serum: I don’t know a lot about this or how it works, but I know that when I use it at night underneath my moisturiser, the next day I wake up and my skin is so glowing and bright it’s just incredible. I was given a sample of this and practically had to scrape the last drops out because it was so good. It’s a bit pricy, £41 for 30mls, but you really only need a drop each night for the whole face and neck which is supposed to ‘reduce the appearance of environmental damage, and protect against any future exposure’. As much as I love clothes and make up, I always tend to spend the most money on skincare as I think there’s nothing more important than taking care of what’s underneath everything.

Aveeno Moisturising Creamy Oil: This is the most beautiful moisturiser! Completely different to anything I’ve ever tried as it comes out like a creamy moisturiser then sinks into the skin like an oil, without leaving a greasy layer of a tacky residue that every other moisturiser in the world seems to leave. The best thing about it though and the reason I buy most products is the smell! Its main ingredient is sweet almond oil and of course, that makes it smell like marzipan! Soo gorgeous, and good enough to eat!

Boots Moisturising Nail Polish Remover Pads: I bought these on my break the other day needing to take off my chipped nail varnish quickly and didn’t think much of it. I always thought the pads were similar to make up wipes – lazy and no good. But I was wrong! They’re so much better than liquid acetone remover and a cotton pad, especially these ones which have Vitamin E in them. They take off every scrap of varnish and leave your nails lovely and moisturised!

No7 Lift and Luminate Day Cream: I borrowed this sample from my mum the other night when I stayed over and, although it’s supposed to only be for over 50’s, I have to say I love it. It leaves my face so firm and soft and doesn’t disappear into my awfully dehydrated skin after five minutes. Needless to say, that one was nabbed. I’ve nearly used it all up now so I’m going to buy the full size which is a pretty ridiculous £21. I don’t think it’s quite worth that, although I shouldn’t say that seeing as I work for No7 (thank god for discount!) but it is a lovely moisturiser.

Avène Gel Cleanser: It took me so long to buy this! Every time I went to get it, Boots had sold out. Eventually though I got it and I’m so glad I did. I'm used to using rich creamy cleansers like the Liz Earl Cleanse and Polish, which is still the best cleanser in the world, but every now and then I like to use something that leaves my skin feeling cool and fresh. The gel lathers up just enough and washes off without leaving my skin feeling tight or dry. Really want to look into the rest of the Avène range after using this!

8/06/2011

This Week #05





01. My two favourite rings at the moment. Haven't left my fingers all week! The turquoise ring is from Covet and the cross is Asos.

02. I've lived next to a swanky looking Indian restaurant now for four months, and only just decided to eat there this week. Vegetable curry. Mmmm.

03. My poor little £7.00 Cosmopolitan that looked more like a shot than a real drink.

04. I stayed at my parents this week and was a bit devestated to find that I've been moved to the spare room now that my brothers taken over my old one. I love living away from home, but there’s nothing nicer than coming back to real food and a warm bed every now and then.

05. Really got back into nails recently. Managed to produce these rainbow leopard ones while catching up on Britain’s Next Top Model and shouting obscenities at Grace Woodwood. Multitasking like a pro.

PS. I'm going on holiday tomorrow!


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