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.

9/30/2012

This Week #31




01. Blogging away in the bedroom / 02. Sorting through my mostly unused nail polish collection / 03. Eyeko varnishes were the best, bring them back! / 04. A pre-payday assortment of what was left in the cupboard / 05. Strawberries and chocolate philly for breakfast / 06. Nails Inc. Baker Street / 07. Gossip Girl companions / 08. Yes, I ate that entire pizza myself / 09. A Casual Vacancy / 10. Two little pots of hair colour that are now screaming at me to use them / 11. Primark's not too shabby Zara rip off of the studded collar print shirt / 12. The most beautiful Topshop necklace that is finally in my possession


YouTube - Twitter - Bloglovin' - Instagram

9/28/2012

Currently Wearing: Nails



I like to keep all the nail varnishes I use most on my dressing table where I can see them, so I thought I'd show you all what's made it to the cake stand this month. I'm sort of in between Summer and Autumn with these colours, still not quite ready to let go of my brights but starting to embrace the deeper tones of the colder months!

Models Own x Hed Kandi Beach Party: I'm a little late on the Models Own Hed Kandi bandwagon, but strangely this florescent neon colour has only just appealed to me as we're coming into Autumn. You might need to wear sunglasses when looking at this on your nails, but the colour is amazing.

Barry M Red Black: An old timer in my nail polish collection, Barry M was my go to nail brand in my teens and I think I own about 99% of their range. These deep burgundy red colours will always be my favourite and considering the price, I really think the formula of Barry M varnishes is one of the best.

Nails Inc Baker Street: The brightest blue nail varnish you'll ever find. Everything about this colour is so vivid I can't help but keep looking at my nails when I'm wearing it.

Models Own Pink Punch: I love the way neon colours look with darker clothes, and similar to Beach Party, I've been wearing this one a lot recently. Love this on the toes too!

Models Own In The Navy: A dark navy blue is another one of those colours that I'll never get tired of wearing. I especially love how this looks with big chunky Autumn knits and nude colours.

Essie Bikini So Teeny: I think this colour was the new Mint Candy Apple for Essie this summer, just about everyone had it. It's the perfect pastel shade and I'm going to cling on to wearing this one for as long as I can this year.

Louise Gray for Topshop Junkyard: My most recent acquisition. I thought all the Louise Gray make up was amazing when I saw it in Topshop, so many beautiful bright colours and the clothing collection is just as good. I love a good chunky glitter polish, and the bright blue of this one stood out to me right away.

9/26/2012

I'm Feeling Electric Tonight




Jumper: Hearts & Bows
Shirt: Glamorous*
Skirt: Topshop
Boots: Topshop
Lipstick: Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Lovesick

So much love for this jumper right now. It really is the perfect colour/fit/knit all wrapped up in one. This type of outfit has pretty much been my uniform for the last two weeks, the ever versitile black Topshop skirt with a shirt and jumper combo. This however is not just any old shirt. I was sent it out of the blue by Glamorous a while ago (who's clothing I can't get enough of at the moment) and it's so perfectly my style. No need to mention how amazing the collar detailing is, I only wish it was detachable so I could put it on everything!

I think the Allegra's are here to stay now. I was waiting for payday to buy myself the yearly pair of black boots, but after getting these out from under the bed and dusting them off I think I've fallen in love again. There are so so many cheap versions of these floating around eBay now I kind of wish I hadn't forked out the £70 or so for them last season. At least I know they're the real deal while I'm tottering about in them!
* PR Sample

9/24/2012

JolieBox September Edition




I Love... Coconut Face Mask, Balmi Rasberry Lip Balm, Redken Align 12 Protective Straightening Lotion,
Twistband Hair Ties, Dr Bragi Bio Marine Exfoliant via JoileBox*

I've been receiving JolieBoxes for a while now but just haven't really felt compelled to blog about them. I think the beauty box fad might be a little 'over' now and I'm sure I'm not the only one that has a draw bursting with unused samples. However, when I opened up this months London Fashion Week themed offering I really liked the look of the products and could see myself using them all right there and then.

I actually ran off straight away to have a little pamper with the products. I threw my hair up into a messy bun with the Twistband hair tie which although is designed to be soft holding enough not to leave any crimps in the hair, still felt secure. Perfect for people like me who can't stand going to bed with their hair down but want to feel comfortable and not wake up in the morning with an odd kinky mess.

I used the Dr Bragi Bio Marine Exfoliant which came in a very handy single use sachet and smoothed out my skin taking off any dead skin cells. It had very fine beads in a creamy formula and felt like a deep microdermabrasion scrub.

After that I applied the the I Love... Coconut Face Mask which surprised me a bit when it came out in one big gloop of what I can only describe as slime! It was incredibly hard to spread across my face and took forever to set. In hindsight, after it started to pool in little drips at the bottom of my chin, I probably should have used half the sachet instead of the entire thing as it recommended but I have to say this isn't a mask I'd use again.

If you're familiar with EOS products I'm sure you'll recognise the Balmi. A little round ball of lip balm that's super easy to apply to both lips in one stroke. I've noticed these popping up a lot lately and I've wanted to get my hands on one for a while so I was pretty happy to see the full sized product included in this month's box. I might have even exclaimed 'I've got a Balmi' rather loudly to an empty hallway. I have a few of the EOS versions and really like them, however I found that the raspberry flavour of the Balmi was a lot less artificial tasting and the texture was more moisturising.

I actually really enjoyed this months JolieBox as the majority of the products could all be used together. I'd love to see more sample boxes doing this in the future, maybe even a box packed with everything you need for a dedicated night of pampering!

What was in everyone else's boxes? What do you think of a single use pamper box?

JolieBox is a Luxury sample service costing £10 a month + £2.95 P&P.

* PR Sample



9/23/2012

Giveaway!



So here, as promised, is my combined YouTube and blogger giveaway! I'm so thankful to everyone of you that follows, tweets me, comments or just reads anything I have to say and I'm amazed that you're all still here doing so! I thought there couldn't be anything better to give to you than my favourite beauty product of all time, Liz Earle's incredible Cleanse & Polish! I'm sure you've all heard at least one person rave about it, and believe me it is worth the hype (read my review of the range here), so whether you want to try it for the first time or just need to stock up I have the Starter Kit here to give away to one lucky reader.

I'm going to be running the giveaway through Rafflecopter this time as it makes things a whole lot easier and gives you a lot more chances to win! Follow the link below to enter, and good luck!



9/18/2012

Feather Playsuit



Playsuit: Motel*
Jacket: F&F @ Tesco
Boots: River Island
Neckalce: H&M
Lips: Miners The Matte Factor Warm Red*

The tights are back! I'm embracing AW to the fullest now after spending the last few days drooling over the new season collections that are showing at London Fashion Week right now. Super jel of everyone that got to go!

I was sent this playsuit by Motel a few weeks ago and it's swiftly becoming one of my favourite itmes of clothing at the minute. The print alone is amazing but I love the style of it as well. It almost looks like two separate pieces and the back has a gorgeous cut out, not that I think I'll be baring that in the coming months!

* PR Samples

9/16/2012

This Week #30





A pretty uneventful week after the last one being so jam packed. I spent a solid two days sorting out most of my overwhelmingly large amount of make up and skincare. So much got thrown away but I saved a few things for a blog sale which if you haven't already seen, only has two items left so be quick if you fancy either of them! For those who have already bought something, I'll be posting everything out tomorrow morning.

This week I also reached 10,000 followers on youtube and 2,000 on this blog. I don't really like putting everything down to numbers of followers, I'd more than likely still be rambling away to the internet if only one person was interested in hearing it, but you have no idea how much it means to me that so many of you like reading or watching what I do, so thank you all! There's going to be a bit of a joint giveaway soon so keep an eye out for that once I've decided what the prize is going to be!

As far as today goes my lovely plans for the evening got cancelled so I've got a long night alone with X Factor, new Downton Abbey (OMG so excited) and more than likely a Chinese. Living the high life!


YouTube - Twitter - Bloglovin' - Instagram

9/11/2012

Blog Sale!



After realising I had more draws holding make up and skincare than I did clothes, I decided it was time for a little downsizing. I've spent the whole morning ruthlessly throwing things away but there were a few products that I just couldn't bare to part with so easily that I did love once but just don't use as regularly as I should. All they need is a a good home to go to!

All prices include P&P to UK addresses. Please leave a comment with the item that you'd like and your email address so I can invoice you via Paypal.

Benefit That Gal Primer (75% left) - £10
Benefit Porefessional Primer (brand new, no box) - £16
Illamasqua Illumine Oil in Pulse (brand new) £5
Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturiser 125ml (brand new, missing lid) - £18

Illamasqua Involve Pure Pigment (opened but not used) - £7
Mini Benetint (90% left) £2
L'Oreal Studio Secrets Primer (75% left) - £4

Lancome Mini Jucie Tube (tested but not used) - £2
Essie Capri (brand new) - £5
MAC Impropper Copper Cream Colour Base (used 3 - 4 times) - £8
MAC 190 Foundation Brush (only used a few times, will be sent washed and disinfected, number and logo slightly worn) - £9
Bourjois 16 Rose Pot Blush (used 5 - 6 times) - £3


9/10/2012

Holiday Buys




Leather Bag - €30/£24
Stoned Necklace - €10/£8
Snake Upper Arm Cuff - €5/£4
Turquoise Stone Bangle - €5/£4
Various Bracelets - €1.50/£1.20 each

Here are a few bits that I picked up from the market stalls in Menorca. There wasn't a lot in the shops that I liked but these things all caught my eye. If you're looking for cheap bracelets or tan leather bags it really was the place to go! There were thousands of different variations to choose from, it was actually a little overwhelming. I really wanted to get my hands on a pair of Abarcas which are the traditional Menorcan shoes but I just couldn't pick a colour there were so many!

9/09/2012

This Week #29






We're back! I can't believe how quickly a week has gone! It's all been a whirlwind of sunbathing, pools and eating far too much (as per usual). We went to S'Algar on the east of the island which was quite secluded but had some beautiful beaches and a lovely hotel. Holiday blues have set in already after walking off the plane to rain and I'm already planning the next one but it's back to the real world for now. I've got a few days before I have to go back to work and a whole lot of posting to catch up on. I was planning on doing a Holiday Haul of some kind but I barely bought anything which is a shocker for me. I did manage to get a few cute jewellery pieces from the market in Mahon though so I might pop up a little post about them tomorrow. Hope everyone has had a good week, wherever you were. I'm off to catch up on X Factor now (much to Darren's disgust) with a Quorn Pepperoni Pizza, who knew!?


YouTube - Twitter - Bloglovin' - Instagram

>