Lizzy Disney Envelope Bag, Zara Simon Light Saber Vermeil Ring, Wunderkind Gold Floral Brocade Trousers, Preen Blue Teacup Print Darjeeling Blouse, NO.21 Black Wool Tuxedo Jacket, 3.1 Phillip Lim Black Nancy Oxford Flats, Armenta Midnight Crosses Bangle all via Avenue 32

Although I'll probably never be able to afford a real designer item it can't hurt to make an unobtainable whishlist once in a while. The online boutique Avenue 32 has a host of designers, ranging from well known brands such as Calvin Klein and Giles to the not so heard of but equally brilliant Mother of Pearl and Paper London. The styling is impeccable on the site, all the outfits being put together so well I actually clicked on pieces I wouldn't usually go for (hello gold brocade trousers). I adore the long cuffs on this blouse from Preen and I think paired with the stunningly cut NO.21 Tuxedo Jacket and some tailored trousers, I'd really have myself an outfit worthy of the price tag. The bangle from Armenta is also divine and I'm beyond tempted to splash out of one of the beautiful Bex Rox Friendship Bracelets, so elegant!

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Origins Never A Dull Moment & High-Potency Night-A-Mins
Origins is a brand that always excites me. I've loved everything I've tried from their range so far and wouldn't mind buying the whole lot to be honest! These are my two most recent purchases and although I haven't quite tested them out to the fullest, I though I'd do a little post on my first impressions.

The High-Potency Night-A-Mins is something I've been after for a long long time. Its a mineral enriched radiance booster that's full of vitamins and moisture replenishers to help reduce the appearance of dullness. I went for the regular Night-A-Mins, however there is an oil-free version as well. The first thing I noticed when using this is the beautiful orange smell it has, very soothing to use right before bed. Used alone I did find it quite hard to work into the skin, but when applying my usual night time Serum, Estée Lauders Advance Night Repair, it became a lot easier to smooth on. The product feels very hydrating at first but by the time I wake up this tends to completely sink into my skin leaving it feeling slightly tight and uncomfortable. I've actually been using a thin layer of the Origin's Drink Up Intensive Overnight Mask on top to give it a bit of a boost, so I think this is going to be better for those with a normal skin type whereas mine is quite dry at the moment.

The Never a Dull Moment Scrub was also slightly different than I was expecting. I did mention in a recent haul video that this was ridiculously priced at £31 - astronomical for a face scrub, but it seems that I've been overcharged as everywhere except Boots is selling it for around £24 (which angered me just tad). The exfoliating beads in this are very small and sparse in the thick gel formula. I was a bit worried at first thinking I'd wasted all that money on something that barely touched my dry patches, however after a quick scrub I left this on for about five minutes, letting the Papaya enzymes work away at removing the top layer of dead skin cells very gently. I've used this two or three times now and each time my skin has looked radiant afterwards with little effort at all. I think this is going to turn out to be very similar to the Elemis Papaya Enzyme Peel, one of my favourite exfoliating masks!

Have you bought anything from origins recently? What are your favourite products from the brand?


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01. Giant bourbon! / 02. My contribution to Movember / 03. A skincare post in the making / 04. New knits / 05. Our sad little empty fridge / 06. Mince pie ice cream!? / 07. Evening skincare / 08. Trying out a new lipstick (details coming soon!) / 09. Veggie burger/tower / 10. Amazing Swarovski phone case by Nicola Daly / 11. Dressing up at work for Children in Need / 12. Pudsey nails! Full post here / 13. Sneaky Zara order / 14. Bonjour le peen! / 15. Lunch at Dean's / 16. The thickest Nutella milkshake / 17. Fatty food overload / 18. Chillin' with a cuppa / 19. Fairy lights / 20. Made myself a cosy corner in our unused spare room

P.S Sorry for the late post, caught up in major X Factor dramz. James and Ella in the bottom two, are you insane!? Get Baloney out. Rah rah rah sad TV show rant (please don't juge me)


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It's Children In Need tonight and after turning up at work in a pair of ears and my pyjamas yesterday (all for the cause!) I thought I'd do some Pudsey inspired nails too! I'm sure I'll be staying up all night to watch the show, ears on of course, and if you can don't forget to donate!

Nail Products Used: Models Own Snow White, Barry M Yellow and Cyan Blue, Ciaté Mojito and Mistress, Essie Fear or Desire, Models Own Black Nail Art Pen

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I had some really great feedback from my first Sunday Pamper post, so as promised here's the second in the series and tonight it's all about skincare. It's not all that often that I give myself a full on facial, but when the time comes I get down to some serious business. I really love to run a hot bath, pop in a Butterball (my all time favourite from Lush, but that's another Sunday post altogether!) and let the steam work some extra magic.

I make sure I've thoroughly removed all makeup with a good micellair lotion and then take a palm full of Philosophy's Purity Cleansing Oil evenly all over my face. I spend a few extra minutes working this into the skin gently with my fingertips, ensuring that every scrap of make up is gone and also boosting circulation to help flush out any nasty toxins lurking away. The great thing about using a cleansing oil for this is that unlike regular massage oils, once splashed off with some warm water it doesn't leave any residue on the skin.

After that it's on to exfoliation. I like to use a good deep scrub and No7's Total Renewal Micro-dermabrasion is great for this. It's made up of tiny rough crystals which are quite abrasive. I'll only use this once every couple of weeks but that's really all it takes to see the benefits. Not only does this slough away every scrap of dead skin it also stimulates cell renewal to work against fine lines and uneven tone, just make sure you're wearing a good SPF the day after you use this!

I make sure I give my skin a quick rest after exfoliating so I take a trusty muslin cloth, soak it in warm water and lay it over my face for a few minutes. Not only is this super relaxing it also opens up the pores ready for a good deep cleansing mask. At the moment my favourite is the Super Facialist by Úna Brennan Tea Flower Clay Mask (isn't that a mouthful) which you can see a full review of here. This takes every drop of excess oil out of clogged up pores and leaves skin feeling zingy fresh.

The last part of the in-bathroom routine involves another of my all time favourite products, the Elemis Papaya Enzyme Peel which I paint on with an old foundation brush (an odd tool you may be thinking but believe me using one will change your life) and leave on for about fifteen minutes (this is when I usually hop out of the bath and get those cosy jammies on). I find this mask works best at getting rid of any really dry patches so I concentrate it on my forehead and nose. It uses fruit enzymes to exfoliate without the need for abrasive beads and I always notice how well my make up goes on after using this!

Once that's all wiped off, again using the muslin cloth, I pat my skin dry and move on to the final part of my mini facial: hydration. For that I use a recently discovered wonder combination of Origins Drink Up Intensive Overnight Mask and Bio Oil. The Overnight Mask is like an intensely rich night cream that keeps on working even into the morning. On top of that I pat a few drops of the Bio Oil and gently work them together on the skin. I have quite a few facial oil's rattling around in my draws but recently I've been choosing Bio Oil over them every time. This unlikely beauty product gives my skin the most amazing glow and once washed of in the morning leaves it plumped up and moisturised. I let that sink in for about half an hour before going to bed, just enough time to snuggle up with a good book (or in my case a good blog or two) and a few relaxing candles!


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Dress: Topshop
Cardigan & Gloves: Primark
Jacket: Influence @ New Look
Necklace: Urban Outfitters
Hat: River Island Mens
What's this, an outfit post? It's been a while I know, but now it's getting dark so early a) there's never any light to take a good picture and b) at the moment my go to outfit is a onesie. Sometimes though, I do put normal clothes though recently I seem to be going for a strict uniform of baggy layers under this faux leather sleeve parka. Not the most thrilling of outfits but a cosy one. I also love that it's now acceptable to wear Christmas themed prints on woollen accessories.


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Super Facialist Tea Flower Pore Purifying Clay Mask £8.99 & Anti-Shine Pore Minimiser £12.99
I seem to have the isles of my local Boots memorised these days, so when something new pops up I'm usually straight on it. Úna Brennan, a well known facialist to the stars has launched her own range of products designed to give you a DIY salon experience at home. The line consists of three different ranges; Rose Hydrate, Neroli Firiming and Tea Flower Deep Clean. I went for Tea Flower as my skin has been quite oily and congested recently, deffinitly in need of a deep cleanse.

The first product that caught my eye was the Anti-Shine Pore Minimiser. This feels like a smooth, silky primer as it goes on and I've been using it under my make up on areas of larger pores and shine (nose and forehead especially!). This instantly reminded me of Benefit's Porefessional which I do really like but can't use as it dries my skin out terribly. This product however feels hydrating as well as mattifying and definitely makes my pores look smaller under foundation.

I've been looking for a new clay mask ever since they changed the formula of my beloved Botanics one so the Pore Purifying Detox Mask was another obvious choice and is actually fast becoming one of my favourite beauty extras. The formulation is quite thin compared to other similar masks which saves a lot of drying time and it tingles slightly as the Tea Flower works into the skin, clearing out impurities and unclogging pores. My favourite thing about this product is that after it dries you can see tiny dark spots where all the excess oils have been drawn out of the pores which really gives you an idea of how much it's working.

I've really enjoyed using these two and I think I'm definitely going to be looking into more products from Úna Brennan. The double cleansing regimes look quite intriguing too and as the whole of Super Facialist is a third off at Boots at the moment, I think I'll be trying a few more things very soon!

Have you tried anything from the range?
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01. Flags at the village carnival / 02. A rather large Topshop delivery / 03. All the American cereal you could ever need / 04. Yes deer, no deer / 05. Drunken pumpkin in the Arundel Deli / 06. Peanut butter covered in chocolate, what's that now!? / 07. A mini Lush, Space NK and Apple haul / 08. First photo on the iPhone 5 (Darren gives beautiful face) / 09. So many unused Lush products! / 10. Liz Earle Signature Foundation being tested out / 11. Last minute Halloween nails / 12. The epic Chinese that filled me up for a week / 13. First mince pies of the year! / 14. Salted Caramel Latte and yes, another mince pie / 15. This morning's teeny tiny toast (with peanut butter of corse) / 16. Packaging hoarder fo' lyf.


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