Saturday 31 December 2011

Christmas 2011

Hello my dears :)

I hope you're all well and that you had a lovely Christmas. Tell me, what did you get up to?

I thought I'd do a post summing up what the festive period has involved for me :)


One. Cute reindeer that I came across unexpectedly at a local garden centre! So, so cute and friendly!

Two. Decorating the Christmas tree with new sparkly decorations that I bought after a bit of a shopping spree!

Three. Burning the Christmas Eve Yankee Candle. It smells like berries :)

Four. Beautiful festive flowers that I unexpectedly won at work on Christmas Eve!


Five. My Christmas hat that I wore to work on Christmas Eve and out in town that night. It flashed and everything!

Six. Chocolate mint cupcakes, handmade by moi, with an uber cool gold finish!


Seven. Making a chocolate log has become a bit of a tradition in our house, although I must confess it was my Dad that created this beauty.

Eight. Christmas pressies! Check out the ridiculously huge chocolate Santa that my Mum thought was a hilarious present!

Nine. A beautiful present from my sister - she knows me really well, I'd been eyeing this up for a while. I'd really like the matching bag but it's sold out everywhere!

Ten. Sale bargains that I picked up in Boots over the bank holiday.


How was your Christmas?

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Sunday 25 December 2011

Merry Christmas!!!

Hello sweethearts!


A very merry Christmas to each and everyone of you :) I hope you have a lovely day!


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Wednesday 21 December 2011

Monday 19 December 2011

Christmas Gift Ideas: The Last Minute Edition!

With just 6 shopping days left until Christmas, here's my last minute gift guide if you're a bit stuck for ideas. And best of all, the majority of these items can be found on your high street or nearest city!

Source

Skincare

Soap & Glory are one of my favourite high street brands with their famously fragrant skincare products and cute retro packaging. My bathroom, bedroom and handbag are never short of a Soap & Glory must have! The Soap & Glory range can be found in Boots stores and Harvey Nichols.

I would buy this just for the case - it's so cute! This features some of my absolute favourite Soap & Glory products ever. You cannot go wrong with this gift!

Not Just A Pretty Case - £35

Another cute case featuring a lovely collection of travel sized Soap & Glory products

Do A Bubble Take - £18



Liz Earle products have become a staple in my skincare routine this year and now I wouldn't be without them. The Liz Earle range can be found online (last order date is today!), in their four stores, Fenwick London, John Lewis stores nationwide and selected boutique stockists.

What better place to start than their iconic Cleanse and Polish coupled with the new award winning Sheer Skin Tint?
Liz Earle Cleanse and Colour Duo - £34.75

A firm favourite of mine is the Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish, and I may have treated myself to the Christmas edition in a recent cheeky order!
Liz Earle Christmas Cleanse and Polish Limited Edition - £18.50

Fragrance

I'm a perfume junkie. There I said it. I have at least 10 knocking around at the moment so I thought I'd share with you some of my favourites which would make lovely Christmas gifts.

I received this Oh, Lola! gift set for my birthday recently and it is beautiful! I've been wearing it pretty much every day :)

"A sparkling, fruity floral, Oh, Lola! captures the flirtatious essence of her easy charm. Oh, Lola! opens with  refreshing top note of effervescent raspberry. Her pink femininity is reflected in the beautiful peony heart. A sensual elegance with addictive vanilla in the dry down leaves an unforgettable flirtatious touch."

Marc Jacobs Oh, Lola! Gift Set - £50

Possibly the most beautiful perfume I own, Jimmy Choo's signature first fragrance is deliciously sweet and long-lasting.

"A modern fruity Chypre with warm, rich, woody depths. A fragrance inspired by modern women, strong, empowered, beautiful, seductive and alluring with a hidden and mysterious sense of confident sexuality."



Illamasqua have easily become one of my favourite brands this year. When I heard they were launching a fragrance I was ridiculously overly excited and I decided to treat myself for my birthday!

"The first fragrance from Illamasqua, Freak is a concoction of dangerously exotic unconventional flowers that Illamasqua has unashamedly blended together to celebrate the night."

Illamasqua Freak - £59.00

Cosmetics

Boots pretty much have every Christmas gift angle covered this year and all gift sets are on a 3 for 2 deal! I have been loving the 17 range this year, and No 7 is always a lovely brand to indulge in now and again so I've picked some of the items I'd love to have under the Christmas tree this year :)

17 polishes are without a doubt fab quality for the price and this set contains some must have polish shades

17 Mini Nail Library - £10


Dabbling in a bit of nail art? Yes please!

17 Metallic Nails Decoration Kit - £16

For a classic make up look, this palette is perfect and perfect for travel!

No 7 Get The Look Daytime Palette - £12

A perfect red lip duo and a gorgeous red clutch bag!

No 7 and Poppy King Celebrate Flirty and Fabulous - £20



Benefit are a fun brand and have some beautiful products in their range. Why not treat someone to a gorgeous gift set?


"Ladies, this brightening kit is quite a catch! Finding mr. bright is filled with all of the essentials for a luminous complexion. Complete with a step-by-step brightening lesson...this kit's the total package!"



"Eye Wanna! is for gals who have it all - and wanna shimmy all night long! With eyeshadows in all shades of fabulosity, my kit will take you from work mode to party status in the blink of an eye. Go ahead, get noticed and steal the scene!"

Eye Wanna! The Maggie Collection - £28.50

Your last chance to order with Benefit online is Wednesday! Or pop down to a Benefit boutique, Harrods, selected Boots stores, or Debenhams, Selfridges, John Lewis, Fenwicks or House of Fraser department stores nationwide.



Talking of gift sets, Illamasqua have an amazing gift set featuring their signature fragrance, Freak.


"Raved about by professionals, bloggers and make-up enthusiasts everywhere, each set includes Nail Varnish in Wink (soft lilac), Liquid Metal in Phenomena (molten silver), a sensual Sheer Lipgloss in Tantrum (deep berry pink), and the Freak fragrance."



"Use mystery and intrigue to illuminate the night with this seductive duo. Wear the colour-rich, red orange lipstick of Ignite alone for an electrifying effect, or layer with the warm caramel nude of Sheer Lipgloss in Provoke for a pout with depth and dimension that no-one can ignore."

Midnight Pout Lip Duo - £20.00

To truly spoil a friend, family member or yourself (come on, you know you want to!), why not skip along to Illamasqua's Christmas boutique and feast your eyes on their decadently gorgeous Christmas gift sets. Their last date for ordering online is Thursday! Also don't forget you can purchase Illamasqua at their stores in London, Leeds and Liverpool as well as counters in selected Selfridges, Debenhams and Fenwicks department stores nationwide.



 How's your Christmas shopping going? I confess I've still got a little bit left to do. Will I ever learn?

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Saturday 17 December 2011

Saturday Summary

Look who I found at Baytree garden centre? He says hello!


♥ Sparkly nail polish

♥ Sunday drives and Christmassy things!

♥ Addicted to Flight Control on my iPhone! Anyone else?

♥ Discovering new music

♥ Friends

♥ Free apps

♥ Seeing old friends

~*~

Listening to:
Christina Perri - lovestrong.
Lady Antebellum - Need You Now

Watching:
Glee
CSI

Buying:
Sparkly nail polish

Reading:
Blogs

A few to follow:


How has your week been?

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Friday 16 December 2011

EOTD: Winter Frost

Just a quick post today :)

I woke on Saturday to find a properly frosty morning outside, and it inspired me to do something a little wintery with my make up before I braved the cold to finish off my Christmas shopping.


Apologies for the slightly blurry iPhone pic but it brings out the sparkles :)

I primed with Urban Decay Primer Potion, then dug out an old fave - 17's Starry Eyes trio in Moondust using the lighter shade on the inner corner, lighter blue shade over two thirds of the eye and also under my lower lashes and went in with the darkest colour on the outer corner. I added a bit of Illamasqua Beguile pigment for added sparkle, lined my upper lash line with No 7's Gel Eyeliner in Blue, lined my waterline with Illamasqua Medium Pencil in Vow, curled my lashes and applied two coats of Avon superSHOCK MAX mascara on the top lashes, and used Max Factor Masterpiece High Definition Mascara on my lower lashes.

Simple. Easy. Wintery.


What's your favourite festive make up look?

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Wednesday 14 December 2011

FOTD: Teal Pop

After being inspired by the gorgeous Esteeem over at Frootibeauty, I decided to whip out my Urban Decay palettes and give the look a go. I ended up using my Urban Decay 15th Anniversary Palette and an Urban Decay palette that I won from Esteeem in a recent giveaway. Obviously mine doesn't look anything near as good as hers, but here you go :)


Excuse the hat, I papped myself just as I was going out :) 

Face

The Body Shop Vitamin E Face Mist
Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer in Fair 1
MAC Studio Finish Concealer in NC15
Illamasqua Eyebrow Cake in Gaze
NYX Taupe
17 Barely Blush Lipstick




Eyes

Urban Decay Primer Potion all over the lid
Vanilla on the inner corner and browbone
Half Baked on the middle of the eye
Smog on the outer corner
Twice Baked blended up into the crease
Deep End under the lower lashline
24/7 Liner in Zero on the upper lashline and lower waterline

Avon superSHOCK MAX mascara on upper lashes
Max Factor Masterpiece High Definiton mascara on lower lashes






Are you a fan of bright pops of colour to draw attention to your eyes?

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Monday 12 December 2011

IMATS London 2012

Oh my days I am so excited. IMATS London is less than 2 months away! I had such a great time when I went in January and I only went for one day. This year I'm making a proper weekend of it, spending 4 days in London and going to IMATS on Saturday and Sunday. Double the shopping potential :D


This time around, IMATS is going to be bigger and better as the show is moving to the Great Hall inside of Alexandra Palace. I thought this year's show was huge so I cannot wait to see what it will look like in February.

Once again there is a long list of exhibitors that I will be queuing up at to part with my hard earned cash, hopefully with some very tempting discounts.

Some of the brands that I'll be checking out include:

Charles Fox
For countless stashes of Make Up Artist Magazine and make up must haves!

Illamasqua
Oh need I say more? Obsessed with this brand at the moment!

PAM
Stockists of some of the more hard to access brands of make up, I'll definitely be checking out Louise Young and Ben Nye as I missed them last time!

Crown Brush
Proving that you can never have too many make up brushes, this stand was jam packed all day which is why I'll be aiming to get here uber early to pick up another stash!

Graftobian
I managed to miss checking this brand out last time around, but I've heard some great things about their products so I will absolutely be stopping by their stand

Guru Makeup Emporium
Guru had brilliant discounts on Make Up For Ever last year so I will definitely be popping by to pick up some more items. Namely the HD foundation, blushes and diamond powders.

Inglot
For every nail polish, eye shadow and lipstick shade under the sun, this is a must visit stand. Make sure to get there early though because the queues are massive!

Make Up Artist Magazine
For endless backcopies of this magazine, this stall is a must visit if you're a fan.

Make Up For Ever
I don't remember Make Up For Ever having a standalone stall back in January, but I'm hoping they have  a larger selection of their products than PAM and Guru Makeup Emporium so I can try some new things

~*~

There'll no doubt be some amazing sights to see once again. I really enjoyed watching artists at work at stands like Brushstroke and Academy of Freelance Make Up. One of the highlights this year was watching the Student Competition - there's some amazingly talented people out there! I'll make sure to remember my actual camera this year so I can take some videos if I get close enough!

~*~

Tickets are available from the IMATS website - £40 per day or £65 for two days on standard admission. Prices are slightly lower if you're a student.

Alternatively, pop tickets on your wishlist to Santa. Who knows, he might oblige ;)



Are you coming to IMATS or planning to? It'd be great to see you if you are!

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Saturday 10 December 2011

Saturday Summary

♥ Playing Monopoly

♥ A spot of online shopping with lots of reductions? Hello!

♥ Sparkly nail polish

♥ Cleaning and tidying - bit weird but feels so good once it's done! Is that weird?

♥ Putting up the Christmas tree :D

♥ Hilarious occurences at work

♥ My new camera has arrived! And the Christmas tree is up at work. Just trying to convince someone to dress up as Santa. Wish me luck ;)

~*~

Listening to:
Christmas songs - time to get festive :D

Watching:
Pan Am - obsessed with this show! Anyone else?

Reading:
Blogs

A few to follow:

~*~

How has your week been?

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Thursday 8 December 2011

Review: Queen Cosmetics Eyelash Cream

There was a lot of hype in the blogosphere about products like RapidLash and RevitaLash. I tried the former day in, day out for months on end. Finished the tube and didn't really notice a difference. Had I really wasted £40? I think I did unfortunately. Then Little Miss Sceptical was given the chance to try Queen Cosmetics Eyelash Cream...

Product


Queen Cosmetics sayQueen Eyelash Cream is a unique and classic Queen product created back in the 1930s. It really is a tiny pot of wonder! It can be used when you don't want to wear mascara but want to define your lashes a little or, even better, for conditioning lashes to prevent dryness and breakages or to help repair dry, damaged lashes.  Some of our customers also use it to keep eyebrows neat and glossy-looking. 

I say: I've been using Queen Cosmetics Eyelash Cream daily for just over a month now. It's simple and easy to use and I always slick some on to my lashes and brows every night without fail after cleansing. I also wear it during the day if I'm having a no make up day to not only treat my lashes to some moisturising nourishment but also to define them a little. I've found that my lashes have substantially improved using this product which surprised me as I wasn't getting results with RapidLash which costs 4 times the price of Queen Cosmetics Eyelash Cream. My lashes are fuller, longer and stronger and my upper lash lines are now more densely populated than they were before!

Application



Queen Cosmetics say:  To improve the condition of your lashes, use Queen Cosmetics Eyelash Cream daily, by applying it gently with your fingertips to cleansed eyes. As with all Queen Cosmetics skin care products, Eyelash Cream is free from irritating perfume, masking fragrance essential oils and is not tested on animals; a real bonus if you suffer from sensitive skin, or your eyes have a sensitivity to eye make-up.

I say: After cleansing, I slick some of the product on to a clean finger and gently apply to my upper and lower lash lines and also to my brows to give them some much needed nourishment. Whilst gathering product information for this review, I came across the following on the Queen Cosmetics website:

"Do you ever wonder why men often have much better eyelashes than women - longer, glossier and thicker? It is often said that one reason is because they do not wear mascara so their eyelashes are not subjected to the daily application and removal process which can cause lashes to become dry, brittle or broken."

I've never really given it much thought before but I think they're right when they say men have better lashes than we do. One of my male work colleagues has the most enviable set of lashes I've ever seen. I've yet to see a woman with natural lashes to rival. And it simply must be because of our use of make up and make up removers. Lo and behold, using Queen Cosmetics Eyelash Cream really does pay off and the proof is in the photos...



Both of the above photos are of my natural lashes - not a product or mascara in sight!

Price: £9.70
Size: 12ml
Available from: Queen Cosmetics

Ratings

Product: 10/10
Price: 10/10
Packaging: 9/10
Overall: 9/10
Purchase: Yes. If I ever run out!



Have you tried eyelash growth products? Are they working for you?

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*PR Sample - read my disclaimer

Tuesday 6 December 2011

NOTD: 17 Magnetic Nail Polish

I've finally managed to track down the illusive magnetic polishes from 17. They've been selling like hotcakes by the looks of the empty shelves in Boots! Luckily I have now bought 3 out of the 4 shades and today I'm showcasing the grey.





I won't lie to you, at first I found it quite tricky to get the effect just right but with a bit of patience and practice, it can look really good. Leanne and I got some lovely compliments on our nails in Kiko and I've converted some girls at work too!



What do you think of the magnetic polish trend? Hit or miss?

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Saturday 3 December 2011

Saturday Summary


♥ Fab night out and no hangover? Why yes please.

♥ Ikea & Frankie and Benny's

♥ Costa Frosted Mint Hot Chocolate

♥ Having 'training' which consisted of playing with pipe cleaners and playing the Shopping Basket game

♥ Making my own ringtone for my iPhone

♥ Doing new stuff at work

♥ Starting my Christmas shopping - even if I did end up buying more for me haha!

~*~

Listening to:
Radio 1

Watching:
Pan Am

Reading:
Blogs

Buying:
Clothes, accessories, perfume and make up

A few to follow:
003. essbeevee

~*~

How has your week been? Have you started Christmas shopping?

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