My Week In Pictures

Hello all! I hope you had a lovely weekend! (not that it's over just yet) I'm on a bit of a spending ban at the moment as I have lots of products that need using up and can't really afford to waste them so I thought I'd fill you in on my week...

I'm finally better (fingers crossed) after nearly a month of being ill. Needless to say I haven't really been that active apart from online shopping and hauling my sickly self to work each day. I've gotten back in a gym routine after nearly two months off, and oh my god I ache everywhere!! I know that it's good for me though. I've had a few trips to the cinema as I have a cineworld card, I try and go at least once a week. My friend Leanne and I finally got our free chicken with our loyalty card at Nando's - and it tastes so much better when it's free! I went shopping with my mum and didn't buy a single thing which really is a first for me! My friend Josies nan also knitted me a beautiful blue blanket, which I adore - it's gorgeous and so warm! And in other news my obession with make up and beauty products continues to grow.

Not a very productive week, but some things never change!

Ooh in other news, if you're looking for a book to read I highly recommend the Hunger Games set, I can't put them down!!

Xx

Nars Deep Throat Blush - Review

Aside from the naughty name, this blusher is gorgeous! As you can probably tell from my Blog name - I love blush! It is a staple in my makeup bag and I never feel complete without it. I usually stick to my trusty Benefit Coralista or Sugabomb, but again I decided that I needed another treat! My bank account really isn't loving all these presents I keep buying myself.  :-)

The packaging has that 'rubbery' effect, which I just know is going to attract dirt like a magnet in my bag, but  the handy mirror inside makes up for it. This peachy pink blush is highly pigmented and has fine golden sheen to it, which doesn't appear all that shimmery on the skin and thankfully doesn't draw attention to blemishes and imperfections - trust me I have quite a few!!

I found this product on Asos for £20.50 but managed to bag myself a 10% off code, which are always available if you hunt around google for one, can't pass up a bargain! :-)

What's your 'go-to' blusher? xx

NOTD Barbara Daly Nail Polish - Black Cherry

I've been eyeing up Opi's black cherry shade for a while now, and just can't bring myself to spend the money on it when there are so many other things I need in my life *cough mulberry bag cough*. So when I was buying my shampoo in Tescos the other day this Barbara Daly for Tesco nail polish caught my attention.

I am a bit of a cosmetics snob, but I've had few of these polishes before and they're fab! Long lasting and really glossy, I even took the hot pink shade with me to france last year :-) I usually chip my nails instantly after painting but I find a get a few days wear out of these ones. And it was around £3.50 too, so an all round bargain! xx

Shopping Does Makes You Feel Better...Mac Cremesheen Lipstick - Speed Dial

Hello! I hope your week's off to a good start. Mine could be better, I've been ill for over a week now :-( Actually I've spent most of January being ill - I have the worst immune system ever! My mother even carted me off to the docs on a suspected case of meningitis, but it's fine I only have a virus. A virus that has completely worn me down and I currently have a throat that is so sore it's bleeding. Eww far too much information!!

My friend Leanne and I went on a bit of a shopping trip to Guildford on Saturday as we only live about an hour away, and after either dying at my desk at work and infecting my colleagues or hauling myself straight to bed come 5pm every night it was very nice to be out!! Anyhoo, to cheer myself up I thought I would treat myself to a present from the Mac counter.

I've decided I want to steer away from lip glosses now (can't handle my hair being constantly stuck to my lips!) I want to be a lipstick girl! As mentioned in a previous post, I don't feel confident enough to pull off bold colours such a reds, but I think pink is a good place to start right? There was so many gorgeous colours to choose from, but in the end I opted for Speed Dial from the Cremesheen range :-)

I think it's a fairly light, girly pink which is fantastic for lipstick newbies like me! xx

Schwarzkopf Osis+ Style Shifters Liquid Texturising Spray - Light Control - Review

Eeek what a long name for a hair product! This liquid texturising spray is used by the celeb hairdressers on Dancing On Ice don't you know! So if it's good enough for them, it's good enough for my barnet. The product I have here is no.1 light control, however it is also available in both a medium and strong control too. The packaging is super cute - like a little pink egg and it smells fab.

These sprays allow you to create a re-mouldable style, which you can change on the go. I have found this spray to be particularly good at creating some definition to my mass of curls and for taming a sleek up-do. I've even used to it style my brothers hair - it acted in pretty much the same way his usual wax/gel combination would. The one let down of this spray however (and to some it could be the make or break decision of buying) ... it was very sticky. So sticky in fact that you really do need to wash your hair once you are done with the style you have been sporting for the day. It doesn't really work for me as I wash my hair every 2-3 days and can't deal with a sticky pillow. For me this definitely is a product to save for nights out, or for those curly days.

Schwarzkopf Osis+ Style Shifters Liquid Texturising Spray - Light Control retails at £ £8.70 

How do you add definition to your style? xx

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*This product was sent to me to review and I was not compensated in any way for this. As always, my reviews on this product are completely honest.

Paperself False Lashes - Wishlist!

Aren't these lashes from Paperself AMAZING! As the name suggests, they are made of paper so I can't see them lasting for more than one wear (but I am very heavy handed) My favourites are the 'deer & butterfly' and the 'under the sea' designs

These gorgeous lashes retail at £12 on Asos.com

 I'm going to order some up and save them for a special occasion! xx

L'Occitane Hand Cream - Limited Edition Desert Rose

I know it's a bit odd to post a picture of a product that is practically all used up, but this had to be done as it's the first hand cream I've ever finished without getting bored and throwing it away! (most creams are a bit of a novelty to me) I'm that impressed by it, I had to share it with you - link here

(Look empty tube!)

It has a light fragrance and is easily absorbed without leaving a greasy residue, leaving hands silky smooth.

The Limited Edition Desert Rose hand cream cost £7.50 for 30ml and can be purchased directly from L'Occitane.

xx

HD Brows Palette in Foxy

Like many of you, I used to receive Glossy Box, It was fab, but I realised it was wasted on me so I cancelled my membership. I might renew it in the future, but that's another story. Anyhoo, in Septembers (?) box I received this gorgeous HD Brows Palette in Foxy. Since then, this item has replaced my faithful eyebrow pencils and has become a staple in my make up bag and I use it everyday without fail. At £19.95, it can be deemed a little pricey, but I do think it's worth every penny and will definitely buy another one!

Good brows really do frame your face and enhance your eyes, with or without makeup. Obviously this is mainly achieved with good good shaping (which I currently don't have!) But until I can haul myself to a salon this kit masks my brow mishaps and fills in the gaps. It's a great handbag product too as it also doubles up as an eyeshadow. Another bonus is that the shadows are really long lasting, meaning that you don't have to re-apply during the day.

Before

After

What are your daily brow routines? Do you use a shadow, a pencil or even a wax? What do you think of the HD Brow Palettes? xx

Deborah Lippman I Love The Nightlife Nail Polish - Review

Isn't this nail polish gorgeous? It's my first one from Deborah Lippman, and I'm stunned by the massive chunks of glitter :-) It's best teamed with a slick of coloured polish underneath and a good topcoat as the glitter tends to dry with rough texture. Priced at £16 it's one of the pricier nail polishes I own, but I think it's worth every penny!

xx

p.s don't you think I'm totally improving with my photography? Photo shoot in the kitchen don'tcha know ;-)

The Body Shop Pink Grapefruit Lip Butter

Good Evening Lovelies! This is a bit of an odd review for me as I'm the first to admit I don't shop in The Body Shop very often. Ok, so they have a few products I love, such as the Vitamin E Tinted Moisture Lotion and the odd body butter, but that's it for me, although I have been to a Body Shop at Home party which was good fun. More often than not I forget about the shop completely and head off to department stores or shop online.

I don't know about you, but I am hounded by e-mails from The Body Shop offering me discounts etc - they usually get deleted straight away without reading. Surprisingly the one time I did open one of their e-mail offers it contained something I was actually interested in! A FREE lip butter worth £4, no catches or small print at all. Thanks Body Shop! Never one to miss a good bargain, I whizzed into town and shamelessly walked in, handed the lady my e-mail printout and chose my free product - pink grapefruit lip butter :-)

The packaging is pretty much identical to the body butters, nothing special, but does the job well. Like all other lip salves, this lip butter has a hard consistency that melts slightly to a warm touch allowing the product to slide smoothly on to the lips with a finger or a brush. The smell however, is amazing! Most lip balms make me want to gag but this smells yummy, exactly like pink grapefruit (I type this without actually ever having stuck my nose into a grapefruit segment!) More importantly it made my lips soft and smooth instantly.

I'm not saying I'm going to rush straight back and buy a new one as soon as this runs out, but hey ho it was very good for a freebie! xx

Moroccan Oil

Hello Gorgeous People! How are you all today? I am super excited as it's almost the weekend, but more importantly because my supply of Moroccan Oil arrived! It's one of my (many) guilty beauty pleasures. If you haven't heard of Moroccan Oil before, take note! I am an avid fan (as you can already tell) and could ramble on for hours about the stuff. I'll try to keep it short.

Moroccan Oil is a treatment oil for hair, a concoction made up from argon oil (this is the key ingredient to look out for in cheaper alternatives) Regular use of Moroccan Oil will transform unruly angry damaged hair into sleek locks worthy of a Disney Princess! Ok, so it doesn't claim to turn you into Cinderella, or find you a prince for that matter - beautiful hair never scared prince charming away though ;-) What Moroccan Oil will do however, is soften unmanageable hair, restore shine and eliminate frizz, and repair damage caused by colouring or styling. All without weighing down hair or making it greasy. As an added bonus hair will also be protected from environmental damage.

I have used this product religiously for about a year, I apply it to wet hair before drying and to dry hair if I feel it needs a bit of a moisture kick. The results have been fabulous. I abuse my hair daily - it is bleached to within an inch of it's life and I use straighteners on it every day mostly without heat protection spray. In previous years it has dried up like a crisp, but miraculously with regular use of Moroccan Oil may hair hasn't yet frazzled off! Whoopee!

It's a little expensive at around £30 or 100ml but a bottle lasts a very long time - plus the smell is amazing!

Have you ever tried Moroccan Oil? Do you love it as much as I do? :-) xx

Cheryl Cole for Loreal Lipstick

Hello Beauties! Whilst aimlessly wandering around Boots expecting products to jump out at me (as you do!) I came across this little creation by Cheryl Cole for Loreal Paris, reasonably priced at £8.16 (this will probably vary from shop to shop though I think) with £1 from each sale going towards The Princes Trust Foundation. Obviously as this was a lipstick for charity I had to buy it :)

This is a classic glossy red, although it appears lighter on the lips then it does in the tube and think it will flatter most skin tones. Tiny weeny glitter particles are imbedded into the lipstick too - adding to the superstar look! As an added extra it also appears to have great staying power!

(ignore the tired old eyes and look at the lips :-S )

Now I'm not really a bright lipstick girl, I just can't pull off bold colour on my lips - I tend to opt for smokey eyes and a slick of a light gloss. It takes confidence to wear red on the lips, and I just feel it isn't me. In terms of a quality and colour though, I can't fault it! This won't be an everyday essential for me, but it will definitely make an appearance on nights out <3

Molton Brown - Warming Eucalyptus Bath & Shower Therapy

Good Afternoon! I hope you are all having a lovely weekend so far?! I wanted to share a little tip I have that will make all you poorly girls (and boys!) out there feel a little better if you are suffering with an awful cold like I am at the moment - Molton Browns Warming Eucalyptus Bath & Shower Therapy. Pour a little (or a generous amount like I do) under hot running water for an amazing, feel good bath. The Eucalyptus is fantastic for unblocking those poorly noses, clears your chest and helps to soothe aches and pains. At £17.50 for 300ml it's an expensive treat but a girl must do what she can to feel better...right??

xx

Hair Ideas

Hello my gorgeous ones! Now, I don't know about you, but I get pretty bored of wearing my hair down all the time. I straighten it most days (see my massive mane of hair here) but some times when I want to look a little different I wear my hair up. It's pretty hard to come up with new ideas all the time, but I thought I would share my newest creations with you! (and a little 'how to' guide!) I'm also sorry for the terrible pictures - I realise this would work better as a video, but I'm soooo not comfortable with filming myself!!

Side French Plait

Firstly, sweep your hair to the side. My hair is straight here, but this style looks great with curly hair too!

Split the front part of the hair you are holding into three, and start plaiting. Every time you cross a strand over the other pull a new section of loose hair into that strand...

You should end up with something looking a little like this, don't worry about being super neat as this isn't intended to be a perfectly groomed style! Continue this method of plaiting around the rest of your head, lowering the plait as you reach the end - this will ensure it falls naturally and doesn't stick up around your face!

Secure with a band and voila! A laid back style but still looks great!

Gaga Inspired Bow

Always wondered how you can achieve the Lady Gaga hair bow without a hair piece or extensions?

Start by pulling your hair into a smooth 'half up half down' style and secure with a band

Flip the ends of your hair over towards your face and pin down with a kirby grip

Divide the secured 'flip' of hair into two, and pull the ends of the hair over this, leaving the two bow bunches either side

Fasten the back of your hair with a kirby grip (obviously neater than I have!) and you're good to go!

What do you think? How do you wear your hair when you put it up?

xx

Things That Make You Smile

A brief, non blog-related post, but I've had a rough couple of days and came home to find my lovely dad had thoughtfully brought me some flowers. Aren't they beautiful? It's the little things that mean the most and bring the biggest smiles to your face <3

Happy New Year

Happy New Year gorgeous bloggers - I hope 2012 brings you everything you wish for and more!

This is how I spent my NYE...