I Need More Clothes

Same Dress New Jacket

2012-02-13T06:47:00.000-08:00

Jacket: Miss Selfridge

Dress: Missguided

Shoes: So You Shoes

First I want to apologise for the grainyness of these photos, my camera is a berk and I don't get how sometimes it'll take clear pictures like these and other times look like I've taken photos with a disposable? I guess it is 6 years old so maybe it's time for an upgrade, despite not being able to save for one till after the wedding I already have my peepers on the Sony NEX-5 so hopefully it'll come down in price at the end of the year. If anyone has any other good camera suggestions please let me know!

I actually wore this outfit for a meal at Ask with Thomas, I'd been looking for the perfect biker jacket for a while but a lot of them either made me feel like Danny Zuko or would only zip up if I sucked in my tum as far as it'd go, I found this on the Miss Selfridge website and it's pefect - baggy enough do zip up but heaps more fitted than a bomber. The dress is an old fave from missguided but alas it seems to be shrinking and showing off a lot more of my notsopeachey buttocks, thinking of buying it in another colour and sticking with cold washes.

Other than a gorgeous chicken pizza at Ask the weekend consisted mainly of Dexter sessions, getting angry when he ran off with that floozy Lila (oh sweet Dexter why must you cheat?), and making cupcakes that are too sickly to actually eat.

Hair in a Year

2012-02-11T02:43:00.000-08:00

I stumbled across a hideous webcam picture of myself from this time last year and was actually quite surprised at how much my bleach infested barnet had grown in 12 months. I’ve posted about my horiffic hair before here but in short through 2010 I became like a woman possessed on a mission for platinum hair and thought it would be an excellent idea to bleach it once a month until it started to snap off. I was left with a Tina Turner esque crop and the only option was to go natural for a year. So here’s my progress

Not bad considering the advice I was given by Toni & Guy was to hack it all off and start from scratch! I thought I’d share some of the products I’ve been using that have seemed to help in my quest for long locks, here’s a snap:

1) Umberto Giannini moisture mask– A "drugstore" hair mask that I usually use when I don't have time to leave a more expensive mask on for ages. It's around £6.00, leaves my hair feeling soft, and smells gorgeous.

2) VO5 Give me Texture - This helps reduce the damage of backcombing and gives my hair so much volume, although Tom keeps getting his mitts on it which is a pain for me but shows it works on shorter hair too!

3) Label M intensive mask – I actually bought my first tub of this from Toni & Guy but they charged around £15, I’ve since found it on lookfantastic for £12. It’s another intensive conditioner that I tend to leave on my hair for around 45 minutes, a bit time consuming but it’s really improved the condition and strength of my hair.
4) Lee Stafford treatment – I’m not silly so I know this wasn’t going to turn me into a Rapunzel, it’s really just a clever name for a typical conditioning hair mask but it’s a quick application and leaves my hair super soft. Boots put the brand on offer a lot so I’d definitely recommend getting it on 3 for 2.

5) Tangle Teezer – I lie as I’ve only had this for a couple of weeks but I couldn’t not add it as it’s amazing. I don’t know how it works but it does. I’m tangle free and I love it.

6) Tresemme Heat Defence - This seems to help with breakage on the ends of my hair and smells nice, plus it's purse friendly.

If anyone else has posts on hair growth please link me! I need to get it as long as possible before August.

January Glossybox - Thoughts

2012-02-07T05:55:00.000-08:00

I'm a bit on the fence with Glossybox, I think the concept is a good one as a lot of people don't like to shell out a lot of dollar for high end products to then find that they were a bit crap, so the idea of trying different things before deciding on whether or not they're good enough is obvs a good one when generalised.

On the other hand as the boxes aren't "tailored" to the sorts of things you like you could be a red head with bitten nails and end up paying £12.95 for brunette hair products and nail polishes. I know there can be some hidden gems in the boxes, I've seen so many people rave about the HD brow palette and the nars illuminator so it's really a question on whether you want to take a chance or not I suppose. I do love the gorgeous packaging and receiving post always excites me but I'm not sure if I'd be willing to subscribe for a year and spend £155 on samples. But fair play to Glossybox as they've never actually tried to pass the boxes off as anything else, they advertise the products as miniatures and samples so it always annoys me when there's outrage over the content and people go all sorts of crazy bashing the brand on twitter - spending over a hundred pound on samples was your choice, not Glossybox's!

Let The Bubble See The Bath

2012-02-04T05:13:00.000-08:00

Shirt: Clothing at Tesco

Leggings: Newlook

Necklace: Tiffany

Boots: c/o So You Shoes

I've always admired block heeled chelsea boots from afar but heels are a strictly evening thing for me, so when So You Shoes messaged me asking if I'd like to chose a pair from their new arrivals section I obvs went straight for the boots in an attempt to turn myself into a day heeler. I was undecided between the chelsea boots and this pair but went for the pair that looked the most comfortable.

I'm undecided about this outfit though, I'm about to head out into the sea of creatures that is Northampton town in an attempt to find a biker jacket but I think I look a bit....officey?

I actually bought this shirt for work but have instead moved it into my weekend wardrobe, I reckon it's just my mind saying "you bought it for work, you must be working in it!" so I'm going to go all rebellious and wear it with a brown leather jacket. I'm mad me.

And I'll be finishing off this freezing saturday (car said -7.5 this morning- gah!) with take me out and yet another Morrisons salad. I love them. I cover everything in bacon pieces and let the party inside my mouth begin.

January in Instagram

2012-02-01T07:48:00.000-08:00

1. I tried the booger one and refused to eat anymore, I think the vomit flavour would actually make me do so.

2. I flaunt Theodore on this blog an unnecessary amount but he looks quite cute here so I'm hoping to get away with it this time.

3. I swear these were bigger when I was younger. One day I will be given the giant one as a birthday cake.

4. Copious cups of tea and belated christmas pyjamas

5. This is a rival for Ben & Jerry for me which is saying a lot as they're my heros.

6. Braving red lipstick and horizontal stripes, such a rarity that I decided to document it.

7. My car has been the bane of my life this month, first the radiator goes kaput and then the front and back breaks. If it doesn't pass it's mot in March I will be cross.

8. The only thing wrong with this is that you have to wait around 4/5 days before it's fully dissolved and it's such a long wait.

9. Got maself some kicks. Haven't actually got maself off the sofa yet : /

London Lunch Update

2012-01-30T05:12:00.001-08:00

Ok so I know it's been an age since I said I'd write this post but the London Lunch just seemed to get bigger and bigger! And trying to find somewhere in central london that was willing to hold an area for a huge amount of bloggers without robbing us of £500 was quite hard : / silly really as we'd be giving them loads of business! Anyway I've managed to find a venue that does various meals, lots of cocktails, and isn't too pricey. If the general vibe is "yes, we like!" then I'll go ahead and book it, so here are some pictures from their website of the "lounge area"....

According to google maps it's a ten minute walk away from Oxford Street and about a 5 minute walk from the tube station on Great Portland Street, so whaddaya think? Please let me know as I really need to get somewhere booked this week! Was thinking of asking everyone to meet at 1:30?

And as for the list of people attending, well there's quite a few! I've listed and linked everyone who RSVP'd to the email (thanks to Sophie who kindly got everyone's urls) so we can all stalk before we talk. If you're name's on the list but you don't think you'll be able to make it then please please let me or Sophie know as I need to also let the venue know. If your name isn't on the list and you want to go on the "waiting list" (sorry I know this sounds a bit pretentious but I had to stop at a certain number due to booking) then email either me or Sophie

Aisling - Fash-Ling @aislingnm

Amelia - Tiger Lily @tigerlilyblog

Anna - The Quater Life Tails of Annie Bean @aggy84

Annabel - Yoyo and Bel @belpw

Chelsey - Fasionista on a Budget @chelseyprentice

Charlotte - Girl Next Door Fashion @gnd_fashion

Charlotte - Head Over Heels

Claire Jazzpad @jazz_pad

Ellis - Pink Flamingo

Emma - The Daisy Chain @emmaharold

Emily - Emily Charlotte @emily0charlotte

Emily - Wardrobe Block @wardrobeblock

Faye - Behind The Bijoux @wiredjewellery

Gemma - Fat Frocks @gemma_ds

Hannah - Bow Dream Nation @hansyhobs

Hannah - Two Grazed Knees @twograzedknees

Helen - Half the World Away @heleneveline

Jaymie - By Jaymie @jaymieoc

Jazzy - Hivenn @hiven

Joanna - Mademoiselle Lala @mdemoisellelala

Hailey - Strangeness and Charm @xhjw

Katie - The Happy Little World of Miss Ktp

Katy - Caught up in Cake @kfedland

Kirstin - Crimson Rosella @crimsonrosella1

Leanne - Leanne Marie @leannemariexo

Lily - Lilylipstick @lilylippy

Lily - Llymlrs @llymlrs

Lizzy - Scientist Chic @scientist_chic

Lois - Lois Loves @loisclark172

Lowri - The Deer Head @lowribevan

Maria - Frills 'n' Spills @frillsnspills

Nicola - Here I Am

Olivia - What Olivia Did @livpurvis

Rebecca - Musings from the Pigeons Nest @shinypigeon

Rebecca - Rebecca's Vintage Romance @rebecca_tweet

Rosie - Then She'll Carelessly Cut You @carelessly_cut

Safira - Miss Stylicious

Sara - SaraLuxe @sara_luxe

Sarah - City Girls Fashion Box @citygirlfashbox

Sarah - My Sentimental Heart

Sarah - A Million Dresses @amilliondresses

Sarah - Sequin This @sequinthis

Selina - FLYING SAUCER @motel_selina

Sian - Tea An Toast @teaantoastblog

Sophie The Story of a Girl Who Lives Beyond Her Means @sophiesopuk

Stacey - Style Speaks Louder Than Words @sjmford

Stephie - Stephanie in Wonderland

Vicky - #GOLLYGOSH @vic_gollygosh

Gah! massive 47 of us!So that's all the info I've got for the moment! Keep your peepers peeled for mass emails and don't forget to join in le convo on twitter with the hashtag #ldnlunch

*apologies for the array of fonts/sizes going on in this post, dunno what blogger is playing at

Payday Wishlist

2012-01-29T05:43:00.000-08:00

After paying the little blighters at Anglian Water and the chap who’s fixing my car I am going to be left very skint this month, I think even food and hot water are going to be a treat until the end of February! Such a rubbish time for being broke as well as my mind seems to be largely occupied by playsuits, dresses, and pastels. I don’t even know why because I’ve never actually worn pastels or even thought of wearing pastels until now.
So I’m making myself feel worse by online window shopping, I bet a million cream eggs that by the time I have a spare dollar floating around I won’t be able to find anything I like. Woe is me

1 £25 River Island //2 £38 Topshop //3 £26.99 Missguided //4 £24.99 Missguided

5 £25 River Island //6 £42 Motel //7 £32 Motel //8 £27.99 Missguided

9 £15 River Island //10 £22.99 Ark //11 £65 Topshop

Liz Earle Nourishing Botanical Body Cream

2012-01-27T10:47:00.000-08:00

I mentioned in my last Liz Earle review that despite my skin not having the best reaction to the cleanse and polish, I was so impressed with how friendly and personal the emails from the company were. After not really getting on with the product I wasn’t expecting to hear from them again but a few days later the lovely Laura asked if I wanted to try something that might be a bit friendlier to my sensitive skin and offered to send me the Nourishing Botanical Body Cream to try.

She suggested that after my last experience it may be a good idea to do a skin test with the product so after doing this and not noticing any visible blotches I lathered it all over my legs the day after a shave (tmi?) one morning before heading off to work. I usually have quite dry and sometimes scaly skin around my knees and shins which gets a lot worse after they’ve been mauled by a razor, so I was pleasantly surprised when changing into my pyjamas that night to find most of them gone. I even had fairly soft skin and this is a rarity for my ~~pins~~ legs!

The first thing I noticed about the product was the smell, it has a very fresh florally scent that hit me as soon as I started unwrapping the packaging. Once out of the bottle it does appear quite strong but as soon as it’s rubbed in you’re left with a clean feminine scent that dies down but is also quite long lasting.

This moisturiser has a very thick consistency which personally I prefer, it may take longer to rub in and leave your hands quite shiny but I always wash them afterwards anyway, and I’ve found that the majority of lower end products can be quite runny and don’t usually end up doing the job as well.
Overall I rate the Body Cream a lot higher than the cleanse and polish but I am quite biased! It has really worked for me and it’s even starting to soften up my elephant elbows which is a feat not many can achieve.

Floral Playsuits & Coronation Street Gangstas

2012-01-22T06:45:00.003-08:00

Playsuit: Warehouse

This is what I've been wearing for half of today as the morning was spent in pjs and an old t shirt scrubbing and cleaning my flat ready for the inspection tomorrow. Anyone else in a rented property have these all the time? The estate agent comes in my flat every four months to have a nose around and I'm not exactly sure what they think they'll find, although having Theo squatting here is sort of against the law but they don't know I have him so why the obscene amount of visits? Clothes wise I bought this from Warehouse many moons ago, I'm actually wearing it under a huge cardigan today but I looked a bit like a wooly mammoth in the photos so decided not to offend anyones eyes with those...

I spent yesterday in work so it hasn't been a hugely exciting weekend for me, although enchiladas and chocolate fudge cake later will no doubt make up for this! Althoughhh whilst waiting for Thomas to finish work I did create a little Coronation Street themed rap which I've added below, it's only like 2 minutes long so it'd be fab if you had a listen as my rhymez rival Jay-Z

Urban Decay Half Baked

2012-01-20T11:59:00.000-08:00

I think if I had to use one eyeshadow for the rest of my life it would be Urban Decay Half Baked.

I don’t really know what I can say about it really as the pictures sort of speak for themselves. It’s shimmery, it’s pretty, it’s gold, and it suits every skintone. From the many reviews I’ve read on the famous naked palette it also seems to be the most popular out of the 12 neutral shades, and I definitely started my love affair with half baked after finding it sitting nicely in my Sustainable Shadow palette.

It’s highly pigmented and the colour lasts forever, I have the misfortune of getting up at half five most mornings sob and this can still be seen when I finish work, as I’m pretty lazy at re applying makeup anything that can last over 10 hours is a win for me! It's the only eyeshadow I’ve ever “hit pan” on (I feel such a fraud using this phrase) so I’d recommend it to anyone who wants a day to night shade with some staying power. I’m obvz a very lucky laidee as Tom bought me this replacement and the naked palette for Christmas. I got him a load of tat as always…

2011 - Gripes, Groans & Grumbles

2012-01-17T05:16:00.000-08:00

Before I say anything I'd like to point out that I didn't approach Pat Butcher's makeup artist and ask him/her to transform me into a clown, my left side looks incredibly crazy thanks to the shadows in my room and I'm not actually wearing dark makeup up to my eyebrows. Oh and neither is one brow insanely bigger than the other. Ha I'm feeling the need to prove to myself as I watched this and thought WHAT IS WRONG WITH MY FACE, but at the beginning it's the right side that looks drag queen. Pesky Lighting.
So this video might make me look like a moany old woman but blanch from Coronation street was my hero... I kid.

I was also thinking of turning this into a fortnightly or monthly guest feature? It doesn't necessarily have to be a video if you prefer words on paper, I just thought I'd set a space aside on my blog for some light hearted gripes. If you're interested leave your email below and I'll send further details but obvz if you think it's a ridiculous idea please also tell me so this here blog doesn't turn into a mockery!

Sheer Shirts and Broken Teeth

2012-01-15T04:07:00.000-08:00

This is actually yesterdays outfit and the shirt is the half of my order Ark actually got right. I'm a little bit annoyed with them tbh as they were obviously aware that they'd ran out of the playsuit I ordered as they've marked the invoice, but instead of giving me a refund or asking what I'd like as a replacement they took it upon themselves to send me an ugly black number that looks NOTHING like my original choice. It's ridiculously short/highwaisted and shows off an unflattering camel toe so that it's being returned asap.
I do however like this shirt, although I'm unsure if my shoulder length barnet can pull it off? I feel a little butch in it hence the awkward snaps but it's so comfy and versatile so it's going to be a keeper. And I am rather in love with this necklace, I was contacted by a lovely lady named Susan from Accessories Direct who gave me the choice of some gorgeous jewellery to review, being a sucker for anything chunky I chose this straight away, I really like the black and gold together and if I listen to Sam Sparrow I can pretend he's singing at me. This is by a designer named Kate Benjamin so if you like what you see have a looky, her pieces are pricier than what I might normally go for (this necklace retails at £48.00) but from the weight and feel of it I can tell it's going to be a trooper and last a long time!

I spent the majority of my Friday off work in Asda due to an unfortunate incident with one of their cereals. Whilst Tom was innocently munching away on some Choco Flakes he caught his tooth on some sort of mini stone/seed hidden within it and has broken his front tooth. Literally half of it has just crumbled off. They had an "If you're not fully satisfied" number on the back and obviously he wasn't that satisfied so gave it a ring, apparently it's now under investigation but I'm hoping they offer some sort of compensation, we're both quite passive when it comes to complaints but it's going to cost £200 to get his tooth fixed so I think it's only fair that they foot some of the bill? Or do you reckon we're being a bit cheeky?
So, happy to see the back of Friday 13th, we're going to spend tonight (which is Saturday - I'm scheduling!) in front of the tv eating cream egg icecream, watching take me out, and enjoying some 3D goodness.

Ashley Tisdale Style Steal

2012-01-13T08:47:00.000-08:00

Necklace / Bag / Leggings / Scarf / Shoes / T Shirt / Cardigan

As much as I liked the character Sharpay (not that I'm a High School Music Fan...honest) I couldn't really see myself donning an all pink glittery number for jaunts around town, although I'm sure I'd have fit right in with the people mentioned in this post! To be honest I don't think I'd be brave enough to wear this either as I get scared graphic t shirts make me look a bit butch, but I can admire from afar and appreciate that Ashley Tisdale has a far more versatile wardrobe than Sharpay Evans and Maddie a'la Suite Life.

Despite what I've just said my favourite thing here is the t shirt because I dance like a crazy and I despise pervy men accosting me when dancing like a crazy, I just don't really like the price that much but I suppose all sorts of logo t shirts are quite expensive nowadays. I remember back in the olden days when a £15 topshop printed tee felt a bit much which is a tragic reminder of how old I'm getting : /

Ha on this depressive note I shall finish, but Ashley Tisdale I salute your wardrobe. Oh and Hellcats.

Aztec Antics

2012-01-11T08:40:00.000-08:00

Cardigan: £10 Ebay
Dress: Newlook

I'm so glad I found this cardigan, £10 for something that feels like you're wearing a dressing gown out of the house is a big win for me! I've linked it above if anyone else likes pretending to be Gandalf purely for the comfort.
Other than proclaiming my love for Celebrity Big Brother and all other awful reality tv shows (the new Geordie Shore starts at the end of the month and I canneigh wait) I don't really have much to say. I'm going to be making a huge list of everyone's names/twitters/blogs who are planning on coming to the LDNLUNCH so keep your peepers peeled for that as it's a good way to ~~stalk~~ talk to people before meeting them, it definitely helped me when I was pooping myself over the Brumbloggermeet! If you do want to ask any questions about the meetup or just fancy a chat then you can tweet me @imeloweez or send me an email (eloise.smith87@googlemail.com), although tbh I may just flap and say "I'll have to ask Sophie or Claire" as I'm not very organised.

A Sale I Actually Liked

2012-01-08T04:01:00.000-08:00

I've hated the sales this year, from the annoying pushy people to the 3 year old rubbish that a lot of shops seem to have bought back in the hope of selling it. To be fair after splurging on a macbook I didn't exactly have wads of moolar to go wild in the sales anyway but seeing what looked like rags gracing the floor still annoyed me. And why did they start them so early?!
Mini rant over as I actually managed to find a sale I liked. I can't actually remember how I ended up on the Ark site, I think I was looking for summery playsuits but instead found my favourite sale of the year.

All from the Ark Sale

I had some paypal pennies thanks to a man who bought my fur jacket (??) so I managed to purchase a playsuit and a shirt for £26 - Bargain. Just thought I'd share my find as I know a lot of other people have been disappointed with the sales this year.

In the fear of sounding like a braggie Sue (New Years resolution: stop adding Sue to everything) I got my wedding ring yesterday! I'm so excited that some of the plans are starting to come together, I'm usually really rubbish at organising things so thought the whole process was going to be a bit of a disaster but I'm really happy with everything we've managed to find/arrange so far. Now I've just got to find out what the council did with our marriage paper work....

Revlon Colourburst Lipstick in Raspberry

2012-01-06T08:11:00.000-08:00

I decided that I had to own a red lipstick. It was probably after seeing a picture of someone with hair as mousy as mine making it look good (I've just googled "blonde hair red lipstick" and this is most probably true), and then I saw Klee's post which made the decision for me - Red lips you shall be mine.

Rather than shell out for Mac and then get angry about wasting my money if I turned out to look like Krusty I used my Boots points and went a bit crazy testing about a million different reds on my skin. I don't like Matte lipsticks as I have a gross habit of chewing my lips so I find they make me look hideous, which was a bit of a pain as most highly pigmented red lipsticks tend to have a matte finish. Luckily my mitts were drawn to the Revlon Colourburst Lipsticks and after ~~a bit of~~ a lot of pondering I decided on Raspberry.

I don't think I have anything bad to say about the lipstick itself. It's a gorgeous finish, this here swatch stayed put on my hand for a very long time, the packaging makes it look a lot more expensive than it was (£7.99), the shape makes it so easy to apply, and it doesn't have an overpowering scent. I'm just not sure if its THE red for me, I reckon I should have been more daring and gone for the reddest of reds rather than a berry shade.

Hello Roots

I Thought I Saw Frankie Cocozza

2012-01-03T10:49:00.000-08:00

Possibly the most boring outfit I've ever posted on here so I've added a bit of Theo to spice it up simply because cats can make anything interesting.

Top: Missguided
Jeans: Newlook
Cardigan: Ebay

This is actually my attire from yesterday which I wore to do battle with the strange folk of Northampton, I know I've said it before but I really don't know what I do to attract the crazies. My first encounter was a 60 ish year old man making some sort of groaning and grunting noise in my face whilst smacking his lips together, this was followed by another elderly man who shouted "There's maniacs in my head!" whilst walking past me, and finally a half man half Gollum creature crossed my path - all to the soundtrack of a girl who looked like Frankie Cocozza busking in the street. The town center never fails to disappoint, although I did score some fakey Kath Kidston bedding for ten whole pounds so I got over the horrific experience pretty quickly.
Hope everyone's coping with the January blues, it was my first day back at work today and Christmas already feels like many moons ago, our decorations are now tucked away in their boxes and the only festive reminder is the mammoth amount of chocolates we have left which I intend to start making a dent in shortly whilst catching up on the Made in Chelsea mash up. Although the green triangles can go away.

My Liz Earle Experience

2012-01-01T03:53:00.000-08:00

I've been debating for a while whether or not to post this, as I know there's a lot of stigma attached to giving a bad review of something that's been sent as a free sample to try. That being said I don't think this is necessarily a bad review as such, I'm just sharing my freakily over sensitive skin's experience with Liz Earle as it might help someone with skin equally as sensitive as mine. I also want to be honest on here and give a constructive review, so if you might be offended by not so positive happy smiley words - look away now.

I think everyone knows about the famous Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish, it's been a major hit on the "blogosphere" for a long time and pretty much every beauty blogger/youtuber has been singing it's praises. This being said I was extremely grateful and rather excited when the very friendly Laura offered to send me some to try. A speedy two days later and I was savagely ripping into the 100ml starter kit, which includes 2 of the muslin cloths.

The Cleanse and Polish promises to work for every age and skin type and uses a "two phase action" of removing stubborn makeup and also breaking off the dead skin cells to give you softer skin. I used this at night and it definitely did the trick, every little morsel of makeup was taken from my face in a couple of swipes and I followed this with the polish stage in order to wake up with baby soft skin. I was also quite fond of the scent which I can only describe as clean with a hint of mint, it just smells fresh and I prefer this to fruity or sweet smells for skincare.

The next morning my skin felt as it usually did but my cheeks looked a little blotchy, in fairness they always look a bit worse in the morning so I ignored it, did a bit more cleansing and polishing before putting my makeup on, and then went through the same process again before going to bed.
I didn't expect to wake up the next day to this:

I had scales, I had blotches, I had red patches around my eyes and my mouth, and I looked like I'd slept on a sunbed. I'm not too sure what it was in the ingredients that caused my skin to react like this but 5 days later and I'm still looking a bit flushed.

So for me the Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish wasn't the miracle skin care product I'd hoped for, but as I said at the beginning my skin is a bit rubbish and hyper sensitive so I'm probably the 0.001 percent of unlucky people this could happen too and going by other reviews of the product it seems to have proven to be miraculous for everyone else! As I said at the start of this post, if this has offended you (and lets be honest, images of my face without makeup aren't pretty!) then apologies, I was very grateful to receive this but I just thought I'd share my experience.

Marc B Olivia Bag

2011-12-29T08:59:00.000-08:00

For some reason I'd always sort of put Marc B in the same bracket I would Paul's Boutique which was, if I'm being honest, a little chavvy. However during a mammouth handbag internet trawl searching for my own Christmas present I came across the Olivia Bag in Camel.

It was Neutral. It was leopard. It was Love.

In non bag lady news I have a pet hate to share, this being The city of Milton Keynes. I made the 40 minute journey to take some shoes back today but failed to do so as there were no parking spaces anywhere. After a very stressful hour searching (where hopes were raised from time to time by a sneaky smart car making it look like there was a space available) we gave up and headed home. A wasted time had by all. Milton Keynes I hate you and your city center of squares and roundabouts.

For Bloggers That Lunch - Meetup

2011-12-28T10:00:00.000-08:00

So the other day I tweeted Sophie and it was mentioned that we needed to meet up again, Claire got in on the action too so it was soon decided that it was time for another meet up. We're thinking of "doing lunch" in London on the 3rd March so anyone that's up for a bit of a natter and some food leave a comment below and we'll keep you updated via email.

I will say now that I'm awful at organising so it will probably be a very cash(ual) affair but I think that's sometimes a nicer way to meet new people, and I know it's yonks away but we thought if we set a date now that gives everyone plenty of notice to make plans and sort out the horrors of public transport. So again, if you're interested please comment below with your email and we'll be in touch! ...ugh I sound like I'm interviewing for a job, don't worry we don't plan on interrogating anyone.

Oh! And there's a twitter hashtag of LDNLUNCH

Ode to Being Outgifted

2011-12-26T11:48:00.000-08:00

So every year I get outfigted by Tom, I'm just not that thoughtful when it comes to presents and he always ends up getting the same sorts of things: clothes, playstation games, manfume, etc. This year I got him a pair of Toms (badumdum), a watch, a game, and a lot of other tat and he came up trumps AGAIN. I'm not posting this as a "look at how spoilt I am and feel well jel" post, I just thought I'd say nice things about my boyfriend as he got me things I'd wanted to buy myself for yonks but couldn't afford.

I'M IN LOVE WITH THIS DRESSING TABLE, he'd sneekily put it together in our shed outside and I don't know how he managed to keep it a secret, it's exactly what I wanted and I can't wait to start decorating the spare room into a french boudoir and sing Frere Jacques as I'm getting ready in the morning. I really wasn't expecting anything else from him so was completely overwhelmed at everything else he bought.
Although the guilt did creep in and spread its horrid butterflies as he'd told me he had an "idea" of what to get me and I said "Can I have a bag instead?" I really did mean instead of not aswell as so I deffs felt like a Spoilt Susan. So all in all it was a rather nice day with some good food and the in-laws, the only thing missing was my own family - my mum and dad are living in Spain and my sister was visiting her own inlaws avec child so it didn't really feel like a routine Christmas for me, and I was made to wear a paper crown which is always a downer : /

Hope everyone had a guddun, I'm about to settle down with some Yule Log and trawl my google reader to stalk everyone elses Christmas!

The Week Before Christmas

2011-12-22T09:52:00.000-08:00

It's December and Christmas hasn't happened yet which means all my spends have gone on presents for others and petrol to deliver said presents, so other than a million supermarket visits I haven't really done much. But if you're like me and like a nose then here's some of what I got up to at the weekend - it's edge of the seat stuff honestly : /

So there's my week, I'm hoping this weekend shall be a little better and will involve less gory affairs! It's my last day at work tomorrow and I cannot wait to get away from the ancient 80s radio we have in the office blasting out local radio blather and Christmas songs , if I hear the chap from Slade screech IT'SSS CHRRIIISSSTMASSSS like a screeching banshee one more time I will kill myself. Or maybe just staple my ears together....but that will involve more blood and gore.
So incase I don't post again before Sunday - hope everyone has a jolly christmas!

Waffling on About Perfume Bottles

2011-12-18T02:16:00.000-08:00

After the spring dispenser thing (technicall terms only here) on my beloved Daisy broke I headed to ebay for a new glass bottle but all the versions I liked were around the £15-£20 mark so instead I started to use the power of my nails to spray a tiny bit onto my wrist whilst the rest dribbled down the bottle. Waste. I was actually perusing Ikea for a milk whisk when these beauties called me over and for £7 (ish, it may have been £7.99) for all three I couldn't resist, and the fact that Thomas was paying made it even better!
Not exactly an incredibly exciting purchase but they look nice so I thought I'd share. Another thing I've been loving this week are waffles. WHY HAVE I NEVER TRIED MAPLE SYRUP BEFORE? And eating them for breakfast as a week-off-work treat made them even better.

I blame these for my lack of blogging this week. That and the fact I've spent the weekend visiting relatives I sort of forgot existed in the land of Grim(sby), it was a very Northern and a very Royle Family affair and there were tacky foil christmas decorations everywhere - poet. I did get to see my nephew again though which was nice, we had a full on conversation where the words "ball" "gone" and "bah" were repeated a lot.

I'll be where the eagles flyin' higher and higher

2011-12-13T12:02:00.000-08:00

Shorts: Motel
Blouse: Newlook
Cardigan: Newlook
Burgundy Dress (worn as top): Newlook

These shorts were sent to me after the Motel event last month, I initually chose a dress but changed my mind after seeing numerous people in the shorts/tights combo and feeling jealous that the only shorts I owned were old, baggy, and denim. I actually took these photos on Saturday as I was planning on wearing one of the above to battle the general public to do a spot of christmas shopping but after half an hour of deciding whether or not they were too revealing I got scared and left the house in jeans. However ikea is obviously the place to flash a cheek or two as I was confident enough to donn them today whilst purchasing lint rollers and a milk whisk. Still not really sure how to style them so suggesions are welcomed with open arms!

In other news I visited the holy grail of supermarkets today, if you haven't been to the MASSIVE Asda in Milton Keynes you haven't lived, although I was quite disappointed a the lack of stuffed crust in the create your own pizza section - I like a cheese overload in a cosy doughy blanket and a thin n' crispy just isn't good enough : /

Oh and after watching haidee on youtube yesterday my old love for Hey Arnold now feels a little bit tainted.

Image found via google images

Meet my buds Vera Wang & Marc Jacobs

2011-12-10T04:29:00.000-08:00

I’m a creature of habit and once I find something I like I tend to stick with it for yonks, at the moment this seems to be the case with half baked eyeshadow and knitwear but it has always been the same with fragrance. I’m not one to hoard loads of difference scents and chop and change daily, I wear the same thing everyday and once the bottle runs out I buy another. Vera Wang will always be a dear friend to me, I first got this a couple of years ago from Thomas for my birthday and I’ve been dousing myself in it ever since. Yes it’s a very “girly” scent and I’d say due to it being quite sweet it’s probably aimed at younger people but alas I don’t care, I like it and it doesn’t make me choke like some stronger perfumes do.
Daisy was another gift from Thomas for yet another birthday and in my novicey opinion I’d say this feels a little bit “older”. I dunno the correct terminology for fragrance but I always class them as “Sweet”, “Fresh”, or “Spicy” and I’d say this is probably spicy, not in a tikka masala way just more like the female version of aftershave. GAH I can’t explain myself so I’ll stop, but all in all I like these two and I’ll probably be wearing these till I’m 60.

Hope everyone’s Saturday is going well, I’m emailing this blog post to myself from work where I’ll be stuck until 12 before battling the crowds in town for wrapping paper and baby clothes. I’ve started to film a shoddy vlog of my day which is probably super boring but if it’s something you’d like to see lemme know and I’ll decide if I’m brave enough to showcase myself to the world.

Insert Crazy Weekend Anecdotes Here

2011-12-06T11:51:00.000-08:00

Dress: Love
Necklace: I Need More Jewellery
Shoes: Primark

I ordered this dress a while ago and wore it to the Motel Event, it should have been £34 but I found a discount code and snagged a cheeky £10 off. I do rather like the style as it reminds me of a playsuit but the silky material seems to be constantly welcoming my cat to rub his face on it.

I'm at a loss over what to write as I literally have done NOTHING over the past couple of days, I was thinking yesterday I'm going to have to start making up crazy adventures to tell the work olds on a Monday morning when they ask the inevitable "what did you do over the weekend?" question. There's always an uncomfortable pause before my answer of "errr not a lot really" which translates to TV, Call of Duty, Blogging, and chocolate. I don't think I hide the fact I'm a sloth very well....
With that in mind I'm off to eat a kit kat chunky. Thanks Asda, keep 'em at 1.00 and I'll love you forevz.

November Summary

2011-12-03T03:33:00.000-08:00

1) Sian's cookies that she oh os kindly made for everyone who journeyed to Birmingham for the Brum Bloggers Meet. It went down nicely with a huge brew as always

2) I haven't drank a drop of alcohol since this night. There's nothing quite as glamorous as starting the night with absinthe & skittles vodka and ending it cleaning up your boyfriends sick.

3) Very creepy Santa at the christmas Market

4) Not really a lifechanging occurance in November, but Theo making beds out of everything is cute.

5) My first experience with Papa John, it was the size of a hula hoop. We ordered two.

6) Boots graced my attire for the first time this year, apparently I look like a gypsie in them.

7) The only cupcakes I know how to make, the plan was to make a load and freeze them but instead I made a load and ate them all.

8) Tacky but super comfy Primark pyjamas, winter nights are so much better than summer ones.

9) Glossybox controversy. To be honest they say you'll receive samples so that's what I expected so I wasn't particuarly enraged about this.

Looking at this, perhaps I should make more of an effort to do exciting things in my everyday life rather than just sit in comfy clothing and eat : /

Skater Dress & a Bad Fake Tan

2011-11-29T09:34:00.000-08:00

Cardigan: Ebay
Dress: Love Curtosy of Rosie's Giveaway
Necklace: Accessorize

This is what I wore to the Birmingham bloggers meet at the weekend, I thought the amount of wool on the cardigan would keep me nice and toasty whilst battling the elements in the german market...I thought wrong. It was freezing. And busy. And an incredibly drunk man compared me to Sienna Miller, although what he actually said was "hellodarrlinoolookikesennamyllerrr" - nice.
Judging by the first picture I was also a shade of mahogany for the whole day and looked like I was trying to bring back TOWIE on the streets of Birmingham, so apologies to anyone who came close enough and got a stench of biscuits!

I was going to do a seperate post about the meet but sadly I only had my Iphone camera and it failed in the rubbish light, so in short I had a fab day where I managed to see the lovely Emma, Rebecca, Char, Hayley, Michelle & Gemma again and I also had the pleasure of meeting the rather funny Annabel and the oh-so-kind Sian who made us all cookies which I snaffled as soon as I got home with a good brew. If you aren't already followers of these ladies blogs they're all pretty darn good so go have a looky.

Hope everyone's well, the stress of planning a wedding hit me today in the form of family politics so I'm going to get my agression out in the form of cleaning my horrific bathroom followed by trash tv.
Oh and I want this girl to be my bff.

Christmas Outfits

2011-11-25T13:05:00.000-08:00

1 Dress £29.99 Quiz, Clutch £30 Aldo, Shoes £62 Topshop
2 Dress £58 Motel, Clutch £5.60 Peacocks, Shoes £24.99 Newlook
3 Dress £38 Love, Clutch £35 Aldo, Shoes £20 Debenhams

There's always a huge amount of sparkle at this time of year, and every year I find myself looking at outfits for the Christmas season but never actually buying anything. I think it's because an outfit like this can only really be worn a couple of times but I should maybe invest as glitter is glitter whether it's 2010 or 2011 and it'll probably continue to do the rounds every Christmas for a while. I'm not too sure which one of these outfits is my favourite, surprisingly I'm really liking the Quiz dress which is a bit hypocritical of me as I've always "pah!-ed" at this shop for being a bit chavtron, but the oversized bow is rather Blaire Waldorf esque and Gossip Girl is my favourite.
Hope everyone's planning a good weekend, Ima head to Birmingham tomorrow and spend Sunday watching films. Wins.

I Think I Wanna Barry You

2011-11-22T11:25:00.000-08:00

I've found myself regressing a couple of years and re igniting my love for ol' Bazza...

My camera did not want to co operate with poor lighting today

Yes, if applied without a sturdy hand you can look like you're crying tears of glitter. Yes, if you happen to be wearing a white top little clouds of colour explode onto it, and yes, the product always seems to leek out of the screw top. But I always seem to go back to these little pots and I don't think I could ever even part with even the more hideous colours I've bought.
The two here are so ancient they don't have shade names but the greeny colour on the left is actually dazzle dust's more glamorous relative "Fine Glitter Dust" and it makes my eyes BLUER THAN THE SEA. Ok that's a lie as mine are a funny grey colour but this definitely makes them look a lot brighter. I've started using the gold dazzle dust again as I've ran out of my trusty Half Baked and it's proving a good yet messy alternative, it's more of a browny gold than a copper gold but I likes the shimmer.
Right I'm now going to sit down with a brew and a million digestives and catch up on blogs before trecking out in my pjs to pick up Tom from work at 11, how horrible is it that I then have to be up tomorrow to take him to his morning shift for 6 O CLOCK?! The perrils of sharing a car...

A Leopard and a Whale

2011-11-19T11:42:00.000-08:00

Skirt: Ebay
Top: Missguided

I took these photos whilst trying on night out outfits and this was the winner for last night, just with heaps more fake tan, lots of eyemakeup, and no tights. Because of said night out I'm now suffering the effects of excessive alcohol consumption (yes I still have a hangover at 8pm) and did something today that should have been done a long long time ago...poured what was left of our big bottle of absinthe down the sink,that evil green monster has ruined many a night out for me and it will ruin no more!
So my day has actually been spent on the sofa watching Saturday afternoon movies and I've fallen in love with Free Willy all over again, I remember back in the day I used to get so jealous of Jesse as he was caught vandalising and his punnishment was to befriend a whale?! I suppose he did see the error of his ways and grew into quite the environmentally friendly risk taker. I'm rambling. In all it's been a very uneventful day and I'm going to spend the night with x factor, a duvet, and lots of self pity.

Can You See the Sky (or dress) Turn Red

2011-11-15T09:41:00.000-08:00

Dress: Ebay
Necklace: Primark

I never wear red, I think I have a subconscious dislike for it. For me red equals blotchy skin, burn after 3 seconds of exposure to the sun, and my cheeks' ability to blush ridiculously easily. I don't usually take fashion advice from the olds at work but one of them said "red would look lovely on you" so I thought I'd give it a go...and I don't hate the result, I do however hate my orangey browndyegonewrong roots and the singing demonic girl from the littlewoods christmas advert. Oh and my arms looking a bit sausage like.
This dress was super cheap but the quality sort of reflects the price as it feels a bit clingy in some places and sags in others, for £14 I shouldnt really complain but I sort of wish I'd saved my money and bought the topshop version.
I have nothing else to say really, trying to save my pennies for christmas so haven't been getting up to any adventurous things - although Brum blogger meet pt 2 is soon, who else is going?

Motel Rocks & Glossybox Event

2011-11-12T10:12:00.000-08:00

My blog turned 2 on Thursday and what better way to celebrate than to hope on a train to London (after faffing about and failing to find my booking confirmation) to oggle at nice clothes and mingle with other bloggers who I've ~~stalked~~ followed for a while.

Me, Rebecca, Dina & Lucy

Rebecca & Dina

Rebecca & Sophie

After meeting the lovely Rebecca and Dina at Euston we squeezed onto a cramped tube to Oxford Circus, got lost a little bit trying to find the Whistles pess day, got a little bit snubbed at said press day, then made our way to Motel where we were faced with so many bloggers! Being the Nervous Nelly I am I was actually a little overwhelmed but the girls I did manage to speak to were all lovely and the Mojito helped ease my nerves a little.
I'm a big Motel fan and fell in love with pretty much everything I saw and found myself being drawn to anything leopard print, the oh so generous Motel ladies allowed every blogger at the event to pick out an item from the new collection and even arranged sweets and candyfloss on tap - pretty much paradise for me! The Glossybox team were also there with a tower of irresistable Lola's cupcakes which I found an impossible feat trying to eat in a ladylike fashion so instead hoovered up in one, so apologies to anyone who happened to glance over and saw this not-so-pretty site : /

Overall it was a great night and huge thanks to everyone at Motel and Selina for inviting me, big kudos of the night goes to the lovely lady on the door - it was quite chilly!

I didn't manage to take many photos through the sea of bloggers but here's some of my favourite items from the new collection, I'm sensing a pattern with the print...

1, 2, 3, 4

Colonel Mustard

2011-11-07T22:22:00.000-08:00

Fur Collared Coat: Primark

I saw this coat two weeks ago in the tiny Primark in town and got in a bit of a strop when I went back for it on Saturday and all they had were size 8's, luckily I went back in to assess the knitwear situation and found a 10 sneakily hiding in the back. I really like the mustardy colour and the fur will keep me extra toasty if the weather decides to turn arctic again this year, although probably not the most practical of materials if it gets wet - I'm thinking drowned rat.
I'm not really liking the fact it's only Tuesday, this week seems so long already! I guess it's a bit rubbish wishing your life away but I'm working 6 days this week so cannot wait for a lazy Saturday night/Sunday with X factor and films.
So over and out, bit of a short post but at 6:33am I'm finding it hard to make this week sound exciting!

Edit: This blog post hasn't taken me 14 hours and 38 minutes to write, it was drafted in a blury eyed haze this morning

A Wishlist I Might Have to Wait a While For

2011-11-05T10:22:00.000-07:00

1. £34 Love
2 £80 Topshop
3 I will own a Chihuahua one day
4 £A Lot Mulberry
5 £35 Urban Decay
6 £32 Topshop
7 £89 Kurt Geiger
8 £1099 Apple

I was actually planning on an outfit post today, but after a trip into a town full of children (why do they congregate in the most awkward of places?!) it was too dark when I finally got back. Maybe I'll do some of my usual poses tomorrow.
I've spent so much time lately online window shopping and I don't know why I do it to myself, especially with Christmas creeping up on us and swallowing up any spare change left after rent/bills/addiction to crap food. But after Christmas I'm hoping to lure a pair of black boots into my wardrobe and these two are on my hitlist. If only the topshop pair were stud free - the heels and buckles I like, the studliness I do not. I could overlook this if a miracle happened and topshop decided to SALE them.
I don't think the Mulbery or the Chihuahua are going to happen anytime soon unless I sneakily start giving out my own bank details at work for people to make payments too...but when I eventually have my own house I'd like a little chap like this running around, I think Tom would probably object but I've got years to convince him a Chihuahua is just as much mans best friend as a K9 or Turner & Hooch type dog would be!
Just to mention x factor AGAIN I'll be watching on my own tonight so I'll be keeping twitter close by for x factor related humour, if anyone wants to send some my way please do.

Leopard Print is Taking Over my Wardrobe

2011-11-02T09:28:00.000-07:00

Trying to hold the jacket together=awkward hand position

I bought this fur jacket last year for cheaps from Republic, I do love it and it makes me feel like a stuffed animal BUT i'm having trouble styling it. I've tried it with a dress and I feel Bet Lynchified, I've tried it with skirts and I feel prostituty with my bleach damaged hair, and I've gone for shorts here and it looks too cas(ual)? My last attempt will be some wine skinnys which could work but might again look a bit too dressed down, espesh as I wanted to be draped in leopard fur for my trip into London on Thursday. So any suggestions would be most welcome!

Today was actually a last minute day off from work for me as the landlords were sending a maintenence man around and I had to play hide the cat once again, the poor little mite has spent most of the day hiding in the bedroom listening to post hardcore (If I call it emo I feel too old to be listening to it) at a non offensive to his cat ears volume whilst eating dry food in an attempt to stop him leaving little gifts on my clothes. Other than a trip to the doctors this has pretty much been my day - why do people always cough so much more in the doctors? You don't need to prove your illness to me : / I'll be spending tonight catching up on blogs, enjoying a bath, and most likely watching big brother...GO HOME FAYE.
And just to throw it in another post, GO HOME FRANKIE YOU LOOK RIDICULOUS

I found this on google images, I'd like to credit this lady as she looks fun but I don't know who she is

Make Your Tan Last Longer

2011-10-30T07:48:00.000-07:00

I'm quite pale so usually before a night out or anything that involves showing my ~~stumps~~ legs I'll hit the bottle (of tan). I've been using the L'oreal Sublime Bronze for years now and as much as I like the colour it gives me it has two downfalls. 1. It stinks. 2. It's quite expensive, it's usually on some sort of offer in supermarkets/superdrug but at full price it costs around £12 which isn't as pricey as some brands but it still adds up quickly if you use it a lot, especially as it's a gel texture and you can often misjudge how much you actually need and end up wasting product.

The answer to this should have hit me years ago but it didn't. Instead a friend suggested it and I facepalmed.

Yes. Mixing a strong tanner with a gradual tanner. AND it saves on pre tanning moisturiser! I think I overlooked this as they're completly different textures, and to be honest when you do mix the two together the finishing product does come out looking a bit rude....

Childish humour aside I actually find this method better as you can apply twice for a darker shade - sort of like a gradual tanner but without having to wait a week to get a result. I did take a picture of part of my legs to demonstrate but I have a bit of a complex about my moles so couldn't bring myself to show them to the world just yet.
So that's it really, not a hugely exciting post but I thought I'd state the obvious for anyone else out there like me who has been missing this trick! I also made a little video about self tanners a few weeks ago which can be found here.
Hope everyone's had a good weekend, I'm feeling a little worse for wear after a night on the razzle last night so I'm about to settle down to some Karl Pilkington adventures with a Papa John's pizza. I'm sure it will go down a treat after the cheese and bean toasties I had earlier - I literally cannot stop gorging on savories when hungover.

Trusty Blacks

2011-10-26T09:55:00.000-07:00

For a very long time I've had a pair of trusty blacks, I don't really go out "on the razzle" very often so I don't like to shell out on heels that might only be tottered about in once. So instead I always buy a staple pair that go with everything and pretty much wear them continuously until they fall apart/get so much drink chucked over them they disintegrate. I thought I had three generations of these to photograph but sadly the grandmother of trustys had to be laid to rest after she turned grey and wasn't too sturdy on the heels.
Here is my latest edition to the cause.

Left: Reliable trusty - Matalan
Right: Newfound Trusty that might hurt me - Newlook

Matalan has actually been the breeding ground for two pairs of going out shoes for me but I decided to live dangerously and try Newlook this time. Well that and I had some vouchers. I was planning on wearing them on Saturday for a night out but I'm not sure if the platforms make me look more like a lady of the night with the bodycon skirt I had prepared. hmmmm.

In other mid week news, the most exciting part of my day today was seeing kit kat chunkies on offer for a pound, winner.

Spent the Weekend Listening to Crunk

2011-10-23T10:11:00.000-07:00

Dress: Newlook
Cardigan: Newlook
Tights: Primark
Necklace: I Need More Jewellery

I'm glad velvet has "come back" as I bought two of these dresses last year from New Look and I feared they'd be cast aside never to be worn again. I like how they're bodycon but not overly tight and they don't show off all the jiggly bits like some dresses do. Annnd they seem to cling to the right places rather than straight to the belly - I hope!
Ugh I can't believe it's Sunday evening already, although for once I can actually say I've had real plans this weekend (I don't think dates with Pauly D and The Only Way is Essex counts) as me and Tom made the hideously long journey to Grimsby yesterday for my Nannas' 70th. It was nice seeing my close family again but there was many an awkward moment where some long lost relative twice removed introduced themselves and I was unsure what to do, I don't like kissing unknowns, i'm not a male so don't like shaking hands, and it's just creepy hugging older men you don't know! I am socially retarded....
I've also been sehr busy today blitzing the flat for an inspection tomorrow, I get such a feeling of dread when a letter comes in the post from the estate agent and this week it was a double whammy 1 They put our rent up and 2 We have an inspection despite having one two months ago. So after a day of extreme cleaning I'm going to spend tonight snuggled up with a brew and X Factor, and speaking of which I'm not sure if I'm enjoying it as much as last year as there's just not that many people I actually like - Bring back Cher Lloyd, One Direction & Matt Cardle please!

So that's me done. Hope everyone else has had a pleasant one. I also listed some wears on ebay today so if you fancy a peek click here!

Mememe Cosmetics: Beat the Blues

2011-10-19T04:06:00.000-07:00

After grabbing glamour when they were giving away free mini bottles of high beam I've used it pretty much every day since. As it's such a small bottle (4ml) it's lasted quite well but it was nearing that time when a repurchase is necessary and I'm always a bit "wah" about repurchasing products, as it's just not as exciting as trying new things. It doesn't help much when it's nearing the end of the month either and funds are becoming a bit dry.
Enter Beat the Blues

I've never tried anything by MeMeMe Cosmetics before but there was actually a few products on their stand that looked quite impressive, being boring and practical I thought I'd see how the Illuminator held it's own before trying anything else. There were two shades available "Moonbeam" and "Sunbeam" which was a little confusing as it's Moonbeam that's the dupe for High Beam, and Sunbeam resembles Benefit's Moonbeam....still with me?

Top - Mememe Beat the Blues
Bottom - Benefit High Beam
When I took this photo I initially thought the High Beam had a runnier consistency whilst the Beat the Blues seemed to be a lot thicker and managed to stay put, but after blending the product in it was actually the High Beam that stayed in place - more confusion.

So even though there's a slight difference in the consistency as you can see from the swatches the shades are very similar, and after more blending they both gave my skin the "glow" I always need on an early morning! I did take a photo of the Beat the Blues on my cheeks but my face looked all puffy and gross so I've decided not to offend the eyes of anyone reading this.

The only other slight difference I noticed between the two was the difference in quality of the brushes, the High Beam brush was sturdy and held its shape whilst the Beat the Blues was a little flimsy. Although to be honest I only use the brush to apply the product onto my cheeks and I use my fingers to blend it anyway so its not really too much of an issue for me.

Sooo I'm actually rather happy I came across MeMeMe's Beat the Blues. Yes the product itself might be a little thinner than High Beam and yes the brush might be a little bit of a pain BUT it costs £5.25 whilst a trip to the Benefit counter will set you back £18.50 - so you could actually buy THREE beat the blues for less! And I'm more than willing to sacrifice an extra minute to blend the product for such a good price. Speaking of which Superdrug are actually selling it for £3.25 at the moment which was a pleasant surprise when I got to the counter.

Red Red Wine You Make Me Feel So Fine

2011-10-15T11:12:00.000-07:00

Top: Newlook
Jeans: Newlook
Boots: Primark
Necklace: Accessorize

It seems an age since I last did an outfit post but I've been feeling gross and recently my dresses have been swapped for un snap worthy jeans. I've also decided I'm like these people and own a maximum of two poses. Hello hand on hair for the 582737th time!
Buuut for what has been the first time in a few weeks I chose not to fester away in my flat on this bright and crisp Saturday and instead worked during the early hours of this morning, ventured into town for a shop, battled the Morrisons' Monsters in the name of an extra tasty roast chicken, AND cleaned my car. Festering with Jersey Shore and Karl Pilkington will no doubt resume tomorrow.
Speaking of tv, if anyone is as ~~tragic~~ diehard as me and is still watching Big Brother then feel free to tweet me your thoughts - my sister was my go to for housemate hate (Aaron) but since she became with child her texting ability has become quite shoddy.
And finally my week has consisted of applying for jobs! I've decided to try and shed the role of credit controller and attempt a new start, I've always thought of my job as a "stop gap" and realised the other day that if I didn't do anything about it, then like my colleagues I too will spend 30 years gazing out of the office window wondering whether the rain will ruin the washing I put out this morning.

Oh and if you recognised the lyric then WINS, UB40 are what the 90s were made of. And blind date.

Hey batta batta batta SCHWING batta

2011-10-11T11:29:00.000-07:00

1. Not overly Keene on the van but I was liking the Beuller love enough to snap a picture. Anyone else want to save Ferris? "Anyone.... Anyone...Anyone....."

2 & 6. I went shopping with mein mother and found the wedding dress. Getting measured for said dress resulted in a farewell to cake and hello to limp and lifeless salad. My hips, chebs and tum apparently vary between three sizes making me an improportioned bride to be. I'm even tempted to embrace exercise...

3. Wedding decisions gallore this week, I've decided on this cake in three tiers and a very nice friend at work said she'd make it for me at half the price of an extortionate bakery. Im'a stuff my face with chocolate fudge and be too bloated for a first dance. Well that'll be my excuse.

4. Mammoth traffic jam on the way to work, I was sat in this position for at least half an hour thanks to some silly drivers. I whiled away the time watching Franki's newest YouTube video. Unless that's also illegal whilst stationary... If so I kept my eyes on the traffic and my hands at ten and two

5. My humble abode for 8 hours a day/40 hrs a week. I refuse to decorate my desk with various stuffed animals like many other women in the office do. It's just distracting clutter.

7. Autumn is a comin' and the leaves are a fallin'. I actually have an irrational fear of walking on wet leaves which was a bit embarrassing when my newly introduced housemate had to give me a piggyback at uni, but they do look pretty and they do equal knitwear.

So that's been my week via instragram, I've had it on my phone for yonks and never really got round to using it, another thing I bandwagon-ed late!

My Second Ever Mac Order

2011-10-08T12:34:00.000-07:00

Last weekend (or at least I think it was last weekend, the days are going so quickly lately) Mac were offering free delivery, I'd wanted Club after seeing Adrienne's post and there's always room in my makeup bag for more lipstick so who was I to scoff and turn down free postage?

Club is a duo-chrome, highly pigmented eyeshadow that changes from brown to green whenever the mood/light takes it.

Ah I think I'm in love, the colour reminds me of a lizard but in this case it's a good thing. I've always liked green eyemake up but it can sometimes come off looking like I've been punched in the face, the brown in Club really tones down what could be a harsh green and the two work so well together. It also makes my eyes "pop" which is something I've always tried to seek out in an eyeshadow.

After an obsessive about of deciding I finally went with Creme Cup, I'm always drawn to blue based pinks and I'm not very adventurous so bought another - this time I was even crazy enough to buy a NUDE blue based pink. I do live on the edge me.

Scuse the dry lips. I think Creme Cup is a great daytime lipstick for those undaring types like me, and the pinky nude shade makes it friendly with even more nude shadows or a dramatic "night on the raz" eye.

Did anyone else take advantage of Mac last week? Annnd I know this is a complete change of subject but down with Frankie Cocozza, you are not and never will be a libertine. Go away.

Braved Bandaged Bodycon

2011-10-01T08:01:00.000-07:00

Top: Newlook
Skirt: Ebay
Necklace: I Need More Jewellery
Ring: Some cheap shop in Northampton

I was going to buy an identical skirt to this from Newlook but it was overly tight, you can't see this in the photo but it's a bandage style with a zip at the back. Luckily I didn't as I found this on ebay for half the price and it's a nicer colour.
The tights were probs a silly idea in this freak hot weather we've been having - how hot has it been for october?! Whilst most people have enjoyed the sun today doing various outsidey things I was at work scoffing toast & peanut butter and then battling crazed shoppers in Morrisons. All I wanted was toothpaste/deoderant/salad but as always on a Saturday it was like that scene from the Lion King where Simba runs from the wilder beasts, a man even stood inches away breathing on me whilst I was using the self serve and I hadn't even finished paying before he plonked his bags down and tried to scan. Ugh.

Ha I'm a dab hand at Photoshop obvz

Edit I've realised today how short this post is which is a bit of a fail moment for me. Although I have added a sneaky youtube video today which can be seen here - honest opinions appreciated!

I used to watch a cartoon called Maxi's World

2011-09-28T10:50:00.000-07:00

Top - Newlook
Maxi Dress - Missguided
Necklace - Gift from Char

Hallo! I jumped on the maxi bandwagon two years too late but alas, here is me sporting my recent missguided purchase. I've also found an eBay seller here who's a little bit cheaper if anyone wants their own. I'm not too sure about it tbh, it's so tight and pretty much shows every bump of cellulite on my body along with a rather large vpl! I do like the colour though, rusts mustards and wines are wins for Autumn.
I don't really have any exciting news on this bizarrely hot day - just a tragic experience to share. Today was my first ever visit to the dentist where I needed more than a plasticy prod around and a sticker. Today was the day I had my first filling. Or should have had...
I've slacked on the dentist front for EIGHT YEARS. Yes it's gross but its something my mum always did for me and I just sort of forgot to ever register with one as I've moved around so much. So I finally did and last week they had a root around my mouth and told me I needed a filling, but today they drilled my gums so much that there was too much blood for said filling! I now have a mouthful of what can only be compared to grout and an inability to eat apples. Ha mini horror story over and apologies for the gum imagery, hope everyone elses wednesday has been a little better!!

anyone else remember this?

Birthday Weekend - Picture Heavy

2011-09-26T00:08:00.000-07:00

This isn't a very fashiony post as I celebrated turning 24 by camping and a trip to the zoo - although I don't know if it's technically camping if the caravan has it's own shower, cooker, and fire? I still took it as an excuse to slob around in pyjamas and hoodies though! My birthday was actually on Thursday and I was ridiculously spoilt by the women at work (which sort of makes me feel bad calling them vulture washer woman), Tom, my family, and Char who completely surprised me with a parcel.
So here's some pictures from my weekend, if you don't like animals look away now...

I've eaten so much cake in the last three days, I can already feel this keylime pie attaching itself to my stomach.

One of my gifts from Char

Perfume curtosy of Tom

The caravan thinks it's a boat.

I sort of expected a Wolverine to look a little bit more threatening than this but apparently they eat deer so maybe they're like the hulk.

I had such a good weekend which I've extended to today with a day off, my plan is to watch the latest Jersey shore, catch up on Towie, drink a huge amount of tea, and have a mammoth blog catch up. Oh and whack some treatment on my hair, exciting.

Payday & Birthday Wishlist

2011-09-20T12:52:00.000-07:00

So it's my birthday on Thursday and I'm getting old. Here's what I'd be wishing for if Tom scored a few numbers on the lottery beforehand.

1.New look, 2&3.Topshop, 4.River Island, 5.Miss Selfridge, 6.Just Gimme, 7.Topshop, 8.Places that sell perfume

I was going to write "guess how old and decrepid I'm going to be" but my email address on the left sort of gives it away....TWENTY FOUR. Ugh. I'm even starting to think the purple dress is a bit mutton dressed as lamb? I've asked for Newlook vouchers from the ol' work collection that does the rounds so I might get these boots as my trusty blacks are starting to look a bit bedraggled, the colour will pretty much go with everything aswell which is a bonus.
I haven't even got much planned, my parents are off raving in Spain to Northern Soul (cringe) so I'm going to have a weekend by the lake in the caravan - oh god I am getting old!

Elf First Timer

2011-09-16T14:14:00.000-07:00

This is likely to be a pretty lengthly post for me so if you'd prefer I've done a little video of my elf opinions here. If you like a good read here goes....

I ordered my first ever elf experience when they did the last 50% off code, despite hearing so many good things about the brand I'd never really bothered with it because I'm quite shallow and tend to get swayed towards things because of their packaging : / It was the brow kit that drew me in, I actually wanted brow zings but I'm a constant pauper so I went for the cheaper alternative and ended up spending more anyway and filling my little virtual basket.

Turns out I'm not even that impressed with the brow kit. This is shade medium but the powder is quite light for me despite being naturally blonde(ish). The wax is a lot darker but it doesn't seem to make my unruly brows settle down even if I lather it on, I ended up sort of trying to press them down with my fingers which wasn't good. I'm not a fan of the brush either as to get any wax on it you've got to shove it into the wax and mine's starting to shed already. Rant over.

Honestly I only bought this as I was apprehensive and a bit curious, a few makeup brands have been labelling products as "HD" and I don't really get it? Surely as real life people we are hd? Hmmm. Anyway I opened this after a long day at work where I'd constantly been brushing my fringe off my forehead which left a nice greasy shimmer (nice), I swiped some of this over it and it disappeared! Wins. I don't know if it made me hd but it definitly turned me into less of a shiny mess so I'll be carring this around with me for flustery days.

Luckily I was blessed with a lack of spots but with good always comes evil and I was given the joys of overly red cheeks and under eye circles. I pounced on these straight away as I was sure they'd help in my quest for flawless skin and luckily for my bank balance they sort of do! The under eye concealer is a really thick consistency and pats into my skin nicely without rubbing off, I use two layers and they hid my 5 hours sleep circles oh so well! It comes with a highlighter which I probably won't ever use but this is great value for dollar regardless.
The tone correcting concealer was an obvz buy for me, I'm assuming it's main purpose is to cover up blemishes and spots but I've been slapping it over the lower part of my cheeks where the dread of red hits the hardest before foundation-ing and it's doing the job! The only issue I have with it is the smell, I recognise it but can't place it, and it's a little overpowering - especioally as I'm waving it around so close to my nostrils in the morning.

I've been an avid user of the Rimme Exaggerate Liquid Liner for years and I've never even tried anything else which is some dedication on my part! I feel a bit sad now though as I've come to realise there's better fish in the sea and it's time to move on. I love how much easier it is to draw a line with this pen style but I don't love how faded the colour is. Anyone know of something similar that comes out a lot blacker? Sorry Rimmel, our paths must part....

I've not got a lot to say on this really, love the colour and the pigmentation - hate the fact it shows up every little chap in my lip. Does that last part even make sense? I dont have lots of little men lined up on there...

I'd heard so many rave reviews about Elf's studio and bamboo brushes but as I've stated many a time, I'm a cheapskate so went for the regular no frills option. As a complete makeup novice I'd say they're fine, both are super soft and neither have shed yet but tbf I haven't been using them for that long. I've used the eyeshadow brush everyday though, it's firm and really gets into all the nooks and crannies of ones eyelid - ha how gross does that sound? - and applies eyeshadow so much better than those awful foamy brushes so this is a must have for brushytailed beginners like me.
I can't really give an objective review on the foundation brush because I just don't like the feeling of painting foundation onto my face. I feel like a painter decorater when pasting it on this way and it's gross so I reckon I'll stick to using my hands. Maybe a flat toppedbrush would be better?

So if I've not bored you to tears and you're still reading I applaud you! I'm not used to writing such long posts and my eyes are already starting to blur, shower time for me and a bit of Big Brother before bed. Anyone watching this year? Who're your faves? DOWN WITH REBEKKAH

Hotel, Motel, Holiday Inn

2011-09-13T11:31:00.000-07:00

Cardigan: Primark
Dress: Motel
Necklace: I Need More Jewellery

I don't know when I bought this dress but I remember it was with my student loan, I graduated (does it count if I didn't actually go to the ceremony?) over a year ago so it's a safe bet to say it's pretty old. I've worn this repetitvely and being leopard print it's easy to pretend it's not ancient and still manages to look ok ~~hanging in my wardrobe~~ shoved messily in a pile with my newer dresses.
Last night I wrote my final post as a mini blogger for more magazine and I think I'm actually going to miss keeping to a deadline, a concept the stressed and proplussedup me of two 2 years ago battling journalism dissertations would find sick and twisted. It's definitely made me want a career in writing eventually, but with my birthday creeping up next week to remind me I'm becoming shrivelled and haggared faster than I'd like it's probably something I'll daydream about whilst trying to explain accounting to builders.
Oh god how woe is me does this sound?! Swiftly changing the subject.... I'm liking my first elf order a lot and I'm thinking of videoing my thoughts, if I do d'ya reckon it should stick to the realms of youtube or should I add it to the blog? Or should I keep to what I know and write a lengthy post with some non moving pictures and less of my face? Hmm decisions.

It's about time Silas got caught

2011-09-10T04:49:00.000-07:00

This is my 100th post, I feel I should have done something a bit more spesh but I didn't even realise until after I'd taken the pictures : / I got this dress last year from Primark, I'd seen one really similar in Armani a couple of months before but couldn't justify £99 on a dress so this was the far better option at less than £20. It does seem to cling on to the most unflattering parts of the body but I suppose that's my own fault for choosing to wear it during the time my womb decides to show how much it hates me and makes me bloat.
I managed to brave weekend supermarket shoppers today and tootled along to Tesco. Never again. I actually broke a sweat, got insanely flustered from carrying my overfilled basket, and managed to split my Saver's bag of goodness which spilled out across the floor. Luckily the huge cans of hairspray and the St Moriz (first timer!) I'd bought remained unscathed, but I did lose my 19p paracetamol.
Ugh the phone just rang whilst I was writing this and someone tried to tell me my laptop is "sending out dangerous files far worse than a virus, let us help you". I said to him I don't know how he'd know that as my internet is with BT, he then said "Yes we are calling from BT and can tell". I'm not with BT fool! I lied! Is it not enough that scanners plague me by email everyday but now the phone too?!

First Ever Elf Purchase

2011-09-08T12:37:00.000-07:00

After a failed attempt at collecting this yesterday (why are post offices only open for half a day on a Wednesday?) I was finally handed my first elf experience by a very polite post office lady this afternoon.

It sounds so snobby but I've always strayed away from elf due to the packaging, is it just me or does it look like something your mum would have leftover from the 80s? Or something from the 80s still gracing the shelves of poundstretcher....hmm enough 80s. The only reason I moseyed over to the website was to buy the eyebrow kit but I saw the 50% off and ended up filling my boots.
I haven't really had chance to try anything properly yet but I was quite surprised at how small the kabuki brush was

I thought the box was empty to begin with, they'd squeezed it into a tiny compartment at the bottom which is a little odd - why not just make the box smaller? It does feel soft though.

Ugh I had my work course today which was trying to teach us how to make an effective phonecall. As a "roleplay" we had to phone each other infront of everyone to show how we'd react in a difficult situation, worse still the calls were recorded...My reaction? Get incredibly flustered, blush beetroot, and hang up. Cringe.

Giveaway Winner

2011-09-06T22:09:00.000-07:00

And the winner of my Sleek Makeup and I Need More Jewellery giveaway is...

Chloe from Chloe Likes to Talk! I've actually already tweeted Chloe (or you I guess if you're reading this) and I'll post tonight. Quite excited as it looks like my elf order is sitting in our little post office waiting for me so I'll be able to collect that aswell : )

Hope everyone's having a good week, I've got a creepy course today at work which involves some sort of role play - so tempted to shout "There's been a rape up there!" I love The Office.

Review - Benefit Bad Gal

2011-09-04T07:00:00.000-07:00

How awful is the weather today? I ventured out to Asda earlier to buy some chocolate mousse for work luches (i am a child) and the air was so damp and frizz inducing – gross. So instead of doing outdoorsey things I thought I’d russel up a review of the cosmetic love of my life – bad gal.

I think this is sort of a marmite mascara, a lot of people don’t get on with it due to how massive the brush is but I love it. Bad Gal was my second step into the land of Benefit and since then I’ve coated my way through about 4/5 tubes.

I have horrible little spindly lashes that resemble little spider legs so I’ve always gone for volume, I’ve tried various wands in various shapes/sizes/textures and it seems that the classic but oversized was the way to go

I will never use a thin plasticy brush again, infact they make me angry with their false promises! Yes I’m looking at you Rimmel Glam Eyes. Badgal is £16.50 and for that you get 8.5g of product, I was ~~a little~~ a lot dissapointed when I bought the waterproof version a few months ago and was graced with a measly 6g for the same price so I guess I'll have to stop all my spontaneous american movie style jumping in pools. Oh well.
I also did a little video of other Benefit products here if you want to listen to my thoughts aswell as read them.

Primark Threads

2011-09-01T11:14:00.000-07:00

This is pretty much everything I described in the video below avec a shoddy attempt at the smokey eye

Dress £15 Primark
Shoes £8 Primark
Belt £1 Primark
Tights £1 Primark
Necklace £5 I Need More Jewellery - find it here!

A whole outfit for £30? Thanks Primark, shame we can't be friends more often. I'm gutted I didn't get the black version of this dress aswell whilst it was hanging so nicely and un mauled, there's no way I'll be able to find it shoddy Northampton's little run down hut they pass off as a store : /
Hows everyone's Thursday been? I got all excited that it was going to be a speedy four day week untill the weekend but alas I'm working on Saturday so I'll be spending it filing and putting letters in envelopes - 'xiting! Although more exciting is the presence of September, despite this being car tax month (ridic) it's also the month I celebrate my own birth and this year I'll be ~~commiserating~~ celebrating becoming old with a HUGE catering sized fudge cake which is so massive it wouldn't fit in the freezer - so I'll have a candle in a pre cut and frozen slice I suppose...
Annd along with September comes dark nights and cold weather, which means my cat slater leopard fur jacket can come out of hiding! Wins.

Some things I bought in Primark

2011-08-29T14:54:00.000-07:00

So I did my frist ever video, its pretty embarrasing and every other word is edited but
here's what I bought in Primark this weekend... and if you're cringing as much as me and
can't bear to look there's some pretty pictures below.

I sound very nasal, I'm hoping it's the camera, if not I need me some nasal spray.

We stayed at Tom's dads house, and I'd never noticed how many porcelene cats were lurking about, I swear this one's eyes followed me across the room. Also after mocking the Morrisons marshmallow squash I've become quite fond of the fruit salad option!!

Some dogs I encountered on my visit. The largest one drools a lot, it's pretty gross.

Whilst I perused Primark Tom went crazy round the aisles of the abortoir, our freezer is
now rammed with various meats.

So that's been my weekend, hope everyone's had a guddun, I'm going to finish mine off with
celeb bb and lots of tea : )

Payday Wishlist

2011-08-27T03:13:00.000-07:00

I wish someone would give me a dresses and knitwear fund

Top
1) £42 Topshop 2) £65 Topshop 3) £42 Topshop 4) £48 Urban Outfitters 5) £39 Motel
Bottom
1 & 2) £48 Motel 3) £26.99 Missguided 4) £22.99 Missguided

I've seen so many chunky cardigans that I must have for this Autumn/Winter, sadly the majority of them are topshop so I'll probably have to stick to making wishlists for the time being. Although I am heading up to Stoke this afternoon with plans to hit the Primark tomorrow so I might branch out and try their knitwear, but it always feels a bit to scratchy in the shops? If anyone's had any PrimKnits were they longlasting? I'm also on the hunt for some nice dresses so hopefully it'll be a fruitfull adventure

Ugh I'm watching Jersey Shore as I'm writing this and I've just seen "the situation" spit all over Ron whilst going a bit mental. I actually hate him and can't understand why so many seemingly normal girls agree to "smush" him on camera - yes he's famous but he's hideous and you're embarrasing yourselves, go away.

One last snippet of info - I've reduced the price of everything in my little shop. Click here for a browse.

Tarzan with Charlie Sheen cheeks

2011-08-23T13:06:00.000-07:00

I do like leopard print, I'm even writing this wearing pink leopard print chavesque pjs.

Top: H&M
Shorts: H&M
Shoes: Primark
Necklace: I Need More Jewellery

I bought this top last year and I love how loose it is over the belly area, especially on days where two Kitkat chunkies might be sitting in your stomach from the night before...Ha I'm a fiend for a Kitkat and I demand they bring back the peanut butter versions *drool*.
Other than getting into a ~~row~~ heated debate with a colleague nothing worth mentioning has really happened this week, although I guess it's only Tuesday so there's still 5 days left for me to win the lottery/get a promotion/become a rockstar or all of the above! I did make this on Friday though which has been sat in all it's glory calling out to be drank so deserves a mention.

Tis skittles vodka! If you've never had it before I urge you to make some as it's ridic easy, just dump two big bags of skittles into a bottle of vodka, leave it for a day or two, give it a few shakes and it's done. It tastes amazing with lemonade but it's pretty lethal - it tastes just like liquid skittley goodness so you forget you're drinking spirits. Anyone tried this method with anything else?
I've just realised my blog is becoming rather junk food orientated, I'm trying to cut it out of my life, I really am!

P.S - I did my first ever guest post for Maria which is on her fab blog today.
And don't forget to enter my first ever giveaway!

Size Doesn't Matter

2011-08-20T10:30:00.000-07:00

Top: Max C London
Skirt: Newlook
Sinead Tights: Asda
Necklace: I Need More Jewellery

This top was given to me at the #brumbloggermeet curtosy of Max C London. It's a couple of sizes bigger than my usual wears but I thought I'd try it with this skirt for a sort of baggy/bodycon combo and I like. I don't think I'd go for the Sinead Hollyoaks esque tights (isn't her story line with Jason/Jasmin ridiculous?) on a night out though - i'd probably just cake my legs in fake tan instead. I probably wouldn't leave the house with such horrific hair either - recently I've sacrificed my ghd's and glossy locks for the cool setting on the hairdryer and a frizzy mess in an attempt to get it to grow. So far it's not working and I'm still shedding more than my cat.
Urgh I feel so gross, I've spent most of today cleaning my flat for an inspection on Monday and I'm caked in a layer of dust and weird back stuff that seems to be coming out of our taps? If anyone else has this please let me know as it's a bit too ghostbustery for my liking....
Hope everyone's having a good Saturday, my evening is going to consist of a bath, Jersey Shore, X Factor, and Big Brother. I have a reality TV problem.

Oh and I added these to my shop today, all items there have free postage to lure you in.

Sleek Makeup & Jewellery Giveaway

2011-08-16T11:07:00.000-07:00

Despite being oh so unorganised I've decided to do a giveaway and here's what you can get your mitts on

Sleek Pout Paints in Minx, Rosette, and Pin Up
I Need More Jewellery Glasses & Anchor Pendant

How to Enter

must follow this blog with google friend connect and leave a comment below - remember to add your email
(1 entry)

Extra Entries
Follow me on twitter and Tweet this cheeky little phrase "@imeloweez is having a sleekmakeup and jewellery giveaway, enter at http://www.ineedmoreclothes.blogspot.com"
(+ 1 entry)

Write a blog post about the giveaway with a link to this post
(+ 3 entries)

I'll use random.org to find the winner on ~~the~~ 6th September, if you're a blog full of giveaway links these won't be counted as they're even cheekier than the tweet above!
Tweets/blog posts are extra entries, you need to comment first as I'll have to holla if you win! Also don't forget to let me know which extras you've done.

Good Luck!

Benefit That Gal - My Thoughts

2011-08-14T02:22:00.000-07:00

I'm a media's dream and so easily swayed by adverts, so when I saw "That Gal" in a million different bridal magazines telling me I could have "dull to darling" brightened skin in one application I bought it.

After a mix up where paypal thought I was a cheeky fraudster ordering from Spain and blocking my account, I finally got my inpatient hands on it. For 21.50 you get 11ml of ~~gunk~~ product which comes in a sort of prittstick like container and spurts from the top a little like a playdough factory. It's a bit of a gimmick but I like it.

The product is sold as a bightener/primer but according to Benefit's website you can wear it on it's lonesome to brighten all skin tones. As a primer I find it ok, the dewy/tacky consistancy seems to hold my concealer and foundation fine and it has a nice bubblegum-ey smell which I really like. However as a brightener it really doesn't do much for me, it could be my freckly inconsistent skin tone playing it's part in the process but to get a small result I have to slop so much product on my face which then seems to bring out my pinky tones even more.

I bought the product with the wishful thinking that on a rushed morning I could oh-so-glamourously swish some of this onto my cheeks and instantly look fresh and revived. Instead for the same results I use this, concealer, foundation, powder foundation, and finish off with High Beam (which I actually love). And to be honest I could probably cut That Gal out of this routine and should have used the money to buy more highbeam.

Who knows though, it could just be my rubbish skin refusing to play nice. Anyone else tried this? Thoughs?
And if you didn't see my tweets yesterday I'm starting a blog shop, there's not heaps in there atm but tis early days (day two infact), so if you like vintagey/quirky necklaces then click on the spectacles below!

Oh lip piercing, is it about time we part?

2011-08-09T13:02:00.000-07:00

I was going to start this post with "I don't know if I like this dress or not" but how many times do I do this?! I clearly need to be more decisive when buying dresses/tops/everything. To be fair it was only £10 in the sale but it's sort of an odd length on me, I don't know if I can pull off the midi-ness... I do like the bows and collar though.
I realised today I have 400 followers which i'm rather thankful for. After taking a break from my course in creative writing at uni for a year and eventually graduating with a (probably below) average grade I sort of lost all confidence in writing words so it's nice to know that some people keep coming back! I even tried to film a little video as a thankyou but cringing is not the word for my reaction on playing it back - since when did I get so nasal? Ew.

Hope everyone's well. For once I'm not shovelling the delights of Asda down my throat tonight as I've become old mother hubbard and my cupboards are indeed bare, even Theo the cat has more choice than me tonight! Right off I go to watch American kids try and become famous...

Selena Gomez Style Pilfer

2011-08-08T09:39:00.000-07:00

Hello! I am feeling decidedly more chipper than I was on Saturday which is nice as I didn't think my head was ever going to stop spinning. I went to bed oh so early and slept like a baby, and I've learnt the lesson that I'm sure many have already... Vodka is the enemy. It may look tempting (especially mixed with skittles) but eventually it will end the hazy friendship brutaly.
Alcohol issues aside I realised I haven't done one of these in forever so here's Selena Gomez in her maxi glory.

1- £35.00 Missselfridge
2 - £5.00 Matalan
3 - £6.50 Missselfridge
4- £45.00 Warehouse
5- £10.00 Bank

In the original snap she had a handyman helpfully holding an umbrella for her, unfortunately I couldn't get a price tag for him : / Not counting her fondness of swoopy haired idiots I quite like Selena Gomez and recently she's started to look less disneyish and a lot more stylish - Im liking her use of fringe here, shame I can't say the same about the Bieb...

And now Bieber hatred issues aside, I'm attempting to sell the following on here after they failed eBay. The motel dress was bought brand new from eBay and the skirt is from Rare. Neither have been worn by me at all

Motel Dress - Size small but would probably best fit a petite 6/8 - it's really short! Missing the clip in shoulder pads as they looked a little silly, I took them out to try it on and lost them..
£7.50 inc postage (first class standard)

Rare Skirt - It's a lantern/tulip style in Size 10 but again it's so short! Would probably best fit an 8.
£7.50 inc postage (first class)

If you'd like any please leave a comment below with your email and I'll hola via googlemail about where to send paypal payments too. Unfortunaly I won't be providing refunds as the wearz are as described

Saturday Slobbing with Big Al

2011-08-06T09:57:00.001-07:00

Today I am feeling incredibly hungover and full of self pitty so have spent the day in the following.

Its hardly fashion but on days like this which are becomming few and far between for me I have to be comfortable, if I even attempt to put makeup on it will be rubbed off within minutes. So after showering and blowdrying the "day pyjamas" have made an appearence and I couldn't be happier. Ugh anyone else feel like they're suffering actual torture when drying hair the morning after a few shandies? It ends up taking me at least half an hour, heat is not my friend today.
I bought this t shirt last year ish and it's from topshop, it didn't come with the creases and cat hair I've thrown those in myself : )It's by a brand called Rock Rebel which I find quite apt, as last night a random boy tried to insult me with the following: "You're not fit, you're just trying to be Avril Lavigne" !!! I can't say it's ever entered my mind to aspire to be like Avil Lavigne, I think he was upset as after sliming his way over to our group he was very clearly shot down. He looked like an egg.

Sooo the rest of my evening is being spent eating savoury snacks (I shouldn't ever go to asda when peckish) and watching trashy tv. Thanks to Kirsty I now have the new Jersey Shore to laugh at whilst I nurse my sore head.

Wins

My home for the evening - go away cheeky bulmers can

Anyone else doing the same tonight? Or if you're being super active/sociable please let me know so I can live an exciting Saturday though you!

I'm baking like a potato in my oven of a flat

2011-08-02T11:22:00.000-07:00

How hot has it been the last couple of days? The tights today were clearly a fail but they've now been shed (ew) and replaced by some tiny slobbing shorts, and I intend to spend the rest of the night attatched to the fan. I sort of attempted to channel my inner Waldorf here, she's by far my favourite Gossip Girl character and anyone who stands in the way of her and Chuck Bass will have me to answer too. Although I'm not sure if this skirt is the best fit for my shape? I wear it constantly anyway, I bought it about two years ago from topshop and it's had a silly amount of time around my waist - my cost per ratio must be rather low, Gok would be proud!

Ugh I've just had a look out of the window and it's clouds a plenty, isn't that hot muggy heat where you can't sleep the worst? Yet I still refuse to sleep without the duvet incase spiders crawl all over me in the night, I'll live with this fear forever.

Well Look-ey here - Competition Entry

2011-08-02T11:12:00.000-07:00

Ok so I'm sort of using this post to sell myself - which I'm not a massive dooer-of as salespeople make me cringe. Just to point out, I'm not secretly a balding old man trying to force a sofa on you, honest...
I saw a Tweet from @lookmagazine earlier today that has probably sent the blogging world into a bit of a frenzy, they're running a competition to find five bloggers to write for them during the famous Look Show and whilst I would normally think "eeek I’m not fashionable enough for this", the part of me that's ready to launch my call centre phone out of the window was niggling away singing "enter, enter!". So in an attempt to shut out this annoying singsong voice and possibly be given an uh-maz-ing opportunity to write for Look I decided to give it a good old bash - the competition not my phone.
I'm not actually sure who I should be addressing this too, obvz I'm hoping Look read this but it's also a blog entry so it should be aimed at everyone (and if you're not one for words then just have a cheeky gaze at my outfit today which should be posted above) and hope for the best. The question has been asked "Why should you be front row at The Look Show AW11?" My first thought was "Because I'm not that tall and people would be able to see over my head easily" but I didn't think that one sentence would really get me anywhere : /
So why do I think I should be there? Honestly? Because I love clothes. I love looking at them, lusting over them, searching ebay for them, and trawling blogs for them. If I’m not scraping my wages together to buy clothes I’m photoshopping wishlists to myself. I'm definitely more high street than high end but I'm actually happier this way, if I won the lottery I'd way prefer a supermarket sweep around h&m and Newlook than purchase a couple of items I'd be ~~too scared~~ too clumsy to wear, and since starting my blog back in ol' 09 when I focussed mainly on "style steals" I've come to realise the high street do pretty much identical copies for a mere slither of the price!
Is it a bit tragic/creepy to mention that it'd be wins to meet some more bloggers that feel the same way? Last year I moved to a new town and started a full time job where I spend 8 hours a day reminding people they need to pay for bricks, and most of the women in my office are a few minutes away from retirement. If I approached them with "how awesome is the Topshop version of THE Frankie Sandford dress?" I'd be met with a blank stare and probably a rant about how youngsters today spend too much money following fashion. Oh dear now it sounds like I'm begging for buds!...
I’m probably starting to ramble but I've been reading Look for years now and writing for them would be an amazing experience, so I couldn't not attempt a (perhaps fluffed up?) entry.

xx

Denim & Poultry

2011-07-31T07:27:00.000-07:00

Scuse the Alien arm on the top right
Dress: Topshop
Necklace: Camden

This was actually what I wore yesterday, as today I'm slobbing in a misshapen Allsaints T-shirt and jeans after washing my car and vaguely cleaning the flat. I got this dress yonks ago from Topshop and it's from one of their "studio brands" Love. I like the denimness and the shape of this dress, however I do not have the chebs to pull it off at all so in order to get it to fit I've had to smuggle a sneaky safety pin between my lady lumps which seems to be working. Although it is really low cut so I'm not sure whether it will actually look better on the larger breasted ladiee?

Hmm this might now get a barrage of boob men finding my blog so I shall move on. I haven't really done loads this weekend, I went to comet to lust over macs and debate whether to finance one (still haven't decided), had a jaunt around tesco, and almost bought a pink coatstand from homesense - ege of your seat stuff I know. Tom cooked a meal of poultry goodness last night which has probably been the highlight of my weekend

He stuffed it with peperoni and halloumi, and on the side we had peppers, feta cheese and sundried tomatos. It was a nice change from our usual frozenandbadforyou food we usually eat! I've attempted to top his cullinary skillz today with my chocolateyandbadforyou cupcakes which I will be demolishing in a minute.

So that's been my weekend, I've also listed a motel dress and rarefashion skirt on ebay and they're both new with tags, if anyone would like a peek they're here and here.

There are too many Moons on Eastenders

2011-07-28T11:11:00.000-07:00

Blouse: Primark
Shorts: H&M
Tights: Newlook
Necklace: Primark
Vest: Newlook

I bought this on Saturday at the Birmingham blogger meet and I like! I feel very hot hair balloon but it's perfect for fat days, maybe the hot pants aren't good for such days but they can always be swapped for jeans when I'm feeling hostile towards my thighs. I wish I bought it in some other colours as they had a very nice duck egg blue and Danni mentioned there's cream ones knocking around but as always I played it safe and regretted it after. Sigh(mon Alvin Theodore).

I was actually going to do a review of the new primer I purchased last week but after t'uther nights #blogdebate I didn't want a barrage of "omgzzz be ethical woncha?!" thrown at me, I wasn't going to throw my two cents in (i'm sure there's an english version of this phrase but pounds sounds wrong) but I'm about two in a couple of sentences so if you hate this subject look away:
I read blogs because I like them, if I don't like a blog I will unfollow. I'm sure people are intelligent enough to see for themselves if a blog is full of paid "sponsored" praise and everyone has the option to unfollow. A set of "ethics" for bloggers is, in my opinion, a bizarre aspect of political correctness which is highly uneccesary.
And that's me done.

Changing the subject my friend bought me this the other day and I'm cheating on my treseme with something a little cheap...

1.50 for this massive bottle! It's from a shop called "savers" which I think is a chain, it smells a bit like a fusty old woman but add another spray for a cheeky menage et trois and the smell is masked. Wins.

Everyone's A Winner Baby

2011-07-24T11:10:00.000-07:00

It's true, the Birmingham blogger meet was such a fun day so big thaks again to Fritha and Claire for organising it all. And another thankyou to the oh so generous Tesco for uniting me with this playsuit, I love it, I feel like a glamourous mechanic and i won't even try to explain how comfy it is.

Playsuit - Clothing at Tesco
Cardigan - h&m
Necklace - Primark

I'll try not to ramble on too much but despite nerves (I'm definitly a words on paper/laptop screen gal) I trained it to Birmingham where I met some fabulous folk who all looked uh-maz-ing. We starbuck'sed we shopped, we ate, we drank cocktails and we got stared at by a lot of Birmingham. I'm glad (and geekily proud of myself) I went - luckily there wasn't too many cringe moments waiting to jump out at me once I was lulled into feeling secure, I did have a bit of a moment in Starbucks with those little flasks but I'm hoping no one saw....seems I was channeling Dr Seuss there.
It was also great to finally get to see people in the flesh after tweeting them and ~~stalking them~~ reading their blogs. I got to chat to Maria, Char (who somehow managed to walk around bham in very high heels - jel), Danni, Elizabeth, Joy, Louise, Hayley, Gem, and Florrie. Selina who looked stunning and won best dressed bought us all some Motel goodies and Sara came loaded with missguided treats! Along with THE yellow bags Fritha brought from Max C London it was like a mass bloggers birthday. I only managed to briefly speak to Gem, Emma, Lily, Rebecca, Emma, Michelle, and Hattie but if another meet is ever on the cards I'm there fo sho.
Ok I said I wouldn't ramble and I have, here's some of my appaling iphone snaps from the day.

P.s Is anyone else as tragic as me and a bit intimidated by mac counters? I didn't even understand the process of buying there?! It was super busy though.

Materni-tea-dress

2011-07-20T11:38:00.000-07:00

I can never decide if I like this dress

I like the pattern but the shape isn't too flattering which is odd as I own exactly the same dress in polka dot which seems to fit fine, I just think it looks a little maternity wear. Maybs it's a psychological thing, or maybe it does just look crap and I've been kidding myself all these months!
I've felt a bit bleurgh today, how come whenever you feel a bit rough it always shows in your makeup? If I have a cold or I'm hungover my makeup seems to be on a little mission to let everyone know..."Hello bags I'm eyeliner, lets work together to make Eloise look like a 2 patched pirate" - Ugh.

Oh remember I mentioned Randal the Peter Pettigrew of the workplace? Well she came out with such a corker yesterday as an excuse not to make anyone a drink, she actually said she couldn't walk down the stairs because she's five months pregnant?! Que? I cannot wait for her to spawn her offspring so she can go away. Buuuut to make up for a shoddy and uneventful start to the week at work my 200 word ramble on The Apprentice is now on More Magazine's website, have a cheeky read here.

Anyone else suffering from a little midweek blues?

Missguided Lace Dress & Some Potter Glasses

2011-07-17T10:06:00.000-07:00

After so much uhming and ahhing whether to shell out on the Topshop version of this dress or the Missguided, I finally took another online shopping plunge and went with Missguided.

I have such bad luck ordering clothes online, they usually either don't fit or look anything like the picture (*cough* tesco bikinis) and then you end up getting swizzed as they don't refund the postage - and in my case have the shame of handing over your club card for the points to be brutally taken away by a smug sales assistant.
So to be honest the reason I didn't go skipping off to Topshop was because they only do it in white nowadays and I didn't want to look like a bride. I'm so so happy I didn't though because this version is half the price and identical. Apologies for the crotch area picture but before I got mine I was worried about the length and a few people had said that the Missguided version is a lot longer, sooo here it is in all it's glory. (Sarah also helped me here) I think I look a bit david Browie aswell today.

In non dress speak here's how I've spent my weekend.

Potter in 3D (amazing) on Saturday and a trip to Asda today. It's an old Netto that's just been changed in my town and people are actually going crazy over it, silly really as theres an asda exactly the same size about a ten minute walk away, I think I counted about 10 screaming children and heaps of 90s perms on my trip there today : /
I've also had a pretty shoddy afternoon, a text came through saying "Please call this number urgently reference the illegal cat residing in your flat. Regards abm property". I freaked as my cat is sort of squatting here as we aren't allowed pets and actually bawled to my mum (more cringe) as I didn't want to get rid of him. So I sat down and wrote out this huge spiel of what to say to them, but when I eventually calmed down and rang the number my sister was pissing herself on the other end of the line. Not happy at all!
Midlands meet next week though, getting a bit nervous and I'm already thinking of potential wears - d'ya reckon this dress is a bit too much for shopping? I kind of want to parade it around Bham but I'll probs give anyone who reads this d

x

Where Them Girls At

2011-07-14T10:47:00.000-07:00

Sorry if you hate this cheesey David Guetta song but alas I love it and blasted it from my car like a chav on the way home. So today was my first day back at work where I was faced with 200 unopened emails : / but I went shopping yesterday for office attire with my leftover holiday spends and this is what I bought.

Top £14.99
Trousers £22.99
Shoes £8.00 (!!!)
All Newlook

Hobviously I have to wear anything new straight away but I am quite pleased with my buys, the brogues were in the sale which is definitely a double win as I can never find anything I like in shoddy Northampton even if it's full price. A trip into town usually just makes me angry at the amount of markety shops that keep popping up...
Ah this post feels a little dull, since I got back on Tuesday the most exciting thing to happen was walking into my flat and facing the stench of mouldy meat - actually that wasn't really exciting it was just gross - my boyfriend felt my wrath as he'd turned off the electric before we went making the freezer a lovely cocktail of melted ice cream, fungus pies, and rotting chicken. So off to iceland we popped where I found this

I had my first slab last night and intend on polishing the rest of with some Harry Potter this evening.
Hope everyone's well and mould free!

Hola!

2011-07-09T05:40:00.000-07:00

Hello! Golly I feel like it's been an age, I'm still in Spain so the following pictures may be a bit awfull/stretched as I'm not using my own laptop. Plus a coldsore the size of a Cornish pasty has attached itself to my face so hopefully you can look past this if it's managed to get in on the photos, also hopefully you can look past that vile description? Apologies if you were reading whilst tucking into a pastry!

Top - Both dresses Motel
Bottom Left: Motel
Bottom Right: French Connection

I've pretty much been living in Motel dresses and flip-flops for the past week and haven't really bothered with my hair. I like how in other countries I get so hot and flustered I'm past caring what my legs and the dot to dots of moles on my skin look like, so end up wearing stuff I go to wear in England but always change out of before leaving the house into something less fleshy.
I haven't really taken loads of photos as I'm mega paranoid about stuff getting broken/stolen, and I've spent the last four days away from my parents house in a hotel by the beach so sand. = major stressing over breakages. Here's a random selection of pictures I have managed to snap.

Right - Cheap vodka made a happy me, it also made a sickintoabedat shameful me

View from my parents house

View from the hotel balcony

Jackson the pet tortoise

Overpriced Italian restaurant who humfed and tutted at us for not ordering wine

Left - Creepy cat at said Italian, it didn't move or blink throughout the whole meal.

I'm back with my parents on the mountain now untill Tuesday when We board bmi and say goodbye to siestas, air con, and peely skin (honestly I'm becoming a human satsuma) and hello to everyday routine - massive sigh.
Hope everyones doing ok, I'm going to have a blog reading session in a mo to try and catch up - apologies for not posting ~~much~~ at all but with staying at different places its been quite difficult. I did manage a ramble to More before I left for the seaside though, have a peep here
xx

Whoa we're going to Espania

2011-06-27T14:54:00.000-07:00

Hello! I had this as a draft on blogger, and I'm currently using my phone to post this but below is a little catch up from the past week, apologies for the lack o snaps but I'm writing this from sunny Spain!

I've literally done nothing this week other than break my washing machine, complain to the evil vulture estate agents (who are making me pay £100 to fix it, despite it not being my fault), bitch about the evil estate agents, and buy some not very exciting products for holiday. Has anyone ever used p20 suncream? My dad raved about it for ages so I tried it a while back but found it ridiculous, it goes on so clear and thin that it's hard to tell where you've applied it, and because you only put it on once a day if you miss a spot you don't realise until it's too late. I had little red and white finger prints all over me and looked like i'd been tie dyed, can't say this was the nicest of looks but it kept the pervy spannish scooter men away.>

I also fell in love with that lace dress a'la Topshop on Sunday, but they only seem to have it in white nowadays and even though it's the most flattering thing to ever grace my skin I don't want to look like Lindsay Lohan in Mean Girls.

So thats been me for the past few days, exciting life aint it? Although I am going to be on moremagazine.co.uk for the next few months which does make up for the crappy week and I'm headed off to Sunny Spain tomorrow morning which will make the weeks of saving worthwhile - I hope. Being stuck in a mountain might lead to some here's johnny moments : /

So I'm off, I might try and do a few posts whilst I'm away but I'll be on a medieval laptop so they could be few and far between until I return lobster like in 2 weeks time. Hope everyone's been enjoying the sun and no ones had any p20 disasters!

Garnier: "Can I help you with those suitcases?"

2011-06-25T11:47:00.000-07:00

Warning: This post includes a hideous pre makeup photo. Please bear this in mind!

I bought the Garnier Caffine Anti Dark Circles about 2 months ago when boots and it on offer, I think it was 2 for about £12. At the time I'd been using Touche Macique by L'oreal and although this was doing the job I'm a sucker for a gimmick so the cooling ball called out to me.

I bought mine in light but I think they do a very light, a medium, and a dark. The application is easy and you really do feel a cooling effect on your eyes, sort of like the time I put cucumbers all over my face as a child. I purchased this with the intention of banishing dark circles on an early morning as I don't really have much of an issue with puffyness, but if you do Garnier say this is supposed to "hydrate" tired looking eyes. IF you've read the little warning above you know what's coming, if you've missed it look away now

Gross. But as you can probably see it has reduced the suitcases under my eyes quite well. I usually dab the concealer under my eye, add a bit of foundation, then roll some more concealer on. I can still see a bit of darkness but all in all I'm quite happy with the results, I just need to find a super strong concealer to go over the top for groggier mornings. I don't think it's on offer anymore but I just had a look at Superdrug's site and they're selling it for £6.80 which I suppose is better as you don't have to commit to two.

Has anyone else used this? Is the roll on without the added concealer any good?

In other news I've spent today giving myself blisters washing my clothes over the bath after the estate agesnts refused to fix my washing machine. Glamorous goings on in my flat today!

Some Very Nice Nightime Playsuits

2011-06-21T15:36:00.000-07:00

Very.co.uk have a 75% sale on, I came, I saw, I added to my wish list, I got annoyed at the fact I have no funds. Urgh. I think the list of things I want to buy with my wages now needs one of those windy scrolls...which I'll need a quill to write with *adds to list*
I'm just bitter as this supposedly cheap holiday to Spain isn't actually working out to be very frugal friendly, I couldn't put my boyfriend (or myself) through two whole weeks on a mountain with my parents so I booked a 3 night hotel stay in a nearby touristy town which was all lovely untill I started looking at cattery prices for Theo! He best be getting a three course meal followed by handfed grapes for what I'm paying.

So here's my playsuit fix for the next year or so. I've got a bit of an obsession for them at the moment (see here and here), and despite the fact they may make relieving oneself a bit difficult I can forgive them as they sort of merge three summer items (dress/vest/shorts) into one with the added bonus of one single Katie price. I've got a couple of casual slobbingbythepool playsuits but I'm liking the more dressier style for a night out. And watching Geordie Shore every week is making me want to go out a lot

1) £30 Love Label
2) £50 Lipsy by Pixie Lott
3) £130 French Connection
4) £49 Dianna Vickers
5) £77 French Connection
6) £49 Ted Baker

They're all taunting me under one roof at http://www.very.co.uk/

My expensive tastes have got the better of me as only the Ted Baker is actually in the sale, but how nice is the french connection one? And I think I'm getting a bit of an unhealthy obsession with Pixie Lott : / I'll deffs be heading back to very come payday - the shops in Northampton town anger me.

I was planning to end the post on that long and rambly note but wanted to share this awfull drink Tom bought the other day...

How gross is that? It tastes like sugar mixed with feet.

Shifting Back to the 60's

2011-06-21T11:40:00.001-07:00

I do love a good shift dress, this was £8 from Primark 4 years ago.

Dress: Primark
Shoes: Matalan

I like how they've got a 60's feel about them, and how the shape's really flattering despite most being so short they barely protect your modesty. Sadly the one I'm wearing is almost ready for the bin, there's various little holes and claw marks where Theo's savaged it, and has probably been worn a good 100 times in the 4 years I've owned it - making each wear a bargain at 8p!

I've also attempted a mini beehive, thoughts? I think I look a little like a ginger bet lynch, I so should have had my hair like this when I worked in whetherspoons to scare off all the old men queueing for their ale at 9 in the morning with their 50p off vouchers....

For anyone else who shares a shifty love of dresses I've scounted around and found some nice'uns all for under £25. I'm currently deciding which one should replace my beloved primark frock.

Top Row 1. £17 Dorothy Perkins
2. £24 Dorothy Perkins
3. £24 Awear
4. £20 Dorothy Perkins

Bottom Row 1. £26.99 Missguided
2. £20 Boohoo
3. £20 Asos
4. £18.99 Misguided

Which are you're favourites?

Aye Aye Kaftan

2011-06-18T11:00:00.000-07:00

Today I got up early to battle Primark

Dress: H&M
Necklace: Camden
Shoes: Primark

The Primark in my town is actually horrible. I don't think I've been to a smaller one and they stock about 3 of each thing. You've got to battle old ladies and girls that still wear hair gel to get around the huge wooden stands and then dig your way through 50p tees in the hope to find something ok-ish. I actually went to help find some man shorts for Spain but spotted a Kaftan that I had to have. When I'm on holiday I usually just lie back and let the sun fry me, but I really want to start looking after my skin, and it's gross how every summer the sun gives me more moles - I don't care if they're kisses just stop it please.
I bought one I liked in Tesco but it was a bit plane Jane so was more than prepared to rummage through awful underwear to find this.

It's the one on the left and I only had to part with six pounds for it, whilst the slightly maternity esque F&F Kaftan was eight! I'll be keeping them both though as they're deffs practical for my uncooked chicken skin. I also found these...

I dunno if you can see but they've got anchors and mini boats on them, I've seen a few nauticalish things curtosy of Primark on other people's blogs I'm quite impressed with the details they've have added, especially for a tiny £2.50!

Other than pottering around my flat and eating leftover apple pie whilst watching extreme home makeover, I haven't really done much else with my Saturday.
Oh annnd is anyone reading this planning on going to the Midlands Blogger meetup? Lemme know!

I Want to Look Like Pixie Lott

2011-06-14T11:52:00.000-07:00

I was going to write that the blog may be a little clothesy for a while as I'm saving for holiday and havent actually bought anything new product wise, then I realised Spain is only a meer two weeks away so a while isn't really much of a while... Anyway I do like Pixie Lott Quita Lott and even did one of these here. I love how she doesn't have stick insect legs but still looks wins, and I'm rather jealous of her hair.

I would never be able to pull this off as orange has always been a no go for me, shoved against my whitey skin it makes me look like a carrot cake : / I might have to copy the black and colour combo though - Trinny & Suzanna I never did agree with your silly rules.

Oh and thanks for the nice positive comments about the pesky colleague, i'm actually starting to see the funnier side of working with this...

Gushing Over a Playsuit

2011-06-11T11:06:00.001-07:00

A month and a half later my h&m discounted goodies finally arrived and has sparked a bigger love affair with the playsuit.

I do love a good playsuit, anything that can make the crossover from day to night with a meer removal of tights is a good thing in my book. I also like how you can get away with wearing the sort of lengths that would deffs get the tramp label if it happened to be a dress. I can even overlook the fact that most make it an impossible task to go for a wee, which is something as I'm like seabiscuit on a night out (oh my - too much info?).

I ordered this with a £10 and a £5 online h&m voucher that I know reams of people used, (Joey essex I used your word properly) and reams of people waited ages for the delivery. What's up with you h&m? You take forever to get an online shop going then take forever once more to even ship an order. I also heard via Rosie that if you ring up to complain they yell at you for using online voucher codes! Customer service at it's finest....

I also got some pumps for work and a scarf to bulk my order up to £20. The scarfs a bit ugly tbh, I did attempt to wrap it around my head but I looked ridiculous so quickly removed it. It annoys me that I have hideous falling out hair but my head's too small to cover it with anything! Gah.

Anyway I made this little montage for anyone else out there feeling the playsuit love at the moment. I've turned into a bit of a penny pincher (if this means tight which I think it does, I'm no theif honest) as I'm saving for Spain so all of these bar one are under £25

1. £24.99 Republic
2. £25 Desire Clothing
3. £26.99 Ark Clothing
4. £25 F&F @ Tesco
5. £14 George @ Asda
6. £20 Boohoo
7. £25 Boohoo
8. £24.99 Misguided

Numbers three and eight are my favourites I think, what do you reckon? Hope everyone's enjoying the weekend and the weather, although it does seem to be a little tempermental? I'm off to Stoke tomorrow to scoff a roast and borrow some suitcases, v.glamourous indeed.

Same Face Different Day

2011-06-09T10:41:00.000-07:00

By the time I've faffed around making cups of tea and watching Desperate Housewives in the morning I don't really have time to be that adventurous with my makeup. I end up having the same face for about 3 months before I mix it up, like a less extreme Nicholas Cage/John Travolta scenario. So here's what I use.

Face: Maybelline Dream Satin Liquid
Garnier Roll on
Benefit Hello Flawless!
Max Factor bronzer
Benefit Sugarbomb

Eyes: Sleek Storm palette
Rimmel Kohl Liner
Maybelline One by One mascara
Rimmel Exaggerate liquid liner

Lips: Sleek True Colour Lipstick in Bare All

Probably not the most exciting of combos to put together but it's safe for everyday. Sometimes if I'm feeling a little crazy I'll add some Barry M Dazzle Dust but at the moment this is a rarety, can't live too close to the edge!

Unless you're a bit of a hermit (which to be honest I am 80% of the time) you'll probs already know about the Benefit treats in Glamour this month. I'm guessing heaps of bloggers will do posts on these so instead I'm just going to chuck a picture of my face wearing them at you.

You can just about make out the slight shimmer of High Beam in this shoddy lighting. On a different note I tweeted today my predicament over my lip piercing, this little hole has been with me for quite some time now and I'm reluctant to let it close up and leave my face steel free, but I'm nearing 24 (ugh) and think it's starting to look a little manish? Thinking I might swap it for a more discreet ear piercing but I'm not too sure what to get, I did see a possibility on Charlene's blog and I'm tempted to pilfer the idea. Thoughts?

Wins tis almost the weekend! I wanted to celebrate early tonight with some cider/vodka but I scraped my last pennies together to buy three copies of the same magazine so it's going to have to be rum and smart price lemonade....

This Moan Might Lose Me Some Cred

2011-06-07T11:50:00.000-07:00

In the whole year I've been there, today was one of the worst days at work I've ever had so I actually couldn't wait to whack on some comfys, get the kettle brewin' and slap on some Made in Chelsea.

Jumper: French Connection, Shorts: Miss Selfridge

This jumper was bought for me last year on a trip to London (which was fab btw, I definitely suggest anyone who's planning a trip there to check out Easyhotel for a cheap stay) as an early Christmas present from the boyfriend. I was going through an animalsonanything phase at the time and also got a zebra jumper but this has stood the test of time - and my evil washing machine! Alas the cheap camden zebra jumper has not, rip itchy knitted friend....

The shorts have also battled father time, I got them in my 2nd year of uni which would be three years ago now *gasp*! I'm clearly getting old, and the first sentence of this post isn't really doing much to dispute this.

To expand on my work troubles; for once it wasn't being bombarded with complaints and accusations that made my day hellish, it was just the bitchy atmosphere in the office making everyone feel uncomfortable. I work with 13 other women who are mostly close to retirement but treat the office like a playground and constantly bitch and make up little sing songs : / There are three other girls around my age but one of them is actually crazy. She's 25 but will TELL ON YOU (!!!) to the supervisors if you do something wrong like a slimy little Randal from recess, and has spent the last three days bragging about how she's reported her neighbour, complained to the council about not being able to go to swim aerobics, annnd how she triumphantly got her 23p back from the canteen when they didn't put mushrooms on her breakfast. I. Hate. Her.

Apologies for the rant, it really does sound petty reading it back but it's made my day so gah. Anyone else have pesky colleagues?

Ah well, time to look forward to the finer things in life.....

Note: I wasn't reffering to these "ripped" men, they make me feel a little ill. Just the programme!

Hello Flawless!

2011-06-05T03:33:00.000-07:00

This was a bit of an impulse buy last year in London, and if i'm being honest I was sort of talked into buying it by the very enthusiastic counter man. Hello Flawess! Is said to be a "silky powder cover up" which "glides on naturally sheer and layers beautifully for customised coverage". And as anyone who's read my recent posts my already know, I'm becoming more obsessed with covering redness and attempting to get that "brightened" look recently.
So here it is

As soon as I had this I started using it daily, and although the Benefit chap said I could use it instead of foundation, for ultimate coverage I used it lightly over the top of Maybelline's Dream Matte Mouse. I was in love. The shade I have (Champagne, or "Me Vain?") is a little darker than natural skin tone but I use quite a bit of fake tan so tisn't really a problem.
I used this everyday for about a week, I know it's described as Silky but it's definitly a matte finish and covered up my redness relitively well, although I think to banish the bane of my life completly it'd have to be used with a concealer from the gods.

After a week though I started getting a little bit blotchy and pimply so I cast Hello Flawless to the dark depths of my make up bag and only bought it up for air once a week. However the pimples and blotches kept on a'comin and I quickly realised it was the Judas of makeups the dream matte mouse that was attacking my skin. Oh Hello Flawless why did I doubt you? Here, have your well deserved ! back....
I now use this every day (as you can tell by the little silver splodge coming through) over my Maybelline Dream Satin Liquid and the two have a very nice little relationship going on.

Like most Benefit products a lot of thought has gone into the packaging, you get a mirror, a brush and a sponge with 0.25 oz of powder which might not seem like much but I've used this every day for a while now and I really don't use it sparingly. It's £24.50 which was a huge splurge and a bit of a silly risk for me but It was deffs worth it and I'll be buying it again as soon as it runs out.

Right, I think I might have rambled on enough. Has anyone else tried this? Had good/bad experiences? Lemme know!
And as always, as I always seem to post on a Sunday, hope everyone's had a good weekend. I went to Wembley yesterday to watch England Vs Switzerland which wasn't the best of games but the atmosphere (especially from the Swiss who put us to shame a little bit) was amazing.

Blazin' Squad

2011-06-02T11:15:00.000-07:00

I bought this blazer for a job interview last year and since then it's been dust gathering in my wardrobe. I dunno what it is about blazers, they seem to look good on millions of people but when I put this on I feel a bit, well, manly? When my quest for long locks is complete hopefully this will stop as this is soo comfortable and a win for breezy evenings.

Blazer: Zara, Shorts: Republic, Top: Oldschool Topshop

I've been feeling a little bleurgh today and I think it's that pesky hay fever kicking in again, I got it for the first time last summer and spent hours looking oh so sexy at my desk with my nasal spray and inhaler! I really hope it goes away, no one wants to spend the entire summer with a permacold.
This feels like a bit of a filler post aswell as I haven't really got a lot to say as the most exciting thing that's happened to me so far this week is the ice cream sunday I'm going to make later complete with cornish ice cream and asda's own chocolatey treats.

Ha whenever I have a night in on my own I scoff like a lonely spinster, I don't know what it is but a night without snacks sends me into a bit of a frenzy and I start raiding the cupboards, dry cereal gets eaten, lumps of cheese, anything that's there apparently. Note to self: Start running asap.

Week Through my iPhone

2011-05-30T12:22:00.000-07:00

I know technically this should be done on a Sunday but as it's bank holiday it still feels like the weekend.

(Clockwise)
1) We went to see the boyfriend's uncle and this is his ~~beast~~ dog Cassie. She stinks and slobbers everywhere but she's ridic friendly and even Theo likes her.

2) Since the sun has upped and left England for pastures new I've been slathering on the fake tan by the bucket load, I've always used Sublime Bronze due to it's semi cheapness and it's actually quite easy to apply and not overly streaky. Althoughhh this time I did whack some on my face and made an attractive chin splodge which took ages to budge. Note to self: Invest in some tan 'specially for le face.

3) From traffic jams to 9 week long roadworks, from trips South to countless supermarket visits, it seems I've spent at least half of this week in my car. I really should clean it as it's slowly turning into a sort of cat hair ball on wheels. Lint brushes are my best friend.

4) I'm loving the apprentice this year, I'm also hating Susan with a passion this year. Please go away Susan.

5) I went to the races today and didn't win a penny. It was full of quilted jackets, bodywarmers, and flat caps, this chap captures the day perfectly.

6) Sadly enough the majority of this week including Saturday was spent at my desk where I've drank my weight in tea three times over and used copious amounts of hand food.

Hope everyone's had a good Monday and isn't feeling the Sunday night dread as much as I currently am : / But a four day week aint half bad!

Saturday Night (Dance I Like The Way You Move)

2011-05-28T11:03:00.000-07:00

You know when you're not sure about braving something outside the comfort of your own home so give it a sort of test run first? Well that's what I did here to try out the thigh wobble factor. I bought this last year from Warehouse and hardly wore it so decided to crack it out today to see if it fits.

It didn't : / Dunno if you can tell by the snaps but I'm clearly not the size I was last year, I seem to have acquired a layer of Enchiladas and Haribo around my waist that I'm determined to shift. Probs not the best time to discover this 1 month before my holiday!
Whist the self timer was beeping away Theo clearly got jealous that he wasn't in the limelight and tried to demolish my tower of dvds that was acting as a homemade tripod with his killer paws. Funnily enough he stopped attacking after I let him pose.

Off subject but it wouldn't be a true post from me if I didn't have the usual moan and whinge about the curse of the red cheeks, they're glowing away like little Amsterdam lightbulbs today sooo has anyone tried this?

Can't decide whether to part with £17.50 for something that seems a bit hit and miss according to reviews, any thoughts/advice would be great.

Hope the weekend's going good for everyone, I worked this morning and for once managed to last the whole 4 hours without anyone yelling at me for not knowing there's 31 days in April or accusing me of giving their husband a heart attack, twas very uneventful but a nice change not to be screamed at. Due to my early start I'm actually thinking of pj-ing up, hair masking up, and settling down with a brewski already and it's only half seven - wild times in my flat for a Saturday night! As Tinie Tempah so rightly said, "Heidi and Audrina eat your heart out."

Do a Little Dance, Make a Little Love, Get Brown Tonight

2011-05-25T11:34:00.000-07:00

I finally managed to get some dye lobbed onto my barnett, it's not exactly the dark blonde I eventually picked after spending ages looking at the little snippets of hair in the book they showed me, but it's been two days now and I'm starting to cope with the loss of my blonde locks.
It's only temporary in an attempt to grow rapunsel style tresses in time for next year and I'm really hoping the lack of bleach in my life will help. Thoughts? Be brutal!

So as not to simply post two pictures of my posed pout face underneith a not-so-cleverly changed song lyric, I thought I'd share a few blogs I've been loving recently. I've been writing on my blog for a while now and think I'm finally past the nervous pleasantries and it's time to primp, preen, and expose my google reader.

The Little Curly Girl - A fashion come lifestyle come beauty blog, the posts here are well written and funny. And Franki who writes it has nice hair.

Made-in-a-cup - Another fashion/lifestyle/beauty blog, this has some lovely posts and nice pictures. And just guessing but I'm assuming Meg likes Lady Gaga. She also has nice hair.

Katie Louise - I love how there's always jibes about work on here, I can sort of relate. This is a bit more lifestyley with a dash o' beauty thrown in avec lots of snaps, especially foody ones which makes me hungry and has just done so again. I'd feel rude if I didn't mention Katie has nice hair.

Gem Fatale's Style Blog - I'm going to assume everyone has read this before, but I'm liking how there's more posting action recently. Also has fantastic hair

I'm sensing a pattern here..."Hello I'm Eloise, I like rubbish reality tv and I'm looking for a blog with good hair and a gsoh"

Mascaradultery

2011-05-25T10:19:00.000-07:00

I have spindly lashes and finding a good mascara is quite hard, I actually prefer it at around a month once the clumps start setting in and it sort of glues my spider legs together. Because of this I've been buying Benefit's Badgal for a while now as it's humongous brush gives me the volume I crave and makes the vast space between my lashes a little more bareable. Sooo after running out last week I ordered the waterproof version from Debenhams and used my dried up old collection 2000 mascara whilst I waited for the postman to come a knockin'/drop a red slip in my postbox and run away without a knockin'.
It came and I felt conned. Despite being exactly the same price the waterproof version is almost half the size and the brush is a lot smaller, I'm probably being all novicy thinking they'd be the same size but all the same I took it back to Debenhams and got a refund as the store in my sleepy town doesn't stock benefit. This left my eyelids feeling too light for my liking and not wanting to wait another 4 days I grabbed this from Boots.

Feeling guilty, like I was seeking out a new bit on the side, I just fumbled around for the one with the biggest brush and ran to the counter. This turned out to be the One by One Volume Express a'la Maybelline.

The brush is quite creepily named the "Lash Catcher", I'm not too sure what this actually means as my lashes don't often fall out on a whim, however it's big enough and adds quite a bit of length. It doesn't seem to give me much volume though, making the Mascara's name a little deceiving.

Honestly? I wouldn't say this product is amazing but to be fair I'm stupidly picky. At £8.49 it's a decent price and if you're after lasting length and already have thick lashes I'd definitely reccomend it. I'd also like your eyes please.

Can't Touch This

2011-05-21T09:46:00.001-07:00

When Harem pants first came to the high street a couple of years ago oh how I mocked them. "Why would anyone want to look like a genie?" and "unflattering pyjamas" were thoughts that first crossed my mind. But now I have the biggest of spoons to eat my words as not only do I now own a pair but I love them. Yes they do look a little pyjamary but at the same time they have the the same comfort of pyjamas and this wins anyday. I got mine last week and they're so good for this stormy one minute scathingly hot sunshine the next weather we've been having. I reckon they look best avec Gladiator sandals or Wedges and with my pale, shy of baring all legs demanding more of these comfy strews I've had a persue online and found these - the first pair are the ones I've already sniffed out in h&m.

Where They're From
Trousers (Left to Right): h&m, Topshop, h&m, Tesco, Matalan
Wedges: chockersshoes.co.uk, Newlook, linzishoes.com, Priceless Shoes, boohoo.com

I had no makeup on when these were taken and looking at the second picture now that was a rookie mistake on my part. Also I feel I need to defend the first picture - it was either an uncomfortable bend or a lack of head in the photo! My wedges are super old and were £5.00 from New Look as they were bought in January, I'm starting to think I should buy all my clothes out of season, how cheap are knitted jumpers and jeans atm?!

Hope everyone's having a good weekend, I had yet another failed attempt at getting my hair coloured today as I was told last time that I needed a toner, so I went ahead and booked for a toner to then be told today I don't need one? Ugh! And two of the stylists had the cheek to mock my reautiful locks! Ah well I'm going dark blonde now on Friday now : /
So I'm currently festering in my flat watching Paris Hilton's Dubai BFF (when will they stop?), scoffing penguin bars, and feeling bitter and sorry for myself. It's likely I'll cheer myself up with some cod action tonight - psn anyone?

Sleek True Colour and a Fake Cornetto

2011-05-18T11:13:00.000-07:00

Last time Debenhams did one of their 10% off and free delivery offers I was sat at my laptop for ages deciding which lipstick to buy as my first step into the world of Mac cosmetics. With a Vegas Volt rolling around in the bottom of my online basket I was seconds away from clicking "buy now" when the sensible side of me was singing "spennnd lesss gooo to sleeeek" and to that side I listened.

I know every blogger and their dog, and maybe even their dogs' dog owns one of these lipsticks but I thought I'd do my own review of them anyway.
I bought Bare All and Pink Freeze from Superdrug on a 2 for £6 offer and I'm so happy with my choices. I'm also quite glad I decided to take the trip into town in order to see the colours in the flesh (?!) as Bare All looks very brown online and I probably wouldn't have looked twice at it. In fact it's a lovely shade that, against pale skin, is a super pretty orangey/peachey colour. Pink Freeze is a vibrant shade that I reckon would look nice against any skin tone, it can be worn in the day (I was actually complemented on it in my office full of olds) or applied heavier as more of a statement for a night on the razzle.

Going by the name I'm assuming Bare All is intended to be a nude, but do you see what I mean about the peachey goodness? They're both amazing though and last.so.long. I went a bit smacker happy before work the otherday with Pink Freeze and once in the car realised I might look a tad overdone and my lipstick might not match my headset - so I spent the jouney rubbing at it and it would not budge at all. Obvs this is a good thing as not everyone has to wear a hideous headset 8 hours a day.

Gah lip closeup, Im actually cringing a little I'm having to scroll down so I can type without being blinded by my mouth : /

So that's my take on Sleek True Colour, anyone else loving the same shades as me? Hope everyones Wednesday's going good, the highlight of mine has been a Morrisons own brand toffee cornetto that took me all of ten seconds to scoff and Made in Chelsea on catchup. Is it just me or does Spencer have the most ridiculously overctive face? He pulls such dramatic expressions when they're not needed and it's starting to make me angry - infact the boy in general makes me angry

x

Ghds for Bhds

2011-05-14T13:09:00.000-07:00

Oh my. Back in the day when I worked in the workhouse of despair that was Wetherspoons, drunk women (usually between the ages of 40-60) occasionally slured that that they liked my big hair and asked how I did it. So if any of those women are reading this, feast your peepers on the video below. It may look like I'm talking to myself, i was actually trying to talk through the swirling motion but my voice is appauling so I thought Benny Hill could do a better job. Also please note that whilst my hair may look greasier than...well... a wetherspoons breakfast (to add context) it's actually just a huge root issue.
ooh and before you mock - because lets be honest who wouldn't mock that ridiculous image you're greeted with - I'm desperatly trying to update it but youtube say this could take 36hrs : /

I've whacked some products on my barnet today in an attempt to give it a push to grow.

I've never tried the 3 minute conditioner before but there's been some good reviews and at 2 for £5 in Superdrug at the moment I'm willing to try anything that might de frazzle my locks. For anyone that hasn't used it, it's a deep conditioning treatment for damaged hair which is supposed to "smooth rough cuticles and restore shine" - unsure if I have any cuticles left

The Umberto Giannini mask is amazing. This is also for dry and damaged hair and works so so well and smells so so lovely. I can't really describe the scent other than...clean? I'll deffs be taking this to spain for when the sun has attacked me with its rays.
What's everyone else's favourite treatments? Also apologies for the amount of 's in this post.

Topshop sort of vs Missguided

2011-05-08T06:36:00.000-07:00

Drumroll please...

I do love Topshop so very much, but with rent to pay and bills cheekily raring their head every other month I can't always afford to sell out £30 + on clothing. I've been on the missguided site before but for some reason always got it confused with desireclothing.com (see my spot the difference featuring them here) and thought they were one of the same. Turns out they're both equally as good but after my visit to both of them today I think Missguided is my new fave. This could be partly due to desireclothing forgetting to mention that the shoes I ordered were out of stock, took my money, and didn't tell me till 3 weeks later...
I won't go on about the similarities between Topshop and Missguided, I think the pic above sort of speaks for itself. I haven't actually ordered anything from them so I can't compare on the quality of any of their stuff. If anyone reading this has lemme know so I can start spending my non existant dollarz.

In other news I got myself a snazzy mug

And then I took a creepy photo of myself showcasing my new floral blouse a'la h&m, I got it to chuck over a bikini on holiday but I do like it with shorts, even if I look like I've made the mistake of purchasing a maternity top!

Hope everyone's Mondays weren't too dreadfull.

x

Beauty Wishlist and a Not-so-Great Blush

2011-05-07T06:37:00.000-07:00

In a Russel Brand voice...Exciting. I made this beauty wishlist and then literally five minutes later whilst googlereader-ing I saw on Catherine's blog that next month Glamour magazine will be giving away FREE benetint, posietint, and high beam! I'm going to be ruthless in my little Asda I tell you. Those slow people using the self serves better watch out....*shakes fist*

1) Benefit Posie Tint - I've wanted this for ages but at £24.50 I've stopped myself. It has heaps of excellent reviews but without seeing it in the flesh I don't really want to part with the dollar. My nearest benefit counter is quite a drive away so I cant easily go and try the products. Alsooo I get a little intimidated by the counter people, sometimes I feel they're a bit "oh...you're only buying one thing?" Anyway I will now ponder not! Come the 9th of June I shall be grabbing myself a freebie.

2) Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua - I really want to try this. I've got a bit obsessed with having flawless skin and covering my rubbish redness at the moment and after hearing Fleurdeforce describe it as a sort of "second skin" I wanted to purchase. Shame its £31.65 in Debenhams. I cannot justify this unless my wages go up, and I dont think that's going to happen.

3) Benefit Bad Lash Waterproof mascara - huge brush gives me huge lashes. I love this product and mine is about to run out.

4) Eyeko graffiti eyeliner pen - I want me some cat eyes please. My own attempts with liquid liner make me more Cat Slater.

5) Clinique Redness Solutions Urgent Releif Cream - My redness makes me cringe, which unfortunatly makes me more red. Double the cringe. This product will be mine one day and it will be my saviour.

6) Benefit Benetint - I could pretty much type number 1 all over again here

7) Mac Surf Baby lipstick - I don't actually want purple lips but the hibiscus shade looks lovely. Red but not overly red, a definite day and night shade.

8) Moraccanoil - If you've read a few of my posts you probably think "stop going on about your hair" (i get that a lot) but it's actually depressing me at the moment. I've gone from bleaching it every month and having white locks to an awful, yellowy, two toned mess. I blame Toni & Guy who've told me that if I want it long, this sacrifice I must make. I've had this product used on me a couple of times and it leaves your hair mega soft and mega shiny, perfect for anyone with straw barnetts like me

and now for something I don't like very much....

This is becoming quite a wordy post for me. Although I've just thought adding this on the end might finish off rather bitter. Oh well this product has made me bitter!

As if my Accessorize blush has cracked, I haven't even been carrying it around anywhere. It's been sat in my makeup bag which gets moved from one room to another once a day! I know I could still use it but it's a bit of a hassle, it crumbles everywhere and leaves a pink mess. Accessorize I feel cheated out of £4.00.

Has this happened to anyone else?

My Jumper is Tan because I'm not

2011-05-04T14:41:00.000-07:00

As if it's May already, next month we will be half way through 2011, madness. I went shopping on Monday to the roundabout kingdom of Milton Keynes and for the first time ever didn't get cut up by a company car driver on the way. I actually went in search of a bikini for Spain, ended up buying one I don't like (mint green and pale skin makes me look like a cucumber), got in a bit of a mood, and then got bought this awesome tan jumper type thing from the boyf. Probs to smarm in advance for the drunken night out with his friend tonight : /
Oh well I got me some knits.

I'm wearing
Face: Maybelline Dream Satin Liquid in Porcelain
Benefit Hello Flawless in Champagne ("Me Vain?")
Benefit Sugarbomb
Eyes: Benefit Stay Don't Stray
Urban Decay Half Baked
Rimmel Exaggerate Liner in Black
Rimmel Special Eyes Eyeliner in Black
Benefit Bad Gal Mascara
Lips: Sleek True Colour Lipstick in Pink Freeze

Anyone else just watched the last episode of Towie? I know it's majorly scripted but I hate Lauren and Mark with such a passion, she looks like Noel Fielding when he plays the moon and he looks like a berk.

Barry M Barry M Barry M M M

2011-04-28T12:24:00.001-07:00

Ok, so I know pretty much every blogger and their dog, and their dog's dog has blogged about Barry M's instant effects nail varnish, but I recently received these in the post as a giveaway price from Adrienne Adores so here's my novice-when-it-comes-to-nails take on them. *drumrolls*

They came in wrapped up in a purple parcle with some sweets thrown in, I only managed to scoff one before my cat jumped on the other and decided to bat it around the living room.

Black Magic, White Frost, Pink Fizz, Blue Print

I was lucky enough to win all four shades, and despite my nails being a bit gnarled (i munch at my desk) I got to painting straight away. The instructions couldn't really be anymore basic, paint your nails in any colour/any brand, add a single coat of Instant Effects over the top once dry, and a couple of seconds later watch some crackly goodness appear!

For the base colour I used Model's Own in Feeling Blue and Nails Inc's Warwick Avenue. Deffs prefer Model's own, the texture is a lot thicker and I only needed one coat, where as the Nails Inc polish was a bit watery and two coats still wasn't really enough. Then I messily slopped on some Barry M and this was the result, the blue and pink combo is my fave I reckon.

I'm guessing a lot of people have tried these already, what's your best colour combo so far?

On a less cosmeticy note I'm sooo happy for another long weekend, I'm starting to get a bit bored in my job and I've not even been there a year yet, there's only so much "Your balance is now due your account is on stop" I can take. Plus I get to see my newphew and sister again which should be nice.

And imma get me a case of bulmers

What are your weekend plans?

x

Not So Fahionable Easter

2011-04-26T11:40:00.000-07:00

Hello! How's everyones Easter been? Considering I never usually get to see my family as they're either abroad or up north I had a rather family filled Easter. My Mum and Pops are visiting from Spain this month so my sister and her chap made the journey to Northampton on Saturday to visit with me and my own Boyf , then on Sunday we headed down the M1 to the campsite where my parents were staying for a pub lunch and some beers in the sun.

Twas made even nicer as I got to see/cuddle my new(ish) nephew and my grandparents drove the two hour slog for the occasion. With all this going down, as well as looking at ridiculouslyoutofmybudget wedding dresses, I havent really had time to stay up to date with blogs et twitter so I'm deffs getting back on he ball this week. I took loads of snaps this weekend so here are a very select few, I did some major filtering as 1. A coldsore the size of a planet has erupted on my face and 2) most of them included Oliver and I'm not sure if I'd want pictures of my baby (if I had one) on a non private blog without knowing.

A crazily tiny tunnel under the canal

Natalie ducking through the tunnel

Appaling iphone front camera picture of me inpersonating a giraffe

Yesterday was still tres hot so we took advantage of the park nearby and lazed in the sun with matching 99s, then later I moaned about my burn....there's clearly no pleasing me.

Sorry for a bit of a rubbish post, I purchased some makeup yesterday, and received my giveaway package from the lovely Adrienne Adores so reviews are on the way once my face is less grotesque

Kate Nash Sang About Foundations

2011-04-19T09:46:00.000-07:00

I've not really been online at all over the weekend and it feels like an age, I'd actually like to know how many hours I spend a week on my laptop, bet its something ridiculous - gone are the days where I was allowed half an hour a night on neopets and yahoo messenger. Did anyone else ever used to use Neopets? I was obsessed.
If I haven't bored you already and you're still reading then thankyou, but my early 2000s nostalgia might just be as good as it gets.

With a blotchy face and £11 in my bank account last week I had to wave goodbye to plans of purchasing my first mac foundation *insert very sad face* and instead ended up grabbing a "drugstore" brand whilst in Tesco. I had been using Maybelline's Dream Matte Mouse in Porcelain and to be honest I wasn't a fan, it made my skin quite rashy and seemed so heavy it sort of clumped on my cheeks. Thinking this was probably down to my application I stayed true to Maybelline and picked up their Dream Satin Liquid Foundation but went for "Ivory".

I actually really like this product, I've always gone for matte finishes (through my student days I went through tonnes of Rimmel's Stay Matte) so to have a lighter, satin finish was a welcomed change. Apart from the HORRIFIC coldsore that decided to ERUPT on my face this morning I'm actually loving how my skin looks whilst wearing this, the only con is that it doesn't seem to last that long so you'll get through it quickly, but I suppose the bottle's quite big and you get 30ml of product as opposed to 18ml of mousse.

I'm a paley and this is actually a tiny bit darker than my skin but alongside the ever faithfull Dove tanning moisutrizer it works perfectly.
I know it's probably not as exciting as a shiny new brand but I'd deffs reccomend this foundation to anyone whos scrimping before the end of the month.

To go completly off subject I also bought some paper bag shorts the other day! I've wanted some for yonks but haven't ever got round to buying any. These were from Republic and were £24.99.

I'm rather looking forward to some hot weather in spain so I can blind folk with my white pins. A big ol' thankyou also goes out to Alice at Schadenfreude for showing me how to edit my snaps. She has a rather nice blog go and have a look.

Hope everyone had a good weekend/Monday/Tuesday

x

Soap, Glory, and a Bit of a Ramble

2011-04-13T10:55:00.000-07:00

I blogged about the uh-mazing Soap and Glory offer I bagged in Boots here and despite most of the products being awesome and well worth the £25 i paid for the lot, I've placed two of the products on the highest of high pedestools.

I know there's a gazillion different types of scrubs and a lot of people already have their faves, but this. smells. fantastic. I've never actually been one for regular exfoliating, getting out of the shower to put it on, to get back into the shower to rinse it off, especially when in a flustered rush in the morning, always seems like a bit of an effort. Buuut I've skipped a step and use this as I would shower gel and it's doing the same tricks. Even after rinsing it of it leaves the gorgeous syruppy smell for a couple of hours.

Its quite a big pot and a little seems to be going a long way, which is a win if it's on offer as buying one full price will set you back £9.45 in Boots and that's so much more than I'd ever normally spend on everyday skincare - should probs start saving the coppers now for when it runs out.

To be honest I had sort of disregarded these, facewipes are yet another thing I get a little enraged about buying, as I'd rather spend my hard earned dollar on stuff that'll make my face look nicer, not take said stuff off. But I saw Fleur mention them in a vlog so gave them a chance. They have the typical soap and glory ultra-clean scent which I love, and don't sting around the eye area at all . One wipe takes off a full face of make up and they contain glycerin to make your face baby bum soft. Only con again is the price but all Soap and Glory is 1/3 off in boots at the moment so you can get them for £2.73. I'm deffs going to stock up on Saturday.

Urgh I attempted another outfit post today after work, if I want this to be a regular thing I'm blates going to need a tripod, balancing my big ol camera on the edge of the bed whilst running from the self timer is a bit rubbish. I also look ultra uncomfortable, I'm clearly a "behind the scenes" gal.

I always feel scruffy at work, could be because that trusty cardigan is yonks old and has clearly seen better days. Or it could be the roots which are really starting to get to me, so much that I almost grabbed a brown dye t'uther day : O

Hope everyone's had a good Wednesday, the weekend countdown always starts on a Wednesday evening for me and this Sunday I'm going to look at the wedding venue again and I cannot wait.

Isn't it rather pretty? Hurry up please 2012

xx

Style Copycat

2011-04-10T07:31:00.000-07:00

I may get slated for saying this, but I am quite the Saturdays fan. Ok their music isn't exactly that of a lyrical genius but it's catchy and bouncy and blasting out "Karma" whilst driving home from work on a sunny afternoon is always a win. Mollie and Frankie have been jumping from one fashion page to the next recently and I'm liking how they pair ridiculously expensive handbags (cut out from the picture below btw, who needs expense?) with Topshop. I managed to spot them last December in Selfridges purchasing said ridiculouslyexpensivebags which was the best celebrity spot of the weekend and probably told most people I know about it. Ugh I'll stop gushing now before I sound like too nuch of a fan girl/stalker.

1) Denim Jacket £29.99 quizclothing.co.uk

2) Skorts £18 desireclothing.co.uk
3) Wedges £24.99 Bankfashion
4) Skirt £35 Topshop
5) Sunglasses £6 Boohoo.com
6) Belt £3 Matalan
7) Dress £28 Topshop
8) Tan Heels £24.99 Newlook

Apologies if anyone is liking the blue dress, I trawlled for a while but the closest I could find was Topshop's red jersey dress - tis nice though.

1) Sleeveless Shirt £28 Topshop
2) Belt £6 Dorothy Perkins
3) Paper Bag Skirt £35 Topshop
4) Heels £24.99 Newlook

Even though the majority of this is Topshop and probably will be seen in various town centres on various Saturday nights for the next few months - I actually love this outfit. I'd probably need to add a whole bottle of tan though to try and pull it off, I don't think my mole ridden pasty pins will be much of a match.

Is everyone having a good Sunday? I've spent the day making stew and cupcakes (again!) which are now stinking the flat out they bubbles and cool away, and searching for a bikini in tesco. I failed at the latter. Thinking now I should spend the money I had on some shiny new make up? The boyf also snapped a shamefull picture of me cheffing it up wearing the glammest of glam aprons. *crinnnggee*

Backcomb in a Bottle

2011-04-05T10:17:00.000-07:00

I've seen this reviewed on a couple of blogs, so always one for a gimmic I took myself and my flat hair to the nearest boots, and with the lure of 2 for £7.50 how could I not? The idea of this is to reduce the damage of constant backcombing followed by bouts of hairspray followed by more backcombing, so it sort of incorporates the two into one bottle.

The directions on the bottle aren't really that clear, but using my noggin I assumed you style your hair as normal and then blast it with product. The first time I tried it my hair had gone really lank from straightening the day before and hadn't been washed that day (unless dry shampoo counts?!) so after spraying the Backcomb in a Bottle all over the stop of my head I was just left with a greasy looking mess.

Not wanting to give up, especially if the prize could be wonderfully huge hair, I tried again today and here are the results.... Please note the barnet has been pinned up all day so there's a reason for the poodle fluff.

Before

The result

After combing the product out

As you can see from the pictures after brushing this out - which was actually quite easy - it does make hair appear a bit slimy, especially if you've got as much root going on as me. Howeverrrr it does pretty much do what it claims, and smells saloney.
Anyone else tried this? What vas it like fur you?

Ebay & Cupcakes

2011-04-02T12:01:00.000-07:00

I've had my eye on this peter pan blouse for a while and even blogged about it here after doing a bit of window/screen shopping. Well I didn't know if I liked it enough to part with thirty eight hard earned pounds so scoured ebay and found a seller acutioning a few off all for around the 20 mark. I got to bidding and managed to win the auction for 19.99! Winner.

I'd also seen these wire headband things (such a literate description) in Newlook for 7.50, but ebay had them for 99p. Quick to snap up anything that'll cover my yellow root head I slammed the buy it now button and had both of my purchases in a matter of days.

The only problem with the top is it's a size 10 and it's massive. The sleeves sort of droop over my hands and I don't know if it makes me look a bit bag lady? It's also very see through which i'll have to address - Shabby old primark types are best hidden.

Eurgh these pictures looked a lot less awkward on the tiny preview screen. Why must I look zombified in the evening?! Could maybs be something to do with the stress of my rubbish car m.o.t today - £397! All they did was put two new tyres on it and in the process covered it with black stuff that i've just braved the dark to clean off.

Anyway to chear myself up and to keep occupied on my night in I decided to make some malteser cupcakes that I can scarf down later. I tried these a while ago after seeing them on Rosie's Blog and they're gorgeous. Definitly recommend the recipe and her blog, it's a rather good read and her baking skillz make me "well jeal". Although I probably won't be o nice about them once i've gained a stone or two!

Hope everyone's having a good weekend.

x

ooh and p.s the headband can be found from this seller and the top was from this chap/chapesse.