NOTD - Essie Chinchilly

  

 What is going on with the weather at the moment, one minute I'm rocking dark colours and then I want lighter colours. So this week I've switched it up with an old favourite!

Essie Chinchilly is a very cool toned grey, perfectly matched to the fur of a chinchilla. Its a very easy to wear shade, perfectly shade appropriate.

This is from the main line that's available in Boots so the formula is really good, as well as the brush covering the nail really easily - I need this as I seem to be rushing all my nails at the moment.

Chinchilly lasted about 4 days before tip wear showed up which I'm really pleased with. 

Overall a great little polish, one you should rush out and get!

What do you think? What colours are you rocking at the moment? xx

NOTD - Models Own Velvet Goth in Amethyst

Oh Models Own, purple, glitter, matte - could there ever be a more perfect polish! When the press pictures were released for the Velvet Goth collection this was the polish that I couldn't wait to own! 

Amethyst is gorgeous, a deep purple with magenta tiny glitter fleck and bigger hexagonal pieces. I layered it over Models Own's Purple Rain so that it has a greater depth of colour, although it does layer very easily on its own.

I love watching this dry matte so quickly, it ia awesome to see it turn. I know you can coat it in a clear to make it glossy but I actually really like it matte.

This is more subtle then some of the other colours in the collection, this will see me through all season, even into next year I think!

For £5 you can be the owner of this gorgeous colour!! Pick it up from Boots or Models Own.

What do you think? Purple for this season? xx

Review - REN Glycolactic Radiance Renewal Mask

Try and say the name of this quickly 3 times! Probably one of the longest names in skin care but a product that starts to show some results from the the first usage.

As I'm getting older, I'm noticing my skins not quite as good as it was a couple of years ago, the odd darker patch and bit more dry skin. So I picked this up from Space NK to give it a try, lots of positive reviews meant it was a must have really!

Designed as a mild peel, it aims to improve skin tone and texture. It contains Glycolic acid which is what renews the skins surface, stripping away dead skin cells, leaving the skin much smoother & plumped. I use this once a week as directed and have noticed a big difference in my skin.

There's no tingle which is a good thing for me as I'm a wuss really but after 10 mins its wiped off, leaving my skin looking brighter and clearer.

It's not cheap at £30 but then I think spending more on skincare is worth it really!

What do you think? Have you tried this or anything else from REN? What else do I need in my life? xx

WIWT - Casual Geeking!

I told you I don't dress up at weekends!! Another weekend outfit & more jeans and a tee! I live in dresses & skirts at work during the week so it's nice to be comfy!

This weekend we saw the boys family as it was his mums birthday, so I threw in green & black acid wash jeans, my Topshop Geek tee & comfy shoes ( I've re-broken two toes so soft shoes are important!)

I love coloured jeans but block colour doesn't look good on my legs so I like these jeans as the black & green is easier to wear, plus I like that their really grungy!

I chucked on my faux leather jacket & my black rucksack to carry all my swag about, really love a good rucksack!

Excuse my wet hair, I'm trying to use less heat on it &; embrace my natural waves but I have to let it dry for ages to do that! 

Anywhoo, hope you had a good weekend - what did you wear this weekend! Xx

Sunday Make-Up Shake-Up #16

This weeks picks reflect my mood this week - I'm so tired during the week I want to keep it as minimal as possible so this means 5mins longer in bed!

- Garnier 5sec Blur Primer - I need this as my skin is getting oiler & I need to get it back under control again - any tips on a postcard please!

- Rimmel Stay matte Foundation - I like the old formula so this is a new purchase to try & compare for the week, I blame Kat from Jemima & Ted after her review!

- Bobbi Brown Corrector & Creamy Concealer - tiredness = tote bags under the eyes which must be disguised!

- Urban Decay Naked Palette - Multi-tasking brows & eyes, I can't be bothered to faff this week.

- Benefit They'Re Real Mascara - I don't look awake at the moment so this makes my mole eyes look a bit more open!

- Rimmel Stay Blushed - Love this, more in a review this week!

& that's it, liner will be from the Naked Palette & I'm trying to sort my lips back out, already a chapped, cracked mess!! So no lip products this week - boo :(

Oh well, 6 products should buy me a bit more time in bed every morning! Next week I might even try & get it down to 5!!

What bits are you using this week? Xx

Mini-Insta-Haul - Rimmel & Maybelline

Like most beauty bloggers/girls I know I am strangely drawn into Boots & compelled to buy something! 

I only popped in to buy water but walked out with these! Thank god it's only two items but still!!

I've wanted the Maybelline Colour Tattoo in Metallic Pomegranate for ages, perfect for Autumn. I have much love for the Ither colour tattoos that it was only a matter of time before this was added.

As a lover of the old packaging/formula, I was curious to try this & compare. I struggled to colour match myself, I sometimes wish Boots would have someone to help colour match the 'high-street' foundations & not just the high end ones. I plumped for True Ivory as Ivory was too pale but we will see - this might end up as a mixer foundation.

So just two bits I picked up, I was on the hunt for the Halloween bits from Lush but the store in Watford doesn't have them yet so an online purchase shall have to be made!

Anywhoo - what have you Insta-Hauled this weekend? Have you picked up either if these? Xx

WIWT - Daddy I Want A Pony

I was having a conversation with the lovely Cat from What Cat Says about how when we have time to take outfit pictures it usually the weekend and all we're wearing is a cartoon T-shirt & jeans. We both said if we that we should take pictures and blog it - so as I was wearing my favourite cartoon tee, I thought I would take pictures.

I've always wanted a pony and so when I saw this top in Primark last year I had to pick it up. I loved My Little Pony as a kid and its still awesome now. Its just a simple green top but it works for a casual day. My jeans are skinny jeans from New Look, I need some new ones but can never find jeans that I like. 

We went out to a local deli for tea and cake so I chucked on a chunky knit cardi, again from Primark to keep warm. I need some more chunky knits for this winter - any recommendations?

I'm ashamed to admit this but I chucked on my tall UGG boots as my feet were cold, although I've discovered that they have a hole in and I'm a tad distressed. 

I wore this last Sunday, its not stylish at all but its comfy and I don't look like a whale in it. What do you wear at the weekend? xx

Review - Real Techniques Starter Set

Another set of brushes to add to my collection. I'm slowly getting rid of the ones I don't use - read old, cheap brushes, and replacing them with better quality ones. I actually wanted the liner brush after seeing the lovely ladies of Pixiwoo using it, but couldnt get it on its own so just had to buy the set.

The starter set is a set of brushes designed for eye make up. Made of up 5 brushes and the brush holder, its a lovely little set. In the set you get a Deluxe Crease Brush, Base Shadow brush, Accent Brush, Brow Brush and Eyeliner Brush.

Out of all the brushes, I love the Crease Brush and the Liner brush, both really help to give a perfect finish.

All the brushes have purple handles to signify their for eyes, I have a few other eye brushes and these are awesome!

You can pick these up from Boots for £21.99 and right now there's buy one get one half price on cosmetics and that includes the brushes! I've my eye on a few others, which ones do you suggest? What do you think of the Real Technique brushes? xx

Wobble-Less Wednesday - Whiskey Glazed Salmon

In a bid to keep the food I eat cleaner and therefore of a better quality the boy and I have been looking at lots of different recipes and one that looked awesome was a salmon with whiskey glaze, it was yummy so I thought I would share!

Ingredients

• 3 tbsps brown sugar
• 3 tbsps whiskey
• 2 tbsps low sodium soy sauce
• 1 tbsp peeled fresh ginger (grated)
• 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 3 garlic cloves (minced)
• 1/4 tsp black pepper (freshly ground)
• 24 ozs salmon fillets (skinless)
• cooking spray

Step 1

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl until a paste has been made. Add the fish and leave in the fridge for an hour.

Step 2

Heat the over to 180oC. 

Step 3

Place the salmon on a square of foil to make a parcel. Spoon over any left over glaze and then wrap up the parcel and place in the oven.

Step 4

Allow to cook for 10 minutes, check how steamed it is.

Step 5

Serve with a salad of your choice. Or you could serve with rice.

A yummy recipe, give it a go! What do you think? xx

NOTD - Models Own Velvet Goth Absinthe

Last week I had Obsidian on my nails, this week I've switched to Absinthe.

Absinthe from the Velvet Goth collection is a beautiful emerald green polish, with lots of silver & green glitter flecks and larger hexagonal green sequin pieces.

Last time I layered the polish over a coloured base, this time Ive gone without and done two coats over a clear base coat.

This is really beautiful with the two coats, one coat gives you a sea green colour, similar to the colour of the cap, whilst two coats is much more emerald & glittery, like the colour in the bottle. I found this to be much glossier then Obsidian, but still with the matte texture.

This lasted around 3 days before I chipped it, but with a top cost it would probably last longer. Removal was surprisingly easy compared to other glitters. I think this will be on my nails over Christmas as it is very pretty and wearable.

You can pick these up from Models Own or Boots for £5, or if you're feeling lucky, why not enter my 250 Bloglovin followers give away to win 5 Models Own polishes of your choice?!

What do you think, a good colour? I'm sure the only absinthe I've ever had however was much more neon lime than emerald! Xx

Sunday Make-up Shake-up #15

Another week and its really feeling like autumn, so much so that I've changed everything around - the golds of the summer are at the bottom of the collection box and now we have some old autumn favourites back again. I'm also on a mission to use up my foundation collection, too many that are not getting fully used up and going a little funny so are chucked so time to use up!

Rimmel Stay Matte Foundation - old packaging, this is quite a good foundation for an oily skin so I'm welcoming it back into use, a full review will come next week I think.

Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealor - Love this, I blame Anna from Viviannadoesmakeup for this but this was my go to last winter and now I've repurchased its back again.

MUA Eye Primer - I've picked powder eyeshadow this week and having oily eyelids means the colour will be gone by lunch so hoping this will help it last longer.

HD Brow Pallette - From a Glossybox, I love making sure my eyebrows look awesome and this is a great little set, plus the lighter colours are good on the lids as well.

Benefit Dallas Powder Box - my tan is fading so Hoola was looking too orange on my skin but this is more flattering for contouring so its nice to dig it back out from the bottom of the collection again.

NYX Eyeshadow in In the Woods - Autumn colours finally, I've had this a while but don't often use it, I'm going to try and recreate a softer version of this look that from the lovely Pixiwoo

Maybelline The Rocket Mascara - I have a lot of love for this mascara so its nice to use it again.

SEVENTEEN Doll'd up liner - haven't used it for a while but I fancy some liner at the moment, last Friday I did a larger liner flick and got lots of compliments so I shall try this out.

be a bombshell liner in Onyx - it was in a Glossybox, I thought I would give it a try, will report back soon.

There are my bits for the week, what bits have you picked for this week? xx

P.S Don't forget to enter my giveaway for 5 Models Own Polishes! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Apricot Under £10 Sale Picks

I love a good sale but found that this summer there was a lot of rubbish in the sales of most mainstream shops so I often shop online for sale bits. A really late sale this season is from Apricot but its an awesome sale with everything under £10.

I've picked the bits that I've placed an order for and wanted to share it with you! 

I wanted some oversized shirts to wear with my disco pants as well as skinny jeans over the autumn with my leather jacket & boots. The two bird print shirts are super cute, and the navy colour means they will be on trend for longer, plus the longer length means I can wear them over disco pants without front bottoms being on show! Both are

The Aztec dress is a bargain at £10 and and its  print that I love, I will wear this with jumpers and tights over the autumn to get lots of use out of it. I love the cap sleeves and the gathered waist, very girly but it can still be edged up.

I've wanted an oversized grey t-shirt all summer and saw this for throwing on over jeans for the autumn and layering with jumpers and cardigans.

Finally the glitzy dress is something I thought I would pick up because I have a staff night out soon and it would look awesome for that,

All of these items are £10 so I got all 5 for £50, great when you consider how much the price of Topshop items are, you'ld be lucky to get two items for under £50 at the moment!

There are my picks, but there are hundreds more options under £10 over at the site so head on over to Apricot.

Let me know what you pick and if you want WIWT outfit posts when I wear them? xx

Review - September Glossybox '13

I don't normally review my Glossybox as I feel that there are just so many reviews of them every month, but this month I really wanted to just because the box looks Ah-May-Zing! 

This months box is the London Edition, perfect to celebrate Fashion Week. The box is the gorgeous, covered with the Union Jack - could it be more British! GlossyBox have also updated their little magazine insert, gone is the folded paper thing and in its place is a little glossy magazine called GBMag, I like this a lot.
Inside the box this month, I received:

Eylure Pre-Glued Lashes - I'm terrible when it comes to applying lashes so these were a welcome surprise. I don't often wear lashes, only for really special occasions but I think I will save these for a staff night out. 

Full Size: £5.06 per pair

Dr Lipp Original Nipple Balm for lips - My friend swears by this for her lips, plus I've heard lots of good things so I'm pleased to have a little sample to try out, even if it is only a tiny sample.

Full Size: £11 for 15ml

Elizabeth Arden Untold Eau de Parfum - This smells amazing, a gorgeous floral scent and for one a perfume sample in a cute little bottle rather than the little tubes.

Full Size: £62.10 for 100ml

Tony & Guy Classic Shine & Gloss Serum - I haven't used a lot of the Tony & Guy hair range for a long time, other things just get in the way but this looks quite good, it smells awesome so thats a bonus. A little research leads me to believe that this helps control frizz and flyaways as well as adding shine so I'll give this a go and report back.

Full Size: £7.19 for 30ml

b a bombshell eyeliner in Onyx - A chunky black, sharpie like eyeliner, this is from a brand I've never heard of, but I thought it looked interesting so will give it a try. Its a very black liner and after swatching it on my hand, it hasn't moved! 

Full Size: $14

Overall, a nice box, a bit odd as for a London themed box there is actually only one 'British' brand, but its always nice to find and try new products. If you want to sign up for a box then click here and head over, there's  still time to pick up the September box.

What do you think of the box this month? Better or worse then some of the other beauty boxes out there? xx

The Autumn Tag

@Weheartit

I've seen this on a couple of blogs & love a good tag post so thought I would give this a go:

For Autumn, what is your...

1.  Favourite thing about it?  Chunky Cardigans, Socks & Boots, Layers - I love pulling out all my jumpers and starting to layer them again, dresses with a thick knit jumper and socks with boots! 

2.  Favourite drink?  Costa Hot Chocolate - I love nothing more then curling up in a sofa in Costa with a hot chocolate!

3.  Favourite scent/candle?  Berry Scents at the minute - the berry flavoured ones from IKEA are what I currently have burning as I write this.

4.  Best lipstick?  Topshop Wicked - A deep plumpy red, I adore for a more vampy lip with most autumn colours.

5.  Go to moisturiser?  Origins Make a Difference +, as I have oily/dehydrated skin this is enough hydration at night without being too oily and upsetting my skin.

6.  Go to colours for the eyes?  Browns & Golds for now, although I'm tempted by trying out the reds and plums I've seen recently.

7.  Favourite music or band/singer to listen to?  London Grammar, Bastille, The 1975, really love that style of music - it doesn't change all year round.

8.  Favourite outfit to wear (i.e. boots & a scarf combo)?  Tea Dress, Socks, Boots, Leather Jacket and beanie hat - this will be my go to for work & weekend this year (maybe not the hat for work)

9.  Autumn treat?  I've fallen in love with a pair of boots so I'm on the hunt for a couple of good pairs, if I can ever find them in stock again!

10.  Favourite place to be? At home, curled up in my corner of the sofa with a cup of tea & a good book - I need to read more books instead of looking at a screen all the time! 

There you have it - I love Autumn! I tag everyone who read this and if you write your own then please leave your link below or tweet me the link! Don't forget to head over to Makeup-Pixi3's blog to check out the original post. What's your favourite thing about Autumn? xx

WIWT - Don't Judge...Just Listen..

I'm going to keep this post short, I felt really good when I was wearing this outfit to work this week and then saw these pictures and my heart broke - another set of outfit pictures I hate, just waiting for the negativity but I'm going to post these anyway.

I wore this dress from Topshop as its nice and smart, plus it was the 1st day back at school and wanted to look super smart. I  had on my Topshop sandals that I picked up in the sale before the summer holidays, these are really comfy suprisingly. It seems that dresses are getting a lot shorter as I'm getting older, even the tall range is bum-skimmingly short!

My watch is a mans watch as I wanted quite a chunky watch, I'm not very dainty - think more baby elephant then tinkerbell. 

Thats what I wore to work xx

NOTD - Models Own Velvet Goth Obsidian

  

Oh Models Own, another collection that I couldn't wait to get my hands on, perfect for autumn/winter, Velvet Goth had to be mine!

First up - Obsidian. A sheer black base with tiny silver glitter flecks and silver hexagonal glitter. The black base dries matte on the nail with a slightly textured finish. 

I layered this over Gun Grey from Models Own to make it even darker, but it works quite well with only one coat like on my ring finger. Obsidian lasted about 3 days on my nails before it chipped. It was much easier to remove then most glitters.

I love the bottles, the caps are coated with velvet which is a lovely, opulent touch, a nod to the A/W Russian Opulence and they look awesome in my collection.

You can pick these up now from Boots and online for £5. A collection to cover the whole of winter.

What do you think, do you like the velvet collection? xx

P.S Don't forget to enter my giveaway for 5 Models Own Polishes

Sunday Make-Up Shake-Up #14

So I took a break from shopping my stash for the summer, really I just became lazy and didn't mix it up too much. However, now I'm back to work I'm back wearing makeup again so I've picked a new range.

SEVENTEEN Photoflawless Primer - Still using this up, the change in weather is playing havoc with my skin so a primer is needed.

Maybelline Dream Pure BB - Loving this as the moment, I don't need loads of coverage, but it leaves a nice finish.

Benefit It Stick - It's a concealer, I quite like this for under eyes as its quite a creamy concealer but doesn't settle.

Benefit Browzing - LOVE, I'm planning on getting this used up this year, loving my brows at the moment, especially coupled with the next product.

Collection Clear Mascara - Brushed through the brows, this gives a bit of texture and keeps them in place.

Rimmel Scandaleyes Mascara & Maybelline Great Lash - This combo is amazing, Rimmel on the top for length and definition and Maybelline on the bottom as the brush is tiny so coats every lash without smudging under the eyes.

Laura Mercier Cream Eyeliner - A lot easier to work with then gel, I love this, plus its brown so a lot softer than black.

Rimmel Stay Blushed Cheek Tint - This is new but having played with it today I think I'm going to enjoy this. 

Rimmel Apocolips 'Nova' - I'm trying to wear more lip products every day and the Apocolips are sitting in my collection un-loved so time to wear them again!

So there we have it, the bit and bobs that are in my make-up bag this week, have you used any of them? Anything you fancy a review of? xx

250 Bloglovin Followers!! Models Own Giveaway!!!

Woohoo!!! Finally hit 250 followers on Bloglovin! Seeing this has really made my weekend, especially as when the great GFC panic took place, I wasn't too sure if people would continue to follow my blog on Bloglovin!

As a MASSIVE thankyou to everyone who stops by and reads my corner of the internet I thought I would give away 5 Models Own polishes.

I've been blogging nearly 3 years and never thought anyone would read this blog, its not always great but its somewhere for me to rant and rave about things, plus I've met some lovely people through it who understand the madness of the blogging world! 

Image from Models Own 

The prize is something I would love to win myself as we all know about my nail polish addiction, but I thought I would let you pick what you wanted, you could have a full collection, Velvet Goth or Fireworks, or pic-n-mix your colours! If your stuck for inspiration, have a look through my NOTD posts for loads of Models Own polishes!

All the details are below, good luck and thank you for following!! xx

a Rafflecopter giveaway 

T&Cs

- 5 polishes of your choice, I will purchase and ship them too you!

- UK only I'm afraid as postage is rather complicated with nail polish outside the UK.

- Giveaway will close in 14 days, I will pick & e-mail the winner that day

Review - Benefit Porefessional

Afternoon lovelies, hope your well and your week is flying past - Friday already! First week back at school and I'm already swamped!

Any who's, I'm sure you've seen thousands of reviews of this product but I thought I would add my two pence.

Benefit Porefessional is a primer that can be used under or over makeup to help even out skin, minimising the appearance of pores and fine lines. It also provides a matte base to help keep your foundation lasting much longer.

I find that when I use this, my make-up doesn't last a full day at work, but it does seem to keep the oiliness at bay until lunch time which is good for my skin as I have quite oily skin.

Because the product it quite expensive for what it is, I try and use this sparingly, only putting it where I really need it, around my nose and along my Tzone, for the rest of my face I use the 17 Photofinish primer which is similar to the Benefit one but doesn't last quite as long on the oily bits.



As with all Benefit products,the packaging is really cute, I often find I'm drawn by the packaging first and then the product.

You can pick this up from Boots, Boots.com and Benefit.co.uk for £23.50, which is quite pricey but I do like the product!

So, have you tried Porefessional? Let me know xx

Wobble-Less Wednesday - Halloween Challenge

You might be wondering why there is a picture of a pumpkin on my blog - then again, you might not. Now that the summer holidays have passed, its time to start thinking about regaining motivation for weight loss or inch loss and making sure that the layers that we put on are clothing layers and not fat layers.

One thing that I often find hard is to keep going when I'm not seeing any results. I know I'm losing weight but can't see it so I get disheartened so I stop trying and start eating to feel better, its a vicious cycle! One trick that my old Weight Watchers leader used to use was to set us a little colouring challenge. She would give us a picture that represented the goal time frame and for each lb we lost we could colour in a bit of the picture.

This is where the pumpkin comes in! We have 8 Wednesdays until Halloween from today, thats enough time to lose a potential stone.  I'm aiming to get to my stone by Halloween and will colour in a section for each lb lost between then and now, and would love it if you fancied the challenge as well!

What you need to do is right click on the image and save it onto your computer, you can either print it out or have it on your computer and then colour in each section as you lose weight. Don't worry if you gain, you don't have to un-colour any bits of it! It would be great to see who else is joining in with this so tweet me with a picture of your pumpkin on Wednesdays and we can see how everyone is doing!

Let me know if you're joining in! xx