Thursday 21 March 2013

Tiny Mac Haul

Mac Lipstick in Vegas Volt - £14.00
Mac Lipliner in Lasting Sensation - £11.50
Mac Eyeshadow in Honey Lust £12.00

Last week I went to Nottingham and after finding the place I was going there for I had a little time to spare, So of course I made it my mission to find the MAC store and a little look around. I originally went in to take a look at RubyWoo as I've had my eye on it for a long time, sadly I was disappointing by it, I know it's matte but It was way too dry and not as vibrant as I hoped, I think Russian Red has given me high expectations.

Also just wanted to mention that the girls at the Nottingham store were all lovely and happy to help, I have heard some things about Mac assistants not being that nice and making you feel like you shouldn't be there or are wasting their time and I have experienced this myself at another counter but I found them to be very helpful and I was really happy with the service I received. So if anyone has been put off going to Mac stores by other accounts and you live in the midlands, try going there, it's a small store but they have the majority of products there as well as new collections and it's a lovely shopping experience.



So I turned my attention to other lipsticks and the next colour I've been coveting, Vegas Volt, which you may have seen in my march wishlist. This was definitely not a disappointment as it was even brighter than I was expecting and when the sales girl came over to help and conned me into the lipliner to match I didn't even mind as anything that keeps this lovely shade on my lips longer is a worthwhile purchase. The shade itself is quite a bright orange coral colour and the colour payoff is incredible, the swatch below is just one swipe and it's completely opaque. The reason I felt the need to buy the lipliner is that it does wear away in the centre of my lips slightly faster as most lipsticks seem to as I like to drink a lot of water and cups of tea and coffee all day so I wanted to be able to keep this gorgeous colour on for longer. It's an amplified creme finish which is lovely, I don't actually know what that means to be honest but I'd say it's more of a satin matte shade, It's very pigmented but it doesn't slide off on to your face every time you touch it the way more glossy colours do or dry your lips out which is the downfall of many matte lipsticks.

Top - Vegas Volt over Lasting Sensation
Middle- Lasting Sensation
Bottom- Vegas Volt 


The lipliner I bought alongside Vegas Volt was Lasting Sensation which is quite a bright orange but looks great paired with Vegas Volt. I'd never tried a Mac Lipliner before so I did kind of jump in the deep end with this colour, I should probably have gone with a nude shade first but I'm really impressed with the consistency and how long it lasts. It's very easy to apply and doesn't drag along my lips, I also think it would be a nice colour to wear on it's own with lipbalm over the top as I find all lipliners to be a little drying without a lipstick, gloss or balm over the top.

Top - Honey Lust 
Bottom - Honey Lust over Soft Ochre Paint Pot

I also picked up an eyeshadow in Honey Lust, I forgot to ask if they had it in pan form whilst I was there which was a bit silly as I wanted it for my palette but they are easy enough to depot if I feel like it. I was slightly disappointed by this one as even though I love the colour It's not a product I can wear everyday. It's a lustre finish which probably should have tipped me off as the only other lustre I own is Mythology, which like Honey Lust is a lovely colour but very difficult to work with which is why I choose not to use it very often. The main issue with this finish is fallout and as soon as I tried Honey Lust on I had chunky pieces of glitter underneath my eyes which is not ideal. As you can see above on it's own the colour payoff is awful and at first I was wondering why I even decided to buy it, however once I tried it with my Mac paint pot in soft ochre the disappointed  feeling was gone as over a primer it is absolutely stunning. such a lovely metallic orange bronze colour which is particularly great for those of us with blue eyes.. I don't think this a good everyday product as I don't usually have enough time to faff about with a primer and sorting out fallout most mornings however I think this will be a lovely colour for nights out when I have more time to get ready.

Overall I'm pretty happy with my products and I think I'm going to be wearing them a lot especially Vegas Volt and Lasting Sensation all through the summer.

What's your favourite Mac Lipstick? Anything your thinking about buying soon?
xx

Sunday 17 March 2013

Sunday Treats : Rocky Road Crunch

For those of you who are on diets or health kicks look away now because this is possibly the least healthy thing I've ever made. Anyone who is as obsessed with chocolate as I am keep reading because this is just one big chocolatey calorific mess.

(Got a little carried away with the effects, Only wanted a nice frame but the sparkles were calling to me.)

Now me and my mother are slightly obsessed with the recipes of the amazing Nigella Lawson, mainly because she doesn't do diet food, uses things out of the packet and adds a 'splash' aka half a bottle of alcohol to practically everything (This recipe doesn't have alcohol unfortunately, just lots of chocolate and marshmallows, can't have everything guys.) Now one day we were watching her show Nigella Express, minding our own business and then she started making this chocolatey loveliness. Cue me buying my mama the recipe book for Christmas and us spending many an evening in the kitchen perfecting this recipe, which to be honest wasn't difficult as it takes about ten minutes to make but it did give us the excuse of eating it all of the time. I made Jon some of this for Christmas and I think it was his favorite present (always good to know that I don't need to splash out on Gucci Cologne again next year, just cook him something chocolatey and put it in a shiny box) and as he was a bit stressed out at work this week I decided to make him a little bit more to cheer him up...and of course he will share with me as he is a kind lovely human being (basically i'm hoping he decided to read this because then there might be some left for me next time I go over there but I'm not optimistic.)

Ingredients
300g Dark chocolate (Nigella's version)
Or
150g Milk chocolate
150g Plain chocolate (Our version)
200g Rich Tea Biscuits
125g Butter
3 Tablespoons Golden syrup

You will also need:
A large Saucepan
A wooden Spoon
A Rolling Pin
Freezer bags
Baking Tray
Greaseproof paper or Baking Foil

This is just the basic recipe but i've also tried adding raisins  cherries, rice crispies, white chocolate chips and sprinkles and every single one of them tasted amazing so you can pretty much add whatever you like.





1. Firstly you will need to prepare your biscuits. Pop them into a freezer bag (I split them into two halves as I only had small bags) and beat into submission with a rolling pin until you have a mixture of small/medium size pieces. Pop these to one side for later.
2. Break up the chocolate and add it to the pan together with the butter and golden Syrup.
3. Stir until it all melts to a smooth sauce. (You are supposed to use a wooden spoon to stir but Jon is a typical man and doesn't bake and also doesn't realise that he has a brilliant girlfriend who likes to make him things and therefore does not own a wooden spoon, so I got all dangerous and used a metal one, do not recommend.)
3. Bring back your biscuits from earlier and add to your sauce, Stir in until the biscuit pieces are covered in chocolate. I usually remove from the heat at this point as it makes it easier to stir as bits of biscuit can fall out of the pan if your not careful.
4. Add your marshmallows and keep stirring until the marshmallows are partially melted.
6. Remove your mixture from the heat and leave to stand for a few minutes.
5. Line your baking tray with your foil or greaseproof paper.
7. Scoop your mixture on to the baking tray and spread out to fill the whole tray. The thinner you spread it the less time it'll take to set and the quicker you will be able to eat it.
8. Leave to cool and then pop into the fridge for a few hours.
9. Cut into pieces and enjoy.


How many pieces this makes depends on how you cut it,  This one made twelve I've managed to get sixteen for a bake sale before but then I've also cut it into just four pieces when we were being particularly greedy.

Let me know if you try this, have you tried any of Nigella's recipes?
xx

P.s Don't forget to follow me on bloglovin guys 

Wednesday 13 March 2013

March Wishlist


As much as I love big statement jewelry pieces I'm also always drawn to delicate gold jewelry like this little lovely. To be honest I don't really get how this is a best friend bracelet as It just says best friends on the backing card it comes from so if you took it off there you'd never know. It's still a lovely piece of jewelry and it would be great as a present for a friend or just for yourself which is my intention.
I have an obsession with scarves/snoods, I can't justify it any more than that really as this isn't even a very exciting scarf/snood. Basically I just love scarves/snoods and that is why this is here. I also really like saying and typing the word snood. That is all.
Another Item that I can't really justify why it's here other than I also like plain t shirts, this one has a bit of an exciting hem at least so it's slightly different and unusual except it isn't different and unusual at all but I could wear it with many, many different items...I'll stop trying to pretend it's an exciting plain black t shirt now, I just like it.
I've been having a bit of a love affair with bold lips for a while now and whilst I love my russian red, It's not really a very summery colour. Enter Vegas Volt, A bright coral colour (which seems to be quite orange on the swatches I've seen) that is a perfect summer shade. I don't have any orange lipsticks so this would be something new for me and would be easier to wear than Morange which is the other shade I have my eye on.
I love wearing bandeaus under vests and tshirts with low armholes or backs and I think this would be a nice little nod to the neon trend without the risk of being mistaken for being in fancy dress as a highlighter pen, unless of course that's what your going for. I will work my way up to one of the neon jumper's I've had my little eye on but for now I'd be happy with this little lovely.
Topshop Reim2 Skinny Strappy Sandals - £50.00
I love delicate strappy sandals, I find they're so easy to wear as they always look good but they're never too much. Sadly these have now sold out but I'm sure as it gets to summer there will be lots of different versions out there for me to purchase.
I'm not a big fan of Topshop knitwear as I've never bought anything from their range that I haven't regretted just a little as I think it's a bit overpriced for the quality that it is. Saying that I think this is a lovely colour for spring and I think the zip detailing on the back is a cute way of making this a little bit different. I think I may just buy it anyway and deal with the guilt as I don't really have any jumpers suitable for spring and I really do like the colour.
I did actually think about picking up a few things from this collection however I will admit that as much as I love Rihanna, love River Island and  love basics with a twist, which was basically the idea for this collection it seems, It was extremely overpriced. There isn't really anything there that you can't get from somewhere else for cheaper or even make yourself if you so wished, so it doesn't really seem worth it. I still love most of the items but I think I'm going to give it a few weeks and see if I still want them and If they haven't sold out get them then.
I love blouses as I just think they are such easy items to wear whilst still making it look like I made an effort in the morning which I don't really enjoy doing. I know, I know bad blogger but for me 9am is a massive lie in so most mornings I'm a bit of a zombie. Which is why I'm thankful for coffee and blouses like this for making my morning routine so much easier. Also it has a bow, You can't go wrong with something that has a bow.
You would think with the amount of time I spend in leotards that I wouldn't want to wear them in my spare time, this is strangely enough not the case and I actually own far too many bodies/leotards that I can't wear to dance in. I love the straps that this has and how the lace panels on the sides are a sexy enough but without taking it too far. I think this would look great with either a midi skirt or high waisted jeans to balance out how revealing it is.
Speaking of High Waisted Jeans, I'm thinking I might have to treat myself to this pair. This time last year I had at least six pairs of jeans and I think I wore them nearly every day, Now I thinkI have one pair and I can't remember the last time I wore a pair. I'm going for high waisted this time as I'm sick of low rise jeans that you can't sit down in without being paranoid that your revealing all to the world ans spend the whole time checking to make sure your top is pulled down
Ballet Flats are my favourite everyday shoes, I wear them a lot when I'm really busy as you don't have to think about whether they go with an outfit or whether they're going to be comfy, you can just pop them on and go. This topshop version is my favourite, I've lost count of how many pairs I've owned in various colours over the years. They're so comfortable and last me a good six months, which with how often I wear them and how much walking I tend to do, is actually a pretty long time.

Also I would be extremely grateful if you guys would take the time nominate me in the Company Style Blogger Awards in The Best Personal Style Blog - Newcomer Category. Obviously it's completely up to you who you nominate but I would love to be in with the chance to even be considered for this award.

You can nominate your favourite blogs here

What's on your wishlist this month?
xx

Tuesday 5 March 2013

Highlights from LFW

I know this is a little late as were now into Paris Fashion week but my favourites from there and Milan will be on their way soon I've just been a little bit Ill and just didn't feel like looking theough pictures of beautiful people whilst I looked like a zombie. I loved LFW as I feel as though here in Britain we have such varied shows, There doesn't seem to be that many trends as every designer just does their own thing. Hopefully one day I'll get to go to a few shows but until then It's lovely to sit back with a cup of tea and flick through all of the catwalk pictures. Here's my pick of my favourite shows and individual looks.

Burberry Prorsum
I love the way that Burberry re-invents it's classic trench year after year, especially the studded version they sent down the catwalk this year. Along with the gorgeous trench coats the rest of the looks had a feminine elegance with a bit of an edge with bodycon silhouettes and an contrast between leather elements and simple fabrics, I particularly love the third look as although it's a pencil skirt, they've managed to put a new spin on a classic with the leather and metal details. They also had great accesories with kitten heels, embellished and slouchy clutches as well as those gorgeous metal bar belts that have already made their way into many street style outfits.
Felder Felder
This collection was a mix of leather seperates, Floaty dresses, slouchy knits and sharp tailoring which shouldn't have worked but somehow it seemed to. With the colourscheme they mainly stuck to black and burgundy/oxblood which seems to be a trend every year with a few rich blues and golds here and there. It was difficult to choose just four looks as all of the outfits were consistently well put together and they had some great pieces that won't need any changes made to be worn by the masses. I particularly love the patent  trouser suit, which seems to be a trend among bloggers already and the lovely quilted leather pencil skirt.
Jonathan Saunders
This collection was a gorgeous mix of bright colours, elegant retro silhouettes and textured prints. All of the looks had a certain sex appeal which was offset by the unusual use of strong colours and textures. Leather and pvc were also used throughout the collection to emphasize the models bodies, alot of the looks were slightly too literal for me but do I love the idea of of leather and lace being in style again come winter. My particular favourites were the brightly coloured coats including this lovely rust coloured number and that gorgeous black and turquoise sweetheart neck strapless dress and the bottom part is exquisite.
Julien MacDonald
The thing I love about Julien MacDonalds catwalk collections is that he doesn't even try to pretend that he's designing clothes for everyday wear, he has high street diffusion lines for that, No, his collection is made specifically and apologetically for movie stars, popstars and red carpets. The collection was full of metallics and bodycon silhouettes as well as a number of dresses that wouldn't look out of place on strictly come dancing (apparently Julien's a big fan) such as the blue number above and although some may see them as tacky, I'm going to be honest it made me like the collection even more. I'm kind of programmed to love a bit of short, shiny and tacky and who honestly doesn't want to put on one of those dresses and pretend that they're Ola or Flavia? My favourite looks have to be the two metallic and floral patterned bodycon dresses and the gorgeous gold art deco style gown.
L'Wren Scott
L'wren Scott never fails to create gorgeous and elegant looks, this time around with what seemed to me as a nod to the eighties in the best possible way with sharp shouldered suits and incredible collars and silhouettes. Metallics were used throughout the whole collection to add an air of opulence to  every look. I love that ladylike looks seem to be coming back in fashion as it's a look I always adore wearing.
Temperly London
This was my favourite collection from LFW, I struggled to pick my favourite looks because I adore so many of them. Temperley London isn't a brand that I normally think to look at as over the past few years it hasn't been to my taste but that's all changed as this collection was a stunning mix of retro and feminine sihouettes, bold patterns and a little bit of old school elegance. It's a brand that's known for their gowns and they didn't disappoint, I particularly love the contast of the leather, eyecathing neckline and elegant skirt in the last look and I also loved the more casual outfits as they had a ladylike edge that I'm definitely going to be taking inspiration from this year.
Other Highlights
Christopher Kane, Felder Felder, Julien Macdonald, L'Wren Scott
House of Holland, Antonio Beradi, Preen, Preen
Giles, Antonio Beradi, Temperly London, Vivienne Westwood Red Label
Emilia Wickstead, Mario Schwab, Vivienne Westwood Red Label, Moschino Cheap and Chic

I'm loving the elegant and retro looks that all of the designers seemed to be going for this season, I can't wait for Autumn/Winter already.

What were your favourite looks from LFW? 
xx

Monday 4 March 2013

Elizabeth Arden Fragrance Free Eight Hour Cream


Elizabeth Arden Fragrance Free Eight hour Cream - £18.00 for 30ml

I've always thought that this is one of those cult products that can't be as amazing as everyone makes it out to be but I decided to pick it up last week as I've been coming down with every cold and sore throat that's been going round for the past couple of months and I was willing to try anything to get rid of the dry, chapped and very sore skin look I got around my nose and mouth. I have to say my first impressions were completely wrong about this product as I honestly can't sing it's praises enough.

Normally it takes over a week to for my dry patches to heal and they are horribly sore for a few days. This soothes the skin, protects it and helps it to heal faster. Since about halfway through my last cold which was a particularly nasty one, I've been using this a couple of times a day when I'm at home as It doesn't look too good around the nose in public, as lipbalm (obviously looks fine in public) and on some cracked skin on my hands and I'm really happy as they've all healed so quickly. After the first application I could see a massive difference and after nearly week there's no sign that my skin was ever the mess it was not long ago. Some people say that this is basically jumped up Vaseline but I genuinely think that this is a hundred times better. I don't like using vaseline as I feel like it just sits on my skin and does nothing but this sinks in after a little while and leaves the area feeling moisturised and looking better than before. Also I find with this that a little goes a long way, the tiny amount on my hand was enough for all three of the areas I used it on.

I got the fragrance free version as aside from the hefty price tag, the main thing that really put me off buying the original was the smell, I can't describe it but I just didn't like it and any of you that have been reading my blog for a while will know that I'm obsessed with things smelling nice. This has a slight smell but I've never found anything that's 'fragrance free' that has no smell at all and it smells okay so I'm not too bothered about it.

The price did make me want to put it back once I'd picked up and it was one of those times that I spent the walk to the till hoping it was wrong (we've all been there) but I feel like even though this is the smaller size it's going to last me for a long time and it's such a versatile product that I think I will keep repurchasing this long after this tube is gone.

Have you tried eight hour cream? What are your thoughts about it?
xx