# blogmas. Day Ten.

I started off today with a little bit of nail art. I wanted to try out the Nail Art Pens I bought last week. My God, they are messy. I expected them to be so easy but the polish doesn't hold, it just splurts out everywhere - sigh. I do like the colour of the rhinestones though, so that's something!

I went on a mooch around Superdrug at lunchtime. I was  looking for a purple polish  that was dark but not black. As much as I love my Essie Luxedo, it just looks dark on the nails and I want to be able to see my purple pretties. I found  these two purple polishes by NYC Cosmetics and fell in love. I haven't tried them yet but I am already pleased with them. The gold was an added extras they were on 3 for 2!

I met my sister in the city after I'd been to Foodbank this afternoon. I had to take a quick snap of the lights outside John Lewis. I have never seen a Christmas tree like that before!

And now I'm getting in bed with my favourite man to watch Sons of Anarchy and eat this gorgeous red velvet cupcake from Fancie.

Primark Haul ft OOTD.

As I mentioned, I wanted to get a loose knit cream jumper to wear with my gold PU leggings I got in my last Primark Haul. I popped out Monday evening and ended up back in Primark - their stock changes so much you have to be there everyday! I found exactly what I wanted and I also got a sheer shirt for underneath it and a cute scarf so this is officially a sneaky Primark haul too. I haven't decided what boots (I want boots!) to wear with the gold leggings yet so this time I've stuck to black. This is also my first time using actual pictures to do an OOTD post so please bear with me while I get used to it!

The cream jumper is exactly what I was looking for. It's light weight and will be great in the Spring months too. I bought it in the size bigger so it would be a loose fitting one and I think it looked really good that way. I didn't want to over accessorise  this outfit so I haven't got a necklace on. The jumper is from Primark and is available now for only £8.

Under the jumper I am wearing this sheer shirt that I picked up - and a cream cami under that. It's a lovely shirt, half button down with gold buttons. It's again quite a loose fit but I bought it in the right size so it would look good under the jumper. I think it would look great on it's own too. It was £10 from Primark, available now.
















On my bottom half I am wearing a pair of black PU leggings and my black studded pumps which I bought off eBay. For the evening, I'll change into my JC Litas.

For accessories, I am wearing the bracelet and the ring that I purchased in my last Primark haul - note not on the same hand! The scarf was another today Primark buy. It was only £4 and the liked the shimmer on it, a lot nicer than a flat cream scarf. My only question now is, how much cream is too much?

I also have Essie Vanity Fairest on the nails and MAC Marquise D' on the lips.

#blogmas. Day Four.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today started with yet another nail polish change. I don't know why but I really wanted to neutralise it down today so I went for Essie's Vanity Fairest. I love the shimmery colour, sheer enough to not opaque out the nails. I bought this polish for my Obama water transfers and haven't wore it since. It made a really nice change actually.

 

 

 

I got a phone call with some super good news today so I wanted to treat myself this lunch time. I went to my favourite local patisserie and got a chocolate tart - my absolute favourite! It went down super well with my coffee, though they need to start serving a flat white. I'm a huge coffee snob.

 

 

 

Took my little man to playgroup this afternoon, but he wanted to listen to music on my Kindle - obviously. He's wearing his new Gruffalo hat too. My house is full of Gruffalo merch now. He's so bloody cute!

 

 

 

I have no appetite today - that chocolate tart has been it... oops! Dinner was some homemade Oxtail soup which I love in Winter. I'm still on my no-bread kick but I did have a pitta with my soup. It was so yummy!

#blogmas. Day Three.

And I just made it before midnight! Day Three already, this is crazy! But that also means only 2 days until my pretty face is home from his holiday. 

 

In the dead early hours of this morning, I decided to repaint my nails. Thiz is the third consecutive time I have applied Essie's Lacquered Up, I am really loving it. I put Barry M 351 Yellow Topaz Glitter on top which I think is a great touch. It looks so pretty and festive! I noticed all my nails were starting to tear and split so I cut them all down too. They're a little longer than they look in this picture actually...

 

 

I was out most of the day today so I had to grab lunch on the go. I always try and go to Boots if I have to get food to go as I love their meal deals. I always get the same - Tropicana Orange and Mango juice and Walkers Baked crisps with my favourite sandwich. Ham and light Philadelphia on malted bread. It's seriously yummy and very filling. 

 

 

I also popped into Meadowhall (my local shopping centre) on the way home from my afternoon at Foodbank to look for a loose knit cream jumper - for my gold PU legings. I found a really nice one so will do an OOTD post for you. They have their Christmas decorations up and I fell in love with their giant tree. It's amazing! I'm slowly stsrtibg to get in the Christmas spirit...

 

 

 

I also had a cheeky treat this evening while I Skyped my other half. These little things are seriously yum!

My Week in Pictures!

 

Monday.  I am the ultimate Toberlone fiend.

Tuesday. Bought a new Essie polish today. This is Lacquered Up, a gorgeous scarlet red. It's perfect for Christmas parties.

Wednesday.  I made tuna pasta bake tonight for dinner, it was delicious.

Thursday. Dying my hair with this tonight - I can't wait to add more purple. The Live XXL Luminance range is really good for my dark hair.

Friday. My favourite place in the entire city. It's so peaceful.

Saturday.  Did a little shopping in Primark today.

Sunday. The perfect Sunday. Enough said.

3 Steps to Glam Make Up.

Its nearing Christmas which means parties, drinks and a lot of photographs. I follow a few very simple rules to make sure my make up fits the bill.

Red Nails.  They are a must! Not only do they add an instant Christmas feel but they look so glam. This is the only time of year I really wear red nails but I love them so much. My only note would be don't wear them with a red dress or top, they're meant to stand out. Essie's Lacquered Up is my perfect shade.

Red Lips. Again, how am can you be? I know its quite easy to cross the line with a red lip but if its carefully worn, it can look amazing. Red lips have to be matte for me and I have found that being cheap doesn't mean it looks cheap. My go-to red is by MUA and is shade 13. If you must go high end, Russian Red by MAC would be my choice. Just remember with a red, you need to keep it looking fresh at all times. Again, don't team red lipstick with a red dress but do wear nails and lips together.

Gold Eyes. When wearing red lipstick it's important to keep the eyes simple. Nothing saying you have to go bare, but you don't want heavy. I love wearing gold shadow with a red lip. I think its bold enough without being overpowering. With a touch of eyeliner and lashings of mascara, you're all set!

A Totally Unplanned Haul!

So, I accidently went shopping. I went into Boots to get some lunch (Philadelphia and smoked ham sandwich, Walker's Baked crisps and a Tropicana tropical juice. Yum!) and I may have got a little side-tracked. I went to have a little look at the Essie stand as I wanted a nude polish for a reason you'll see in a blog post very soon. And I did get one, just with a few other bits too...

Collection 2000 Extreme 24 Hour Flet Tip Liner in Purple. This wasn't something I was really looking for but I had swatched it one day while trying out purple eyeliners for my brows - yes, I know this one is not a pencil but still, I'd done all the others. All the others had worn off by the time I'd rubbed them and then finally got home a few hours later but this one was still going strong. It also didn't move much under a Simple face wipe. This thing is tough! So, I jsut had to have it! I haven't wore it out yet but I did try it on my eyes and it looks really nice, dark but softer than black. This cost £2.99 so was a great bargain.

MAC Matte2 Eyeshadow in Fig. 1. I bought this after I finally plucked up the courage to get my eyebrows done by the MAC MUA with purple. This is what she used and it looked amazing, just how I wanted it. A full post to come on this very soon.

MAC Pigment in Violet. Lovely MAC MUA also gave me a sample of this, saying it would work well with my purple brows. It's the pigment version of Stars n' Rockets with a pretty duo-chrome.

Revlon Nail Enamel in Emerald City. I'm going to pretend I didn't buy this just for the name... But it is a real unique polish. It's matte but glittery. It adds a really nice effect to your nails. It's dark green back colour is just daark enough while the light green sparkles really bring it to life. It wears really well too, I've currently got this on my toes!

Essie Nail Polish in Vanity Fairest. As the intro said, there is a reason I went for this and you'll see that in the next blog post! It's a gorgeous buildable yet sheer pinky toned colour. It has a little shimmer to it but isn't too much. I love Essie polishes so I'm pleased to add another to my collection!

Essie Nail Polish in Luxedo.  What a fabulous name! This polish is gorgeous, my favourite of the three. It's a deep, rich purple. It's the UK available version of Lincoln Park after Dark. It's great to look like black from a distance but it is infact, a purple shade. This picture really doesn't do it justice.

£3 Caviar Nails. MUA Nail Constellations.

MUA have done it again. They've already done a fabulous version of the Naked Pallette for a tenth of the price and now, they've done it again.

It's official, I'm jumping on the band waggon! I know this post has been done time and time again, but I am in love. Make Up Academy (the high street brand made famous for it's fabulous £1 eye shadows) are the newest brand to bring out the famous Caviar Manicure by Ciaté - their version, Nail Constellations. Ciaté have a fabulous range of Caviar Manicure polishes in numerous colours, but for £18 they are a little pricey. So who wouldn't love to pop into their local Superdrug and get something very similar for only £3. Yes, £3.

Though the range has only 5 colours (I only have 2 as the others are very girly and I just wouldn't wear them, sorry!) there is something for everyone. The only think I would ask for is a white version, like the Ciaté Mother of Pearl collection - they really are beautiful. I bought the Scorpio and the Libra versions. The black because, it's me! And the Scorpio is gorgeous for fall and looked fabulous over my favourite, Essie Sole Mate!

Scorpio.



Libra.

They are the easiest thing in the world to apply. Though they look messy, it's nothing a folded piece of A4 paper can't handle. They have made the bottle easy to put the excess back, you don't want to waste any of these. They are the easiest thing in the world to apply. You simple paint your nails, and pour them on. There is nothing else to it! If you want a further step-by-step, I am going to post a video one of my favourite beauty bloggers, Fleur De Force did using the Ciaté version.

September Favourites!

I have been super excited about doing this post as it is my first ever 'favourites' post! So today being the last day of the month I thought I would do this today and delay (now) tomorrow's post - got to be on time for the first one. I have decided to my monthly favourites in categories as my blog is more than just make up. So I got up to collect my favourites, my mind went blank. Do I have any monthly favourites?

Of course I do!

So we have;

Favourite Hair Product - The Humble Comb. I got my hair cut last week as I'm ditching the extensions for a while. After the cut my stylist showed me the best way to do it in the mornings. She did a little teasing, adding volume. I am not a teaser. Never have been. But it looked so nice! 

Favourite Nail Product - Essie Polish in Sole Mate. This polish is from my recent haul. A perfect Autumn colour and has brilliant resilience against my 18 month old. It was between this and my new Illamasqua 'Kink' polish but I was totally let down by the wear of that one. So Essie are, yet again, nail champions. 

Favourite Make Up Product - No7 Gel Liner in Black. This is definitely my favourite rediscover of the month. I'm using this as a base pretty much everyday. I love dark eyes.

Favourite Tool - Sigma SS190 or equivalent. I am loving going back to basics at the moment so I decided to start using my standard foundation brushes again. I switch between Sigma, Mac and ecoTools. I love the ease of applying my foundation with this brush, great for a quick application.

Favourite Accessory - Gold Stud Earrings. I love these earrings! They're my wear everyday earrings at the moment. They came from Primark in a pack of 6 for £2 - go and buy them now!

Favourite Accessory II - Matte Black Studded Skinny Belt. Oh the skinny belt. I love a good belt and this one is just too cute! It's super thin and so wearable - I do literally wear it everyday. It does with jeans, jeggings, jumpers and shorts. I like how it's effective without being too in your face. An all rounder. 

Favourite Fashion Item - Black Disco Pants. I adore disco pants aka wet look leggings, pu leggings. Obviously in black, am I finding myself reaching for a pair of these most days. I own the Primark, H&M, Topshop, cheap ass eBay and American Apparel ones so I do have a choice. I find they do with anything from a vest to a big jumper. Dressed up or down they are just perfect. And they make me look like I have a bum. And I just don't! 

Favourite Miscellaneous - Cadbury's SCreme Egg. It's Halloween season, motherf*cker! I love, love, love Halloween! And I also love Creme Eggs. So for me, these are perfection. I have to admit I have eaten so many (a long with numerous other novelty Halloween treats) already but hey, it's Halloween! Yes, I am 12 years old at heart.

'I have a Cold' Haul.

Yes, I have done what every girl does; felt a little under the weather so cheered myself up with a trip to my local Debenhams.

I've been reading Elle this weekend while I was away - which was gorgeous and I will post pictures soon! I think as well as rocking my usual goth look, I'm going to try out this military grunge glam vibe thats around so I was on a khaki hunt. I think I've finally decided to purchase a new parka from Zara so basing it on that, I wanted the perfect green nail polish. My usual first stop of Essie drew a blank. As did Chanel, Dior, MAC, Barry M, Revlon and every other beauty counter in Debenhams and Boots. I ended up at Illamasqua which obviously had exactly what I wanted. After a quick trip to MAC I was done - for make up anyway.

Left to right we have;

Illamasqua Nail Polish in Kink. This is the polish I was looking for - or at least the closest I was going to get. I wanted a really dark forest green. These don't exist. This was the nicest, darkest green I could find. Though it does have a teal tint to it, it isn't as blue as most of the others out there. In two coats it's a thick, even coverage. This is my first Illamasqua nail polish so I don't know what to expect from the wear just yet.

MAC Eyeshadow in Humid. I've never owned this shadow or indeed had any desire to own this shadow but on my new military green kick, I thought it would look good smoked out over a black - my entire reason for going to MAC. I was really impressed by the quality and colour of this green as there were surprisingly a few to choose from. I tried the look when I got home and thought it looked great.

MAC Eyeshadow in Carbon. It's black. I get through these like they're going out of fashion. It's a good, dark black and easy to use. My second favourite is the MUA for a quid. It's hard justifying £12 on an eyeshadow sometimes!

Swatches. MAC Carbon and MAC Humid.

Illamasqua Kink Polish on the nails.

The start of Autumn haul.

Today, I did a little shopping and started on my Autumn make up.

Left to right we have;

MAC Lipstick in Cyber. I was talking to my MAC girl about this lipstick today, it was between this and Rebel but she suggested this as Rebel is actually quite bright and not as dark as it appears. Cyber is the same, it looks almost black but in fact is a gorgeous deep purple. I've played around with it today and dabbed on the lips it deepens the lip colour with a purple hint, for a more everyday look and when fully applied it's a solid, gothic colour. It's not as scary as it looks - I looked on the website and the swatch does not look like the same lipstick in the tube! I think it's going to be one of my go-to lipsticks for the Autumn.

MAC Studio Fix Fluid and pump. Not much to say about this, I think most people have tried it. It's my go-to foundation and have it in a few shades depending on my tan. This is in NW15 - yes, I'm pale! But this is for the no tan, winter days. Though, surprisingly, doesn't wash me out at all and actually compliments my skin really well.

Essie nail polish in Sole Mate. This follows on from my Vogue, October post when I said I wanted a new polish. This is a great colour, a really deep reddy purple but doesn't look too brown. As with all Essie polishes it takes two coats but then you have a rich, deep colour and lasts, on me, 3 days without chipping. And for me, that's really good! I did find it looked a little strange on longer nails so I did file mine down and I think it looks a lot better. I highly recommend this polish for an Autumn colour! Essie is definitely becoming my favourite nail polish brand. Looking for a dark, forest green next...

I also bought a few standard beauty items. Nirvana Spa's mint shower gel - which I love. Simple face wipes. Original Source mint shower gel. Original Source mint and walnut scrub - are you seeing a pattern yet?