beauty lover's notes

Huge IMATS London 2012 post!

2012-02-06T16:32:00.001Z

I had an absolutely brilliant time at IMATS this weekend, I met lots of lovely girls, was inspired by talented make up artists and got my hands on some great products. I attended Saturday and Sunday and already cannot wait for IMATS 2013!
I have so many photos to share! Please click 'read more' to view the full post...

IMATS was moved from the West Hall to the Great Hall, which was a great idea. Although there were still crowds there was much more room to breathe! Sunday was a lot quieter, I'm told it generally is although I'm guessing the snow drama played a part in that.

Check out my pictures of the event and the exhibitors:

Kryolan at Charles Fox

Crown Brushes (and the Grand Willis Organ)

David Klasfeld of OCC makeup giving a talk

The lovely Eldora lashes ladies

Lots of interest at Inglot!

Koren giving a talk - that Hello Kitty brush belt is amazing!

Hair gems at Miss Adoro

The Velour lashes range

The Sleek stand

Royal and Langnickel's stand

The Real Techniques stand

OCC's stand

Here are my pictures of the live body art, prosthetics and transformations going on throughout the day:

This was so appropriate for Sunday after the snow!

I'm not sure which company these guys were with but they were entertaining the crowds!

The inspiration

Getting ready for the Saturday Beauty/Fantasy Student Competition (Wild Kingdom theme)

A stunning entry for the Saturday Beauty/Fantasy Student Competition (Wild Kingdom theme)

The Sunday Character/Prosthetic Student Competition entries and winners (Men in Black aliens theme)

I loved this entry!

I spent around £150. I had originally budgeted for £100 but I bought some more MUFE on the Sunday, the discount PAM were offering was too good to resist!

I was very lucky to be invited to the Royal and Langnickel Media/Blogger Lounge, where we discussed the brand, were offered OPI manicures, massages, fresh fruit, pastries and other nibbles.
I loved meeting Bill Dovellos, Royal and Langnickel's Vice President of Sales and Marketing, and I will definitely be paying this brand more attention in the future. I was given this S.I.L.K. GreenLine brush set as a gift from the brand. Royal and Langnickel launched this more eco-friendly line in 2011. The set includes 12 synthetic brushes with 100% bamboo handles.

All of the exhibitors had discounts, deals and offers. For example, PAM were offering 35% off MUFE, Illamasqua were selling many products for £5 and they further discounted this to 3 for £10 on the Sunday, Eldora lashes were 3 for £10, and Real Techniques brushes had 20% off.

Eldora lashes are offering a post-IMATS discounts online: Save 25% on lashes at www.eldorashop.co.uk (free delivery, ends 31st March 2012)

Look who I met!

L-R: Louise and Baby Glitter (such a happy little cherub!), Leanne, Georgie, Kim, me, Becca

Me with Sam and Nic aka Pixiwoo!

My tips to have a great time at IMATS:
♥ Make a list. If you know what you want you can get those things first, then spend time exploring and swatching - popular items can sell out!
♥ Get an Oyster. An Oyster card makes travelling around London a bit cheaper - you can also use it to get the bus from Wood Green tube station to Alexandra Palace.
♥ Get there early. Doors opened at 8.30am on Saturday. I was there at 8.35am and the crowds were so much easier to deal with. If you don't like crowds I'd advise getting your shopping done before 11am, having lunch and coming back in the afternoon as a lot of people have left by then.
♥ Wear comfy shoes. My biggest mistake was wearing uncomfortable shoes! You will be walking a lot, and carrying heavy bags - wear flats or Uggs!
♥ Take a small handbag. You are provided with a large bag to put your purchases in, so you don't need a big handbag - you'll just end up knocking into people and you won't be able to get close to the counters when there are crowds!
♥ Buy the heavy things last (magazines, books) - saves you dragging them around all day!
♥ Set a budget and take cash. Most exhibitors don't accept cards, and the ones that do can have problems with their card machine. Cash is easy and quick, but try to remember what you've spent!
♥ Don't be scared to chat! The make up artists and exhibitors are so friendly and are more than willing to answer questions and give you advice!
♥ Check out a class - you might learn something new or be inspired! Take a notepad so you don't forget what you've learnt.
♥ Bring wipes - if you are planning on swatching lots of eyeshadows or lipsticks then a pack of wipes will be really useful. Some stalls provided them, but not all.
♥ Follow @MakeupArtistmag and exhibitors on twitter to get exclusive news and insider info!

Thank you for reading! If you couldn't make it to IMATS 2012, I hope this post has convinced you to get your tickets for 2013 as soon as they go on sale!

Thank you to the IMATS team for giving me the opportunity to cover the event on my blog.
P.S. You can see my 2011 IMATS posts here and here.

Bring on Spring!

2012-01-31T13:31:00.000Z

I couldn't decide whether I wanted it to snow, or whether I wanted Spring to arrive. After putting this look together I have decided - bring on Spring!

Topshop dress, Topshop sunglasses, MAC Creme Cup lipstick, Topshop studded belt
Topshop Allegra boots (no longer available, I got copy pair from eBay instead! See here and here)
Meadham Kirchhoff Nail Wraps (available from Topshop from February)
Topshop pink frosted bag

Needless to say Topshop is rocking my world right now! I love the dress but it'd probably have to be worn with a slip, it seems a little see through! I would definitely 'rough it up' a little with some chunky chelsea boots and a studded belt. Plus, how cool are the cat eye sunglasses!

As Milly noted Topshop's frosted range is a take on the Furla Candy bags. Would you be daring enough to show the world the inside of your handbag? ASOS is also doing a small range of these style of bags.

I'm so excited for the Meadham Kirchhoff nail wraps to be released, the designs are so cute (except for the vagina) and I'll be wearing these as accent nails so I can extend their life as much as possible!
Someone really needs to start a petition for MAC to release these lipsticks though:

Lipsticks produced by MAC exclusively for Meadham Kirchhoff Spring 2012 catwalk show
(kinda tempted to try and DIY?!)

Will you be wearing pastels this Spring?

ghd Heat Protect Spray review

2012-01-31T11:09:00.001Z

I have been a fan of ghd straighteners for years, although I had never tried out their styling products, so I was pleased when I was recently contacted and offered the opportunity to try out their Heat Protect Spray.

I've never really committed to a heat protect spray before, I've tried a few but none have convinced me really. Surely if anyone knows how to protect hair from heat it's got to be the inventor of the original most popular styling tool!

Straight away I loved the sleek design. The packaging feels more 'high end' than 'high street' and it definitely stands out among my other hair products.

Here's the blurb from the back of the 120ml bottle:

"ghd Style Heat Protect Spray with the ghd Heat Protection System, so you can maximise your style with heat, whenever you want to use your styler or hairdryer.For all hair types, this lightweight spray helps leave hair looking and feeling smoother.

Directions: Apply to towel dried hair before blow drying. Or spray lightly on to dry hair before heat styling. Also use with any styling product for maximum heat styling confidence."

There is a little more information on the ghd site which I think should have been included on the bottle:

"Apply Heat Protection Spray first if you’re layering it up with other styling products.
Spritz from roots to tips (around 6-8 sprays for mid-to long hair) and comb through to ensure the product is distributed evenly before using your hairdryer or styler."

I've used this for about two weeks now and I really like it. I use 5-10 sprays on my towel dried hair before adding styling products (Bumble and Bumble thickening hairspray on roots, Tigi Love, Peace, Planet 'Freak of Nature' Volumiser and Thickener cream on lengths and ends). After blow drying I use 2-3 sprays before I straighten with my ghd IV styler.

The scent really reminds me of baby powder, which I personally love but some people may not like! The nozzle is good as it sprays a fine mist over your hair rather than squirting it onto patches.

I love that this product feels weightless on hair, and actually made my hair feel softer and smoother. I used it with several other hair products and it didn't affect them at all.
I did make the mistake of using too much product to begin with (I used about 20 sprays, oops!) and although it didn't affect my hair straight away, the next day my hair looked a little greasier than usual. I wash my hair daily but thought this might be useful information to those of you who don't.

Overall, I think this is a good product and if you're looking to try a new heat protection spray I'd recommend the ghd Heat Protect Spray. The Total Volume Foam (£14.95 for 200ml) and Root Lift Spray (£12.95 for 100ml) are also catching my eye!

You can purchase it online from:

official ghd website for £9.95 with free delivery
feelunique for £8.50 with free delivery
lookfantastic for £4.95 with free delivery
HQHair for £4.95 with free delivery

Thanks for reading!

P.S. If you are thinking about buying ghd straighteners please never buy them from an un-official retailer (including eBay, Amazon marketplace and fake ghd websites) - there are so many fakes around and they could be extremely dangerous!
Safe and official ghd styling tools can be bought online from the official ghd website, ASOS, Selfridges, lookfantastic, HQHair and feelunique.
For more information on counterfeit ghd styling tools click here and here.

Note: I was sent this product by Best British Bloggers, this does not affect my opinions and my review is 100% honest

Tips for US eBay nail polish hauling!

2012-01-29T19:20:00.003Z

I always buy OPI, China Glaze and Essie polishes from US eBay sellers as I just can't afford to spend £10-12 on a bottle of nail polish! I have bought:

China Glaze for £4.46 each (32% cheaper than the UK RRP £6.59)

OPI for £6.05 each (45% cheaper than the UK RRP £11.00)

Essie for £5.42 (46% cheaper than the UK RRP £9.95)

(These prices are for two polishes with combined shipping!)

These polishes are 100% authentic and are exactly the same product that is sold in the UK. We are simply charged more which I think is a bit unfair!

My favourite eBay sellers are:
beautyzone2007 (for China Glaze, CND, Essie, OPI, Orly, Seche plus Ardell lashes)
enchantedbeautyspot (for China Glaze, CND, Essie, Orly plus Ardell lashes) - This seller used to be called 'Jolie Beauty Store' and used to be my favourite for OPI hauling but unfortunately they no longer sell OPI.

I've never had any problems with these sellers and would thoroughly recommend them.
Check my posts here, here, here, here and here for details of my nail polish hauls in the past.

My top tips for buying nail polish from US eBay sellers are:

♥ Make sure your eBay and Paypal accounts are fully set up before you start purchasing ♥

If you haven't verified your Paypal account I would recommend doing so before you buy anything. If you are not familiar with eBay then have a look around the site and make sure you are confident on how to contact sellers if you have a question or a problem that needs to be sorted out.

♥ Research the polishes you want to buy ♥

I always search for swatches on blogs, check reviews on makeupalley and compare it with polishes that are already in my collection. This helps make sure I won't be disappointed with my buys!

♥ Haul small ♥

This one is really important! HM Revenue & Customs are able to charge 20% Import VAT and an £8 Royal Mail handling fee on packages containing goods over £15. See here for further details.

I have ordered lots of times with up to 6 nail polishes and I've never been charged. I'd say ordering more than 5-6 polishes is going to draw attention to your package and is probably pushing your luck a little! If you were hoping to order lots of polishes then you might want to whittle down your list to save money on potential import fees!

♥ Watch and plan ♥
When I've decided what polishes I want to buy I add them all to my eBay watch list and from there I make sure they are all from one seller - this reduces postage costs. If you are after a particular polish only one seller stocks, unless it is limited edition you might be best buying it another time when you can combine it with another item to save shipping costs.

♥ Combine shipping ♥

Most sellers (including the two I listed above) will, if you buy more than one item from them, post the items together and offer you a discount on shipping. For example from one eBay seller who offers this promotion the first item costs £2.90 to ship and each additional item costs £1.60 to ship.
To take advantage of this click 'buy it now' then 'commit to buy' on each polish you want but do not click 'pay now' until the last polish.

When you've clicked 'pay now' you will be redirected to a 'review your purchase' page.

Click on the 'request total from seller' link next to the seller's name and click 'continue' to send them a request.

The seller will send an invoice back with the discounted postage price within a day or so - when they do so you will be notified by email.

Make sure you pay by Paypal as soon as possible!

♥ Be patient ♥

Your package will take 7-14 days to arrive from the US. It could be delayed at customs although if you followed the above tips that risk is reduced. I personally would rather buy my polishes from eBay and pay a lot less even if I have to wait a little longer.

I really hope you found this helpful! I already had a few polishes in my eBay 'watch list' but writing this blog post tipped me over the edge! Some of the new China Glaze Electropop polishes and two OPI polishes are now on their way to me. I chose China Glaze Electric Beat, Dance Baby and Fuchsia Fanatic, and OPI Pamplona Purple and Jade Is The New Black.

Note: I am not associated with these eBay sellers - I just thought this post might be helpful!

Topshop Metallic NOTD - Crystal Clouds and Hyperreal

2012-01-29T17:00:00.000Z

Topshop were recently doing 20% student discount and since this hardly ever happens I grabbed my boyfriends NUS card and managed to pick up a few things I had my eye on. Topshop were also offering free delivery over £75, and since I despise paying for delivery I ended up adding two nail polishes to my basket to bring the total up.

L-R: Topshop Metallic Nails in 101 Hyperreal, Topshop Metallic Nails in 102 Crystal Clouds

Hyperreal is a copper/rose gold foil polish with tiny silver flecks that is kind of an inverted version of OPI 'Designer De Better' from the Muppets collection (see here).
Crystal Clouds is a champagne foil polish that shimmers beautifully.

I applied three thin coats of each polish to ensure full coverage - there were some bald patches at two coats but they were fine at three coats. The polish was very easy to apply and dried quickly. The only problem I had was that one of the nail polish brushes had a stray strand but I fixed this by snipping it off.

No flash, natural light: Crystal Clouds with Hyperreal on ring finger

Flash: Crystal Clouds with Hyperreal on ring finger

I then decided to use my nail dotting tools to create an inverted polka dot effect. I'm not sure I'm totally happy with the results, I think that since it was my first time trying the dotting tools I didn't get the pressure exactly right each time, and also I don't think foil polishes are the best type to use - Crystal Clouds didn't contrast amazingly well with Crystal Clouds as they both contain silver shimmers.

Topshop Hyperreal and Crystal Clouds polka dot nails

I sealed the design with OPI's RapiDry topcoat. I haven't tried this before but I got a mini bottle in a set and wanted to start trying other topcoats. I usually use Seche Vite and although it's amazing for drying your polish quickly the manicure rarely lasts more than two days due to shrinkage and peeling of the polish.
It's hard to say how good OPI RapiDry is as the Topshop polish dried quickly by itself and was already very shiny. I will report back on chipping and shrinkage and will be trying it with some creme finish polishes!

Topshop Metallic nail polishes are £6 each for 8ml. Hyperreal is here and Crystal Clouds is here. Topshop also do a set of 3 of their metallic polishes for £12. I assume they're full size, if they definitely are then I think that's great value and I would recommend checking them out!
The full size OPI RapiDry topcoat can be bought for about £7.30 including shipping from the US from this eBay seller. It is also available from Boots for £13.25.

Thanks for reading!
P.S. Sorry about the two nail posts in a row, I have had a really busy weekend but still wanted to blog :)

Nicki Minaj for OPI NOTD - Fly and Save Me

2012-01-27T12:51:00.001Z

When the details of this collaboration started leaking towards the end of last year I was really excited to see what kinds of colours OPI would come up with. I was half pleased but half disappointed when I saw the official information:

Top row L-R: Did It On 'Em, Fly, Pink Friday

Bottom row L-R: Metallic 4 Life, Save Me, Super Bass Shatter

My immediate favourites were Fly, Save Me and Pink Friday. However the Pink Friday that was released wasn't the same as the leaked promo info... more on that shortly!

I bought Fly and Save Me via this eBay seller at the end of December (my polishes came to £12.61 inc delivery). My polishes were with me about 10 days later and I'm pleased with my choices!
Fly is a slightly green toned turquoise. Save Me is a silver glitter with holographic bar glitters.
Here is a look I put together with Fly and Save Me (note the tip wear after one day, argh!):

No flash: two coats of Fly, one coat of Save Me on ring finger, Seche Vite top coat

Flash: two coats of Fly, one coat of Save Me on ring finger, Seche Vite top coat

I think Save Me would also look great over a silver polish!
I love the colour of Fly but straight away it reminded me of something I already had. I compared it with Barry M 295 Turquoise and Models Own Top Turquoise.

Flash, L-R: Barry M 295 Turquoise, OPI Fly, Models Own Top Turquoise

(two coats of each)

As you can see the Barry M is much lighter but Fly is very similar to Top Turquoise - but Fly is just a little darker and greener. Some would say the difference is too great to be a dupe but personally I think that if you have Top Turquoise you can probably skip Fly!

This was the first leaked picture of Pink Friday nail polish:

It appeared to be an amazing pink holographic polish but sadly for some reason it was never released. We ended up with the pink creme polish instead which I think is quite dupeable.
I had a look through my collection and found this Milani 3D Holographic polish in Digital. I bought mine from Cherry Culture. It can be quite sheer so needs to be layered over something else but it gives me that pink holo I'd hoped for!

That's more like it!

L-R: OPI Fly, OPI Save Me, Milani 3D Holographic Digital

I hope you've enjoyed this post. To finish off I'd like to share this absolutely amazing and inspirational nail wheel that just uses the Nicki Minaj polishes with you:

The Illustrated Nail is updated by the fabulously talented nail artist Sophie Harris-Greenslade who is based in the UK. Her tumblr is regularly updated with great manicures! Find out more about Sophie here and follow here on twitter here. My favourites are the star print, leopard print, 'N' and 'M' initials, the 'Nicki' heart and the lightning bolt... only a few then haha!

P.S. If you missed the mini OPI set on Buyapowa they have it listed as coming soon again! They also have a Save Me and Metallic 4 Life duo coming up. If you enter your email here you will be emailed when they go on sale!

Night out FOTD - MAC Girl About Town and Eye Candy lashes

2012-01-22T15:43:00.002Z

Last night my boyfriend, my sister and I went to my cousin's 18th birthday party in Liverpool. Cue scousebrows, beehives and 'Louboutins' all round. I wore this ASOS dress with the chest straps removed, a leopard print belt and my lilac Vivienne Westwood shoes (see this post!).

As for makeup, I made use of my Urban Decay Naked 2 palette, some Eye Candy lashes I was kindly sent and an old favourite - MAC Girl About Town lipstick! I absolutely love this lipstick, it's the perfect hot pink that looks amazing against both pale and tanned skin!

Here's the finished look:

Face:

YSL Matte Touch Primer

Estee Lauder Doublewear Light in 1.0

Estee Lauder Doublewear Concealer in Light (under eyes, around nose, chin)

MAC Cream Colour Base in Tickle Me Pink (blusher)

MAC MSF Natural in Light/Medium

Dior Amber Diamond highlighter along cheekbones

Eyes:

Urban Decay Primer Potion

Urban Decay YDK (lid)

Urban Decay Half Baked (inner corner and excess blended over lid)

Urban Decay Suspect (crease)

Urban Decay Bootycall (brow bone highlight)

Benefit Eye Bright (lower waterline)

MUFE Aqua Eyes eyeliner in Black (tightline/upper waterline)

Estee Lauder Doublewear Liquid Liner in Black

Rimmel Day 2 Night mascara (I usually use this as a base for more volumising mascaras, it separates lashes well!)

MAC brow pencil in Lingering and MAC eyeshadow in Espresso to fill brows

No7 clear brow gel

Eye Candy 60s Dramatise Strip Lashes in 009

Lips:

MAC Girl About Town patted on to give a matte stain effect

(Really wishing I had a better camera/lighting for these pics!
Please leave any tips for taking good pics with a basic digital camera in the comments - I do use macro!)

As you can see in the above before and after pictures, the Eye Candy lashes gave me long, pretty lashes that were not too OTT or obviously fake looking. I much prefer the more 'natural' fake lashes these days!
They were really easy to apply - I just snipped off a little as they were too long for me, applied my glue (I used Duo, although these come with glue!), waited 30 seconds and used a pair of tweezers to place them on my lashes which I had already applied one coat of mascara to.

They wore really comfortably and the band isn't too thick or dark. There are so many lash brands out there that it's hard to know where to start but I think they would make great lashes for beginners.
I love that all the Eye Candy lashes are available in either the 50's style or 60's style packaging! The lashes are made from sterilised human hair which I was a little unsure about but after a bit of research this means that the lashes are of a higher quality than synthetic lashes - it's just like human hair extensions.

The lashes are in good condition after one use and I'm sure I will be able to wear them at least 3-4 more times.
The Eye Candy lashes retail for £4.49 and are available from Boots, justbeautifully.co.uk, and Gordons Chemists (based in Northern Ireland and Scotland but they sell online).

Thanks for reading!

(Disclaimer: I was sent the Eye Candy lashes for consideration. This doesn't affect my opinion at all and my review is totally honest.)

Clear skin tips

2012-01-20T16:47:00.000Z

If like me, you're past your teenage years yet you still get spots then I hope some of these tips are helpful. These are things I've read about in skincare books or in magazine articles and wanted to bring together here.

1. Stop touching your face!
I am really guilty of this one, I'm a fidget and I touch my face all the time. Think about the amount of bacteria you pick up from your phone, on the train, touching money or (and I swear I have seen someone do this) sneezing and not washing your hands straight away - yuck!
I don't really like using anti-bacterial gel (it takes at least two minutes to work, dries out your skin and can only kill 99.9% of bacteria - that 0.1% is important!) and prefer carrying a small pack of hand wipes with me. I feel like anti-bacterial gel just rubs dirt around on my hands whereas the hand wipes actually remove dirt.

2. Change your pillowcase!
You lie on it for 8 hours a night, so you're essentially pressing sweat, oil, dead skin particles and bacteria on to your skin for that long. I change my bedding once a week but I think I might start changing my pillowcase more often. If your pillowcase isn't 100% cotton I'd recommend investing in a good quality one (180-200 thread count) - remember that polyester is plastic and you don't want that on your skin for 8 hours a night!
If you are having quite aggressive breakouts it's also worth making sure you are not allergic to your detergent or fabric softener!
You should also either use a separate towel for your face or use a fresh towel daily to make sure you aren't putting dirt back on to your clean skin!

3. Sort your products out!
♥ Overcleansing oily skin with harsh alcohol-based products can actually increase oil production and lead to blocked pores aka spots! Don't be afraid to use an oil-based cleanser but ensure it is non-comedogenic and will not block pores. An oil-free moisturiser will help your makeup last longer.
♥ Using a moisturiser that is too rich can result in milia (small white spots around the eyes). If you are affected by this try using a lighter moisturiser or a separate eye cream.
♥ Give a new routine at least three weeks. New products may cause an initial breakout but this is due to the impurities already just under the top layer of your skin. After that breakout you will be able to fully judge the effect that the product has on your skin. That being said, if you are obviously allergic to a product you should not continue using it!
♥ Make sure you clean your brushes once a week, especially ones that have been in cream products as bacteria grows quickest in cream products.

4. Tie your hair up!
Hair products contain oil, silicone and derivatives of plastic that on hair can work amazingly - when they are transferred to skin it's not so great! Having your hair down over your face (particularly if you have a fringe) can result in clogged pores and a breakout.
Try wearing your hair up now and again to reduce the amount of hair products coming into contact with your skin. I came across this picture on Pinspire which gave me a few ideas for up-dos. Also, if you usually sleep with your hair down try clipping your fringe back.

5. Supplements
If you're often on the go you may not be getting all the nutrients your skin needs. I take Perfectil when my skin needs a boost. Perfectil tablets contain nutrients essential to maintaining healthy skin, hair and nails. They cost £7.70 for a months supply which can seem a bit pricey but they are almost always on 3 for 2 in Boots! (This is not sponsored by the way, I just know a lot of people are skeptical of these products!)

I hope some of these tips have been interesting. Do you have any more skincare tips to share?
Thanks for reading!

Birthday nails - Essie and Models Own NOTD

2012-01-11T14:39:00.000Z

(With flash)

I am 24 today, it seems like I only just turned 23! I have been really excited for my birthday this year but at the same time, I feel like I'm getting old now. I can't deny it any more, I've hit my mid-twenties and life has definitely not panned out the way I had planned it at 16. That is not a bad thing by the way!
I still have a baby face though and have been mistaken for a 6th former a few times at the school I work in! I hope that if I lose weight this I will end up looking a bit older!

For my birthday nails I decided to go for something 'grown up' with a hint of fun. I opted for Essie Lady Like with Models Own Gold Finger for the ring finger. I first saw the Essie polish worn by Anna and I knew I had to have it!
Lady Like is a pretty yet sophisticated dusky lavender with a hint of pink in a certain light, and Gold Finger is a great glitter polish that can be built up like I have for this look.
I got my Essie polish from this eBay seller for about £5.50, and I got the Models Own polish from the Models Own site when they were having a 50% off sale - it normally costs £5.

Please ignore my cuticles, I tried to sort them out last night with Mavala's Cuticle Remover but I think I need to get into a routine of using my CND Solar Oil and hand cream in the afternoon as well as at night! I love the Soap and Glory hand cream for day time use, and the Liz Earle hand cream for a intensive night time treatment.

(Natural light, no flash)

Right, I'm off to the Post Office to see if they've got my OPI Nicki Minaj polishes and to check whether my Urban Decay Naked 2 palette has been delivered to my Mum's house! I'm tutoring some GCSE Science tonight so my birthday celebrations are on hold until the weekend!

What do you think of Lady Like? Are you a fan of Essie or Models Own? Is 24 really old??

Catwalk beauty Spring 2012

2012-01-08T09:00:00.003Z

Reading through the February issue of Elle I was excited to see the Spring 2012 makeup and beauty looks. A lot of designers opted for a very fresh, bare look (which I personally think is a little boring!) but these beauty trends stood out to me:

Clockwise from top left:

Maryna Linchuk for Dolce and Gabbana

Joan Smalls for Louis Vuitton

Toni Garnn for Viktor & Rolf

Jospehine Skriver for Louis Vuitton

Fresh skin, long lashes and barely pink pouts. Viktor & Rolf gave their girls an edge with pink lashes and stained lips! Hair is pretty, slightly tousled and almost flyaway.

I love lashes by Shu Uemura, Eye Candy and Eylure. Diorshow Black Out mascara is also the best volumising mascara I've ever used - it's a night out fail safe!

Clockwise from top left:

Abbey Lee Kershaw for Chanel

Magdalena Frackowiak for Dolce and Gabbana

Melissa Tammerijn for Jil Sander

Hedvig Palm for Jonathan Saunders

Daga Ziober for Marc Jacobs

Winged liner can seem a bit heavy for Spring, so the nude lips and glowy skin keep the rest of the look light. Jonathan Saunders really ran with it and exaggerated the liner almost up to the brow bone.

My favourite black liner is Estee Lauder Doublewear Zero-Smudge Liquid Liner because it doesn't budge! It can turn a little grey throughout the day so I carry a black pencil liner with me for a lunch time top-up.

Clockwise from top left:

Martha Streck for Dior

Jessica Stam for Prada

Jourdan Dunn for Anna Sui

Jessica Stam for Giles

Daphne Groeneveld for Jason Wu

Lindsey Hoover for Mary Katrantzou

Marcelia Freesz for Rick Owens

This was an absolutely huge look! Wear red, orange, hot pink, coral, nude... as long as it's matte.

My favourite matte shades are: MAC Ruby Woo, MAC Please Me and Revlon Pink Pout.

NARS Pure Matte Lipstick in Carthage looks amazing! You can buy it from ASOS.

Clockwise from top left:

Frida Gustavsson for 3.1 Phillip Lim

Candice Swanepoel for Fendi

Andreea Diaconu for Giorgio Armani

Toni Garrn for Fendi

Stephanie Rad for Ashish

I absolutely love how the MUAs used gold and silver leaf at Fendi! For a more wearable version try Emma Watson's TDHP2 Premier look. Silver cream shadow shapes were used at 3.1 Phillip Lim and Giorgio Armani - something like the new MAC Metal X cream shadows in Cyber would be perfect but the lasting power can be an issue. I'd probably just use something like MAC powder eyeshadow in Electra or the new Chanel Illusion D'Ombre shadow in Fantasme.

The pink glitter on the eyes at Ashish is fab, it really makes me want to buy lots of MAC glitters!

Images from style.com, elleuk.com, vogue.it, vogue.co.uk and elle.com

What is your favourite beauty trend this Spring? Will you try any of these looks? Thanks for reading!
P.S. As always you can open the pictures in a new tab for a closer look!

Galaxy/nebula/space/cosmic nails tutorial

2012-01-07T18:42:00.002Z

Whatever you call them, you can't deny that Galaxy nails are pretty cool. The best thing about them is that every design is unique and anyone can come up with something beautiful.

After watching loads of YouTube videos and seeing Tumblr, weheartit and blog posts with galaxy nails I had a go myself. The links to my favourite galaxy nails are at the end of this post.
I've split this tutorial up into six steps and tried to keep it as simple as possible. Open an image in a new tab if you want to see a larger version!

You will need:
♥ Nails (obviously) - I used these nails from this eBay seller (note: I think they're good for practicing nail art but aren't that comfortable to wear and take a lot of shaping)

♥ A base coat

♥ Polishes in black, white, navy blue, purple, red, yellow and any other space-esque colours you'd like to use

♥ A chunky glitter polish

♥ A holographic topcoat - see this post

♥ A clear topcoat

♥ A makeup sponge or a sponge eyeshadow applicator - I got mine in a bag of about 20 from poundland

♥ A nail art brush or small paintbrush - I got mine from this eBay seller

Step 1: Prepare your nails. Clean and shape them, and use a base coat to avoid staining.

Step 2: Paint your nails with the black polish. I used two coats of OPI Lady In Black to ensure full coverage.

Step 3: Drop out a blob of your white polish. I did mine onto some sellotape so it wouldn't go straight through the paper and on to my desk. You could use the back of a magazine. Pick up a small amount of the white polish using your sponge and dab off any excess. It's better to build up slowly than to splodge on too much! Lightly sponge the design you want for your galaxy onto your nails.

Step 4: Sponge over the white with the navy, purple, red and yellow polishes. If you go wrong just sponge over with some white or black. I used mostly navy and purple with only a small amount of red and yellow in my design.
See this highly professional video for help on sponging (hey auto focus!):

These are the colours I used for step 4. L-R: Models Own Snow White, Barry M Navy 292, Models Own True Blue, OPI Funky Dunkey, Revlon 680 Revlon Red, Models Own Lemon Meringue.

Step 5: Use a small brush to apply a chunky glitter polish across the galaxy part of the design (i.e. not the black background). I used Maybelline 246 Icy Mauve.

Step 6: Add your stars! Apply a holographic topcoat over the whole nail - I used INM Out The Door Northern Lights Silver Holographic Top Coat. Use a clear topcoat to seal the design - I used Seche Vite. Sit back and admire your design!

If you created your design on false nails you will need to either glue them on or use something like these Ultra Tabs from Nailene. I prefer using the tabs as they don't damage your natural nails at all! They're easy to use (as long as you're not in a rush) and easy to remove when you have had enough. They're not as strong as glue but are still a good option and cannot leak in your bag! A variety of sizes is included although I wish Nailene would release a 'petite' version of these for my teeny child-sized hands.
The Nailene tabs are available from Boots at £2.49 for a pack of 24.

My favourite galaxy nails: cutepolish @ YouTube, xolildancerx3 @ weheartit, Claris Ribeiro, Samii Ryan
Some blogger galaxy nails: BBB, Kelly, Zoey, Cris, Victoria, Lily, Heather

Have you tried galaxy nails? Link me! Thanks for reading!

Holographic topcoats swatches and comparison (Nubar, China Glaze, Models Own, Northern Lights)

2012-01-07T17:54:00.000Z

Being a total glitter Magpie I have amassed a small collection of holographic topcoats. I have swatched them over OPI Lady In Black so you can see what the differences are.

Top - flash, bottom - no flash

L-R: Nubar Star Sparkle, China Glaze Fairy Dust, Models Own Juicy Jules, INM Out The Door Northern Lights Silver Holographic Top Coat

Top - flash, bottom - no flash

L-R: Nubar Star Sparkle, China Glaze Fairy Dust, Models Own Juicy Jules, INM Out The Door Northern Lights Silver Holographic Top Coat

Left pics - no flash, right pics - flash

Top L-R: China Glaze Fairy Dust, INM Out The Door Northern Lights Silver Holographic Top Coat

Bottom L-R: Nubar Star Sparkle, Models Own Juicy Jules

China Glaze Fairy Dust - This is probably my favourite to use as a topcoat. The holographic glitter small but dense. The holographic effect is great on this polish. I picked mine up in Sally's for £6.59. It's on their website here.

INM Out The Door Northern Lights Silver Holographic Top Coat - This is most similar to the China Glaze polish, except it's a little less dense. Again, this has a great holographic effect. I got mine from this eBay seller for about £6.50 (with delivery to the UK). I think this one is a lot cheaper in the US so I'd advise picking that one up if you're US based! It's probably worth mentioning that the glitter settles at the bottom of the bottle hence the sticker saying 'shake it up'!

Nubar Star Sparkle - This is holographic glitter as well as silver glitter, therefore the holographic effect isn't as intense as the CG or INM polishes. It's available from this eBay seller for about £6 (with delivery to the UK). The seller always relists it after it's finished so keep your eyes peeled!

Models Own Juicy Jules - This is a chunky, sparse polish but it's easy to build up. It has a good holographic effect and I really recommend it! It's £5 and is available from Model's Owns' website, Boots and ASOS. ASOS is probably the best option as you can get NUS discount if you're a student and free delivery!

Which is your favourite holographic polish? Is there another one you'd recommend? I've always wanted to get my hands on the China Glaze Wireless topcoat!

Second Blog Birthday

2012-01-06T00:19:00.001Z

(Source)

Two years ago today bloggers like bloggers like Gemma, Lily, Laura and Bicky inspired me to set up my very own blog. I have really enjoying blogging so far, and hope that 2012 is even better for Beauty Lover's Notes.

I realise that with blogging that you get out what you put in, and so this year I am aiming to be a better blogger. I have become much more active on Twitter in the last few months and definitely think it makes all the difference in feeling like a part of the 'blogging community'. Being based in the North makes it hard for me to get to London for meet-ups and events but I hope this year I can meet some more lovely bloggers!

I'd also like to invest in a better quality camera and brush up on my photography skills in 2012. I currently use a bog standard Sony digital camera that I've had for years, and I know that flash photography looks pretty naff 99% of the time!

This post is really a thank you to all of my followers, it makes me so happy to see that GFC number creeping up! Although I love blogging for me I can't deny that the feedback through comments and page views is really encouraging.

IMATS London 2012

2012-01-03T00:01:00.003Z

If you're not familiar with IMATS let me tell you a bit about it. The International Make-Up Artist Trade Show is a gathering of artists, vendors and enthusiasts which began in Los Angeles in 1997. I attended the London event last year I knew I had to come back in 2012!
This year, IMATS takes place in London at Alexandra Palace on Friday 3rd February (Pro Only), Saturday 4th February and Sunday 5th February - i.e. you only have a few weeks to get your tickets!

Last year the event mainly took place in the West Hall, but this year the organisers have moved everything to the Great Hall which is absolutely huge in comparison - so there will be much more room for artists to lead workshops and seminars. Speakers and guests include Nick Dudman (make-up artist for the Harry Potter series - he'll be doing a goblin look on Warwick Davies live - amazing!), Dany Sanz (founder of Make Up For Ever) and Terry Barber (MAC Cosmetics' Director of Artistry for the UK). Click here for the full schedule.

(The Crown Brush stand at IMATS London 2011)

Of course, one of the main draws for me is the amazing brands and companies that will be present, a number of which will be offering discounts on products for the day. My recommendations are:

Crown Brush - Good quality brushes for decent prices. I'll be going there first to avoid the queues later on.

Guru Makeup Emporium - A pro brand stockist who last year offered great discounts on MUFE products, although MUFE have their own stand this year so I'm not sure who will offer the best discount this time!

Pam Ltd - Another great pro brand stockist. You can pick up MUFE, Ben Nye, OCC, Kryolan and more here.

MAC Pro - I got my hands on some lovely Pro only mixing mediums last year which I have used with pigments and glitters. There is no discount available for non-Pros so I won't be buying loads but I may pick up Show Orchid lipstick and a glitter or two. Remember MAC Pro products are always available for anyone to buy from their London Pro store or via their mail order phone line: 0800 054 2676.

Illamasqua - Last year their products were packed into sets, no individual products were available to buy which was a shame. I hope to try some of their Precision Ink eyeliners and Pure Pigment in Beguile after seeing Zoe's post on it.

Paperself - Offering avant-garde lashes as worn by Janet Devlin on X Factor. My curiosity is growing and I want to see what all the fuss is about!

Sleek Makeup - If you haven't heard of Sleek... were you living in a cave in 2011? Lots of cheap but decent quality products. I may pick up an i-Divine palette and some of their blushers (Rose Gold, Pixie Pink and Flamingo are fab!).

NYX Cosmetics - Another cheap and cheerful brand, I recommend their lipsticks, powder and cream blushes and individual eyeshadows. I fancy giving their Soft Matte Lip Creams a try!

Inglot - A fairly new brand to the UK. I got a palette last year but might just pick up some individual shadows this year that I can stick in an old MAC palette. Check out of Christine of Temptalia's swatches here - I really recommend their Pearl finish eyeshadows.

See the full list of exhibitors here.

I will also be keeping an eye on the student competition throughout the day - the theme this year is Wild Kingdom. I'm expecting to see lots of beautiful birds, interesting insects and remarkable reptiles.
For an idea of how amazing the student artists are, here is Loren Huckin's winning look for the 2011 IMATS 'tribal beauty' theme:

Tickets for IMATS London 2012 are available here.
For the general public (i.e. you are not a Pro or student make-up artist) prices are as follows:
Saturday 4th February - £45
Sunday 5th February - £45
Saturday and Sunday - £70

I have already booked my hotel (staying in South London) and will be booking my train soon! My boyfriend has just broken it to me that he might not be able to come down to London with me that weekend (he would have visited a friend whilst I was at IMATS) which does mean that I will have a double bed to myself, but it also means I'm going to have to be brave and get to LDN all by myself which I've never done before! I'll be meeting up with lots of lovely YouTubers, Bloggers and Tweeps so I should be fine when I'm there!

If you're going to IMATS or want to ask any questions please comment below or tweet me! My twitter is @beautylovenotes. Thanks for reading!

P.S. My 2011 IMATS posts are here (part one) and here (part two).

Happy New Year! Lush and Boots sales buys

2012-01-02T19:07:00.000Z

I hope you all had a lovely New Year's Eve! Mine was spent sorting the guest list for my sister's party and being the designated driver whilst my family and boyfriend downed £1700 worth of free drinks (my sister won a competition for a free party with a huge bar tab!). Not all of my friends could make it to the party so I will be making up for it with them on my birthday night out on the 14th!

A few things I ordered in the online sales arrived last week. I didn't buy too much since I'm pretty skint at the moment but here's what I bought:

All of the Christmas range from Lush was half price. It took me about 12 hours on and off to actually place an order since the site couldn't cope with the traffic, but I really didn't fancy going shopping on Boxing Day!

I got lots of Snow Fairy! I just love the glitter and pink-ness of it! I haven't ever paid full price for this. Three 500ml bottles should last me a good few months.

I also got a 500ml bottle of Glogg shower gel - it's supposed to smell like mulled wine but I'm not really sure I like the scent of it so far! It seems more of a manly scent but I will give it another go before giving my boyfriend the go-ahead haha!

The 100ml bottles of It's Raining Men and Flying Fox weren't in the sale but I've wanted to try It's Raining Men for ages as it's supposed to be the shower gel version of Honey I Washed The Kids soap (which is gorgeous), and Flying Fox is absolutely amazing for 'that time of the month'!

I am more of a shower person than a bath person, but I do like a bath every so often when I'm feeling a little self indulgent! I got these Bubble Bars:

Three Gold Rings - supposed to smell like vanilla and orange but I gave it a sniff and it smells disgusting - hopefully it will smell nice when it's actually in a bath

Candy Mountain - vanilla and candy floss scented - yum!

Gingerbread House - spicy ginger scent, so sad my cinnamon stick was snapped boo!

I ordered this Crafty Nana Custard Cream keyring kit from Boots for £5 (reduced from £10). I am really getting into crafty things and this is an easy way for me to try oven-bake clay! The little case it comes in is so cute and will make a nice storage space after I've used the kit! The kits are currently sold out on Boots.com but are still available from Fred Aldous for £14.99 plus £2.80 P&P if you really wanted to get hold of it!

Lastly, I ordered this Sanctuary Spa Perfect Essentials set for £5 (reduced from £10) as I've never tried the range before and thought the miniatures would be a nice way to test it out! Included is a body scrub, body wash, foaming bath soak, body lotion and luxury bath float. I will review the products after using them as they're all still available to buy individually from Boots.

How did you spend New Year's Eve? Did you buy much in the sales? Let me know in the comments!
Thanks for reading!

2012 Resolutions

2011-12-28T18:35:00.000Z

Every year I make a few resolutions but I've really never stuck to them before. I am determined to stick to these though!

1. Start exercising regularly

30+ mins of exercise 3+ times a week

2. Learn to knit

I've been getting into crafts lately and this is one I've always wanted to try! I have a beginners knitting book on my birthday list so I'll take it from there...

3. Use my electric toothbrush instead of my manual toothbrush

I have had my electric toothbrush for a few years now but I always end up forgetting about it as soon as it needs charging. I've got a new head on it and I want to get my teeth a bit whiter!

4. Blog at least once a week

2011 was a bit of a fail blogging-wise for me, I hope to rectify this in 2012 since I have A LOT of free time

5. Get a decent job and pay off my student overdraft

Five years of dependence will be difficult to reverse but it's time to sort my life out!

Have you made any resolutions for 2012?

Thanks Santa!

2011-12-27T16:05:00.000Z

I didn't get that Christmassy excitement at all this year (I think it was the lack of snow) but it was really nice to spend time with family and enjoy a gorgeous meal together.
I was very lucky to receive some lovely gifts, some of which are below. Please don't think I'm showing off by sharing them with you - I love reading about what people got as it gives me ideas for future gifts or sale buys! I also got lots of chocolate, wine and random things I didn't photograph (including cheese and a dinosaur keyring from my boyfriend's mum, she's crazy but hilarious).

Lots of books! I'm still reading books I was given last Christmas so I need to hurry up and finish them!

Brian Cox - Wonders of the Solar System/Universe
Richard Dawkins - The Magic of Reality

David Nicholls - One Day/Starter for Ten

Sarah Winman - When God Was a Rabbit

Kathyrn Stockett - The Help

Fifty Dresses That Changed The World

Reviews to come!

Warehouse purse
Shu Uemura lashes
Pull & Bear bow necklace
Marc by Marc Jacobs Panther iPhone 4 case
OPI polishes in Bullish on OPI, Bling Dynasty and Ogre-The-Top Blue

FrontCover Style Queen set
Hugo Boss Orange set
Beyonce 4 DVD
CDs: The Black Keys - El Camino, Adele - 21, Drake - Take Care

M&S Marcel Wanders Knuffel bear (with a light up nose!)

Red glitter pumps (from Claire's)

Soap and Glory Big Splendour set

I've done a bit of sneaky online sales shopping (Lush and Boots!) so I will post about what I bought when the orders arrive.

Now that Christmas is over I'm looking forward to my boyfriend's birthday which is tomorrow, and my birthday which is exactly two weeks afterwards. Neither of us want to turn 24, feeling old!
My sister has also won a competition for a £2,000 New Year's Eve party so that should be ridiculous. I'm trying to put together a list of requests for the DJ but my mind is blanking - please stick any good tunes in the comments!

Hope you enjoyed your Christmas! Let me know what your favourite present was in the comments!

Free Bumble and Bumble goodies - expired!

2011-12-10T19:15:00.005Z

Whilst I was browsing Facebook last night a little advert for Bumble and Bumble appeared. It said something about free samples so I clicked through to check it out.

(These are the full size products - you will receive the travel sized ones which I estimate to be 30-40ml each)

~~What I found is a pretty amazing offer: With ANY order you can get free delivery, a free travel size "Thickening" set worth £15, AND~~ ~~three two free sample sachets (7ml Curl Conscious Smoothing Conditioner, 7ml Curl Conscious Nourishing Masque~~ ~~and 7ml Creme de Coco Masque)! - UPDATE 13/12/11: They seem to have run out of the Creme de Coco Masque sample sorry! Well done if you managed to get one (or two!).~~
~~EDIT 12/12/11: Use the code Emerald to get another free 30ml Thickening spray with your order! Thanks to Becky for sharing this in the comments!~~ UPDATE 13/12/11: The Emerald code has now expired!

I think Thickening travel set is 50ml each for the Shampoo, Conditioner and Hairspray, but I am not 100% sure!

(This pic is the full size products - you will get your samples in sachets!)

The Bumble and Bumble site sells some cheapish products- the 50ml Prep spray is £5 and 50ml Styling Creme is £6.50 so you could order a great little stocking filler for someone.
If you wanted to order two products I'd advise making two separate orders to maximise the freebies!

I ordered the Brilliantine hair polish for £17 as I've always wanted to try it, but I may make another order for a Christmas present!

Here are the TandCs: Free delivery is for standard delivery with any order. Samples are to be selected at checkout and are subject to availability. No offer code necessary. Free travel size Thickening Set is available on all orders whilst stocks last or until midnight Sunday 18th December 2011. Offer is not available in conjunction with any other offer.

Here is the link to the site: www.bumbleandbumble.co.uk

Enjoy!

EDIT 27/12/11: This offer has now expired sorry! There is a new offer on the site if you want to check it out: www.bumbleandbumble.co.uk

Support UK Bloggers!

2011-12-09T02:34:00.005Z

With just two weeks to go until Christmas you might be worrying about finding some original gifts for friends or family, or even trying to find the perfect piece of jewellery to wear with your new party frock!

It's easy to pop into Topshop or Primark to pick up a new piece of jewellery but wouldn't you rather avoid the high possibility of wearing the same piece of jewellery as someone else? I have had to discreetly remove a ring after seeing that my best friend is wearing the same one on more than one occasion - the cringe 'we're wearing the same ring' Facebook pics can get embarrassing! Your jewellery can say a lot about you - I'd rather mine didn't say 'boring'!

I've done a little bit of research and have come across some fab UK bloggers who are selling handmade items that would make fantastic gifts! These girls are really talented and are selling some interesting and unique items, check them out:

Lily's rings
Lily has been blogging since June 2009 and unless you've been living under a rock you've probably visited her fashion blog. To get a piece of her style pick up a ring from her shop - there is a variety to choose from and the prices are very reasonable!

Top - Small Round Style Ring (£4), Bottom - Small Circle Style Ring (£4)

Twitter: @llymlrs

Blog: LLYMLRS

Shop: JWLRY

Victoria's jewellery and scarves
Beautiful Yorkshire based Victoria sells hand knitted scarves and jewellery. Unfortunately the wait time on her scarves is currently 4 weeks, but Winter does last about 10 months in the UK so if you order one now you'll be sorted until at least June! Oh and if you're wondering who Lily and Lola are, they're her adorable Pugs!

Left - Chunky Hand Knitted Scarf (£20), Right - Silver Heart friendship bracelet (£2)

Twitter: @lilyheartslola

Blog: Lily Loves Lola

Shop: Lily Loves Lola bigcartel Shop / Lily Loves Lola Etsy Shop

Milly's cupcake stands
Milly's blog is full of vintage, kitsch and fun, and so is her shop! She sources beautiful vintage crockery and carefully transforms it into amazing 'Alice in Wonderland' style cupcake stands! They're not available to buy right now but just contact Milly and I'm sure she will be able to answer your questions!

Left - 'Breakfast at Tiffany's' Cupcake Stand (£35), Right - 'Birds and the Bees' Cupcake Stand (£27.50)
Twitter: @millycupcake

Blog: Fashion Launderette

Shop: Tilly Mints Vintage

Nicola's bracelets
How cool are these bracelets! The skulls are very Alexander McQueen although they still have a uniqueness about them. Nicola hand makes each bracelet and the result is stunning - check out Tali raving about the bracelet Nicola made her on her blog Glossy's Wardrobe.

Left - Small Black and Silver Skull bracelet (£13), Right - Gold Cube and Silver Skull bracelet (£11)

Twitter: @nicolavc86

Blog: NicolaVC86

Shop: TLC Treasures

Lisa's jewellery and accessories
Lisa offers a hand picked selection of the cutest and most desirable jewellery and accessories around. Her headbands are loved by bloggers (see Heather's original post) and those knuckle stone rings are a great alternative for those of us who prefer to spend our cash on cocktails (thanks anyway Stefano).

Left - Velvet headband in Dark Green (£7), Right - Ana Knuckle Stone ring in Red Wine (£8.50)

Twitter: @daintyrosesxo

Blog: Dainty Roses

Shop: Dainty Roses Shop

Sinead's jewellery
Sinead has a small but lovely collection of jewellery in her shop. The 'Inspiration' necklace below is available in a number of combinations (for example you can also choose 'love', 'believe' and 'cherish' charms). She also sells cute scrabble rings and necklaces which are a thoughtful but easy gift - they are already personalised!

Left - 'Inspiration' necklace (£3.75), Right - Double Cross ring (£4.25)

Twitter: @daintydollymix

Blog: Dainty Dollymix

Shop: Dainty Dollymix Shop

Sarah's jewellery and accessories
You might recognise Sarah as the winner of the Look Blogging Competition 2011, but blogging is not all she's good at! Sarah's shop is full of cute and kitsch handmade jewellery. Temporary Secretary is a huge success and she admits that her business comes first and blogging comes second, but somehow she still finds time to post regularly, what a woman!

Left - 'Herbert The Hedgehog' necklace (£16), Right - Reindeer scarf (£19.99)
Twitter: @tempsec

Blog: Temporary Secretary

Shop: Temporary Secretary Shop

Jennie May's jewellery
The jewellery on offer at Sailboat, Ahoy! is wonderful - the necklaces are quite different from anything I've seen before but so easy to wear. Jennie hopes to expand her shop to include the sale of her photographs in the future. She has a fantastic camera collection and takes some really beautiful pictures so her shop is definitely one to watch!

Left - 'Winter Berries' necklace (£7), Right - 'Winter Owl' necklace (£6.50)

Twitter: @sailorjennie

Blog: Sailor Jennie

Shop: Sailboat, Ahoy!

Lucy's phone cases
Lucy describes her products as 'cute, glitzy and fabulously trashy'. Now, some people may not think their phone should be combined with rhinestones, pearls or Hello Kitty but personally I think Lucy's cases are amazing! She offers pre-made designs or can give you a quote for an idea. Some of the designs she's recently sold via her Facebook page have cost about £20 which I think is really reasonable for such a detailed, handmade item. Lucy can customise pretty much any phone - she can even do Nintendo DSi cases! Just imagining the googly eyes on the case below moving around all day is making me giggle!

Left - iPhone 3GS case, Right - Blackberry 8520 case

Twitter: @lucyjanewood

Blog: Lucy Boots

Shop: Lucy Boots Phone Cases (facebook)

Claire's jewellery
Last but certainly not least, we have Claire's fabulous handmade statement pieces. When you think about how much a high-end designer would charge for exactly the same piece you start to realise how much of a good investment these necklaces are. These designs are made to order so if you're after a Christmas present you'll need to get your skates on! I'm sure Claire won't mind working with you to design your perfect piece!

Left - 'Kingdom of Pearls' necklace (£30), Right - 'Ice Queen' necklace (£45)
Twitter: @FashionTeller17

Blog: The Fashion Teller's Notes

Shop: Sara's Secret

These girls are so savvy - they're making money doing what they love in a fantastic community. They're all lovely and if you haven't checked them out yet... what are you waiting for?

If you have a blog shop or if you're a blogger who sells jewellery or handmade items please leave a link in the comments!

P.S. I'm thinking of customising some tote bags and selling via a blog shop. I've got tonnes of ideas and just wondered whether that something you would be interested in? Any tips for me? Thanks!

Happy weekend!

2011-12-03T02:50:00.003Z

I have to admit I wasn't really much of an Adele fan until about a month ago. Over the summer her songs were played so much it felt a bit forced. And who wants to listen to sad songs in the summer anyway? I just remember driving home from school on a really lovely sunny day and feeling so sad by the time I got home because Adele was on the radio haha. I've recently had a chance to appreciate her more though, 21 is now on my Christmas list!

I haven't been able to get this remix of Rolling In The Deep out of my head since I heard it on Radio 1, it just takes the song and totally flips it, I love it:

I recently got into The Black Keys too (this video is a little strange...)

And lastly, a bit of Beyonce to get you into the Saturday mood! I love how she can still look fabulous as trailer trash haha!

Beyonce's new video for Dance For You is a bit saucy but she looks flawless as ever, you can watch it on Youtube here! She's so amazing!

Hope you enjoyed those tracks. I'm off to Chester Zoo today, so excited! What are you up to this weekend? Let me know what music you've been listening to lately!

Winter skincare

2011-11-29T19:28:00.001Z

After an unusually warm autumn, winter has finally arrived in the UK! As we turn up the thermostat and enjoy cosy evenings in we need to consider our skin, which is dealing with some drastic changes. Exposing your skin to the extremes of cold wind and central heating can dehydrate and dull it, but by using the right products for you, your skin will glow through the party season!

My skin is oily/combination but I know from past experience that I need to take my skincare up a notch during the harsh winter months to stop it from becoming dry and flaky.
My current routine leaves my skin soft, moisturised and glowing, and none of these products are breaking me out (my skin can be sensitive!).

What I'm using right now:

L-R: Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula Gentle Daily Cleanser, Liz Earle Gentle Face Exfoliator, Liz Earle Skin Repair Light Moisturiser, Pampers Sensitive Baby Wipes, Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish, Origins Brighter By Nature Pads

I use this cleanser every morning in the shower. I received the Palmer's cleanser as part of a trial for the products before they were released (not to do with my blog - I'm a member of the Palmer's Lovers Community). I'm not actually sure it was taken through to be sold in their skincare range so this review might be pointless, but nevertheless it's a thick, creamy, moisturising cleanser that lightly foams and leaves my skin super soft. I love the scent and would recommend this to anyone with dry or sensitive skin. The tube can be a little bit difficult to squeeze because the product is so thick so I'd prefer to see it in a pump dispenser.
(EDIT: I have checked Palmer's US website and the product is available there. Hopefully they will bring it to the UK soon!)

I use this exfoliator a couple of times a week in the shower instead of the Palmer's cleanser. It's great for boosting dull skin by getting rid of dead skin cells. I love that it's not too rough but still feels like it's doing something. The fine jojoba beads are round rather than jagged so they will buff away impurities without damaging your skin (I don't even want to think about how much I probably damaged my skin by using St Ives Apricot Scrub!). The creamy texture stops your skin from being over stripped.
Of course this has the signature 'Liz Earle' botanical scent so if you have a sensitive nose or if it just isn't your thing you probably won't like this product. I received this as a complimentary sample from Liz Earle's PR team although I'm running out and will definitely be purchasing it with my own money!

After showering I splash my face with cool water. I've given up on toner, I just can't see an effect. I then apply this moisturiser. I actually was sent this by Liz Earle's PR team last summer, but at the time it didn't work for me as it's quite rich and it didn't seem to control my oil enough.
I recently had a 'I've run out of moisturiser' crisis - I was using 'Good Things Miracle Mattifier' but didn't love it enough to repurchase so I went back to my old faithful 'Simple Hydrating Light Moisturiser'. The Simple moisturiser smelt really chemical-y compared to the Good Things moisturiser so I had a little dig in my stash and came up with this.
Having tried it again I can say that whilst it's not suitable for me during the summer, it actually works well in the winter. I love that it contains so many natural ingredients that are doing my skin some good.
Again, it has that 'Liz Earle' botantical scent so may not be suitable for everyone.

Some of you will probably be surprised at this one, but I have used baby wipes to remove my makeup for years. They're so cheap and do the job that more expensive (and usually harsher) wipes do without breaking me out! However, after I tried Cleanse and Polish for the first time I realised that they just can't remove all of my makeup, especially when I'm wearing Estee Lauder Doublewear Light! The thought of all those traces of makeup sitting on my skin grossed me out and therefore they should only be used on their own in exceptional circumstances... e.g. after a night out.
I still use them daily to get most of my makeup off before Cleanse and Polishing as it helps the muslin cloth last a bit longer before needing a wash.

I fell in love with Cleanse and Polish after getting a free sample from the counter in John Lewis. The Cleanse and Polish process is really quick and the muslin cloth leaves your skin super soft. Cleanse and Polish is suitable for all skin types but if you have particularly sensitive skin the 'Polish' part could possibly irritate your skin if done daily. That being said, my skin can be sensitive and prone to redness and daily use is fine for me.
Check out the Christmas edition, it's really cute and would make a great gift (although I wish the design was on the actual bottle instead of just being on the outer packaging)!
Oh and I almost forgot... it has that botanical scent again!

I bought these in January after Holly raved about them. I don't use them too often, I'd say a couple of times a month. They are pads soaked in a special fruit acid formula which is supposed to give the effect of a 30% glycolic peel without irritation when used over a period of time. They do sting a little around my nose but I can deal with that in exchange for brighter skin, smaller pores and a more even skintone. They don't make your skin actually peel, which I was a bit scared about!
They are pretty pricey at £30 for 40 pads, but I cut them in half to make them go a little further. They're very 'wet' and I think you could probably even get away with cutting them into quarters if you only use them on your T Zone. If you're thinking about purchasing these you should be aware that they can make your skin sensitive to sunlight so you will need to use sunscreen - which you should do anyway!

So that's my current skincare routine! I hope you've enjoyed reading this post, please comment and let me know what you think! Have you tried any of these products?

My christmas wish list

2011-11-24T16:50:00.001Z

When I was little, my sister and I used to flick through the Argos catalogue together, write our letters to Santa and leave them next to the fireplace on Christmas Eve. These days, my family email our Amazon wishlists to each other! We still always get each other a little surprise though!
It feels like the run up to Christmas has lasted forever this year, but suddenly there are just 30 days to go! With that in mind I've decided on what I'd love to receive!

(Note: I don't expect to receive all or in fact any of these gifts, this is simply a wish list. Plus it's my birthday two weeks after Christmas so it's more of a Christmas and birthday wish list really!)

Clockwise from top left:

Marc by Marc Jacobs Panther iPhone 4 case - I really need a new case for my phone. The one I have currently came free courtesy of Apple and just over a year later it's starting to fall apart. I admit I've dropped it a few times and how better to protect my baby than with a MBMJ case!

Marc by Marc Jacobs Hot Dot iPhone 4 case - Another phone case, variety is the spice of life!

Warehouse quilted purse - My current purse was a Christmas present from my boyfriend in 2007 and I think at 4 years old it's ready to retire! It has taken me so long to find a replacement because I need something with lots of space for cards, notes, coins and receipts, I keep so much stuff in my purse!

Wonders of the Solar System by Brian Cox - I loved the TV series and love flicking through books like these and finding out all sorts of interesting facts! My excuse? I'm a science teacher!

Wonders of the Universe by Brian Cox - Because when I think about how big the Universe is my brain gets sore.

Balenciaga Paris perfume - My first ever perfume was Kenzo flower, and since then I have been obsessed with violet-y perfumes. When I heard Balenciaga Paris has violet notes it went straight on my wish list.

Vivienne Westwood Cheeky Alice perfume - I have and love Naughty Alice, and although I haven't smelt Cheeky Alice yet I think I'm going to like it. See my blog post on it here.

Bumble and Bumble The Thickening Affair set - I bought the Thickening Hairspray from this set in New York and loved it until the last drop. I have wanted to try the Shampoo and Conditioner out for ages!

Soap and Glory Big Splendour set - Every woman in my family will probably be receiving one of these. I think it'll go to 'better than half price' in Boots the week before Christmas!

Topshop Swagger shoes - Glitter. High heels. Don't really need to explain this one any further.

Shu Uemura Partial Flare Individual Lashes - I have quite small eyes and think I'd probably be better suited to using individual lashes rather than butchering strip lashes with a pair of scissors to make them fit.

Gossip Girl Season 4 Box Set - This is my favourite TV show at the moment. I may be responsible for making my boyfriend's sister obsessed too, oops!

Beyonce Live at Roseland: Elements of 4 DVD - Because she's amazing! I love sticking on a Beyonce DVD whilst I'm pottering about the flat or if I'm getting ready for a night out!

Lush Snow Fairy Shower Gel - Bright pink sweet glittery yummyness!

Lush It's Raining Men Shower Gel - Described as the shower gel version of 'Honey I Washed the Kids' soap. I love the way Lush products make your bathroom smell amazing for hours!

Lush Flying Fox Shower Gel - This is amazing if you're hungover or for 'that time of the month'! It is a really full on scent though and might not be to everyones tastes.

Philosophy Melon Daiquiri 3 in 1 - I've never tried Philosophy before and now that the line is available in Boots I'd love to try one of their famous 3 in 1s.

Topshop Pillow Talk lipstick - There are some gorgeous blogger FOTDs using this lipstick but I just can't justify spending £9 on it myself. It's from Topshop!!! I may change my mind after trying it but until then I think it's a little too pricey.

YSL Faux Cils mascara - The most beautiful and annoying mascara ever. Gorgeous results but only for about 6 weeks before it dries up.

That's everything! I hope you enjoyed this post and perhaps have been a little inspired! What's on your Christmas wish list?

NOTD - Milani Gems (OPI Rainbow Connection dupe)

2011-11-23T13:38:00.000Z

I ordered Milani Jewel FX polish Gems back in July when American website Cherry Culture had a sale on. I fancied Deborah Lippmann's Happy Birthday and some blogs had suggested Gems as a cheap dupe.
I forgot all about it until recently, when I was lusting after OPI Rainbow Connection. I was all set to pay inflated ebay prices until it clicked that if Milani Gems a Deborah Lippmann dupe, it must be a Rainbow Connection dupe! I dug Gems out of my stash to produce this look:

CND Stickey base coat, OPI Lady in Black, two coats of Milani Gems and Seche Vite top coat

Gems is a mixture of small and large silver, gold, blue, pink, green and orange glitter in clear polish. It takes a few coats to become opaque which is why I chose to layer it over black. Looking at Swatch and Learn's comparisons with Rainbow Connection it seems that Rainbow Connection has a few larger pieces of glitter than Gems but they're pretty much the same polish.

Such pretty colours! Milani Gems is perfect for the Christmas party season!

Milani Gems is available at drugstores in the US, and from Cherry Culture which ships to the UK. It retails at $4.99.
Cherry Culture are having a 20% off sale until Sunday 27th November with the code TGS20. Gems is already on sale at $3.99 so you'd only pay $3.19 for it! If you were already planning on picking up some bits from Cherry Culture I'd recommend popping Gems into your basket too. If you just want that polish it would be cheaper and quicker to get Rainbow Connection it from an OPI stockist.

(Shipping from Cherry Culture to the UK costs about $12 or £8ish, but remember you may have to pay customs charges if your good are worth more than £15. Luckily I've only ever had to pay customs charges once on a bra I ordered from Victoria's Secret, gutted!)

What do you think of Gems? Do you already have Rainbow Connection? Thanks for reading!

What I'm wearing Winter 2011

2011-11-23T04:22:00.001Z

I decided to do a post on what I'll be wearing this winter as I don't really do OOTD posts and this should give you a taste of what I like to wear.
I always describe my style as very simple but classic. I don't like fussy details or too much embellishment and I'm easily 'turned off' when something can't decide what it is... for example a dress I've recently seen and didn't like has floaty top half, fitted bottom half and fabric flowers and crystals on the neckline. I hope you see what I mean, it's just too much for me!

I don't tend to follow trends, I wear what I like and what suits me, if it's on trend that's a bonus! I always wear dresses! Shapes that suit me are V and sweetheart necks with a nipped in waist that flare out down to the knee (yes I'm a pear shape!). I love polka dots, leopard print and glitter, but I'm really fussy with those too, it has to be a 'certain' leopard print for me to like it!

For a little taste of what I'll be wearing this winter (or what I would like to be wearing!) I created this Polyvore set. It's my first ever set despite having a Polyvore account for 4 years - thanks for telling me that when I logged in Polyvore by the way, it didn't make me feel old at all!

This is my typical day time look for winter:

Black, purple and green wrap style dresses - Dorothy Perkins

Blue dress - Dorothy Perkins

Polka dot dress - Topshop

Quilted purse - Warehouse

Leopard print Bayswater - Mulberry

Studded flats - Kurt Geiger

Quilted flats - Office

Bow necklace - Cath Kidston

Pearl necklace - Accessorize

Rose ring - Debenhams

Black hair bow - Chaotic Clothing

Unfortunately I don't have the Mulberry bag as it is £2,000 and I cannot afford to spend that much on a bag... my car isn't even worth that much! I really wanted it last year (in a giant leopard print) when it was £1,650 and my friend worked in Selfridges so it would have been 30% cheaper (wink wink), but I still couldn't justify that much on a bag!
The purse is on my Christmas list and I may pick up some of the jewellery if there are any special offers during the run up to Christmas. I didn't include any cardigans as I couldn't really find any I like but I have a cream and pink floral cardi, a leopard print cardi, as well as red and black cardis. I really want a nice forest green v neck cardigan (like the one Helen at Afeitar has!) but I can't find one I like anywhere!

Here is my typical evening look for winter:

Dresses L-R: Topshop, Oasis, Topshop, Miss Selfridge

Bags L-R: Alexander McQueen, Zara, Chanel, Lulu Guinness

Shoes L-R: ASOS, Topshop, ASOS, Kurt Geiger

I think it's fairly obvious I got carried away with the bags on this one. I couldn't really find any high-street bags I liked so I decided to just go mad.

I'd probably wear the first outfit for Christmas Eve drinks, the second outfit for New Years Eve, the third outfit for Boxing night out and the last outfit for a Pub catch up with friends back from Uni.

The only thing I have on this picture is the polka dot heels, which I got with my ELLE/KG £20 voucher. The glittery Topshop heels are on my Christmas list, I promise I've been good Santa!

I love the green ASOS shoes and they remind me of some from Kurt Geiger last season which were about £150 more expensive. The only thing is... the ASOS site says the heels are 5.7". Are they joking? Do they know what it's like walking on the cobbles in your heels after a few drinks in Liverpool?

If I'm going out to clubs I usually chuck on a black cardigan too and if it's raining a black Mac keeps me dry!

I hope you found this interesting! What will you be wearing this winter?

New York April 2011 (Warning - LONG POST!)

2011-11-22T02:38:00.001Z

You may have noticed I stopped blogging for a little while this year. I think I can attribute this to a combination of stress at the end of my PGCE, writers block, relief at being able to just do nothing after my PGCE ended and then having no time to blog as I was filling in what seemed like thousands of job application forms.

Anyway, during the Easter holiday my boyfriend and I went on a week long holiday to New York! It was an amazing break from teaching and I would love to go back next year... and the year after that... and the year after that!

This is going to be quite long and pic heavy but if you love New York you won't mind :)

Our itinerary ended up being:
Sunday: Landed at JFK, got taxi to Manhattan, checked in to the hotel, had a rest, went for dinner at some ridiculous meat restaurant in Times Square. I'm vegetarian but thought this would butter up my boyfriend for some serious girly time during the week. I felt seriously ill during the meal, I felt like I was going down in a lift really fast and thought I was going to faint. Cheers jetlag! No photos from this day since I felt horrendous!

Monday: Pancakes for breakfast at Metro Cafe on 4th Avenue, Top of the Rock (amazing views in the morning!), wander around Grand Central, wander down 5th Avenue to see the Empire State Building, lunch at Shake Shack in Madison Square Park (hated the mushroom burger, loved the fries!), back to the hotel for a rest and then out to Williamsburg, Brooklyn for some drinks. I love how they call any form of cocktail, even just a vodka lemo a 'mixed drink', it made it sound much posher than it was haha. We got the Subway home at about 2am, after my boyfriend had managed to find some Irish ex-pats to chat to about football for a few hours!

Tuesday: We were mildly hungover and had a pretty chilled day. Checked out Times Square and did a little shopping (may have spent $300 at Sephora...). We ate in Planet Hollywood in Times Square (the queue to get a table was ridiculous, we waited at least 45mins!). We were pretty knackered and just had a quiet night in the hotel room as we knew Wednesday was going to be a big day...

Wednesday: We had breakfast in Grand Central and took the subway over to Chelsea. We visited the Highline Park (a park on a disused railway line), saw the Hudson River, browsed Chelsea Market, Magnolia Bakery, Carrie's Apartment (which was being painted so I couldn't get a decent pic :(!), ate Bagels, walked down Bleeker Street, visited Washington Square Park and saw a 'Frack is Wack' protest, looked at some NYU buildings and visited some Comic book shops. I can't remember where we had dinner, oops! Might have just been a sandwich in the room because we were knackered!

21 Thursday: We bought croissants in Grand Central and ate them for breakfast in Columbus Park in China Town, we walked through China Town (so many offers of Tiffany jewellery from random street people!) and then walked down Broadway past City Hall. When we were planning the holiday I wasn't sure how I felt about visiting the World Trade Center site, but as we got nearer we decided to pay our respects and visited briefly, I naturally felt quite emotional and we didn't stay too long. After that we browsed Century 21, walked past Wall Street and had a light Subway sandwich for lunch before our Statue of Liberty cruise at 1pm! I definitely recommend pre-booking online, we got there at 12pm and the queue was really long, they sold out for the day at about 12.30pm and had to turn people away! We got to skip the queue as we already had our tickets. We spent a good few hours looking around Liberty Island and Ellis Island. Afterwards we were really tired, sunburnt and windswept so we took the Subway to Little Italy and got a huge pizza for dinner at Grimaldis! We headed back to the hotel, but not before doing some drugstore shopping and picking up some cheesecake at Junior's in Grand Central, it was the best cheesecake of my life - and it lasted for about three days! We must have been really hungry because we got a Chinese takeaway at about 11.30pm!

Friday: Shopping day! We visited Sephora (again!), American Eagle where my boyfriend got some nice t-shirts, Macys, Victora's Secret, Forever 21 and Bloomingdales. My boyfriend got rather bored of shopping and we had tired feet so we had Dominos delivered to our hotel room for tea (it wasn't as nice as English Dominos!).

Saturday: It was raining so we had a chilled day. We walked up 5th Avenue and enjoyed all of the designer shop displays (didn't go in any as I am not posh or rich and I had a dodgy umbrella!). We eventually reached the Guggenheim (we were lazy and went from top to bottom), then we went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art (which is gigantic). We had lunch in the museum which was ok. We were tired from all the walking and took the Subway home, stopping off for a few souvenirs on 5th Avenue and some more drugstore purchases.

Sunday: The last day! We sorted our bags out with the hotel then set off for the Natural History Museum. We accidentally took an express train which took us to Harlem without stopping at the Museum, so we had to get off and wait for a train back, oops! We loved the Museum and spent all day there! We knew we had to be back at the hotel by 6pm to get a taxi to the airport so we left the Museum at 5pm, but all of the trains seemed to be delayed so we took a cab back instead. It was our first one since we didn't want to waste money on cabs when we don't mind walking or taking the Subway, and the driver took us through Central Park. We got back in time and ended up in a Town Car on our way to the airport. Had a scary moment when we thought the driver was taking us to a dodgy back alley to steal our passports but it turned out he was just taking a short cut, haha!

Pictures:

Our TOTR tickets

North side view from TOTR

Me at the Top of the Rock!

South side view from the Top of the Rock - inc. Empire State Building

The Met Life building aka the Pan Am building!

One of the beautiful rooms at Grand Central, this one is dedicated to Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis who fought to save it from being demolished

The Empire State Building

Lunch at Shake Shack

View of Manhattan from Williamsburg

Me in Times Square!

Geoffrey in Toys 'R' Us, Times Square

Highline Park

Chelsea Market

Magnolia Bakery (I had a chocolate cupcake!)

More Magnolia yummyness

Carrie Bradshaw's apartment

Washington Square Park

China Town

City Hall

The Statue of Liberty - we went up to the bit below her feet, it took ages to climb and it was so windy!

Ellis Island, it was really interesting finding out what people went through to get into the US

Amazing Grimaldi's pizza in Little Italy

Junior's Cheesecake!

Our takeaway. Note the neon orange Fanta, it tastes so much better than English Fanta!

The Guggenheim

The Met

Sephora, Times Square

We had such an amazing time and I'd go back tomorrow if I could!

We stayed at The Roosevelt, it can be quite expensive but I justified it with a 20% off code and the reasoning that it's near Grand Central and we were first time visitors to New York (and America!) and didn't want to be thrown in 'at the deep end' with a potentially dodgy hotel. Next time I will definitely be more open to staying further down in Manhattan (Chelsea, the East Village, Union Square etc) but I can't deny that being so close to Grand Central was amazing. Times Square was a few minutes walk, there were lots of shops (CVS/Duane Reade etc) nearby which was handy for grabbing a drink or a snack on the way home, and of course it was easy to catch the Subway at Grand Central.

We flew with Delta pretty much because the flight was £400. It was the lowest price we'd seen with about a month to go we just booked it. I'd been checking daily and that was the best we were going to get. I wanted to go with Virgin on the Airbus, but it was too expensive! Not sure I'd recommend Delta to be honest; we had a bit of trouble on the way home - our names didn't get called out until last... well MY name didn't get called out until last, my boyfriend was asked to board before me and I had to sit on my own in an emergency exit seat. I have to admit, I was pretty upset and shed a little tear! It was an overnight flight and I hardly slept. We found out that it happened because priority is given to people who paid more for their tickets, we must have been the cheapest on the flight and so ended up separated :(

Wow, this has been an epic post, thanks for reading if you're still here! Obviously I'm not the font of all New York knowledge but feel free to ask me any questions you have! I did SO much research before this trip, I wanted to make the most of it but we still had to leave lots out including the Brooklyn Bridge, Coney Island, Gossip Girl locations, and we didn't even get to go to Central Park properly! Oops, I'm banging on again so I'll love you and leave you... thanks for reading!