Oopsy Daisy

Despite having barely enough money to last me until payday, a couple of weekends ago I could not resist making these two random purchases from Bershka's sale...

How cute are these tan lace up boots? I've been looking for some lace up boots for AGES (literally more than a year!) so I was delighted to find these in the sale! As a vegan I don't wear leather and most of the nicer pairs I've seen have been leather - luckily these are manmade and were reduced from ~£50 to £26! I am a big fan of the colour as I think its a bit more versatile than a darker brown or black so I'll hopefully get a little more wear out of them! 

I also found this red and green jumper absolutely wonderful! It's a little Christmassy because of its colour but the heart pattern is delightful! I think the fringing also makes it a little bit kitsch and different - I got it for £10 in the sale so absolutely over the moon!

Have you made any irresponsible for irresistable purchases in the last few weeks?

xx

No 7 Skin Illuminator

I've been using my e.l.f. shimmering facial whip for quite a while now, and after getting about a million No 7 £5 off vouchers over the past month I decided it was time to try a new highlighter!

This is the No 7 Skin Illuminator. Back in the days when I worked at Boots (only 6-7 months ago but it feels like another lifetime) customers would rave about this product and I was always curious to see why! Now I understand the hype!

The Illuminator comes in 2 different shades - I picked up both Pink and Peach to test them out. The tube is quite small, and you only get 30ml but compared to the size of the e.l.f. facial whips its massive! I only use this over the top of my foundation and blusher to highlight my cheekbones and eye area so I don't use very much anyway. The applicator is this odd looking black brush. This is the one thing that I WISH I could change about this product - it is so messy and impractical to apply using a brush, especially when you only want to use a small amount. A simple nozzle applicator would be heaps better. Take heed No 7!

This is the product applied evenly in shade 'Pink'. I'm sure you'll agree that the effect is positively perfect for my purposes! It's subtle but gives a gorgeous even glow without appearing too glittery/shimmery. Its stunning and I really think it makes a difference to my overall make up look!

I also purchased the Peach shade:

Apologies for the less than ideal photos, but Peach is actually a little less subtle than pink (not sure it looks that way in the photos though). It's probably a bit better for summer daytime wear or wearing on a night out. But still very even application and really a gorgeous product. I would like to add that the longevity for this highlighter is superb and it stays put all day until you're taking your make up off before bed!

Overall I definitely recommend this as a highlighter - I love it! It's a bit expensive at £11.00 but I got £5 off so for £6 I think its value for money. Even full price it is heaps cheaper than YSL, Benefit and other highly regarded highlighters. Linky!

xx

Look what I'm wearing on my birthday!

As it's my birthday today (EEK!) I thought it might be nice to show you what I'm planning on wearing for my big night out! I'm actually being a little greedy and having two nights out - one tonight in London straight from work and then I'm also going out in Leeds tomorrow night too! I'm so excited to be heading back home and seeing the boyfriend, family and my friends!

This is what I'll be wearing on Saturday night... my sister's reaction = "Oh my God my baby sister's a dominatrix!" and my flatmate said I was trying to be Rihanna! I hope neither sprung to your mind! I bought this incredible faux-leather dress from H&M for a mere £24.99 and I absolutely love it! Its so cute on. It's bang on trend and is a nice way to mix being sexy (with the low cut and tight bodice) with the cute flare-out skirt! I plan on wearing it with bare legs, black ankle socks and my fab black wedges that I posted about HERE!

I'm also going out for a friend's birthday next weekend and picked up this little lace number in H&M too, an absolute bargain at £14.99! It fits me really well and is so simple and stylish, and again bang on trend! I will wear this with my distressed denim shirt and the amazing Schuh boots I told you about HERE! Totally going for goth/rock chick at the moment. I'll obviously be teaming both dresses with some killer bold lips and understated but dark eyes.

What do you think? Are you a fan of the rock chick vibe that seems to be creeping all over this season's high street?

xx

Look what I'm getting for my birthday!

I know I have mentioned my boyfriend a few times on here, but I don't think I've gone on about him too much.  This is a fashion and beauty blog after all! However he is buying me one of the most gorgeous, 'me' dresses in the history of the world! (there goes my New Year's resolution not to exaggerate, oops!)

Isn't it absolutely delightful?! Its by Trollied Dolly and he bought it for me from the Oliver Bonas website. The design is called 'Everybody's Sweetheart'. The story behind it is:

I saw it online when I was browsing on my lunch break but I decided it was too expensive for me to buy for myself (£35) even thought it was on sale. I sent the link to my boyfriend and he emailed back with "Hint received. Will order it tonight." !! But we were a little worried that it wouldn't fit, as they only had size Small left and the bust measurements were a little too small for me. So we decided to get it delivered to my work address so I could try it on and return it if it was no good...

But of course it fit perfectly - better than any other dress I've ever worn! And it was love at first sight! I know it's probably not the most winter-suitable item of clothing ever but it will be so delightful come summer! I can't WAIT to wear it! -I'm banned until my actual birthday, which is this Friday (the 27th) if you're interested!

xx

No 7 Stay Perfect Lipstick in 'Cherry'

As you (should) know by now, I am a girl who loves lipstick. Especially lipstick of the bold, red variety. My mum obviously knows this, and treated me to this gorgeous shade of No 7 lipstick for Christmas!

It's shade 80, Cherry. It's actually my first ever No 7 lipstick and I was very excited to try it! The packaging is quite sophisticated and stylish and the lipstick itself is quite long, especially when compared to other, cheaper brands like MUA at Superdrug. So far so good...

 When you take the lid off, this is what you find. I'm not sure about you, but I always associate lipsticks that are slanted like this with the sort of lippy my mum used to wear when I was little, and I used to draw it all around my mouth like a clown! I'm not a massive fan of this shape as I think it's harder to use on its own to create a perfect outline of your mouth. I might be investing in a lip brush sometime soon for this reason...

But as you can see, the colour itself is absolutely DIVINE! I adore it. It's not quite as pillar-box red like some of my other more Blondie-style lipsticks, its a bit darker, richer and classier. I really do love it. I've worn this to a few pub sessions and house parties and it hasn't dried my lips out too much but stayed a gorgeous matte colour all night, with only a few reapplications needed!

Overall I would definitely consider repurchasing this lipstick - for £10 its not hideously expensive and they do have some delicious shades. Linky! If you could buy one with the £5 off No 7 vouchers that are often floating around in Boots even better! Personally I probably won't repurchase but that's simply because I have dozens of lipsticks already and can't really justify it!

xx

But baby it's cold outside..

Okay, I admit it - I have a problem. Not only am I a well-established shoe gal, but I LOVE coats. I don't know what it is about a good coat that means I can't resist, but I now have 14 coats and jackets, which includes a whopping 7 winter coats. The days of having 1 winter coat to last a few years are long gone. Here are a few sale purchases I made to bump up my collection:

I needed a boring, black coat for work and this fits the bill perfectly. I'd already looked in Oasis, Warehouse etc for something warm, simple and stylish but everything was either too garish or not reduced enough to tempt me into a purchase. I found this perfect work coat hidden away in the Sainsburys clothes sale (I KNOW - Sainsburys!) when I was food shopping with my Mama just after Christmas. It had no label or price on... so we asked at the till to discover it was a ridiculous £13! No brainer, obviously!

I've wanted a furry coat all season, after seeing them everywhere (blogs and high street included). I wasn't sure I wanted to go all out and get a fur coat so this nice compromise was perfect for me! I like coats to have a belt because I'm quite disproportionate and have big boobs but I'm small everywhere else, so a lot of double breasted coats without belts make me look HUGE. I bought this from New Look for the bargain price of £25! Amazing! It is SO warm and snuggly, and I think the deep purple/burgundy colour is quite classy too. Love it!

If you follow me on Twitter (please do if you don't!) you'll have heard about me buying this little stunner at the weekend. I was in Brixton and whilst passing by Joy I noticed they still had quite a lot of sale stock in. Not one to miss an opportunity for a good bargain hunt I popped in and tried on about 12 items, coming out with this gorgeous bright red, fur collar swing coat! Can you believe it was a ridiculous £25 down from £99?! Bargain of the century!

I love it because it's super cute and fun, and unlike anything else I own! I'm planning on wearing it out for the first time today (I'm writing this on Sunday and about to head out to meet my best friend and hit Westfield Stratford City for the first time!) SO excited.

Do you have a soft spot for a good winter coat? Have you added any to your wardrobe recently?

xx

Fabulous Nails #11

I'm so excited to share with you my experiences of my first ever OPI - Warm and Fozzie!

I absolutely LOVE this polish! I've photographed it both with and without flash to hopefully demonstrate its amazing multi-faceted colour but I don't think either pic does it justice! It goes on nice and smoothly and stayed chip free for a good couple of days! Unlike other polishes I've used it didn't chip off in big chunks on the ends of my nails, instead it just seemed to wear away right at the tips.

I had to use 3 coats to get a truly opaque look but it dried faster than most other polishes I use and it's so gorgeous so worth the wait! I'm definitely an OPI convert now, oh dear!

Have you used OPI before? How have you found it?

xx

There's no place like home!

I bought these absolutely adorable glitter platform courts from New Look in the Jan sales for only £10!!

I debated whether I should keep them for agessssss because I was worried I wouldn't really get many chances to wear them. But in the end I decided to keep them - they're too cheap and cute not to! They're also mega comfy and I'm convinced I'll find at least a couple of occassions to wear them!

Have you bought any silly shoes for no reason lately?

xx

What I wore at Christmas

Because of my little hiatus before and during Christmas, I realised you never got to see a couple of my cutest dress purchases from that period!

This gorgeous black velvet dress is from Topshop - somewhere I never normally shop (for reasons I won't go into) but I fell head over heels with this adorable number and had to buy it! I wore it to a friend's birthday just before Christmas and then ended up wearing it on Christmas day itself! Its very comfy and flattering. I bought it for £42 which is wayyy over what I normally  budget per dress but I just had to have it! I don't think they sell it anymore as its not on the website so no link I'm afraid!

This was my NYE dress! It looks a bit crap in the photo - its much nicer on! Its a bodycon fit lace dress with a flared skirt - making it a little bit different from all the boring lace dresses that have been everywhere for the past few years! I thought this was perfect with opaque tights for my New Year's house party, very flattering but simple and comfy. Perfect! I got this from ASOS in the sale for £29 Linky!

xx

Good Things Miracle Mattifier Moisturiser

I started using the Good Things exfoliating face wash a good year or so ago and found it served its purpose wonderfully and smelt AMAZING. So when my old Simple moisturiser ran out, I decided to give this mattifying moisturiser a go!

I really like the ethos of the Good Things range - its all very simple, natural, animal-free and everything I've used so far has really worked for my skin. This is no exception! I do suffer from slightly oily/combination skin and have never found a moisturiser that helps this without drying out my skin and leaving blotches (my face can be quite sensitive). Until now. This stuff is superb. You don't have to use a lot of product in order to moisturise your whole face, which means this tube goes a long way. As I said, it smells DELICIOUS and (more importantly) it does the job - my forehead and general t-zone are noticeably less oily since using this and I don't use primer any more before applying foundation! I don't think I'll be going back to Simple now I've found this! 

The RRP for 100ml is £7.99 but I think I bought mine from Boots for less - maybe they had an offer on. Linky!

xx

Fabulous Nails #10

It's been quite a while since I did a Fabulous Nails post, and this one has been waiting in draft form for weeks! So here's a little glimpse of some festive nails I had before Christmas time!

 I absolutely love the lush deep red colour of this polish, which is Nails Inc 'hampstead heath'.

I think I got this free from Glamour magazine (which I subscribe to anyway!) so win-win! It stayed chip-free for a good few days and is just a lovely, versatile colour that you could wear for work or play!

Have you picked up any good freebies from magazines recently? Which is your favourite?

xx

Christmas Presents #2

As promised, here's the second of my Christmas pressie posts! I have been truly spoilt rotten this Christmas and I am blessed to have such amazing people in my life that know me so well! There's a distinct baking/cooking theme to this post...!

 Couple of perfect cooking/baking books from my bestie and my sis!

 From my uncle, will save my wrists from whisking!

 To replace my crappy £5 knives I've had since starting Uni, from my wonderful papa.

Gorgeous cups from assorted peeps; I love the Rob Ryan one from my boyfriend, its spot on!

Selection of yummy teas from my sister's girlfriend.

Needed some decent scales for years, thanks mum!

Cookie cutters and icing bag, also from mama bear..

As is this ridiculously cute pot of strawberry jam! Nom!

Giant cupcake cake tin and brick-shaped mould from my mum and sis!

How adorable is this bear-shaped cake tin? So excited to try it!

You probably don't know this about me but I'm a massive baker - I love trying new recipes and making baked goods for no reason. I'm considering starting a baking-orientated blog to run alongside Bee's Knees, what do you reckon? I'll probably only post every so often.. not sure!

xx

Christmas Presents #1

I'm sure you're all probably bored to death of Christmas pressie posts by now, but I thought I'd get in on the action (*cough* boasting *cough*) and share what the wonderful people in my life spoilt me with! This is the first of 2 posts - couldn't fit it all in one.. oops!

 DVDs from my sis and Grandmother

 Wanted this for AGES! Obama's book on audio cd, read by the man himself! Thankyou flatmate!

Biggest surprise ever! Big Splendour S&G gift set from my Mama <3

 The boyfriend's mum got it spot on buying me these little beauts!

 Awesome retro radio from my boo :)

A selection of perfect books!

 This gorgeous lucky Indian charm necklace from my amazing sister

 ..from the boyfriend. I get the hint. Hmff!

 Also from the boyfriend a delicious smell! Love it!

Fabulous flower tealight holders and floral PJ bottoms from my mum

 So excited to try this nail art brush! And my first two OPIs (Warm and Fozzie & Jewel) from my mama again, she's so good!

Does she ever get it wrong? She also bought me this lovely selection of polishes from No7 at Boots! Divine!

What did you get for Christmas? Any favourite presents?

xx