Fabulous Nails #14

I picked up an Accessorize nail polish in shade Apricot Crush in the Jan sales for about £1 which was amazingly cheap! Love love love this gorgeous Spring colour!

This is the first Accessorize polish I've ever tried. The consistency of the polish is quite runny and it requires around 3-4 coats to get a really opaque finish, but for this delicious colour I really think its worth it! That said it does chip quite easily, and after only one day I had some chipping around and at the end of the nail. Not impressed with quality but I adore the colour:

Such a nice ice cream sundae colour! Really fits in with the pastels that are all over S/S12 at the moment too!

What do you think about pastel nails?

xx

Oopsy Daisy #2

I was at Westfield with my best friend, with every intention of resisting the urge to buy anything, when I saw a few pieces I just had to have!

 I bought these leather-look skinny jeans from New Look for ~£22. I really like the leather legging/jean look but I think you've got to have a very specific type of leg to be able to pull it off. Not convinced mine match that type, I was so happy when I saw these! They're a bit thicker and more structured which I think flatters my legs a bit more. I've already worn them out with shoe boots and a leather jacket - totally loving the rock chick look at the moment!

I picked up this black textured top from H&M for ~£10 I think (but honestly can't remember). I think it'll be one of those really versatile pieces that I come back to time and time again. Already worn it to a gig with high waisted denim shorts but it looks nice with coloured skinnies or tucked into a skirt.

Finally, I am a sucker for a cheap H&M tee! I bought this one for £7.99 and just loved the cute biro-esque design. Simple and easy to wear with anything and everything, so happy I got this!

Have you bought anything you weren't supposed to lately?

xx

Magpie

I don't often share jewellery with you guys (mainly because I don't buy jewellery too often) but I got some new special bits recently that I am excited to share with you!

My aunt bought me a gorgeous silver ring for my 21st birthday, but I dropped it down the sink by accident a couple of months ago - I was absolutely GUTTED. My ever-amazing boyfriend suggested he buy me one to replace it, and we ended up going halves on this one. It's actually 3 different stacker rings worn together, engraved to say 'Eight Letters, One Meaning, Three Words' - a bit mushy for me but I love it. I also love mixing metals so very happy to have a gold and silver mix in there.

The boyfriend also pulled out all the stops for my 23rd birthday in January and (after me dropping dozens of hints) bought me not one but TWO bracelets! One gold and one silver to match my new ring. I wear the silver one every single day for work and the gold one is more for special occasions.

I adore them both. The boyf was a bit miffed at first because I insisted I didn't want a Pandora or Links bracelet (no offence to anyone who's a fan but I don't like wearing jewellery that's so mainstream and worn by lots of people)... but eventually he found these two absolutely stunning and distinctive pieces that I am SO happy with.

Have you been bought anything special recently?

xx

Soap and Glory Thick and Fast mascara

I bought Elle magazine a month or so ago and got Soap and Glory's new Thick and Fast mascara free! I was absolutely delighted with this as I had just run out of my regular mascara so it was perfect timing.

I'm happy with this product. It really does thicken up your lashes and also lengthens them without clumping. I wasn't too impressed by the mascara wand, the one on my Avon Supershock mascara is much better at removing clumps and lengthening lashes. So I decided to apply the mascara with the S&G wand and then go over it with my old Avon wand to remove clumps and even out the lashes. This works out really well for me at the moment,  but I'm not sure I would repurchase this mascara. The formula is great and does wonders for my lashes, I'm happier with them than I have been for a long time, but the wand just really doesn't do it for me! Recommended if you like the more old-fashioned wands but I prefer the plastic newer ones.

xx

Revlon Lip Butter

When I received my Spring Boots Advantage Card vouchers recently, I was over the moon to find a voucher for £2 off any Revlon cosmetics! I knew the new lip butters would be out and I was so happy to be able to save some pennies when I invested in one!

After much deliberation I settle on the shade 'Lollipop', a delicious bright pink colour. I have to admit I was very tempted by quite a few other colours but they will have to wait until I have a bit more money..

 The packaging is very girlie and cute - quilted pink plastic case and a classier silver tube. Not to my tastes - in this price bracket I expected something a little more chic and sturdy, but on to the lip butter itself..

I photographed the swatch from 2 different angles to hopefully give you an idea of the colour of the product (see pic below) and the sort of opaqueness to expect. Its quite a sheer, shiny colour on the lip but the colour builds nicely and it lasts a long time once you've got it right. 

Overall I am super impressed with Revlon's lip butters! I wore mine out last night and reapplied only 3 times in the entire evening. I love how easy the colour slides on to the lips, and stays on, and it really didn't dry out my lips at all. The packaging could be a little nicer for the price bracket but definitely one I would repurchase, and since there's such a wide range of colours I am excited to try another in the future! £7.99.

xx

Lipcote

As an out-and-out lipstick-aholic, I was always keen to try Lipcote to see if it really works! I bought it for ~£3 from Superdrug and have been really impressed!

Although I have to agree with a lot of other reviewers that it does dry out your lips, it works perfectly when it comes to sealing on your lipstick and making it stay put for hours! In fact when I wore it for the first time my lipstick was still in place the following morning when I woke up! With the exception of some fading if you drink or eat, I really like this product for ensuring your lipstick stays in place all day/night. As long as you go out with some lip balm in your bag, and are prepared to reapply your lippy with Lipcote over the top a couple of times, you will have flawless lips that don't smudge for as long as you want!

xx

Fabulous Nails #13

Everyone has been raving about glitter nail polishes, and as usual I was quite slow to catch on, but recently I purchased this divine Barry M glitter polish - shade Silver Cascade!

I bought it from an Amazon Marketplace seller for £3.95 (inc P&P) as I couldn't find it anywhere in stores. I was so excited to try it I used it the very evening it was delivered!

It might be the most difficult polish to photograph ever - but you can see in the pic just how glittery it is! It contains lots of different coloured glitter particles which you can accentuate by applying it over the top of different shades of polish. I like to use green and purple as I think these work best with the glitter.

It's ridiculously hard to take off, but I've found that applies to ALL glitter polishes and I never seem to learn my lesson. Hopefully Barry M will come up with a novel way of getting glitter off your nails so I don't have to get really impatient and frustrated every time I use their glitter polishes!

Overall really happy with this, very good value and so cute! Brightens up even the darkest Monday morning.

xx

The Cardigans

I have to say, I am partial to a good cardigan. And lately I seem to have bought quite a few!

I fell in love with this one as soon as I saw it in New Look! At £24.99 it's a bit more than I usually pay for a cardigan but I was with my boyfriend and he saw how much I liked it and offered to go halves as a treat! So glad we decided to because I've not been out of it since I bought it last weekend! It goes with so many different things and is really cute on. A staple for my Spring wardrobe I think!

I am quite partial to clothes with prints of animals on them, and couldn't resist this cute bunny print cardi from H&M! I actually wear it to work (not sure how appropriate that is..) and get compliments on it all the time! At only £14.99 it was a bargain and I'm so happy I made the purchase!

 So happy in fact I went back and bought this jersey dress in the same print.. woops! Lovely and snuggly with black tights for those colder Spring days.

Another H&M printed cardi for £14.99, this delightful little star print caught my eye and I knew I had to have it! I don't know what it is about star print but I've always been a sucker for it. Its quite thin so will be good when its a bit warmer in the summer. For now its nice to layer up with until the sun decides to stick around a bit more!

Are you a cardigan fan? Where do you usually buy yours from?

xx

Spring forward

I bought a couple of dresses recently after catching S/S12 fever! I always get obsessed with the new season once it starts to roll into magazines and in stores, and this year is no exception!

This linen dress was £10 from Primark and I really love it. It fits nicely and works well with my pale skin - I was surprised it fit as I thought it wouldn't fit my boobs having such a high neck! I think the colour is perfect for Spring and the peter pan collar is adorable. It came with the little plaited belt which I think perfects the look. So excited to wear this time and time again over the summer as I think it'll be a really easy look to just pull on and go!

I got this black polka dot dress from one of the concessions at New Look to add to my work wardrobe. At ~£20 I thought it was a steal but didn't have time to try it on in the shop.. Luckily it fits perfectly with a little black vest underneath and is great as an easy work look, with or without tights - with a lighter cardi and bare legs I think it will look great in the summer too.

Have you invested in any S/S12 pieces yet?

xx

Soap and Glory lipstick

You probably know I'm already a massive S&G fan, and I was SO excited when I heard they were bringing out their own range of cosmetics! As a lipstick gal I decided to try their offerings for lips first:

 How cute is the packaging? In true S&G style, the lipstick boxes are kitsch, retro and pink pink pink!

 The lipstick casing is pretty, high class and feels very sturdy - much nicer than my usual budget lippies!

 And the tube is a classic and simple gold and black design. So far, so good!

I bought two shades - Perfect Day and Naked Beige: 

Naked Beige is swatched at the top and Perfect Day is at the bottom.

Where do I start?! I absolutely ADORE these lipsticks! They both go on nicely, very creamy consistency and stay on for hours. They do not dry my lips out one bit and both shades complimented my skin tone nicely. I really really loved the look of Perfect Day on my lips - its actually perfect for me! Quite subtle and pretty so I can get away with it during the day, but also fab for a more classic night look. I think I will get plenty of wear out of this shade. Naked Beige is also nice but you know I'm a sucker for red shades - nude colours just never seem to be 'me'!

Overall absolutely bowled over by these S&G lipsticks - packaging is beautiful, high quality and makes you feel like a star. Much more in keeping with higher end lippies rather than the mid-range price bracket. The colours are gorgeous, especially Perfect Day, and last as long as you want them to without drying out. Definitely recommend trying one of these - at £9 its more than I usually pay for lipsticks but 100% worth it.

xx

Slated: Pretty Polly Gloss Tights

I wear A LOT of tights - I prefer to wear dresses and skirts to work as I find them easier to style up than trousers. So I do get a lot of wear out of my tights.. I thought it was worth investing in some more expensive ones to see if they would wear better and bought these Pretty Polly 10 denier gloss tights:

Disappointed isn't the word. I was SO shocked at how bad quality these tights were - they're made from that really cheap tights material that seems to have snags in it even fresh out of the packet. Not what I was expecting at all. After one wear they were even more snagged and they laddered on their second wear, halfway through the working day. Absolutely terrible. Do not recommend you waste ~£5 on a pair of these. SLATED.

xx

Fabulous Nails #12

After my mum bought me a nail art pen for Christmas, I was dying to try it out! This was one of the first looks I managed to do (a bit messy but I'm sure I'll get the hang of it)...

The left pic is of normal grey glossy nails and the right is with a matte finish. I think I prefer the matte - what do you think?

Here's what I used to create this look: Barry M grey polish, Andrea Fullerton black 'Dot & Flick' pen and Sally Hansen Maximum Growth Cuticle pen underneath and Sally Hansen Insta-Dri top coat. I used my Nails Inc matte effect top coat to achieve the matte look.

xx

I bought a new pair of shoes..

Hi everyone! Apologies for being absent for a few weeks, but I'm back with a new USB cable and a new camera so should be posting pretty regularly now! I have a bit of a backlog so expect a post every day or so for a couple of weeks!

First, here are some cute Spring shoes I bought last week - so excited about the weather getting warmer!

These cute blue pumps were £3 from Primark - an absolute bargain and SO comfy! I bought them as I was up in Leeds for the weekend and forgot to buy some casual shoes (I get the train up straight from work on a Friday) so they were perfect!

I love these little ballet pumps from Debenhams, Red Herring. They are the comfiest shoes I've bought in a while and were a steal at £16!

Have you invested in any new season shoes yet?

xx