Merry Christmas!! ♥♥

Merry Christmas Everyone!

I've been so busy with work and getting ready for Christmas lately that I haven't been able to write a blog post since my Clothes Show Live post so I thought I would make up for it by showing you a few of the things I got this year for Christmas :)

 Everything all together minus a few dresses and pjs.
Various beauty sets, beautiful floral top from Primark, a new Oasis handbag, Kobo Touch, Candle, 3 Perfumes, Jewellery & Hair accessories, Money and of course chocolates :)

Probably my two favourite presents this year, my new Kobo Touch and Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy game for 3DS.

 I love reading so it makes sense that I would ask for a E-Reader. I have heard from a few different people that they don't like E-Readers as they prefer the feel of holding a real book as opposed to something so light but I like to think I'd be able to get used to one and since most books work out to be cheaper through E-Readers, I'd probably end up saving myself a lot of money which is also a bonus.

I LOVE Professor Layton games. I've played every one of them so far and have probably finished each one in the same week as buying them. I'm so excited to play this one!

 Another present I really loved was this beautiful lotus flower candle given to me by my grandmother. I have no idea where she brought it from or for how much but all I can say is that a flame is never going anywhere near it! It's far too pretty to ruin. There is just so much detail in the flower and the tips of the petals are even covered in glitter. I am definitely not burning this and as soon as everything has been put away after Christmas, I will have to find the perfect little home for it.

Every year my mom surprises me by buying a designer perfume and this year she opted for the original Jimmy Choo perfume. I never smelt this perfume before she brought it and I'm a little particular with which perfumes I buy but I have completely fallen in love with it. It's sweet but musky and because it's Eau De Parfum, only a few sprays are needed which means a bottle will last you a really long time, probably just in time for next Christmas's perfume!

I hope you enjoy being nosey ;)
What did Santa get you for Christmas?

The Clothes Show Birmingham 2013!! ♥

Hello!

It's been a good couple of years since I went to a Clothes Show and every year since then I say I'm going to go back but when it actually comes around to it, there's always a reason why I don't. So when my old friend from school invited me to go along with her this year, I just had to say yes! She had booked tickets for on the Tuesday 10th December which was the last day, and normally the best day for getting some good offers as everything is reduced!

Firstly, if no-one has ever been to a Clothes Show before, the only way I can describe it for you is just absolute shopping madness. It's very busy and you normally have to push your way through a few areas as it's so packed. I think there was at least two times when even I got a little claustrophobic with the amount of people around. Having said that, it does feel worth it when you come home with lots of bags full of goodies.
 

Because we'd booked our tickets pretty last minute, the only time for the show they had available was at 10am, which sucked for us as we were already running a little late on the morning of the show. We got there just on time but ended up missing most of the singer at the beginning. 

Now the best part of the day for me is always the fashion show. It's really fun and up beat and it's more of a performance than just a catwalk show. I think the theme this year was "Country Manor Weekend Break" but also Christmas and New Years Eve. It was hard to concentrate in some parts as there was so many gorgeous half naked men walking about on stage!

After the show, it was time to hit the stalls! To say it's a CLOTHES show, I brought no clothes what so ever. Not only was everything in super small sizes but a lot of them was very "market stall" a.k.a cheap looking. I didn't think the prices was all that good either and I noticed a lot of things that I could buy cheaper and better quality from even shops like Primark. 

I did however do quite well in the make up section and that's what I've took pictures of below to show :)

 

 This was the damage I did.

 

 The first stall we visited after the show was Models Own. I don't actually own any Models Own nail varnishes so I was really excited to see that their goodie bag was instead of picking 3 nails varnishes, because it was the last day you got to pick 5! Yay! Along with those 5 nail varnishes, you also get a Clothes Show Live special edition nail varnish too. It wasn't until I got home that I could properly look at what else was included but I also got a nail file, a pocket mirror, a lip balm, a brown eyeliner pencil, a black eyeliner pencil, a chunky black glittery eyeliner pencil, eyeshadow applicators, an eyeshadow shimmer pot and a nail art pen.

This goodie bag cost £10 which I think is an amazing deal as the nail varnishes alone retail at around £5 each. Very VERY happy with this :)

The next stand we visited was the Barry M stall where for £10 you could have a pre-picked bag full of all sorts of makeup. In my pack I got 5 nail varnishes, 2 shimmer pots, 1 eyeliner pencil, 1 chunky glitter eyeliner pencil, 1 chunky eyeliner pencil, 1 mascara, 1 lip gloss and the very cute little bag it came in. I'm not sure what I'll use it for but I will find something for it.

As these were pre-picked, I didn't have a choice with what colours ect I got which I wasn't that keen on but since I loved most Barry M products anyway, I thought why not! In the end, I think I did quite well as they were all colours I go would be the ones I'd probably go and buy myself. Maybe apart from the pink eyeliner. I don't think the conjunctivitis look is good.

I do love So...? as it fondly reminds me of my high school days so I was quite excited when I saw they had a stall. They were selling 3 different goodies bags ranging in price from £20 to £5. I brought this just as we was leaving and they said they had reduced the £20 bag down to £10 but since we were allowed to see what was in the bag before we brought, I thought everything inside was well worth over £10 so I purchased one! In mine I got a ring binder folder, 2 perfume sets, 2 sets of body spray, 2 makeup bags, 2 dry shampoos and another perfume all on its own. Good deal I think!

One stall I was excited to see was the Bare Mineral stall. I personally have never tried any of their products but I know people who have and how they swear by them. Unfortunately as I had spent most of the money I had brought with me at this point, even CSL price discounts were not enough to sway me to try Bare Minerals but instead, I did spot another very similar brand stall called Sampure Minerals. A sales assistant got me to sit down and try the foundation and I was impressed with the difference, even on top of my own makeup. She got out a 5 piece starter kit out which include a foundation, a setting powder, a blush, a bronzer and a brush and once again, because it was the last day of the show they were reduced to just £18. Even if in the end I don't like it and prefer my usual high street brands, I can just say to myself it's a less of a waste of money than the Bare Minerals £30 starter kit.

Another product I was excited with purchasing was this Moisture Keratin Treatment Kit. I've heard quite a few good reviews about Keratin treatments and I've always wanted to try one out for myself. Luckily, just as we were about to leave for home, we stopped by a stand selling hair treatments and among them were the Keratin kits.

 The sales assistant told us about how important Keratin was for our hair and how the kits work and in the end, advised us on which package would be best for us. He said that my hair wasn't in too bad of a condition and that the moisture kit would be best for me. He was a such a lovely man and since we were buying two kits, he gave it us for £8 each instead of £10.

 Sorry about the mess in the background!

 This was a bit of an impulse buy but hey, a girl can never have too many handbags!

Soap & Glory: Heel Genius Review ♥

Hello!

A product I've been dying to review for the past few months now is the Soap & Glory Heel Genius foot cream. I actually brought this for 20p at a car boot sale (blog) and I was really excited to see if the whole S&G hype was true.

Now I don't normally suffer from dry cracked feet but after wearing numerous different sandals over the course of Summer, all girls have to admit that their feet normally need abit of TLC and I believe that this comes in the form of the Soap & Glory Heel Genius.

What Soap & Glory say - "No mean feet. Feet should be friendly. Soft. Smooth. Even lovely to look at. Massage a generous layer of Soap & Glory Heel Genius™ onto clean feet every night (or at least as often as you remember). Slip cotton socks over top and let it soak in while you sleep."

  

 Amazingly it is as easy as what they say. I applied onto my feet, put my socks on and snuggled up in my bed, eager to see results the next morning. Even after just one use of the product, I noticed a huge difference in my feet. Not only had my dry patches disappeared but they also felt SO soft! I can totally see what they mean by being "better than a pedicure". Plus it's alot cheaper! Win Win!

What I normally hate about most creams and moisturisers are that they're really sticky and don't easily sink into the skin, which normally ends up with me washing them off and wishing I'd not bothered at all but the Heel Genius felt really silky and I didn't feel like I had anything on at all.

 Obviously I have to admit I was pretty lucky to come across this for only 20p but for £5.50 in Boots, I think I would definitely go and get myself another bottle when this one ran out. I can honestly say that I'm totally in love with Soap & Glory now and I will be trying out their other products.

As I mentioned in my original blog post when I first brought this product, I also managed to get two other Soap & Glory products, the Righteous Body Butter and the Spray-on Body Moisturising Mist which I will also do a review about in the future.

Another Primark OOTD: Night out! ♥

Hello!

Who doesn't love another OOTD post?

The past couple of weeks I've been going a little eBaymad so last Saturday night out with the girls, I thought would be a perfect excuse to try out my new skater dresses. I brought it for an absolute bargain for just 99p and it still had the tags on. As you can see from the picture it has a textured stripe print with long sleeves, which is perfect for these cold winter nights! I teamed it up with my new chunky stud necklace from Primark (mentioned in my recent haul blog), my favourite Primark studded and chain bag and my also fairly new cut out panel boots which turned out to be far more warmer than my heels!
 

  

 

bathroom selfies (urgh)

 

Collection Gothic Glam Lipstick in Seduction Review ♥

Hello!

In a shopping haul blog post a couple of weeks ago, I mentioned buying a new red lipstick from the new Gothic Glam range from Collection but since writing that blog, I'm ashamed to admit, I completely forgot about it. That was until I was getting ready to go out last weekend when I noticed it and since it went perfectly with the rest of my makeup/outfit, I thought why not!

 

 I could not take a good picture to show off how amazing the colour is. As you can see, this is with a flash.

 

 A bit of a selfie but it shows the colour a little bit better than the other photo.

I honestly wasn't expecting to love it when I first brought it as I always think red lips doesn't suit me but Seduction isn't as dark as I originally thought. Seduction is a more of a pink/red colour but with a blue undertone but in some lights can also look a very dark wine red colour.

The other shades in the Gothic Glam collection are Scorned and Revenge. Personally I don't think I would ever wear Scorned as it's more of a plum colour which is slightly outside of my comfort zone but Revenge is a darker red which is definitely something I'd like to try.

The only bad thing that I could complain about would be the lasting power. I found after talking and drinking, it was fading a little, especially in the inner lips which left me looking like I'd just applied lip liner. 

 Regardless, this has now become my favourite lipstick to wear out on nights, which is great as it's just in time for party season. I've read other reviews from beauty bloggers about the other two lipsticks in the collection and I'm quite happy with my choice with Seduction. Although, I might have to go pick up Revenge ;)

Baking with Betty Crocker: Red Velvet Cake ♥

Hello!

As I'm sure most of you will agree, there is nothing better than treating ourselves every once in a while, especially when having a bad day, and my favourite thing to do is to bake copious amounts of cup cakes and sit and eat them all myself. But when I was doing my weekly food shopping in Asda, I came across a little stand advertising a 2 for £3 offer on ALL Betty Crocker cake sets and icing, right next to the fruit and veg aisle. Shame on you Asda! But since I really love red velvet cake, I couldn't exactly say no.

 

 

Ta-dar! ☺

 

I really love the Betty Crocker sets, this is the 3rd time I've used them and they're just so yummy that I keep going back to them. They're really simple and easy to make with only 3 ingredients that are needed (4 if you include the icing) to make this cake so even people who aren't that talented in the kitchen department will still be able to whip up an amazing cake.

They retail at around £2-3 each but nearly every time I've been to a supermarket they've been on offer. The first time I brought them, they were £1 each. Why I didn't stock up I will never know!

Rimmel Scandaleyes Lycra Flex Mascara Review ♥

Hello!

A product that no woman can ever be without is I think, the mascara. Even when it's one of those mornings where you simply cannot be bothered to put makeup on and you'd rather just stay in bed, a little dash of mascara on my lashes will always make me look more me and a little less zombie.

So a product I've been dying to blog about lately is my new Scandal Eyes Lycra Flex Mascara from Rimmel. I actually got this as a free gift if I spent over £10 on any Rimmel product but since using it I've been completely blown away and I'm annoyed I didn't buy it before.

 

 This was just to try and compare the size of the brush. It's against the Maybelline Colossal Mascara.

Just one coat.

What Rimmel Says: "Lycra Technology formula makes lashes look full and voluptuous while remaining soft" 
I have to completely agree with this as it's very weightless and you can hardly feel it on your lashes.

As I've mentioned in previous blogs, I do personally prefer the bigger, chunkier brushes as I think they give my lashes more oomph and this mascara really does prove my point. It's perfect for volumising, lifting, lengthening and really does open my eyes up. It lasted all day and didn't leave me with any "panda eye" smudges.

The only bad thing I could say about it is that after a few coats it does start to get clumpy but I honestly think that it doesn't need anymore than one or two coats.

 I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a new mascara. It retails for £6.99 which is a bargain and really acceptable for the quality of the mascara. I will definitely be buying more when mine runs out.

Poundland, B&M & Superdrug Haul ♥♥

Hello!

It's been a while since I last blogged anything, blame busy work schedules and a new gym membership, so I decided that as soon as payday came around, I would get out there and spend some dough!

First shop I went into was Poundland and as soon as I walked in, the Stila makeup box caught my eye. Although it was only a refill pack, I'll be able to leave it in the plastic and still use it and for £1, it was a bargain. Next thing I picked up was the two pack of So...? lip balms. Since the weathers started to get colder, I've been obsessed with lip balms and glosses and making sure my lips always stay moisturised so on top of that and the fact they were vanilla and black cherry scented, you can understand why they were a definite yes for me. Lastly in Poundland was the Calvin Klein eye shadows in Sage Shimmer and Vinyl Black. This was mostly an impulse buy as I don't tend to wear much eye shadow, but since they were in shades I'd probably pick for myself anyway, I thought why not!



 So...? lip balm, Stilla Foundation refill & 2 Calvin Klein eyeshadow pots

2 Rimmel Lasting Finish Pro, Collection Gothic Glam lipstick, MUA shimmer highlighter, 2 Rimmel Gloss Lip Liner & MUA Prime & Concealer

  

The next shop I visited was B&M and the first thing that went in my basket was two Rimmel Lasting Finish Pro nail polishes in Dessert Rose and Midnight Blue. These were the only colours they had so as they were only £1, I'm gutted I couldn't get more. But as I was searching for more of the polishes, I noticed the Rimmel Gloss lip liners in shades Moreish and Sorbet. Once again, only 99p and a bargain for the two.

 

And the last shop I went into was Superdrug. I sadly find it hard to go shopping in any of my local shopping centres without visiting a Superdrug, just incase they have any new products or they have something I love on offer so it wasn't a surprise that the first I did buy was something new, a lipstick from Collection. They have recently brought out a new collection called Gothic Glam which includes 3 new lipsticks and 4 nail varnishes. Because I'd already picked up two new nail varnishes, I decided to go for a lipstick. As it's called Gothic Glam, all colours are dark and intense but I finally decided on Seduction which I think was the lightest red. 

After picking my lipstick, I headed over to the MUA stand (of course) and decided to buy the Shimmer highlighter from the Undress Your Skin collection and the Prime & Conceal colour correcter. Both items I've heard nothing but good things about and since I didn't really have anything similar at home, I popped them in my basket.

I'm very excited to try all of these :)

Just another haul from Primark ♥♥

Hello!

Since my beautiful car passed it's MOT and I no longer had to save any money towards it, I decided I would go and treat myself with a trip to Primark and since it's Christmas party season, there was lots of gorgeous dresses to try on. 

 Two bags full of goodies!

Hair grip - £1.50, Disney socks - £2.50 each, Tights - £3.50, Necklace - £3

 First off are my little extras! I'd seen the disney socks on Primark's instagram and fell in love with them straight away. There was a few different ones to pick from but I ended up going with a cartoon strip style Cinderella and The Little Mermaid pair. While I was in the sock/tights section, I remembered a Zoella video on her youtube channel where she did a Primark haul and mentioned the Super Cosy tights and how good they were so since it's getting so cold outside, I thought I would give them a go. Next is my big bling spike necklace. This was actually in the sale for £3! And lastly is my little bump hair grip. I've seen these being used in different hair styles and I wanted to attempt them myself!

I'm not really sure why I'm putting a picture of my new underwear on the internet but they're so adorable I had to add them to the post. Cute little set for only £4!

 

 Top - £4

 I had brought a similar vest top to this which I did include in another blog post but I ended up selling that on ebay but as soon as I saw the print on this top, I knew I had to have it. I thought it would look perfect with a skater skirt or just on it's own.

 Finally I have a leather skater skirt! I have been looking forever for one in my size and finally Primark delivered. I saw that New Look had theirs on offer for £10 but I thought I'd have a look around Primark first and that's when I spotted one for £8! I'm not sure how long it'll last compared to other high street shops but I honestly don't think I'll wear it that much to wreck it.

 

 As if Primark prices aren't good enough, it's even better when they have items in the sale. I brought both of these skater skirts in the sale for £3 each! I tried the black one on a couple of weeks ago but I decided not to buy it which I'm now extremely glad of as I just saved myself £5!

Another bargain I found in the sale is this beautiful beige cable knit jumper dress, £14 down to £5! :)