I am going to start off this post with a little whinge, I have been ill for absolutely ages now! since the 3 week in october and I have been to the doctor multiple times, they have poked and prodded me until I don't think there is anywhere left to poke and yet they still don't know what is wrong with me! Because I have been ill haven't been shopping in ages and I haven't been happy so I have nothing to blog about really!
Yesterday I went to B&Q and bought some new christmas decorations to put up in my flat in the hope of getting them up yesterday but no such luck! But I am so excited about christmas coming Ihave managed to get my letter off to santa and my flat is tidied and ready for my xmas tree to be put up, now I just need to find the energy to do it.
On a more interesting note, because I have been stuck in doors for the last month and a half and the only freedom I have had has been going to work (which I am utterly starting to resent, might I add!) I have been experimenting with food and my makeup collection.
A great new combo I have been wearing recently (might I add only around the house because that is all I can manage!) has been MACs indianwood paint pot just on the lid topped off with Smog from the Urban Decy Naked palette and then Naked in the crease just to smoke it all out. lashings of mascra and black kohl eyeliner and I am ready for a night out that I have no energy for. It gives a gorgeous bronzed smokey eye fit for any christmas party!
My office christmas party is on the 17th December in my favourite place for cocktails, so I am really excited about it. Just a little worried I won't be able to make it! :-(
.... some general musings and a bit of a ramble
Monday, 29 November 2010
Monday, 25 October 2010
Skincare products... La Roche Posay
A couple of products I have been trying for the last 3 months on the back of a blog review have been by the little known brand La Roche-Posay. My use of these products began in summer when I was a little annoyed that my makeup which I had spent 15 minutes applying in the morning had slipped off my face come lunch time. The two products I picked up from Boots are both in the Effaclar range which targeted at oily skin, this first is a matifying moisturiser pictured below.
Here is what the brand promises with this product....
Compensating soothing moisturizerIt cost me about £10 from Boots and feels like a much more expensive product, there are no garish scents the packaging is clean and simple reflecting the product inside. The moisturiser itself is light and sinks in quickly, I generally used it in the morning through out the warmer months so I didn't have time to waste waiting for my moisturiser to sink in. At the beginning my skin had a little sensitivity to the ingredients within the moisturiser but this seemed to have vanished after a week of use. This was a small price to pay for the beautifully soft base this gave for applying my makeup on too, the reduced pore size over my nose and the extra longevity it gave my makeup through out the warm days keeping my skin matt. Unfortunately now that winter is just around the corner I need something that is a little more moisturising so I shall be storing this product for use next summer.
The second product I have purchase (again about £10 from boots) was a toner from the same Effaclar range. It is described as astringent and definitely comes across as that, but this is what the brand say about it...
Here is what the brand promises with this product....
Compensating soothing moisturizer
Neutralises shine at the source. Long-lasting mattifying effect
Indications
Oily skin prone to shine.
Properties
Day after day, slows the production of sebum thanks to the exclusive combination of: - Sebum Targeting technology™ to target and unclog pores blocked by sebum, - Zinc Pidolate to neutralise shine at the source, - vitamins CG and E to prevent sebum oxidation, which aggravates oily skin problems. Oil-free texture enriched in absorbent microspheres for matt skin that lasts.
Results
The skin is smooth and matt, intensely moisturised. Every day, the pores grow tighter and the skin's balance is restored.
Packaging and content
40ml pump dispenser
Use
Apply morning and/or night to the entire face. Excellent make-up base. Non-comedogenic.
The second product I have purchase (again about £10 from boots) was a toner from the same Effaclar range. It is described as astringent and definitely comes across as that, but this is what the brand say about it...
Tightens the pores. Fights against blockage.
Indications
Dilated pores, irregular skin texture in oily skin with imperfections.
Properties
EFFACLAR micro-exfoliating astringent lotion helps instantaneously reduce pore size and fight against blockage, thanks to the combination of sebum-regulating, purifying and micro-exfoliating LHA active ingredients.
Results
The pores are tightened, the skin texture is finer and more even.
Packaging and content
200 ml bottle
Use
Apply mornings and evenings to the face using a soaked cotton ball, after cleansing and drying the skin.
It is an excellent toner but not something for every day use, I use this when my skins gets over greasy and I have a break out of spots in my T-zone which usually occurs once a month! I will exfoliate, cleanse and tone just before going to bed and then in the morning my skin will be significantly improved, yay!!! This is certainly only a product for keeping greasy skin at bay and I sometimes wonder with these matifying products whether or not they make the problem worse by encouraging your skin to produce more natural oils to compensate. Then once you stop using the mattifying products you find your skin is greasier than before you began using the products.
But I certainly love the brand, packaging, price bracket and using the product! I want to experiment a little more now that my skin has got a little dryer in the winter weather so I shall be looking to purchase a cream called Cicaplast from the brand, i shall let you know how it goes!!!
Jealous Much......
YES would be the answer to that! I met up with my younger sister a couple of weeks ago back at my parents and I was so envious of her lovely new coat.....
It is a beautiful 1940s style skirted double breasted coat with puffy shoulders in a creamy grey colour.... so lush! Unfortunately I am too big so I couldn't slyly pilfer it, also I know I would look no where near as good in it (my shoulders and boobs are far to big). But if anyone else is on the market for a new winter coat you should check out topshop, I think this was just under £100 and there a couple of other variations.
Then you too can get numerous admiring glances from other women as you wander down the street!!!!
It is a beautiful 1940s style skirted double breasted coat with puffy shoulders in a creamy grey colour.... so lush! Unfortunately I am too big so I couldn't slyly pilfer it, also I know I would look no where near as good in it (my shoulders and boobs are far to big). But if anyone else is on the market for a new winter coat you should check out topshop, I think this was just under £100 and there a couple of other variations.
Then you too can get numerous admiring glances from other women as you wander down the street!!!!
Saturday, 23 October 2010
Even a clock that doesn't work is right twice a day....
So a week ago I managed to break my ownly working watch and how I feel quite lost without one on my wrist. I have been scanning the internet looking for some replacements but I can't seen to make up my mind. I feel like I need to have a different watch for a different occasion but I think I am starting to narrow it down.
The main criteria with any watch I buy is that it has to be pretty cheap as once it is on my wrist it is only a matter of time before I break it. You see I am inherently clumsy and that main brunt of my clumsiness is whichever watch I am wearing, it will always end up scratched because I bask my wrist of doorways, desks, anything!!!!!
Anyway here is the short list so far....
PLAY....
Casio - Classic Blue Watch £20.00
WORK....
Asos - Rose Gold Effect, Retro, Oversized £22.00
GYM...
Breo - Orange, Venture Watch £15.00
The main criteria with any watch I buy is that it has to be pretty cheap as once it is on my wrist it is only a matter of time before I break it. You see I am inherently clumsy and that main brunt of my clumsiness is whichever watch I am wearing, it will always end up scratched because I bask my wrist of doorways, desks, anything!!!!!
Anyway here is the short list so far....
PLAY....
Casio - Classic Blue Watch £20.00
WORK....Asos - Rose Gold Effect, Retro, Oversized £22.00
GYM...
Breo - Orange, Venture Watch £15.00
Friday, 22 October 2010
Christmas is coming....
For some unbeknownest reason I am well excited about winter being just around the corner and christmas on its way. I have even gone as far as writing my christmas shopping list for other people and planning where I am going to be, which is utterly not like me. Usually come the end of November I might just have confirmed where I am going to be and I will never have done any christmas shopping!
My thinking is that I am in the mood due to the fact that Lush released their Christmas products at the beginning of the month, so I popped along and picked up a few product (which means I restocked my lush drawer) The christmas products I picked up are as follows:
Bath Ballistics:
- Cinders (this is so lovely doesn't leave a residue on your skin and smells of spices).
- White (Possibly my new fav ballistic, it leaves the skin so soft and smells of fresh apples)
- The Boogg
Bubble Bars:
- Christmas Eve
The other non christmas stuff I picked up:
Bath Ballistics:
- Twilight
- Honey Bee
- Butterball
Bubble Bars:
- Dorothy
- Flosty Gritter
- Pop in the bath
Bath Melts:
- mmm melting marshmallow moment
-You've been mangoed
Hair Conditioner/Treatment:
- H'Suan Wen Hua
Alot of the above have been reviewed before, but there is one product I wanted to talk about and that is the Twilight Bath Ballistic. It has recently been added to their range and is a little different from their other ballistics, firstly it seems to be twice the size that all the others and I think that is as a result of the two layers. The outside layer is pink and the inside is bright blue, when added to the bath water it fizzes down to give a purple hue to the bath water hence the Twilight name... not a reference to vampires! At that point the stars come out in the form of sparkly glitter, which is again different from the glitter used in some of their other products like Sunnyside Bubble Bar. The glitter is irridescent and quite course in comparison and it clings to your skin like a wet pair of jeans. After using Twilight in the bath before going to bed it wasn't until the next morning when I was rushing around getting ready for work that I notice quite how much glitter their was!!! I had to spend 10 mins with a disposable mascara wand getting the glitter off my face before I quickly slapped on my makeup. I am all for glitter but ther is a time and a place for it but I will definitely be re purchasing this ballistic but saving it for weekends.
I am slowly working my way through these, I don't expect to need to revisit until after christmas when hopefully I can pick up some good deals on all the left over christmas stuff.
My thinking is that I am in the mood due to the fact that Lush released their Christmas products at the beginning of the month, so I popped along and picked up a few product (which means I restocked my lush drawer) The christmas products I picked up are as follows:
Bath Ballistics:
- Cinders (this is so lovely doesn't leave a residue on your skin and smells of spices).
- White (Possibly my new fav ballistic, it leaves the skin so soft and smells of fresh apples)
- The Boogg
Bubble Bars:
- Christmas Eve
The other non christmas stuff I picked up:
Bath Ballistics:
- Twilight
- Honey Bee
- Butterball
Bubble Bars:
- Dorothy
- Flosty Gritter
- Pop in the bath
Bath Melts:
- mmm melting marshmallow moment
-You've been mangoed
Hair Conditioner/Treatment:
- H'Suan Wen Hua
Alot of the above have been reviewed before, but there is one product I wanted to talk about and that is the Twilight Bath Ballistic. It has recently been added to their range and is a little different from their other ballistics, firstly it seems to be twice the size that all the others and I think that is as a result of the two layers. The outside layer is pink and the inside is bright blue, when added to the bath water it fizzes down to give a purple hue to the bath water hence the Twilight name... not a reference to vampires! At that point the stars come out in the form of sparkly glitter, which is again different from the glitter used in some of their other products like Sunnyside Bubble Bar. The glitter is irridescent and quite course in comparison and it clings to your skin like a wet pair of jeans. After using Twilight in the bath before going to bed it wasn't until the next morning when I was rushing around getting ready for work that I notice quite how much glitter their was!!! I had to spend 10 mins with a disposable mascara wand getting the glitter off my face before I quickly slapped on my makeup. I am all for glitter but ther is a time and a place for it but I will definitely be re purchasing this ballistic but saving it for weekends.
I am slowly working my way through these, I don't expect to need to revisit until after christmas when hopefully I can pick up some good deals on all the left over christmas stuff.
Thursday, 7 October 2010
Following the masses...
Well like every other makeup junkie I made my way to my local MAC counter in my lunch hour to have a play with the new Venomous Villains Collection. I have never really been that excited about the release of new collections before, never one for the hype! But this collection caught my eye.... Anyway you have heard all about this before... So.....
There it is, I picked up the Briar Rose beauty powder, Strange Potion lipgloss and Revenge is Sweet lipgloss. Loving all products! Yay!
There it is, I picked up the Briar Rose beauty powder, Strange Potion lipgloss and Revenge is Sweet lipgloss. Loving all products! Yay!
Tuesday, 24 August 2010
Dark and shiny
Ok so I used the hair dye on sunday evening and here are the results.....
As with most of my self hair colouring experiences this was messy. Long hair always becomes a nightmare to handle when covered in dye!
But anyhooo I am loving the results my hair is lovely and shiny. A much healthier version of itself. Only downer was the slightly patchy results on the left side but I am sure this was ony due to my lack of expertise in applying the dye!
The whole process wasn't too complicated and the smell of the dye wasn't too obnoxious. I do feel the smell has lingered even after a couple of washes but by tomorrow I am certain it will have gone!
Overall I am very happy with the results, it is a nice change from the norm!
Kate
xo
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
As with most of my self hair colouring experiences this was messy. Long hair always becomes a nightmare to handle when covered in dye!
But anyhooo I am loving the results my hair is lovely and shiny. A much healthier version of itself. Only downer was the slightly patchy results on the left side but I am sure this was ony due to my lack of expertise in applying the dye!
The whole process wasn't too complicated and the smell of the dye wasn't too obnoxious. I do feel the smell has lingered even after a couple of washes but by tomorrow I am certain it will have gone!
Overall I am very happy with the results, it is a nice change from the norm!
Kate
xo
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Sunday, 22 August 2010
Time for a change!
I am so excited, I managed to pick up some L'Oreal Casting Creme Gloss in 323 Dark Chocolate. I haven't died my hair for about seven years when I temporarily experienced a few months of life as a red until I asked my hair dresser to take it back to my natural colour!
The back of the box says it is a no ammonia creme formula that gives a glossy natural looking colour that lasts up to 28 shampoos. So I have smudged some of the colourant on my skin to make sure I am not allergic, but I find the guidelines on the allergy test majorly unrealistic. Who ever can manage to not was off their test spot for 48 hours?!? Not me! I guess it is the manufacturers way of gettig out of trouble if people have a major allergic reaction.
I shall be slapping this on tonight when I have a bit of time to myself. I shall get a review of the results up as soon as I know how it's worked.
Another thing that I have been using for the last week is the new Urban Decay NAKED eye shadow palette! But it deserves a post on it's own!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
The back of the box says it is a no ammonia creme formula that gives a glossy natural looking colour that lasts up to 28 shampoos. So I have smudged some of the colourant on my skin to make sure I am not allergic, but I find the guidelines on the allergy test majorly unrealistic. Who ever can manage to not was off their test spot for 48 hours?!? Not me! I guess it is the manufacturers way of gettig out of trouble if people have a major allergic reaction.
I shall be slapping this on tonight when I have a bit of time to myself. I shall get a review of the results up as soon as I know how it's worked.
Another thing that I have been using for the last week is the new Urban Decay NAKED eye shadow palette! But it deserves a post on it's own!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Saturday, 7 August 2010
New shoes!!!!
There is nothing that makes me happier than new shoes but never more so than when they are purchased unexpectedly after having a great afternoon tea. We, my sister and I, went to The Walk, in Nottingham for a yummy tea of scones and fancies. Don't these fancies look great....
Then it was off to Kurt Geiger for a spot of indulgent shoe shopping...
Laura picked some blue patent courts (audrey) for £59, soooo sweet and comfy. Not a very high heel just a couple of inches.
Then I got some black suede courts (alana) for £69. With a very unusual chunky heel that will stop my fallin over on the cobbled streets in Bristol!
Yay for the new shoes!!!
We are now off to piss ourselves laughing at twighlight eclipse! ;-)
Then it was off to Kurt Geiger for a spot of indulgent shoe shopping...
Laura picked some blue patent courts (audrey) for £59, soooo sweet and comfy. Not a very high heel just a couple of inches.
Then I got some black suede courts (alana) for £69. With a very unusual chunky heel that will stop my fallin over on the cobbled streets in Bristol!
Yay for the new shoes!!!
We are now off to piss ourselves laughing at twighlight eclipse! ;-)
Tuesday, 3 August 2010
Good Things...
Is the make of the aptly named Miracle Mattifier Moisturiser that I have been using every day for a week now. It is part of a range of products that are free from parabens, sodium laureth sulphate, animal ingredients and mineral oils. It says made in the UK on the back so I would guess it is only available over here!
Recently I have been suffering from make up slipping off my face in the hot and humid weather we have had here in the UK. So I picked this product up in Boots, for £7.99. I liked the idea that it only contains good things and I hoped it wouldn't overly dry out my skin. It certainly hasn't done that yet but on cooler days I have felt that my skin is a little tight in the evenings. But I have noticed a definite reduction in shiny skin with no increase in skin sensitivity. I am not a big fan of the smell it is fruity and a bit strong but not overly offensive.
I think this is only a product for use in hot weather, but I shall be looking into more products from this brand. I am especially interested in the Dream Cream Night Cream with avocado, similar to Keihls eye cream!?! I do hope so!
Recently I have been suffering from make up slipping off my face in the hot and humid weather we have had here in the UK. So I picked this product up in Boots, for £7.99. I liked the idea that it only contains good things and I hoped it wouldn't overly dry out my skin. It certainly hasn't done that yet but on cooler days I have felt that my skin is a little tight in the evenings. But I have noticed a definite reduction in shiny skin with no increase in skin sensitivity. I am not a big fan of the smell it is fruity and a bit strong but not overly offensive.
I think this is only a product for use in hot weather, but I shall be looking into more products from this brand. I am especially interested in the Dream Cream Night Cream with avocado, similar to Keihls eye cream!?! I do hope so!
Sunday, 1 August 2010
Back to school
Posts have been a little sparse lately due to the incredibly busy week I have been having. The only night I had in was spent making name badges for my friends hen party, which happened yesterday in London.
Now I am sitting in the back of taxi rather hungover on my way to Wembly to see Cirque De Soliel! I'm so excited!
I have done any shopping so far but fingers crossed tomorrow will see me rectify that :-)
What I really wanted to share was how great the Underground Cookery School is. We went yesterday as part of the hen do an it was brilliant fun! The wine flowed freely and we learned how to make:
Gnochi with a reduced tomato sauce.
Followed by
Fillet of sea bass with salsa Verdi and samphire
Finished of with
A strawberry merringue roulade!
We did all the prep and then the teachers/chef completed the meal and it was all served to us by the very stereotypical French waiter, Pascal!
So much fun was had!
Please excuse the typos bouncing around in the taxi is not condusive to blogging!
Kate
xoxo
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Now I am sitting in the back of taxi rather hungover on my way to Wembly to see Cirque De Soliel! I'm so excited!
I have done any shopping so far but fingers crossed tomorrow will see me rectify that :-)
What I really wanted to share was how great the Underground Cookery School is. We went yesterday as part of the hen do an it was brilliant fun! The wine flowed freely and we learned how to make:
Gnochi with a reduced tomato sauce.
Followed by
Fillet of sea bass with salsa Verdi and samphire
Finished of with
A strawberry merringue roulade!
We did all the prep and then the teachers/chef completed the meal and it was all served to us by the very stereotypical French waiter, Pascal!
So much fun was had!
Please excuse the typos bouncing around in the taxi is not condusive to blogging!
Kate
xoxo
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Thursday, 22 July 2010
A tiny wee haul!
Ok this isn't going to be very long as for some reason I have been really sleepy and I need to get ready for a meeting I have tomorrow before I go to bed.
Today I went into superdrug with the intent of using the 3 for 2 deal on L'oreal products to purchase Renewal Lash Serum but unfortunately the deal has ended. So rather than get a product free i just got the renewal lash:
I have just applied some of this and I was a little confused by the applicator, a kind of banana shaped tip to a mascara wand. I used this to apply the product on the eyelashes and along the lash line. I shall keep you updated on how i get on with this.
Then I purchased the Volume Million Mascara, so I can MILLIONISE my lashes!!! I like that l'oreal have created a word! Hilarious!
I haven't tried this yet but after getting it home and having a good look at it I can say this.... It smells rather funky!
A final impulse purchase was a Bourjoise trio palette, in smokey eye NUDE. I liked the idea of having a little cheap palette to keep in my bag to take me from day to night. I shall get a better post up on this over the weekend, I promise!
Renewal Lash Serum - £10.99
Volume Million Mascara - £7.99
Bourjois Nude Eye Trio - £7.49
Today I went into superdrug with the intent of using the 3 for 2 deal on L'oreal products to purchase Renewal Lash Serum but unfortunately the deal has ended. So rather than get a product free i just got the renewal lash:
I have just applied some of this and I was a little confused by the applicator, a kind of banana shaped tip to a mascara wand. I used this to apply the product on the eyelashes and along the lash line. I shall keep you updated on how i get on with this.Then I purchased the Volume Million Mascara, so I can MILLIONISE my lashes!!! I like that l'oreal have created a word! Hilarious!
I haven't tried this yet but after getting it home and having a good look at it I can say this.... It smells rather funky!
A final impulse purchase was a Bourjoise trio palette, in smokey eye NUDE. I liked the idea of having a little cheap palette to keep in my bag to take me from day to night. I shall get a better post up on this over the weekend, I promise!
Renewal Lash Serum - £10.99
Volume Million Mascara - £7.99
Bourjois Nude Eye Trio - £7.49
Monday, 19 July 2010
Look Ma no hands!!!!
Ok this is something that I have been raving about, basically to anyone that will listen!! And that is the new Ultimate Strapless Wonderbra.
It was released by wonderbra in June this year which just happened to coincide with a little black tie event I was going to. So I set out on a mission to find the perfect strapless bra to keep my rather large (34E) boobs in place during this dignified event. Usually I wouldn't go near Wonderbra's as I have never felt as if I required their assitance in that department, but I was in John Lewis, as I said on a mission, and I thought why not, lets give it a go.
So how is this bra different from normal bras well firstly most strapless bras I have owned in no way have supported my boobs, in fact I would go as far to say that they flattened them and pushed them to the sides. If I truely wanted that affect I would just lie down! But this bra is different, it lifts them and holds them together resulting in eye catching cleavage and a slimer looking figure. I think it is because of their new technology using polycarbonate hand shaped inserts rather than underwires to lift and hold you in place, see......
When trying on bra's I always tend to dance around the changing room seeing if I can shake them free, too many times in the past I have bought underwear on a whim only to discover that I fall out of it the minute I start moving. This time was no exception I bounced around like a loon trying to shake them out whilst giggling like a loon, much to the amusement of the changing room assistant!
So it has been nearly a month since that purchase and I feel that I can now fully review this bra for you, it is amazing!!! If you have shyed away from strapless dresses just because you thought your boobs where too big then this is the solution for you!
As with all things there are a couple of tiny gripes firstly I have the nude coloured version of the above black bra and the material is a polyester which is quite slippery and I have found that some of my cotton type strapless dresses will just slide off, but this is nothing that can't be fixed with a couple of safety pins attaching the dress to the bra and maybe the lace versions are not so slippy! The other really very minor gripe is that it is extremely tight around the chest and makes me sit and stand very straight, this isn't really a bad thing as I know it is what is holding it up but you should just be aware that after 8 hours in this bra it can start to ache a little.
But without a doubt this is the single greatest underwear purchase I have ever made and I certainly recommend it to all large breasted women. I picked mine up for £30 at John Lewis, but it is also available at House of Fraser, Debenhams or online at Figleaves or here: http://www.ultimatestrapless.co.uk/
Kate
xo
It was released by wonderbra in June this year which just happened to coincide with a little black tie event I was going to. So I set out on a mission to find the perfect strapless bra to keep my rather large (34E) boobs in place during this dignified event. Usually I wouldn't go near Wonderbra's as I have never felt as if I required their assitance in that department, but I was in John Lewis, as I said on a mission, and I thought why not, lets give it a go.
So how is this bra different from normal bras well firstly most strapless bras I have owned in no way have supported my boobs, in fact I would go as far to say that they flattened them and pushed them to the sides. If I truely wanted that affect I would just lie down! But this bra is different, it lifts them and holds them together resulting in eye catching cleavage and a slimer looking figure. I think it is because of their new technology using polycarbonate hand shaped inserts rather than underwires to lift and hold you in place, see......
When trying on bra's I always tend to dance around the changing room seeing if I can shake them free, too many times in the past I have bought underwear on a whim only to discover that I fall out of it the minute I start moving. This time was no exception I bounced around like a loon trying to shake them out whilst giggling like a loon, much to the amusement of the changing room assistant!
So it has been nearly a month since that purchase and I feel that I can now fully review this bra for you, it is amazing!!! If you have shyed away from strapless dresses just because you thought your boobs where too big then this is the solution for you!
As with all things there are a couple of tiny gripes firstly I have the nude coloured version of the above black bra and the material is a polyester which is quite slippery and I have found that some of my cotton type strapless dresses will just slide off, but this is nothing that can't be fixed with a couple of safety pins attaching the dress to the bra and maybe the lace versions are not so slippy! The other really very minor gripe is that it is extremely tight around the chest and makes me sit and stand very straight, this isn't really a bad thing as I know it is what is holding it up but you should just be aware that after 8 hours in this bra it can start to ache a little.
But without a doubt this is the single greatest underwear purchase I have ever made and I certainly recommend it to all large breasted women. I picked mine up for £30 at John Lewis, but it is also available at House of Fraser, Debenhams or online at Figleaves or here: http://www.ultimatestrapless.co.uk/
Kate
xo
Sunday, 18 July 2010
Such pretty stuff...
I keep starting blogs and then saving them as drafts and not finsihing them, on different things such as food, fashion and wish lists but this one I am going to make myself finish!!! I have just returned from an afternoon out at Grillstock, which is the UKs first BBQ festival so I am a little stuffed with meat please excuse any random mumblings in this.
I thought while I was processing these pictures for my younger sister that I would actually write a little blog on it. A few years ago my sister set up a studio in our parents garage and started making glass beads, teaching herself using books and the internet. Now she has got past the stage of making gifts just for friends and family and is thoroughly on her way into turning the hobby into a money spinner. She has stockpiled some lovely little pieces and has sorted out packaging and a company name, Serendipity Beads and at the moment is sorting out her website.
As her sister I got a sneak peak of the jewellry when I went to visit her and took my nice camera along to help take some pictures for her new website. At the moment I am just processing some of the pictures so I thought I would put a couple up on my blog as a little introduction to others.
This bracelet (above) and earings (below) come as a set, duck egg blue and choclate brown hand made glass beads so each one is ever so slightly different, which goes perfectly with the coloured packaging/ branding my sister has picked
I have my own pair of these earings (below), they come in various colours and are made from heart shaped Swarovski crystals.
This bracelet below is one of my favourite pieces, I love the sunshine colours and the eclectic feel each different handmade bead has when put together. I have one similar but mine is simply elasticate where as this one is on a sterling silver chain.
As and when my sister sorts out her website I shall update my blog with more details. I might even have to get her to write some how toos on making beads!
I thought while I was processing these pictures for my younger sister that I would actually write a little blog on it. A few years ago my sister set up a studio in our parents garage and started making glass beads, teaching herself using books and the internet. Now she has got past the stage of making gifts just for friends and family and is thoroughly on her way into turning the hobby into a money spinner. She has stockpiled some lovely little pieces and has sorted out packaging and a company name, Serendipity Beads and at the moment is sorting out her website.
As her sister I got a sneak peak of the jewellry when I went to visit her and took my nice camera along to help take some pictures for her new website. At the moment I am just processing some of the pictures so I thought I would put a couple up on my blog as a little introduction to others.
This bracelet (above) and earings (below) come as a set, duck egg blue and choclate brown hand made glass beads so each one is ever so slightly different, which goes perfectly with the coloured packaging/ branding my sister has picked
I have my own pair of these earings (below), they come in various colours and are made from heart shaped Swarovski crystals.
This bracelet below is one of my favourite pieces, I love the sunshine colours and the eclectic feel each different handmade bead has when put together. I have one similar but mine is simply elasticate where as this one is on a sterling silver chain.
As and when my sister sorts out her website I shall update my blog with more details. I might even have to get her to write some how toos on making beads!
Wednesday, 14 July 2010
Fighting the frizz!!!!
Today for the first time in ages I got caught out in the rain and my hair got a little bit damp and it reminded me how much I love my L'Oreal tec Hot Style, Iron Finish. I have been using it for longer than I can really remember, maybe over 5 years now. It has become part of my staple christmas present from my mum every single year to the point that I now have 3 half used bottles in various places around my flat. Anyway the bottle looks like this:
The guidelines on the back of the bottle say:
"Spread a dab of product through washed and dried hair. Smooth section by section with straightening irons."
Now i have rather thick, long, fine hair that has a tendancy to go wavy or frizzy when humid or wet. So everytime I am styling my hair with straighteners (GHDs) I reach for this stuff, but it only takes a pea sized amount to run through my hair. This leaves it straight and shiny all day long! I loves it so much!
Infact it is such a beloved product that all my family use it (except my dad, he has nothing to straighten :-) ) But both my sisters have thicker, wavier hair than me and this keeps it under control, my mum even has relatively short, curly hair and this product helps straighten her out as well.
I don't know if you can get this product in boots or superdrug, as I say I usually get a bottle at christmas. But it is £12.60 for a 150ml bottle and you can buy it online at HQhair.com.
Kate
xoxo
The guidelines on the back of the bottle say:"Spread a dab of product through washed and dried hair. Smooth section by section with straightening irons."
Now i have rather thick, long, fine hair that has a tendancy to go wavy or frizzy when humid or wet. So everytime I am styling my hair with straighteners (GHDs) I reach for this stuff, but it only takes a pea sized amount to run through my hair. This leaves it straight and shiny all day long! I loves it so much!
Infact it is such a beloved product that all my family use it (except my dad, he has nothing to straighten :-) ) But both my sisters have thicker, wavier hair than me and this keeps it under control, my mum even has relatively short, curly hair and this product helps straighten her out as well.
I don't know if you can get this product in boots or superdrug, as I say I usually get a bottle at christmas. But it is £12.60 for a 150ml bottle and you can buy it online at HQhair.com.
Kate
xoxo
Tuesday, 13 July 2010
The 2 minute Shower Master Plan!!!!
Ok this is a little bit random, even for me! But I was trawlling through other beauty and fashion blogs over the weekend and came across a blog on the 2 minute shower trial, I am sorry if this was your blog but I can't for the life of me remember where it was! The Basic just of the 2 minute shower is that the worlds resources are not infinite and at some point we are going to start running out of things, like oil, coal and water. There is very little that the beauty industry can do about the oil and coal, I guess maybe reduce the carbon footprint out of each product!?! But they can come up with new and innovating ways for us to reduce our water consumption... such as reducing showering times and encouraging us to take showers rather than baths.
There was a particular brand that was advocating the 2 minute shower... maybe lush or Soap & Glory???? (I should really check my facts but my intentions are good, honest!!!) So the idea is that you rinse for 40 seconds then turn the shower off, shave legs, wash body and finally wash hair. Then you turn the shower back on and rinse for 1 minute, if you use conditioner then you turn the shower off apply conditioner and then turn the shower back on and rinse for a further 20 seconds.
SO.... yesterday I gave this ago and completely suceeded, but then yesterday I didn't wash my hair! Today I gave it another go and it was a FAIL, in the sense that it didn't take me 2 minutes because i have long hair and it takes a while to rinse. However I did reduce my 20 minute shower in the morning to just under 10 minutes, which in my opinion is a RESULT. Not only was I reducing the amount of water I use and helping the planet but I had an extra 10 minutes to do my hair and makeup, meaning for once I got into work on time!!!
So I now challenge everyone to give the 2 minute shower a go! Even if you are not sucessful at hitting the 2 minute mark, I am willing to bet you will shave some time off your usual shower time!!!
Good Luck!
xo
Monday, 12 July 2010
Just a quickie!
I just wanted to do a really quick haul post, please excuse the substandard images but I am using my eyephone for speed :-)
First up I got a couple of Barry M liners in colours 13 (bubble gum pink) and 2 (raspberry pink). I love how buying barrym always gives me the buzz of getting a bargain. Each pencil was £2.95 from superdrug and are of reasonable quality, although 13 is a little chalky on my highly pigmented lips.
My next pick up was some more Clean & Clear shine control wash (oil free). I have already used one whole bottle of this and I absolutely love it. It contains toner and cleanser all in one and makes my morning routine shorter but still thoroughly cleaning my face!
I also picked up the new sleek makeup: Circus eye palette. £5.99 for 12 vibrant colour, BARGAIN!
I will have to do a better post on this....
Lastly in boots I picked up Cliniques Almost Powder Makeup in medium. I had hit pan in my old one so it was just a quick rebuy. It was £20, and is a life saver in summer. Applied quickly in the morning on top of my moisturiser with a large fluffy, this product gives me great coverage evening out my skin and lasting all day!
I hope everyone has had a good Monday! But roll on the weekend!
XO
First up I got a couple of Barry M liners in colours 13 (bubble gum pink) and 2 (raspberry pink). I love how buying barrym always gives me the buzz of getting a bargain. Each pencil was £2.95 from superdrug and are of reasonable quality, although 13 is a little chalky on my highly pigmented lips.
My next pick up was some more Clean & Clear shine control wash (oil free). I have already used one whole bottle of this and I absolutely love it. It contains toner and cleanser all in one and makes my morning routine shorter but still thoroughly cleaning my face!
I also picked up the new sleek makeup: Circus eye palette. £5.99 for 12 vibrant colour, BARGAIN!
I will have to do a better post on this....
Lastly in boots I picked up Cliniques Almost Powder Makeup in medium. I had hit pan in my old one so it was just a quick rebuy. It was £20, and is a life saver in summer. Applied quickly in the morning on top of my moisturiser with a large fluffy, this product gives me great coverage evening out my skin and lasting all day!
I hope everyone has had a good Monday! But roll on the weekend!
XO
Sunday, 11 July 2010
My Chihuahua bites!
I've been wearing this colour on my toes for the last 3 weeks, at the beginning it was on for so long because I didn't have time to change it and it still looked immaculate. But because I got so many compliments, I decided to reapply it this morning after it eventually chipped yesterday.
The colour of choice is "my chihuahua bites!" by OPI, I picked it up in my local Sallys for about £9.
It is looking a little bit orangy on camera but in reality there is more of a pinky tone going on. Making it the most perfect bright and summery coral shade, it looks brilliant with tanned feet and it isn't neon at all so it is easy to wear with anything.
I loves it!!!!! See....
(please ignore gross feet!)
The colour of choice is "my chihuahua bites!" by OPI, I picked it up in my local Sallys for about £9.
It is looking a little bit orangy on camera but in reality there is more of a pinky tone going on. Making it the most perfect bright and summery coral shade, it looks brilliant with tanned feet and it isn't neon at all so it is easy to wear with anything.
I loves it!!!!! See....
(please ignore gross feet!)
Wednesday, 7 July 2010
Scrub-a-dub-dub!
Whilst browsing the ailes of boots the other day I spotted this little beauty:
It appeared to be an exact replica of the much loved scrublet the accompanies the l'oreal perfect clean foaming wash. Having heard multiple reviews of the Perfect Clean I was fully aware the the scrublet was the best bit of the product so I was pretty excited to try my find!
I just used it with my normal cleanser and I really down like the way it leaves my skin thoroughly clean and dare I say it.... GLOWING! For £3.99 the Soap and Glory, Face Massage Mini Mit is definitely something I shall be repurchasing.
It appeared to be an exact replica of the much loved scrublet the accompanies the l'oreal perfect clean foaming wash. Having heard multiple reviews of the Perfect Clean I was fully aware the the scrublet was the best bit of the product so I was pretty excited to try my find!
I just used it with my normal cleanser and I really down like the way it leaves my skin thoroughly clean and dare I say it.... GLOWING! For £3.99 the Soap and Glory, Face Massage Mini Mit is definitely something I shall be repurchasing.
Sunday, 4 July 2010
Love the farm, leave no trace!!!!
So this was my third year in a row going to Glastonbury Music festival and it was as brilliant as it always has been! 5 days of nothing but sunshine, cider, good music and interesting people.
For anyone who hasn't been before, you really should go! It is an excellent way to escape normal life for a week, with no TV, email, phone calls or internet you can just switch off. We always go down to Worthy Farm on the Wednesday so we can get a prime location for our epic 12 man tent and this year was no different apart from the fact they opened the carpark 12 hours earlier than the gate. We where a little worried when we arrived about 6 in the morning and discovered that loads of people had already got there, but it wasn't a problem as all these people where still snoozing in their cars when we joined the queue to get in.
Once our tent was up it was all about switching off and enjoying the music and other freakish activities. This year I wasn't too excited about the line up, which probably had its advantages as I was truely impressed by the Gorillaz and Muse.
Anyways this post was more about what to take to a festival rather than the event.....
1. Tent
2. Sleeping Bag
3. Air Bed
4. Make up/Wash bag: This is where I have to put in a little thought as I use way too many products each day to take with me when travelling light so here it goes:
- Baby Wipes - essential for washing, removing makeup, cleaning toilets and mopping up spillages
- Dry hair shampoo - In previous years I have relied solely on this, and hairstyling to get through the week, but this year it was just too warm to do that so I had to give in and wash my hair twice in cold water.
- Sun cream - I can't recommend Nivea Invisible enough, just spray, there is no rubbing in required and you can even do your own back!
- Tinted moisturiser - Undoubtedly you are going to look tired and you are going to tan unevenly as you run around all day in the sunshine, so it is always good to have a tinted moisturiser to even out the skin tone.
- Nail Polish - OPI My Chihuahua bites, this is the colour of my summer and has been on my toe nails for a few weeks now and I am not going to change it any time soon. The colour is a nice corally red that makes my feet look healthy and golden.
- Benetint - good multi product for lips and cheeks
- Paint Pot, Bare Study - a multi product for eyes and highlighting
- Clinique, Mascara -Lash power mascara, longwear is amazing it lasts all day and lengthens loads.
6. Trainers/comfy shoes - The paths are all gravel so it is good to have some comfy shoes to wear when bringing stuff into the festival site from your car in the carpark.
7. Sandals - Easy to throw on in the middle of the night or to toss into your bag to slip on during the day.
8. Beach Bag - Great for throwing everything into including a rug for lounging around on.
9. Rug - Some people do without this but I find sitting on the grass all day gives me a rash.
10. Parasol - It was a complete essential this year as there was just no escaping from the sunshine!
11. Clothes - The most import things are to be comfortable, easy to go to the loo, and layers!!! Lots and lots of layers!!!! I always throw a spare cardigan and pair of legging into my bag during the day so I can put them on at night when it starts to cool down.
The most important things to remember are:
Drink loads of water!
Only take things with you that you are prepared to loose!
HAVE FUN!!!
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