I got tagged!

Hey all.  I've been tagged by the lovely Chloe at Not From Concentrate to answer a few questions.  Here goes! 

1. What is your favourite fashion magazine?

Probably In Style, although I often pick up random magazines.  I'm a sucker for the freebies

2. Who is your favourite singer/band?

It's the fabulous PJ Harvey.  I love her music so much it's so raw and heartfelt.  I've been to see her about 5 or 6 times and she's always great.

3. Who is your favourite youtube guru?

Definitely Carah Amelie - she's brilliant

4. What is your favourite makeup product?

A very good concealer.

5. Where would you like to live?

I live where I'm living now (in Bristol obviously).  I've always wanted to live in a windswept Cornish cottage on the coast somewhere, and I used to live in Brighton when I was a student and loved it there too.

6. What is your favourite film?

This is too difficult to answer - I've got really random taste in films.  I love war films, disaster films, romantic films, comedies, thrillers - the list goes on!

7. How many pairs of shoes do you own?

I reckon about 30!!!

8. What is your favourite colour?

I wear a lot of black, but I also love hot pink, purples and lilacs, teals, plums, loads really!  

I'm supposed to tag two other bloggers, so I tag:

Sparklz & Shine 
So full of twilight dreams that glitter

Here's another pic of PJ Harvey, this time with the dashing Nick Cave!  I should do a style icon post on her (and him)!

Nail of the day - Revlon Ruby Ribbon - Matte

Hello all.  I've been experimenting with the matte nails trend over the past couple of days.  I've bought the Rimmel matte topcoat as well as two matte nail polishes from the autumn/winter Revlon collection.  I only bought the Revlon polishes for the colours - I didn't know that they were matte until I got them home!

First up is Ruby Ribbon.  This is a gorgeous dark red colour, with a brown and plum undertone - perfect for autumnal days.  As well as being a matte finish, it also has a shimmer to it - quite a contrast.  The shimmer is definitely underneath the matte - it's a bit hard to describe, but it looks lovely.  I was sitting at my desk today with the sun shining in on my nails, admiring the shimmer and the mattness of them!

In natural light

I was a bit worried about how easy this polish would be to apply.  I've previously used Minted by Revlon - one of the summer's hottest colours.  It is one of the worst polishes to apply I have ever used!  I've tried to do a NOTD with Minted about 3 times now, but I've not been able to get a finish anywhere near photo-worthy, so I've given up with it! But I needn't have worried with Ruby Ribbon - it went on like a dream, dried quickly and only took two coats to achieve a lovely finish.  One good thing about matte varnish is that you can see it drying, as it mattifies as it dries - very useful really.  

In artificial light

But there is a problem with this polish.  You will see from my photos that there's lots of tip wear (and my other hand has a couple of chips).  And this is within 24 hours of applying it.  The reason is, of course, that because it's matte, you can't put a topcoat on it, as that would defeat the point of matte nails!  So it doesn't last very long at all.  The only way round this I can think of would be to put a topcoat on, and then put a matte topcoat on top of that.  And what's the point of this when the whole USP of the varnish is that it's matte? 

Have you got round the wear-problem with matte polish?

Thanks for reading!  xx

Adventures in Primark...and Haul

I thought I'd do a post and haul pictures of my first visit to Primark in about 7 years!!!  I'm not sure why I've not been for so long.  Probably, a pathological hatred of crowds, the jumble sale like quality of the old Primark in Bristol, the lack of good clothes last time I visited and an unease about the ethics of the company.

However, I went shopping with some friends of mine (all who hate Primark), and ventured into Primani on Saturday afternoon (the worst time right?), over-comming my fears, getting quite a good haul for under £30.  Overall, I was quite impressed with the range on offer - so much better than the last time I went there.  The new shop (in the old House of Fraser store) was light, bright and spaceous and we didn't have to queue to get into the changing rooms or the tills.  We were looking mainly for accessories f, so we didn't spend that long looking at the clothes.  We were very impressed by the selection on offer - OK there was still a lot of cheap tat on offer, but we did manage to un-earth some hidden gems.  And the prices - they were excellent for the accessories!

Here are pictures of what I bought.  I also got a couple of pairs of undies and a black vest, but I've not shown these.  All in, it came to £29.50 - not bad!

I loved these chain earrings

£1 for a giant bronzing brush - not bad!

I almost bought some of these in Boots the other day - glad I didn't!

I couldn't photo these properly, but they were my buy of the day.  £7 for bright purple driving gloves (the most expensive thing I bought) - and there was a choice of colours too...

These peacock hair-clips will be great for my Burleque outfit

I loved the pattern on this bangle

I've been looking for a Victorian style coctail ring

Well, you can never have enough socks, can you?

I've seen this fabulous bird-cage necklace on some other blogs, and I was so pleased to find it in Primark.  And at £2, what a bargain!

So, I still have some mixed feelings about Primark.  I'm not sure if I'll start making regular trips there, but it's definitely worth popping into if you have something in mind (or even if you don't).  But you lot know that already, it's me who never goes in there!

Thanks for reading! XX

8 Questions Tag!

I've been tagged by the fab Nicoletta with 8 questions.  Thank you very much!  Here are my answers:

1. What's your favourite ice cream flavour?

Definitely Vanilla!  Especially real vanilla with the little pods in it!

2. How many times have you really been in love?

Only properly once - with my lovely boyfriend - we've been together for over 10 years now.  Before him, only crushes!

3. Favourite body lotion?

Either Palmers Coco Butter or The Sanctuary Body Lotion.  Both smell fab, are great moisturisers and I love them!  I couldn't chose between them!

4. Do you believe in spirits/ ghosts?

Rationally, I don't, but in reality, I totally believe in ghosts!  I've never seen one, but I can scare myself silly watching Most Haunted, or looking at ghostly photos on the internet.  I love anything mysterious or ghostly.

5. Whats your favourite drink? Alcoholic or soft drink?

My favourite alcoholic drink is probably wine, and my favourite soft drink is orange juice, and also I'm a coffee fiend!

6. Do you have a big family?

Yes!  I've got a brother and two sister, and 6 neices and nephews!  And that's not counting my boyfriend's family - he is also one of four kids, so that's a lot of Christmas presents for everyone!

7. Did you have a nickname at school?

Not one that stuck!  One girl called me Hammy for a term because she thought I looked like a hamster - I'm not sure why, because I don't!  I've also been called Cakey, Kitkat and Caprice at various times, but luckily they've never taken - a good thing because I hate all of them!

8. What 1 makeup/ skincare item are you lusting after?

At the moment, it's the YSL Manicure Couture Duo - I really want the gold and purple one! Or maybe the teal and purple one.  I can't decide!

And here are my questions:

1. What's your favourite every beauty product?

2. What animal was your first pet and what was it called?

3. What is your favourite type of exercise?

4. What's more important - lipstick or mascara?

5. How often do you get your hair cut?

6. What is your favourite makeup brand?

7. What's your favourite film?

8. Where would you like to go on your next holiday?

I tag all my fellow lovely blogger!  Feel free to answer my questions if they interest you!

Thanks for reading!  xx

Sample Sunday and Beauty Diet Update

Hello all!  I've been a bad blogger over the last few days - I've been so busy I've not been able to do any blogging or read any of your lovely blogs.  Anyway, I promise to remedy that over the next few days.  I've got a few new exciting posts planned (including one on over-coming my fears of Primark and doing a little shop there, and buying and styling up an outfit for a burlesque night I'm going to soon) and I will catch up on all the fab blogs I follow!

Sample Sunday

Anyway, it's Sunday, so that means it's Sample Sunday - the day I put another sample or sachet from my stash to the test.  Today I've tried Nivea My Silhouette! gel-cream Bio-Slim Complex.  

From reading the blurb on the back of the packet, it appears to be a slimming and firming gel, although it doesn't explicitly state that!  I'm always a bit dubious about this type of product - I've used firming and anti-cellulite creams in the past and they've not made the slightest bit of difference!  I also don't think that I can make a good assessment of the product based on the amount in the sachet - about 2 applications. 

The My Silhouette is a rather alarmingly bright green colour.  I rubbed it on my thighs, hips, stomach and buttocks as suggested - it was easy to rub in and absorbed easily, but it doesn't feel particularly firming or moisturising at first, but after about 10 minutes, it did start to feel quite tingly, so it seems to be doing something.  It did feel very cold though, which I wasn't expecting.  It's supposed to smell of white tea and anise but I just found it to have a light, inoffensive, slightly powdery smell that has lingered for a while.

So, I'm impressed that it tingles, but I can hardly judge its effectiveness from the tiny amount I have to use.  As I'm skeptical about these type of products anyway, I won't be rushing out to purchase it!

The Beauty Diet Update

I'm storming through some of the products I've been trying to use up.  One set of shampoo and conditioner is finished, I'm still making an effort to use up my horrible exfoliators, and I'm making inroads into all the little bottles of bubble bath and shower get I have.  I'm also getting through all my random moisturisers at a fast pace.  As well, I've dug out a load of half used perfumes, and have got through about 3 bottles of these so far, so it's all going well.  In fact, I'm worried that some of the targets I have set myself will be hard to reach - no new shampoos until the end of October?  I'm not sure if I can make that one!  I'll try my best to make it, but I won't go without shampoo if I run out!

In terms of make up, I've ordered and received the Urban Decay Naked palette (post to follow on this soon), and I'm blown away by how good it is!  I'll definitely be using it loads!  This wasn't included in my budget of £100 for random makeup lusts, so that's very lucky.

So far I've spent the following:

£5 on some eye makeup remover in Boots

£2.40 on foot scrub from Ebay (including postage)

£3 in Primark on a bronzing brush, some travel pots and glitter eyeliner

I know this isn't all make up, but I thought I'd include all non-essential beauty spending that I've not accounted for in my £100 budget.  So I've now got £89.60 to last me until the end of November - eek!  Oh well, I did have a mooch around the beauty counters in Debenhams yesterday, and didn't spend a thing, so that's something!

Anyway, as ever, thanks for reading! xx

More Urban Decay NYC Book of Shadows - Eye of the Day

Hello ladies!  I've been playing around with my Urban Decay NYC palette again.  Tonight, I've tried out a really bold look using only two colours, Haight, a fantastic metallic teal colour, and Money, a shimmery mint.  The colours show up slightly more blue than they are in real life, unfortunately.

I used Haight all over my lower lid and crease - I really packed it on.  Then I used a small amount of Money in my inner eye and to slightly blend out Haight just above my crease at the outer part of my eye.

Finally, I used the Zero eyeliner on my lashline and waterline and mascara. I think that a liquid or gel eyeliner would be better on the upper lids, as it would give more of a contrast.

This look is a lot bolder than I'd usually go for.  Even my boyfriend commented on it (and he usually never notices my make up)!  I was thinking that it would be perfect to wear to a gig, especially to a loud, raucous rock or punk gig!  What do you reckon - where would you wear really bold make up looks?

Thanks for reading xx

Urban Decay NYC Book of Shadows - Eye of the Day

Hello all.  I've had a long, hard day today, so when I got in this evening I decided to play around with some of the colours from my new Urban Decay NYC palette to cheer myself up a bit! 

I've seen quite a few posts from fellow bloggers celebrating their palettes (which made me lemming like mad!), but very few on actual 'looks' yet, so I thought I'd try a wearable look.

For the base all over my lower eyelid I used Bordello.  This is a reddish, brownish shade with a sheeny shimmer - it's not too glittery and is probably the most neutral colour in the palette.

I then applied Last Call through my crease and the outer quarter of my lids.  This is similar toned to Bordello, but darker and more pinky. It's also more shimmery than Bordello. For some reason, it appears to be lighter in my swatches, but I swear, it's darker in real life!

I then used Rockstar to darken up the outer crease and outer V of my eye.  I love this shade, it's a very dark, plummy, purpley shade.  I could see myself doing a maximum impact look with this all over my lower lids with loads of eyeliner!

Smudged under my lower lashes, I used Haight.  This is a gorgous metallic teal shade with a brilliant sheen.

For a highlighter under my brow and in my inner eye, I used Uzi.  This is uber-glittery, so I used it sparingly under my brow.  This is probably a bit too glittery a highlighter for this look, but I wanted all the shades to come from the palette, and there's not much more choice.

I finished off the look with Zero eyeliner on my lashline and waterline and loads of mascara.

L-R Bordello, Last Call, Rockstar, Haight, Uzi

By the way, the shadows are very soft, so be careful with them.  Look what happened to poor Money, and I've not even used it yet!  That happend when I was just getting the liner out of the box!

 

What do you think?  It's probably a bit too full on for a day in the office, but I would definitely wear it for a night out!  Have you put together any looks from this palette yet?

Thanks for reading! XX

Style Crush - Chloe Sevigny

Hello ladies.  Today's style crush is the Queen of NYC Cool, New York IT girl, model, Oscar nominated actress and fashion designer Chloe Sevigny.  I love her style, it's so cool and understated, as well as being edgy at the same time.  The coolest thing about her is her attitude!

Images from Google Images

Chloe is best known for playing odd-ball and off-beat roles in indie flicks.  However, I particularly love her in the HBO drama Big Love where she plays Nicky Grant, one of a trio wives in a Mormon polygamist family.  Her style in this is frumpy and mumsy and her character is very complicated.  I would highly recommend you watch Big Love - it's great.  (Big Love series 1 is often available on demand for Virgin viewers.  However, no British tv station has shown seasons 2 - 4, so you would have to look at illicit ways to watch it, which I would not recommend!)  

Despite her frumpy clothing in the show, she totally pulls off the style - and doesn't it look a lot like Stella McCartney's recent 'Mum Chic' summer collection?  

Chloe Sevigny has also released her own clothing line called Opening Ceremony.  Is there nothing this woman can't do?

Thanks for reading XX

Sample Sunday #2

This is the second post of Sample Sunday.  Basically, every Sunday I will be trying out a different sample from my sample stack.  I've got loads of samples that I never use, so I will be making an effort to use one thing a week, and reviewing it here.  

Last week I tried out The Body Shop's Vitamin E Moisture Cream and was less than impressed.  However, I've persevered in using it through the week and have finally finished the sample pot I had.  In the end, I found that two applications of the cream were needed to give me the moisture level I like on my face, but then I do like quite a rich moisturiser.  My skin's not really looking much different after a week's worth of use.  I didn't hate the product, but I won't be buying it any time soon.

Anyway, this week I decided to use this peppermint foot scrub from Boots Natural Collection.  This has been kicking around for years, and I'm surprised I've not used it yet, as I like a good foot scrub.  Before I used it, I cleaned out the Vitamin E Cream pot and decanted all the peppermint scrub into it, so I can get a few more uses and not have a half-opened sachet hanging around in my bathroom cupboard. There was a lot of product in the sachet - enough for quite a few uses.

 

The scrub itself is blue in colour and has quite a thick consistency, with a fresh and minty, but not over-powering smell.  I didn't need much to give my feet a good scrub.  It has quite 'scrubby' grains in it, which I like.  My feet are generally horrendous, so the scrubbier the better as far as I'm concerned. Also, I'd got caught in the rain yesterday in black gladiator sandals, and the dye from my shoes had stained my heels so badly that my feet still looked dirty, even after a serious lather in the shower.  But the peppermint scrub together with a pumice stone and then my Scholl foot file sorted out the staining, and made my heels softer. 

I really liked the foot scrub, it's probably one of the best foot scrubs I've used!  I couldn't find it on the Boots website, so hopefully they still make it.  Does anyone know if they do?

Thanks for reading!  xx

Chanel - Taupe Grise

Last week I rushed out to lemming Chanel Paradoxal and managed to get my hands on a bottle.  However, the sales assistant was clearly very good at her job and showed me all the other gorgeous products from the A/W collection.  I wanted to buy all of them, but just about managed to stretch my budget to one fabulous eye shadow single – Taupe Grise.

At £19.50 this is definitely the most expensive shadow I’ve ever bought, but I’m certainly getting my money’s worth for it – I’ve worn it every day since I bought it.  As the pictures show, you get quite a lot of shadow for your money, embossed with the famous interlinked ‘C’ logo, and encased in the glamorous Chanel packaging.  I love it!

As far as the shadow goes, it’s an amazing colour, taupe, with a good dollop of purple (although it appears more brown in the pictures) and a very light shimmer.  It’s highly pigmented - a little goes a long way – and a soft formula that is super-easy to blend. 

I’ve also found this to be a very versatile shadow, and have been able to make loads of different looks with it.  I’ve used it as a lid and crease colour at the same time, building up the intensity on the crease to create contrast.  It can be sheer, or much more dramatic.  Basically, I love it so much, it’s quickly become my favourite colour and I now want Vert Khaki as well.

For this look, I used the lighter colour from my Clinique Colour Surge eye shadow duo over the lower lid, Chanel Taupe Grise in the crease and outer corner of my eye and Shroom by MAC on my brow bone and as a highlight.  The eyeliner is Icon by Prestige.  I love the eyeliner colour, but the application is awful, it’s very hard to get a smooth line.  I used My Biggest Lashes by Prestige for mascara.  

The photos are with and without a flash.

I've swatched here, showing the colour on its own, over UDPP and next to Shale by MAC, but former favourite taupe colour.

L-R: Taupe Grise, Taupe Grise over UDPP, Mac Shale

Thanks for reading! XX