26 February 2010

H&M haul!

Just another quick post...i went shopping again today and bought a casual outfit for through the day. I wanted an outfit along the lines of the French Rivierva / Military style. I think what i got kind of fits into both! The top was only £3! Bargain! Teamed with a skinny skirt, some black spotty tights and a cute woven leather belt! Cant wait to wear it all!



I also picked up a couple more nail varnishes, as the first one i bought from there is now my favourite nail varnish that i own! So i went for Black, Purple and Blue.
The black isnt quite as shiny as the Barry M black, it has tiny tiny glitter in it. Very pretty. The purple is similar to a Barry M purple i have, but this is a lot nicer and a lot easier to apply! And the blue i just had to put on, i love it!







Oh and one more thing...this is me wearing the Mememe Poppy tint which is bought yesterday...I love it! Its such a nice soft pink colour and it really does stay put! I tried it last night too, i put two coats on and it was really nice, more of a night look though! Through the day is nice with one coat! Love!

I love late birthday presents!

The other day i recieved a major parcel from the postman!! It was from my best friend who lives 600 miles away...and it was a late birthday present!!

I love all the things she got me so much, i thought id share them!!



First off was this beautiful Topshop slouch bag! I love it so much, and seeing as i cant afford a Mulberry Alexa, this makes a nice alternative!

Then i got this Lancome lip gloss, i threw the box away so dont know the name...but its a lovely nude colour with teeny weeny red flecks in it. It really is gorgeous!



I also got these pretty earrings, which i have worn since and i love them!



And then lastly is this book...The range of books actually won gift of the year 2008 and you buy it to give to someone else, who then fills it out and gives it back to you!! So i have to fill out this whole book, where each page is a different question about my life, my childhood, pets, our friendship, my family and all these memories...and then give it back to her when i finish! and she basically has a book about me! What more could a best friend want!?



You get these books online and in shops, and they come for all different people, ie mum, dad, gran, grandad, and even a recipe one to pass on your recipes to others!!

Anyway thats it! Short and sweet :)

25 February 2010

Plush Toys

For my Birthday my boyfriend got me a sewing book of toys! I have so far made two projects from the book, and i love it! It has given me the idea for lots of my own designs! Here are some images from the book, and below that are my two attempts!!














This mouse took literally half an hour to make, my cat Jack is very fond of her :)




I didnt leave enough of a seam allowance...hence the rippling all around this little bear!! I thought he was quite cute for my first attempt though!!


I have found some crafts blogs where lovely people make LOVELY plush toys, all so unique and made from beautiful fabrics and cute details. I hope to make some of my own designs soon enough! I just need to sit down and properly design them first!!

Do you have any tips for making toys? Have you made any you can share with me!?

Payday!

Yes today was payday!! Yet again it was a miserable day...grey and very very wet!! But there was one good bit of news...my little car claude passed his MOT!! Yey...so i went to town after and spent the money i had reserved for any repairs needed!




I have been reading so many blogs lately about making homemade clothing. So I bought some lovely fabric from John Lewis to make a skirt! More details on that to come...



I also got these tiny crown earrings from Accessorize! I love this shop so much, there was so many things i could have bought but i was good and made do with these!



Then i went to Superdrug...I bought a Sleek paintpot in black, I tried to swatch it but my camera is a bit crappy and wouldnt focus properly. But i love it! Ive feared these kinds of eyeliners before but it seems really easy to use and a lovely soft black, nice for blending!



I also got Loreals liner, just as a back up, as my MAC pen liner is running out :(



I got this St Ives face cleanser. Mainly because i liked the smell, but also my Clinique one is running dangerously low and i want to try something new and slightly cheaper! Tho i do love the Clinique three step system!




And i also really wanted to try the Yes To Carrots night cream but couldnt find it in Boots so i opted for this night cream. Its so silky and the smell reminds me of when my mum used olay when i was little!



Superdrug is great for cheap british make up brands, and i actualy got the next two purchases for my sister for christmas, and she said they were great so im giving them a whirl!!







The poppy tint is supposedly a dupe for benefits posie tint! and the blusher is just a very pretty colour with some shimmer in! I will do a FOTD tomorrow and try out all my new purchases!!

MAC Palette Update
I am still trying to build my perfect mac pallette, but money is tight, so im going to limit myself to three a month! The colours i really want are: Wedge, Club, Espresso, Cranberry, Trax, Quarry, Patina and a few others! I will order my three within the next few days!

What new things have you been buying this payday? Can anyone recommend the St Ives cleanser?

18 February 2010

Anyone for Tea Candle?

Whilst perusing the Laura Ashley website today, for project ideas, i came across some things which i have loved for a while since Kirstie Alsopps HomeMade Home programme! Candles set in vintage Tea Cups. She made these as an ammateur, like myself, and i thought they were so cute...i HAD to try it!...but i kind of forgot about it until now, So Laura Ashley has re-ignited this project for me and i am going to go about it with a sense of dedication!

Whilst shopping in local charity shops the other day i overheard a lady ask the shop assistant for 'any teacups or teapots, like that in the Mad Hatters tea party!' I was intruiged as to why she wanted these, and it turned out she getting married and this was her theme! How cute! and how tying in with the Alice in Wonderland film coming out!

These are some pictures i found of candle teacups. I think they are gorgeous and i hope to make some similar. I need to get myself down to hobbycraft and look out a candle making set!








How cute they look in egg cups too! I have three glorious days off so I will get started with this and post my progress in a few days! How exciting!

Lil x

15 February 2010

What A Find!




A quick post to tell you about my absolute must have. I got it in my stocking at Christmas and have used it almost everyday since! I love it so much. It makes my hands so soft. I apply this in the morning and again at night, im almost out of it so i looked it up online and found their website. They are a German company, and their website shows a firming body lotion which i really want to try but you can only bulk buy.

The hand cream comes in a tin like i have, or a tube. I like the tin as it fits in my handbag. I usually dislike handcreams as they rub off or feel way too slippery and take ages to rub in. This is very different. Its very thick and sinks in rapidly. But it leaves the skin silky, smooth and makes them look a lot healthier. I will put this on, and around 3 or 4 hours later it feels like youve still only just applied it.

I look forward to trying more of their products, if only i can get my hands on them in the UK!!

(By the way the tins are only around £1 in selected pharmacists. usually located around the counter!)

OOTD & FOTD...

Today i decided to go charity shop shopping...On a very rainy grey day i thought it would be perfect for finding little gems...It wasnt. I found nothing. Despite going into about 10 shops! Perhaps i need to broaden my mind as to what to buy.

Anyway...this is how i looked...please excuse my dressing gown! I wear this to do my make up and it needs washed every week because i end up wiping my brushes on it!








Also excuse the big star on my head in the outfit pic! Camera faux pas!

Face
Revlon Colourstay Foundtion in Buff
ELF Complexion Perfection Powder
Rimmel Minerals Concealer

Eyes
MAC shroom all over lid
MAC woodwinked in crease and half lid
MAC retrospeck to highlight and inner corner
MAC penultimate eyeliner in rapidblack
MAC mascara x in black
MAC honesty on lower lash line for a shimmer!

Cheeks
a mix of ELFs studio blush in candid coral, and Bourjoirs Rose Ambre with ELFS golden bronzer to highlight!

Lips
Prestige lipliner in kiss all over lips. and Benefits The Gloss in no peeking! (i love this combo!)



Outfit
Urban outfitters floral dress with vintage buttons.
George at asda (mens section) Denim shirt
Topshop Fairtrade leggings
I also wore a pair of primark boots which i LOVE and wear lots with floral dresses!


Despite taking the time to get ready and go out IN THE RAIN! I am now goodie-less, cold and watching Jeremy Kyle. I think this calls for a sewing projet!

Ciao for now :)

12 February 2010

Lip Service...

Today i needed to go shopping. This wasnt a self indulgent trip...this was a mission.
I needed to get my hands on something i had heard lots about. The product? Lush's Lip Scrub.
The past three days my lips have been dry, cracked and sore. They hurt when i eat and drink or or talk do anything! So like i said...I needed this product!




I was in lush anyway buying my other half a pressie for Valentines. I found the scrub and was immediately in love.

The smell is like sweeties and bubblegum and i LOVE it, its made of caster sugar and other lovely ingredients so it literally does scrub the skin better. It is edible...or at least i hope it is because it is IMPOSSIBLE to apply this and not nibble a bit! It costs £4.50 and i think this is a really good price as you literally need a tiny bit.

The other kinds were Mint (smells like after 8!) or Vanilla Chocolate. They were nice but not as good as Bubblegum.

So after having used this 3 times today my lips feel soft and full. The dryness hasnt completely gone but i think thats partly due to my lack of water drinking. The flakes have gone though, and the stinging when i licked them.

So i'd rate this 8/10. 2 points off because 1) I think i will eat it all in a week, and 2) It literally is like rubbing plain sugar into your lips, what would make it better in my eyes would be a slight jelly consistancy so that the sugar doesnt go eveywhere.

Apart from that...im happy with my lip service :)

8 February 2010

My Projects!







Ta Daa! At last i have finished my first Patchwork project! Quite a good little project, kept me occupied for a few weeks! I loved trawling ebay for squares of fabric! And even sneaked in a few of my own fabrics. It is quite a small quilt, probably good for a baby...or in my case my cat! He loves in and has claimed it as his own!

I have also been busy working away on these oven gloves! Only took me one evening to make...i love them! The pattern was from my Cath Kidston book, Sew! I used them yesterday to take my dinner out the oven and they work which is good! They are now pride of place hanging off my kitchen drawer!




One last thing...I eventually finished my scarf that i started before christmas! Its not AS long as id have liked it, but its my first ever scarf and i can wear it with pride! My second one is already started, this wool is so soft and lovely colour, i am using 9mm needles this time, hoping to get that chunkier look! Watch this space for the finished prodcut!



6 February 2010

Face and Outfit of the Day!

Today is my day off, so i am spending it sewing, knitting and shopping! My ideal day! Despite spending most of the day indoors, i nipped out to Boots to get some hair dye, therefore i put my face on and put a nice dress on. Its raining outside, which is common here, so i like to own floral/tea dresses to brighten up my days!






Face
Clinique dramtically different moisturizing gel.
Mac Studio Sculpt Foundation in NW20 mixed with Revlon colourstay foundation in buff.
Elfs Complextion Perfection.

Eyes
Urban Decay Primer Potion. Barry M dazzle dust in 39. Mac Satin Taupe in crease. Mac shroom as highlight. Mac Mascara X in Black X. Mac Penultimate eyeliner in RapidBlack. Urban Decay 24/7 liner in Zero.

Cheeks
Bourjois blush in 35 Lune D'or. Diorblush Duo in 943 Framboise/Strawberry Sorbet. Elfs Countouring blush duo to contour slightly. Elfs Golden Bronzer to add extra highlight.

Lips
Rimmels Nude Delight and Elfs Natural Nymph lipstick. Prestige Lipliner in silk.


A lot of these products i use everyday, some are one offs! I am going quite natural today, no particular reason why!



My dress is a fairly recent purchase from Topshop. It is a floral tea dress, This style of dress is my favourite and most flattering for my shape. I teamed it with a black bow necklace which you probably cant make out from this pic. Black tights, but navy also looks good! Some boots i got from primark a year ago, i love them! And a brown leather jacket from River Island!

1 February 2010

Saturday Night Face!


Ok so i dont have a great camera...so the pic is slightly too dark! It was at night though so this probably explains it! I went out on saturday night, first night out in a while! I bought a new outfit and it was a really good night! Needless to say i was very drunk and there are a few awful piccies but i shant share those with you!

I wore my hair straight as you can tell! With a slight quiff thing going on.

I wont bother with the product list because the photo is a bit crappy, you wont be able to tell the real look of the products!

:)

Curly Wurly

So just a very quick post...after a few lenthgy ones! For christmas my mum got me the Babyliss Pro dial-a-heat large barrel curling irons! I hadnt tried them up until now and i must say im confused...I began with hair which i had washed the night before, blasted with the hairdryer and left it like that. When i woke i had slightly wavy hair which was a good base to begin with! I used the tongs on the highest heat to begin with because i wasnt sure of their effectiveness! The tongs were weird in that they no matter how i used them, vertically or horizontally or with the barrel turning one way or the other they always left my hair dented...as you can see from the photo!



I thought this was maybe to do with the 'too high' heat so i turned it down but i found the same thing happened! It is obviously just where the clamp is just too big and dents everytime i wind it. However...having said all this the end result was quite nice i thought! The dents seemed to just disappear probably from the weight of the hair but on shorter hair this might not be the case! Anyway i probably will keep using these but i will try and resolve this if i can, though how im not sure!


Boots Boots Boots!

Another shopping trip and more goodies! Taking my make up off is so important to me, as with most people. I do it before bed or before if its irritating me. Lately i have been using wipes but i get bored so i thought id try and mix it up a bit! I have been using Loreals De-Maq expert eye and face make up remover cream for a while as well, I use it on cotton wool pads and on i go, but i did feel it left my skin feeling a bit milky so i wanted a toner for afterwards which would refresh my skin before my moisturiser! I have used botanics products before and love the brand itself. Their hair dyes are very good and also their face masks so i bought the soothing toner and brightening eye make up remover.


I tried the eye make up remover first. On first appearance i thought it was a nice oil/water product, so i shook it up , put it on cotton wool and proceeded to take off my heavy eye make up from that day. I will not lie, this product is VERY oily! Not a product you want to use anywhere other than your eyes, i found that even if i went a bit far outwith my eye area it was a horrible feeling! Im not a fan of oily products at all, i think this is due to my long hair and i dont like the feeling of it possibly transferring onto it. So i use this product on the day when i will wash my hair in the morning, and the Loreal De-Maq on the days where i will just re-style my hair the next day! I must say though that despite the oilyness it did remove every single trace of product on my eyes and left them feeling wonderful. I then use the Toner to remove all trace of the oil and to soothe my skin. I love the toner, it smells lovely and you can really tell it works and removes any leftover residue of make up, by looking at the pad afterwards! Yuk!..(also i this pic is Ruby and Millies nail varnish in Red 430p, a really lovely colour which i have put a close up pic of in another post!, and a burgundy eyeliner from revlon which i picked up!)

So altogher a thumbs up for botanics! After visiting the botanics range i popped on over to the perfumes and thought i needed a treat! I am a big fan of fruity perfumes and dont really explore outwith this preference. My favourite perfume is Miss Dior Cherie but i like to vary what i buy within the fruity range! I love escada perfumes though they do sometimes smell a bit over the top when, and arent really wearable for me outwith the summer months! A few others i love are Christina Aquilera (both the normal and night), Absolutely Givency but this was a limited edition and havent repurchased it, but i bought it at duty free before a holiday so if i ever do buy it off ebay it will remind me of holidays which is always nice!





Anyway back to the point...i love perfume bottles and i have about 20 on my dresser...most empty...but i love the look of the different designs all together! So the perfume i bought was Vera Wangs Glam Princess. I had heard a lot about this perfume, and being a fruit fanatic i had to try it! In boots i tried a few testers, mainly Victor and Rolfs Flowerbomb and Juicy Coutures one which i liked both of, but i went with vera! The bottle is GORGEOUS. i mean absolutely one of the nicest bottles ive seen! I love the little crown on the top which in the tv advert the girl wears as a ring! The fragrance is lovely, such a wearable scent which stays put on my wrist, and i can smell throughout the day! Love my purchse and i love that it now sits pride of place amongst my collection!

I was out on saturday night as well so i wanted somenew eyelashes which were a bit different. I have lots of the usual style, but none with a flick at the side so i thought id give them a whirl! I dont actually have a pic of me wearing them but here is what they look like in the pack! They are eyelure ones and they stayed put into the wee hours of sunday morning so overall i loved these!