LilyRibbons

Business Cards

2011-08-04T10:26:00.000-07:00

As my mind turns to Craft Shows, I decided to create some of my own business cards.

I love the design, mainly because i could use it on postcards, patchworks, woven labels, stickers or anything! And they were so easy to design. With a little help from photoshop!

Oh..I have been seriously slacking in the Blogger department, I am going to have a bit of a giveaway to make up for this :)

Love Lil xx

Boxy Bag..

2011-05-21T10:09:00.000-07:00

Today i made a boxy bag. Im very pleased with my first attempt!

You are meant to use interfacing to make it firmer, but i made it with a thicker cotton on the outside...next time i'll try the interfacing!

What do you think? I think a duo fabric outer would look cute :)

Love Lil x

Gustopher the Great..

2011-05-21T06:11:00.000-07:00

This is Gus...My friends brand new 6 week old puppy! How cuuuuuttte!!

I shall be making him a nice puppy blanket this weekend...because hes just too cuute!

Love Lil x

The Zooooooo!

2011-05-21T04:58:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we visited Marwell Zoo. It was a lovely day, and the animals were fabulous. I loved the Giraffes the most, But the limas were super cute too!

Heres some piccies from the day...

Have you ever been to Marwell Zoo? Love it :)

5 Cushions a day keeps the doctor away...

2011-05-21T04:51:00.000-07:00

Here are some of my favourite cushions at the moment..love all the colours and stripes! The union jack one was my inspiration for one i attempted in the previous post!

Im going to attempt the top one first, its lush!!

Which ones do you like the most?

Love Lil x

Long Overdue..

2011-05-08T05:12:00.000-07:00

This post is long overdue..as the title says!

My laptop has been broken for a while now and funding issues meant a fix had to wait! I now have it back and so im back to my blog!

Heres some things i've been up to in the past few weeks...

1. Making Union Jack Cushion.

I joined in the Great British spectacle that was the Royal Wedding, and my offering was this cushion. Pretty and now is pride of place in my Mini Cooper :) How very British of me.

2. Making Beds.

Well, Duvet Covers to be precise :) This colourful creation cost roughly £8 to make and was lots of fun. I suggest everyone make their own duvet! :) And matching Cushions ;)

3. Exploring New Cushions.

Some beauties I have found recently...

4. Last but not least..Owl cushions!

My sister loves these, so ive decided to make her one for her graduation in July.

Heres some inspiring ones ive found so far...

Its good to be back! Hopefully it wont be too long until my next post!

Love Lil xx

February Finds

2011-02-04T05:17:00.000-08:00

I love Miss Dior Cherie. But cost wise, I hate it! £30+ for 30ml. Ridiculous.

I heard Next made a perfume that was said to be identical to it. I heard correct!

Introducing Next, Diamonds. Its fabulous, the bottle is pretty, and the best thing? 100ml...£12!! Bargain I think you'll agree!!

I cannot recommend this highly enough.

Next, you saviours you!

Another recent purchase is Maybellines Dream Satin Liquid foundation. I have tried a few brands of foundation recently, Mainly the Bourjois ones, but found them either really drying or really greastastic!

I find this a lovely balance, It doesnt grease, and it never dries funny. It is blendable, a perfect shade for my skin, and was on offer in boots for £6! Bargain!

Another find this month is Garniers Complete Cleansing Milk. I use this at night to remove all traces of make up. It works really well on removing my mascara (Collection 2000's Big Fake, which is notoriously difficult to remove).

The best feature of this remover, is how soft it leaves my skin afterwards. Its as if I've just cleansed, toned and moisturised all in one go! Its fabulous, and with such a decent sized bottle, I shall enjoy using this every night for a long time to come!

Crown Brushes

2011-02-04T05:12:00.000-08:00

I love Crown Brushes. I think they're super quality and fabulous prices.

I own a few already, mainly eyeshadow ones. So i chose two face ones for my next purchases.

These are from the badger series (my fave!). They are soft, lightweight and small enough for a medium make up bag.

I would definately choose 4 of these brushes over 1 mac brush. I think these were around £5 each. Whereas macs can be more than £30 at times.

The flat bronzer is fab for contouring the cheeks and temples. The angle brush i use for highlight, as its smaller than your average blusher brush, and gets just where you need it to!

Perfect!

Elf Palette

2011-02-04T05:06:00.000-08:00

I got this Elf palette for Christmas. Its lush, I love it.

Okay so I might not use ALL the colours, but its nice to know if you want a 'different' colour, there's plenty to choose from!

I'm not sure how much this is on the website, but its worth buying i'd say! :)

New Year, New machine :)

2011-02-04T04:58:00.000-08:00

My new sewing machine..Toyota FSL 18. I needed a faster mahine for my needs. I will probably sell my old John Lewis mini one.

I love this machine, its sooo fast, has pink on it, and was only £115!

I also picked up this Sewing accessories travel case (both from argos). This was £25 i think.

Its got 5 plastic boxes inside, all with small sections. Perfect for storing threads, buttons, ribbons, bobbins...the list goes on! I have filled three boxes already!

Its also got fab side compartments and a zip compartment, where i store scissors and larger items.

I love it...and its lilac which makes it even lovelier :)

My mum got me these cute embroidery scissors for my birthday in December. So handy for cutting sewing machine threads, and generally just super cute :)

Mac

2011-02-04T04:47:00.000-08:00

My new quad :) I love it, and I love the new packaging too. I wish the 15 pan pallete was see thru too!

My colours of choice were...Cranberry, Sumptuous Olive, Quarry and Brule.

I love Brule as an all over base, Cranberry is fab to blend with a shimmery bronze/brown. Sumptuous olive is great all over or just in the crease. and Quarry is lovely in the crease, with retrospeck in the inner corner

I also recently got Macs Painterly Paint pot...and the hype is true...

'I dont know how i ever lived without it' :)

Patchwork Blanket

2011-02-04T04:23:00.000-08:00

My first project of the year was a patchwork blanket..not quite a quilt...but big enough to snuggle under :)

Here is the process in pictures...

Cut out 150 squares of around 15cm by 15cm. (I used about 15 different fabrics)

End up with a pile like this...

Lay the squares out in a favoured pattern..I tried to mix and match the colours so it was varied...

Find a backing fabric...I used this fleece which was a bargain at £2 from tesco, and fitted my needs perfectly!

Sew strips of squares, then sew the strips together...I prefer the not so perfect look, so none of my squares match up perfectly...

And here is the finished blanket! Its so cosy with the fleece on the back, and super colourful!

My next mission is a full sized double quilt...In fact im starting this weekend :)

p.s I havent been around much lately, My laptops broken so its hard to get on and post! :)

Bird in Flight Tattoo...

2010-12-23T08:41:00.000-08:00

I dont think i need to explain here...but im contemplating my next tattoooo...LOVE these pics :)

Giveaway Winner!

2010-12-19T13:50:00.000-08:00

A quick post to announce the winner of my first giveaway!

Firstly thanks to everyone who entered!! Your entries are muchly appreciated!

So onto the winner...Congratulations to Olivia fro Olivia Writes!

I have contacted you via email so will wait to hear from you!

Hopefully i will be holding another giveaway soom so keep your eyes peeled!

Lil xx

Hot Water Bottle Cover Tutorial

2010-12-12T07:30:00.000-08:00

Remember that kilt i bought in a charity shop a few months back for £1? There i was, sat thinking about what to make next...and so here it is...padded quilt hot water bottle cover :)

You will need:

Outer Fabric (Kilt)
Padding/wadding - very cheap from john lewis or fabric shops!
Inner/Lining Fabric (Strawberry)
Thread (try and make this the same colour as your outer fabric!
Bias Binding - not much, about 50cm!
Greaseproof/tracing paper.
Sewing machine optional, but a lot faster with one!!

Lets Get Started!!...

First, draw around your hot water bottle, leaving a 2cm gap round the edge all the way round.

Do this onto greaseproof/tracing paper as it is easy to work with.

Pin this to your fabric and cut out one whole one, a small half for the top and a larger bottom half, so that when placed on top of the whole one, they overlap.

Next place your cut out sides onto the wadding and cut out - leaving a gap of about an inch all the way round. Do this for all three pieces.

Next do the same with the lining/inner fabric. In the end you should have a sandwich seen below.

Pin this sandwich together and then carefully sew together.

Bias bind together the two straight edges from the broken half.

Lay the whole piece, right side up, and place the smaller piece on top right side down. then the larger broken piece also right side down. So that when all turned inside out, the outer fabric only is showing.

Sew round all edges carefully, The machine will go through this as its all thin fabric!

Turn inside out and voila!!

I know mines not perfect, but its my first attempt and i love it!...

Another christmas present in the bag!!

Lil x

Pretty Bunting Tutorial

2010-12-11T05:42:00.000-08:00

This is a really easy tutorial for making pretty bunting. It can be used to decorate rooms, stalls and even cars (yes im thinking car window bunting!)

What you will need...

Fabric..This can be all the same colour, or different patterns as i have gone for.
Scissors..for cutting out your triangles.
A cardboard triangle template...Mine is 14cm at top, and 16 on either side.

Some Bias Binding (170cm) in the colour of your choice (really cheap from fabric shops)

Cotton in a matching or contrasting colour to your bunting.

...Sewing machine is optional but very quick if you have one!

Lets get started!...

Firstly you will need to choose your fabrics, I chose ten as this makes a nice length of bunting.

Place your triangle on the fabric and cut out, leaving a cm either side of the cardboard. You can save fabric by turning the triangle upside down each time you cut.

You will need two fabric triangles per bunting triangle (does that make sense?) for front and back!

You should end up with something that looks like this...

Next, place correct sides together and sew down each side - not the top!!

(Quick tip for sewing machine users..Sew down one side, At the bottom of the triangle keep the needle in and turn the fabric - saves time and having to sew each side separately!)

Trim the excess and turn inside out. Press with an iron to keep flat.

Repeat this for all sets of triangles!

Next you will need to work out which order you want your triangles and fold the bias binding over each of the triangle tops. It makes it way easier to do this all in advance and pin in place, like below :)

Sew all triangles onto the bias, making sure it is always folded correctly, and the triangle is sandwiched inbetween! I just do one continuous sewing strip, and sew together the empty bias inbetween each triangle. This will save you a lot of time over sewing each one in individually!

And here is the finished bunting!

Let me know if you make this yourself as i would love to see pictures!!

Lil x

Cushions Cushions Everywhere!

2010-12-05T08:13:00.000-08:00

Today i made some xmas presents...cushions

This pretty burgundy one , in the same style as previous ones. So easy to make and so pretty :)

This one i made for myself, out of strips of some of my fabric! I love it. I have filled it with toy stuffing, so its sooooo comfy and soft :) I love the velvet strips and the colour graduation...

Im thinking a ruffled one like this would be pretty!

And lastly a few pics of some inspirational cushions...Im loving the large red rose one!

Dont forget to enter my Giveaway to win an Elf Palette, Handmade Make Up Bag and someother goodies!

Lil xx

My Week in Pictures...

2010-11-28T07:40:00.000-08:00

...Or should i say my 'recent' weeks in pictures!

I've been quite busy these past few weeks, hence not many posts! But i have returned once again with some pictures of recent antics, and some stories to tell :)

Firstly, to follow on from my last post about my new found love of cushion making, I made this Cushion for my friends birthday...i was meant to give her the blue one i made in the last post..but i figured it wouldnt go in her flat, so i made this cute white one :)

I added little burgandy roses that i found in fabric land. I love it, it was cheap cheap cheap to make, and so easy :)

Last week i moved house.. I now live in a house share, so only really have my room to myself. Which i quite like :)

I spent last weekend unpacking my bags and hanging all my homely bits. I have gathered many hanging hearts from lots of different places, and i love them all, i hung every single one!

I also made some bunting last weekend, (in the first pic below) it super cheap to make, in fact it cost me nothing! I will make a tutorial on this next weekend...

I have also been on a few christmassy trips after work these past few weeks...its so nice to get out and about, despite the cold weather.

The pics below are of two trips i went on...One to Keydell garden centre where there was every decoration and light you ould possibly imagine! Every colour of tinsel! And..some cute donkeys!

I also went to Stansted house for a chrismas market..which was held inside the big mansion. It was so pretty and christmassy! And there was some horses dressed as reindeer pulling santa along!

So charming :)

Last but not least...i went to a fancy dress party..here i am in my maid costume...in the toilet :)

Have you guys been to any christmas fairs or markets yet?

Please remember to enter my giveaway below!!

I will be taking part in a christmas handmade fair in a couple of weeks, so expect some crafty pictures and tutorials in the coming week :)

Lil xx

LilyRibbons Giveaway :)

2010-11-28T07:23:00.000-08:00

Today i am holding my first ever giveaway...because i was going to hold one at 70 followers...but i can do it early because its my blog :)

Up for winning is a 32 piece Elf Eyeshadow Palette, A pretty make up bag...made by yourse truly! and a few cheeky suprises too :)

To be in with a chance of winning, the rules are as follows...
1) You must be a follower :)
2) You must leave a comment in this post, with the words 'Enter me because i'm fabulous'...
3) You must also leave your blog and email address so i can contact you if you win...
4) Lastly you must post about this giveaway in your blog or sidebar :)

I love Elf products, and so decided to give away something that would love to recieve myself :)

Good luck....

The giveaway will close Sunday 19th December, and winner announced the same day!

You should then recieve your little gift by xmas day! :)

Lil xx

Favourite Products right now...

2010-11-14T09:00:00.000-08:00

I havent been doing much cosmetics shopping recently, Mainly funding issues, and also i didnt really seem to have run out of anything.

However, all in one week i ran out of my Bourjois Healthy Mix foundation AND My Rimmel SexyCurves mascara! So off to superdrug i went..

The first of my purchases was a well thought out buy, no impulses here. I had seen this foundation advertised on a few blogs, and wanted to try it myself.
I have to say i'm very inbetween with this. It is very drying and if not applied quickly, can go blotchy and really really unsightly.

But if applied well, this can be a perfect foundation. Its not at all greasy like all the other bourjois foundations i have tried. Plus its matte, so not much need for powder . The colour on me is perfect (52 Vanilla) and i love the packaging.

I'll try post some piccies of this when i can.

Next up i got a product Sam from Pixiwoo was raving about on her latest vid. Sleeks Rose Gold blush.
I love this. Its so shimmery and loaded with colour, you need very little on the brush. Big fan, I hope they bring more of these out!

I also got Collection 2000's Big Fake mascara. Mainly because of the price, but also because i LOVE a huge wand! I used to love love love Diorshow mascara because of the huge brush, but this is even better and a fraction of the price! (£4.99!)

I love this (suprise suprise)It makes my lashes full and thick and because its Ultra Black, It makes my eyes really stand out.

I can never have enough H&M Nail polishes...i could rave about these to anyone! I love the colours and the wands and the packaging...and the opaqueness of them!
They are fab! Although...the price has raised recently as im sure they never used to be 2.99!

I love a quick fix, and when i being lazy and cant be bothered to cleanse my face at the sink, i use this water make up remover with cotton pads. Its fabulous for removing all traces of face and eye make up, and its sensitive so it doesnt make my skin sting!..fabulous :)

Lastly i bought these earrings from River Island, a bit of a treat..i love :)

Lil x

Frills and things...

2010-11-14T05:08:00.000-08:00

Its my best friends birthday next week, so instead of buying something i figured i'd make her something special.

Unsure of what to make, i took to the internet for ideas and inspiration.

I found this amazing cushion on google images, and luckily it turned out there was a tutorial to go with it!...Click here for it...Amazing!

So here is my effort and interpretation.

I had to change some of the measurements slightly, and used 5 ruffles instead of 4...I think its gorgeous and i'd love it myself!

I definately want to make more cushions like this, and for my first effort i'm really impressed with how it's turned out!

Do you know any other pretty frilly cushion tutorials?

Lil x

BooHoo Inspiration...

2010-10-07T07:06:00.000-07:00

I love BooHoo. I think their range and diversity is excellent, the quality is good, and the prices even better!

Here are some of my finds of the week...

I love this dress! Casual yet classy i think. Nice with a leather jacket and some killer heels!

Loving the Harems trend, perfect for dressing up or down.

Cute Jumpsuit! Not sure if i could pull it off, but i love to think i could!!

Perfect for the Camel trend this season, I really love these.

Gorgeous pattern, and the style is lovely. Id also love to think i could pull this off!!

Do you guys ever buy from BooHoo? Please do a post like this on your blog and link me to it! I would love to see what your current faves are from their range!

Lil xx

Rest and Relaxation

2010-10-07T06:44:00.000-07:00

I have been doing some soul searching this week, after the break down of my relationship and the loss of my job last week. I have spent the past week getting away from it all, on the Isle of Wight.

I have been spending my days researching brands, collecting pictures of items i love, doing lots of sewing and fabric buying!
One day i hope to own my own gift shop, shabby chic in style of course :)

Here are some pics of things i love...

I also love this cushion, and have decided to try and recreate it...

I have sewn all the strips together, and once i find a cushion pad the same sort of length, i will form it into a nice snuggly pillow for my new life :)

I have been on the Isle of Wight for a week now, trying to get over my ex, and looking for a new job! My gran lives here, and as she used to be a seamstress, she has given me loads of lovely bits and bobs for my bag making. She is very talented, and i am so greatful for all the lovely things she gave me. As you can see there's loads! and im taking home another three carrier bags of fabric. Love it :)

Some really goregous lace trimmings.

Some vintage sewing reels from when she worked in a factory.

Lots of lovely buttons :)

Zips and lovely net fabrics.

Lots of padding and Interfacing :)

And my small pile of bags, which i hope to photograph properly soon :)

Please let me know if there are any ideas for project you have, or would like to see me try!

I am trying to broaden my project range, and develop new sewing skills!

Weekend Away...

2010-09-13T09:08:00.000-07:00

I spent this weekend at my Dads house on the Isle of Wight. Unfortunately i wasnt there for Bestival, but just a bit of a break.

I stayed in a town called Ventnor, where there is loads of charity shops, and a very messy but cool fabric shop...View from the living room...spectacular!

Anyway here are my bargains from the weekend...

I bought three types of fabric. The first, light denim, i'd wanted for ages! Think it will look so cute with floral fabric on my bags! Or scented denim hearts with vintage buttons. I love it, and the piece it huge for £5!

Next i got a large sheet of calico, just cause! This comes in handy for anything! tote bags, cushions, oven glove fabric...list goes on. £2.50 a metre!

Lastly i found this really long kilt in a charity shop...£2. If i cut of the waistband and iron out all the pleats i'll have loads! I love it with the denim, and i might use it to line some bags, for scented hearts, or maybe just some decoration around a cushion or tea towels!

Bargains i think you'll agree!

Then i found this bag...£1 in a charity shop! Its a Next one, but i could pass it off as designer i think ;) Love!

And lastly, the woven labels i ordered arrived today! Yippee! I love them, Kinda wish the colours were different but for my first ones i think they're pretty cute! £11 for 36 labels which is about 30p a label? Bargain!

I will use one in the next bag i make!

If anyone knows where to get cheap but pretty labels, please let me know!

Im always on the lookout!

Ahoy Sailor and Shabby Chic

2010-09-02T12:33:00.000-07:00

Hello :)

I have returned with a new bag, and a finished project which i started months ago!

My new bag is made from gorgeous new fabric from FabricLand in portsmouth. They were both ends of rolls, so for about 2.50 a metre...i actually got about a metre and a half so i was very lucky that day!

I also bought gorgeous new ribbons (also end of roll) so all in all it was a good day! The two fabrics together remind me of sailors and all things nautical. I love them.
I really want to aquire some light demin, i think half denim and half floral bags would be so pretty.

Now onto my project...I started this months ago when i first found my love for sewing. I sneakily went on heaps of fabric websites and asked for samples of their curtain fabrics! I made loads of scrappy hearts, and then forgot about them.

My mum sent me some cute ribbon this week so i decided to dig out the hearts and make a pretty garland for above our bed :)

All free and very shabby chic. (if i say so myself).

Bye for now :)

Haircut and Etsy Store Opening!

2010-08-08T06:44:00.001-07:00

Hello :)

So recently i had my hair cut...Long gone are the knots, tangles and ugly limp hair. Along came the pretty layers, Soft fringe and Non split ends! I love it and i wish i'd had it done a long time ago!!

Porducts used for above face...
Bourjours Healthy Mix founcation, Elf Golden Bronzer and Complexion Perfection. Mac Shroom over lid, With Patina to add depth. Loreal superliner in carbon black, Rimmel sexy curves Mascara. Rimmel shake up pink with Gosh Darling over to make more wearable!

Also, today i opened my Etsy store! I now have 4 pretty bags for sale! Check them out here... http://www.etsy.com/shop/LilyRibbons Hopefully i'll be selling a few, and making many more! Its been a busy few months, but things have finally started to settle down, so bring on the sewing :)

I hope everyone is well, Competition still in progress! Keep tuned for prize info!

Lil x

Bag Lady.

2010-07-22T09:15:00.000-07:00

Im back! Ive been gone a long time, Well a few months but it feels like years!
I almost forgot how to attach photos to a post! So yes anyway, Im back, Ive been busy moving house, job, friends, life basically! I now live in the sunny south of england, near to family, friends and great shopping :)

So that explains my absence! Im loving that i have kept on getting page views and new readers even though i havent been updating this! I am in long need of a giveaway! I reached 60 subscribers the other day (yey!) so i will be doing a nice (cheap) but very cute giveaway in the next couple of weeks!

So recently i've been doing my usual, Making bags!
Ive picked up some new slinky silky fabric, and have started to line the inside of my bags with it! Its so gorgeous, and one sqaure metre costs...99p! Its fab!

So here are two new additions to my bag family:

The large purple one is for my mum, as i realised she's not been given one yet! And the other one was an experiment with using ribbon, and i must say, i love it!

There is a local market in my new town, so im thinking of maybe selling some.

Also...i have new make up storage! Ive seen these boxes on lots of blogs, and spotted one on sale in WHSmith the other day, £9.99! bargain! I LOVE it!

Its huge! Even my mac pallette gets lost in it!

And lastly, despite being skint after deposits, rent, and a generally rubbish wage, I purchased some new nail polish to add to my ever growing collection!

I love these, so different to what i usually buy, yet so summery! Ive been wearing them all week, and although they do chip, they are still pretty damn gorgeous! They were 3 for 2 in superdrug, and each i think they were like £2.50 or something?

Anyway, Ive loved blogging again, i have missed it so much!

Watch this space for a 60 subscribers giveaway :)

Lil xx

CCO and completed MAC palette!

2010-06-08T09:22:00.000-07:00

Living in portsmouth now gives me access to a Cosmetics Company Outlet. Thank goodness! Not having a mac store locally in Aberdeen was hard, very hard! So today i treated myself to a trip to the cco in gunwharf quays.

There was so much to choose from, but seeing as i only needed three more pans to fill in my palette, i got three eyeshadows!

One normal stock (Blackberry), One LE Blonde/Redhead/Brunette collection (100 Strokes) and one LE from the style warriors collection (Soft Focus).

Left to Right: 100 Strokes, Soft Force, Blackberry.

Each one was either £7 or £7.50 so quite reasonably priced!

100 Strokes: Love this, it sparkles in the sun and is a lovely dark purlpe/plum colour! Great for a smoking a green eye!

Soft Force: Buttery yellow frost with, cant wait to use for highlighter!

Blackberry: Have wanted this for ages, its a matte dak purple/plum. Perfect for smoking a green eye also! Cant wait to use this!

Left to Right: 100 Strokes, Blackberry, Soft Force.

And finally my completed palette!!

Top: Soft Force, Omega, Patina, Quarry, Club
Middle: Shroom, Honesty, Woodwinked, Blackberry, Scene
Bottom: Retrospeck, Wedge, Antiqued, 100 Strokes, Smut.

So there we go! Onto palette number two :)

I heart shopping!

2010-06-02T12:40:00.001-07:00

The other day i went on a payday shopping spree! Here are some of my purchases...
(beware - this post is photo heavy!)

Two new h&m nail polishes, which i heart! Their formulation is so fab, goes on so smooth and i love them! these were around £2.99 each if i remember rightly!

Very similar to two barry m's i own...but in my eyes they are slightly different so, totally worth the price :)

A lovely lipgloss for 99p! I LOVE the smell of this, think banana nesquick milkshake! Its deeeelish!

I love love love cheek stains, theyre quick and easy and i love how they can be mulitpurpose for lips too! So after seeing BUBBLEGARMs review of bourjoirs lip stain i thought id give one a whirl! I chose the reddish one as i already have a few pinks from other brands. I love the gel formulation! It looks so natural and so pretty on the lips! (fotd pics to follow)

After also seeing a review for this i thought id try it and compare it to the other bourjoir foundation i have! Its the healthy mix foundation! Ive been using this everyday now and i MUCH prefer it to 10 hour sleep effect! Its so much better coverage, a lot thicker consistency, nicer smelling, a lot less oily, and a better colour match to my skin! So yeah, a lot better in my eyes!!

I also got a natural collection lip pencil, and the new coral lipgloss from revlon! Beautiful!

Top: H&M lipgloss
Left: Natural Collection lip pencil
Right: Revlons coral lipgloss
Bottom: Bourjoirs lip tint

Lastly i bought...love ring from accessorize! needless to say i love this!!

Aussies 3 minute miracle colour intensive conditioner! Amazing, the only thing that can calm my horrible tangles!

Oh and a piccie of my nail of the day, barry m (cant remember the name!)

All in all a good days shopping!! I hope to have many more like it! :)

What do you make of my purchases? Any recommendations for more drugstore products?

It's Romance..

2010-05-26T09:47:00.000-07:00

Coral Romance that is! My sister was given a nail polish by my mum and she kindly let me borrow it to blog about! Seeing as i am penniless and Haul-less!...until tomorrow!

The colour is...coral romance. Ive never used rimmels larger brush polishes, but i must say i am definately a big fan!

Ever heard a nail pro tell you the way to self manicure is to do one stroke in the middle, and then one at either side? Well i tried this with normal polish brushes and i was left with patchy nails which needed going over a dozen times!

...But this brush actually lets you do it in three strokes!

Love the colour too, very summery!

Id like to be able to include a price with this post but i've no idea how much it was!

Oh, am i weird that i photoshopped round the edges of my nails ro remove my mistakes?!

What drugstore colours are you loving at the moment?

12 Questions Tag...

2010-05-24T07:05:00.000-07:00

I have been tagged by the lovely Lauren at TheTiaraFits.

1.What shoe size are you?
UK 7 but i have one slightly smaller foot so thats nearer a 6 1/2! Very hard to buy shoes!

2.Where do you work?
For the next 3 days, in the main hospital in Aberdeen, but due to me moving i will as of next week be unemployed! Not for too long i hope!

3.Favorite piece of clothing you own
I love day dresses, my favourite is perhaps my topshop tea dress i got this year. Its on some of my blog pics, it brightens up any day and is quite a classic cut which really suits my shape.

4.Your favorite blog?
Goodness, no way i could choose! I check my google account everyday and read all the new posts, so im on top of everything you guys say! Keep up the good work!!

5.Do you have any pets?
I have had cats all my life! At one point we had 13 cats as my mum fostered them! I love cats, and now me and my bf have our own cat Jack :)

6.How many siblings do you have?
I have a sister Daisy and a brother Adam! though i dont see them much!

7.If you could live anywhere where would it be?
Portsmouth, and as of next week this will happen! Maybe when im there it will change to Australia but its good enough for me right now!

8.What were you doing before this?
About to go to bed before my nightshift tonight!

9.Your favorite food?
Probably Spaghetti Bolognaise! Though i love most foods especially nandos!

10.Do you have a middle name?
Yes it's Sarah.

11.Your favorite websites?
Facebook, ASOS, Mac, Youtube to watch make up tutorials, Ebay!

12.Who do you tag?

I tag..

http://peoniesandwaterlilies.blogspot.com/

http://rachelmaya.blogspot.com/

http://affordabletreats.blogspot.com/

Summer Dress Help!

2010-05-24T06:34:00.000-07:00

Its payday on thursday and ive been looking online at some dresses to buy for nights out!

I havent really got many summer going out dresses, the weathers never that great in aberdeen , but seeing as im moving i figure its time to invest in some more wearable items for sunny portsmouth!

Here are some i have my eye on...

BooHoo £21

BooHoo £25

MissGuided £23.99

MissGuided £26.99

MissGuided £18.99

MissGuided £26.99

MissGuided £49.99

Tfnc £35 at Asos

MissGuided £21.99

Hopefully by payday i will have decided which ones to buy!

Oh and how nice it is to see such lovely dresses most for under £30! Im a lipsy virgin, and i think its a bit ridiculour spending £50+ on one dress! Yey for BooHoo and MissGuided!

Which ones do you like the best?

Do you know any other cheap but very cheerful dress websites? If so please let me know as my search continues!...

A Make Up Bag Tutorial...

2010-05-24T04:24:00.000-07:00

Hello ladies!

So today, because i am all packed up to move, and i had nothing else to do...I made a bag for a lady at work. Her and I always talk fabric, sewing, projects etc. so i promised her before i finish work on friday i would make her a little bag!

This is a bag which i only recently started making, it has no visible seams or stitching, so it looks very professional and makes a prefect gift! You really cant go wrong with this bag!

I thought i'd record the process i go through, to share with you all and for my own personal reference!

So here we go...

What you'll need:

Fabric (one for the outer and one for lining)
Scissors
A zip of your preffered length
Pins
Measuring Tape
Tracing paper (i use greasproof paper!)
Tread
Sewing machine or a good old sewing needle.

Step 1

Your zip should be the chosen length of the opening of your bag. Mine is around 25cm. You need to create a pattern for which your bag will be based around. The shown pattern works very well for creating perfect corners, so i advise trying to copy the above pattern on your tracing paper.

Step 2

You then need to cut this pattern out of your fabric. The best way to do this is to place the traing paper on top of your fabric, pin it down and cut around. Then once you have this shape, you need three more. You should end up with two lining shapes and two outer shapes.

Step 3

Check your lining and outer fabric match up, and check that the top edge is the same length as your zip.

Step 4

You then need to lay your two pieces of fabric on top of the zip (zip facing up, outer lining facing down) and pin these together ready for sewing.

Step 5

Once you sew these in a straight line, if you turn the outer fabric right side up, the zip will be neatly attached with no visible seam or stitching.
Repeat this for the other side of the zip so that you end up with something like this...

It is a good idea to press the bag at this stage to smooth out any creases before we begin to form the shape.

Step 6

You then need to separate your lining and outer fabrics, so the zip is sandwhiched between the two. (so have the linings lying on top of each other and the outer fabrics also lying on top of each other, right sides inwards)

You need to open the zip before doing this, so it can be turned inside out without any problems!

You need to stich all three straight edges of both fabrics, making sure the zip is included in the stitching, joining it all together.

It should look something like this...(dont stitch the little cut out corner bits, only the three straight edges!)

Step 7

When sewing the bottom edge of the lining fabric, be sure to leave a small gap so you can turn the fabric inside out, otherwise you'll end up with a hollow inside out bag, unable to turn it inside out!!

Step 8

Next step is the corners. Take the corner in your hand, and shift the fabric so that instead of a triangle cut out, you have a straight line with seams in the middle.
(hard to explain but the pictures show it clearly!)

Pin this edge, and stitch right across it. After this, press the corners in the correst position, this will create the boxy bag shape we are aiming for, and allow it to have a square base to stand on!

Step 9

Once all corners are done in this way, you should have this hollow bag shape. The next thing is to find the hole you left in the lining and slowly turn the whole bag inside out, through this hole. Then find the zip and arrange the bag to sit how it looks below...

So there we have a finished make up bag!! I hope this was easy to understand, and even if you're not going to try it, i hope it enlightened you to the process i use to make these cute little bags!

If you made it to this stage...thanks for reading!! :)

Do You Tattoo?

2010-05-21T11:57:00.000-07:00

I love tattoo's, i love to look at them and i love to get them. I can quite happily sit for hours on Flickr and browse other peoples cute/weird/original tattoos!

I have three myself, My first was when i was 17...i got this purely because i wanted to say i had a tatto! It wasnt the best design, but it was something i made up myself and i wanted all my tattoos to be original.

Its is a basic...squiggle? It sits on my lower stomach and is around 3 1/2 inches long.

My second was inspired by cheryl cole, not that i particularly love her, i just loved her tattoo! I thought about this tattoo for ages...not sure what exactly to get, but i found a picture of a butterfly i liked on flickr and recreated it. I like this one, its simple and isnt wildly noticable.

I like that if im on my phone in town, people get a quick glimpse, and you can always see them double take.

My newest one i got last summer in portugal, I love this one! Its so pretty and ive always wanted a writing tattoo. The words of the beatles song seemed so right, i LOVE the song! It looks very cute with pumps and skinny jeans or with heels and a tan!

I am contemplating my next one, perhaps a behind the ear one,
or side of the wrist.

Do you have any tattoos? Or any fave tattoo pics?

Cherry on top :)

2010-05-21T05:21:00.000-07:00

A few days ago i recieved the Cherry on Top award from the lovely Rachel, go follow her blog its lovely :)

Rules:

1. Thank the person that gave this to you :) Go on, give them a virtual hug!
2. Copy the award and put it on your blog.
3. List 3 things you love about yourself ♥
4. Post a picture you love (e.g a person you adore etc.)
5. Tag 5 people you wish to pass this award on to :)

Three things i love about myself...

1) I love that i can occupy myself with a sewing machine and pretty fabric, and turn it into something beautiful.

2) I love that my teeth are straight after four years of braces!

3) I love my tattoos!...slightly fading and greenish as they may be!

This is a pic i love, my family and me at my graduation meal. What a perfect day :)

The blogs i tag are...

HeartShapedBruise
Plum Dressing
Rosie Tint
Topshop Princess
Paris Boutique

All these blogs are fabulous :)

Skincare Routine...

2010-05-14T08:25:00.000-07:00

Here is my skincare routine which i go through everyday after work. I go through a LOT of cotton wool pads every month!! I just hate my skin feeling dirty!

Firstly i use Botanics eye remover, half oil and half water it does a wonderful job of removing everything!

Then i use this Loreal make up remover/toner. I dont use it as a toner though. Its an excellent make up remover, and has such a nice clean smell. I am nearly out of this but i spied it in superdrug for £5 so i will definately be repurchasing.

Then i will was my face, usually with st ives apricot cleaner (not pictured), and use the body shop facial brush to exfoliate as i go!

When i dont use the st ives, i use Macs volcanic ash exfoliator for a deeper clean!

I then tone with Botanics toner, i love this and it makes my face feel just that extre bit clean!

I then use Cliniques dramatically different moisturizing gel, which im also nearly out of! I love love love this stuff, it makes my face so smooth and its such a nice base for make up.

Or if its night time i will apply olays double action night cream, this is so lovely to apply because its so thick, you feel like you're going to bed super moisturised!

So that was my skincare routine! If anyone knows of a better/cheaper alternative to cliniques dramatically different gel, please let me know!! :)

Make Up Storage

2010-05-14T08:10:00.000-07:00

Here is a sneak peek at some of my make up. This isnt everything, all my foundations, powders, bronzers and mac palette are stored in another travel case thing, but its a bit filthy to show right now! I will clean it and get it on here at some point!!

So i bought two sets of drawers from ebay, at around £4 each. They are perfect for make up, but i feel like they are getting a bit crowded now, so i may need to upgrade!!

Top drawer...Eyeliners, Primers, Mascaras...

Second Drawer...Mac holiday Palettes, Sleek Palettes,
Mac pigments, Barry M dazzledusts, Gel liners...

Third Drawer...random single eyeshadows! a lot of no.7!

Fourth Drawer...lipsticks, liners, glosses, lipsalves!

Fifth Drawer...Blushers!

Bottom Drawer...False Eyelashes, glue, curlers...

So i know theres not much but i get by! And its building up every payday :)

How do you store your make up?

FOTD and NOTD

2010-05-14T07:35:00.000-07:00

Well i havent done one of these in what feels like years, so since ive almost finished packing and i needed to apply some slap to head into town, i figured id photo it! Once again apologies for lack of posts recently...packing takes up all my time!

Oh and I had my hair trimmed the other day so its slightly shorter, not that youll really notice!

On my face im wearing...
Bourjoirs 10 hour sleep effect foundation in Rose Clair
Elfs Complexion Perfection
Mememe poppy tint
Urban Decays blush in Quickie (love this!)
Elfs golden bronzer over the top! Not that you can see any of my blush or highlight as the daylight has drowned me out!!

Eyes just kept simple!
Urban decay primer potion
Macs smoke and mirroes palette, spell no.9 all ove the lid and deception in the crease
Loreal Super Liner Carbon Gloss eyeliner for a double wing (but you cant see it in any of the pics!)
Rimmels curve effect mascara!

Lips originally i had Prestige lipliner in silk all over and then h&m lipgloss in Pink Dreams, which i LOVE and highly recommend for 99p!!
Then i applied Rimmels Tell No One all over for a brighter lip!

My nails are an OLD no7 colour, its a gorgeous goldy pink duochrome effect, i love wearing it and im nearly out!!

Wearing a simple dress from topshop, youve probably seen it before! with tights, leopard pumps and a leather jacket!

I went to town to go and get some topshop make up...it had "make up in store" on the window, but i got in, and nowhere could it be seen!! i was about to ask the assistant after about 10 mins wandering round this pretty massive topshop...and there i spied on top of the retro sweets bit...a line of nail polishes and on the other side a row of ugly lipglosses!!! SO NOT IMPRESSED!!! what a let down! So i shall have to wait to get some topshop make up when i move to portsmouth in two weeks! God damn aberdeens shitty stores!!

So i came away with these cute earrings instead! For £4 i couldnt say no!!

Anyway...hope you are having a lovely day! :)

Wish List...

2010-05-09T08:36:00.000-07:00

I havent posted for a while because im moving in three weeks, and ive been so busy packing and organising and working!! I also have zilch money, so i have done no shopping!!

But here are some things i want...and on my next payday i will buy! So look out for a little haul coming up...

Tangle Teezer! Ive heard sooo much about this product! I want one NOW! My hair is a nightmare, so knotty and it really hurts to brush or comb after a shower. I try to slap on as much conditioner as i can and comb it whilst still in the shower but sometimes even this doesnt help. I WILL be buying one of these and testing it out!

Topshop Make Up! It kills me that i cant go to topshop and buy their make up!

I have my eye on the cream blushes, as does everyone! The mascara and also some nail polishes! I think their packaging looks so cute and i cant wait to get my hands on some!

Superdrugs MUA range, just for the hell of it because its cheap!!

Beaute's Liqui-Gel stain in flouron...£25 for a small tube but pixiwoo's video where sam uses this is amazing and i want want want!!

I need to fill more of my MAC palette because i want to get onto number two! And although i love the colours i own already, it makes me sad that i cant open up a palette and see different colours every morning when i apply my make up! Any recommended colours for me to try next??

I will be losing the internet in around two weeks for my move but im hoping to get a dongle (any suggestions or reviews on dongles greatly appreeciated!!) so i can get back online when im in my new home in portsmouth!!

I am still reading blogs everyday and loving them! So keep up the good work girls!! :):)

xxxxx

(Images from WeHeartIt)

A bag a day...

2010-04-26T03:48:00.000-07:00

I am now producing around 1 bag a day, which for me is quite good! They only take an hour or so to make, and i really enjoy it!

Today i made a different style of bag, and i made it better...the lining isnt joined to the bag so there are no visible seams! It looks very professional if i say so myself!!

I have been looking online at woven labels, which i will buy on payday so i can have my own lilyribbons line :) How exciting!

I would love to be able to produce lots and lots of bags, sell them at craft fairs and online on etsy.com!

I also want to explore nicer zips or zip charms to make the zips a bit prettier!! I love the yellow zip i used for this bag, i feel brighter zips are definately the way forward!

Oh and today i bought two co-ordinating ribbons! John lewis seems to have a new ribbon range, which got me rather excited! So expect my next bags to have a bit of detailing to them!

Hope you're all having a lovely day! :)

All things pretty :)

2010-04-25T10:26:00.000-07:00

Today i wanted to use some of my new fabric! So...I made a bag...suprise suprise!

I actually love using this fabric, its such good quality and it was so cheap! It was from a store called Fabric Land, in portmsouth cascades shopping centre, but they have a few around the uk.

Im so impressed! I love the colour combination i chose, and im pretty pleased with the outcome!

I also took some photos of two other bags i have previously made but not blogged about! The first is a small coin purse i made, but i actually keep it in the zip pocket of my handbag, for hair grips and kirbys etc.

The second is a large bag which i now store all my nail varnishes in! Its lined in cute heart fabric, and is oval at the top so its a bit different! Love both!

Also just a few new things i have got...

When on holiday i treated myself to the new Barry M ice creams collection, minus the yellow one because i dont like it! Ive worn all four and i love them! I now own 14 barry m polishes and im quite proud about this! :)

I also bought a spotty mug from laura ashley because i had a voucher, thought it was quite cute!

And i got this litte heart frame as a gift from my nan! How cute :) another addition to my hearts collection!

And lastly some cute shoes from primark! very summery i thought! they look good with my pale blue jeans and oversized tee!

Anyway...bit of a random post! Hope to get some FOTD's up soon and make up hauls when get paid on thurs :)

Im back!

2010-04-24T03:18:00.000-07:00

I have been away! I would like to say ive been abroad but...i havent! Ive been visiting family and friends in my home city of portsmouth for two weeks! The sun was shining everyday and we went on lots of trips to Thorpe Park, Brighton, Bournemouth! and general holidayish things! I am moving down south in a few weeks so i was there to flathunt and find a general location where id like to live too, so its not all been leisure!

I have missed my little blog :) and sewing and buying lots of make up! so now im back and i have lots of making up to do!

I was so happy to find a really nice fabric shop in Portsmouth and it was sooo cheap so i will be posting on this! And ive been wearing new nail polishes and lipsticks which i will also be reporting on!

I have almost two weeks of blog reading to do so i will be kept busy in the next few days!

Now some cheesy holiday snaps ... :-)

Brighton beach :)

Me and Brighton beach!

Bournemouth beach!

Me and bf on Bournemouth pier

Me on bournemouth beach!

We ate out nearly everday so we have both put on weight and feel really sluggish...so its detox time!! I gave up on the 30 day shred because i was working nights and it was too difficult to continue without killing myself! So i will be back on that today too! Lucky me!

Hope you have all been enjoying the sunshine! :)

Questions Questions!

2010-04-09T11:13:00.000-07:00

I would like to be able to do a giveaway soon...if my followers keep growing!

I will give away a set of handmade make up bags and some other bits.

Im just wandering...what do you like to see in a giveaway?

I think id like to do it around 70 followers, because 100 seems too far away lol.

Any comments on what to give away or what more to feature on my blog?

I enjoy sharing homemade projects but do you guys find them boring?

Please comment because i like to read them :)

Lil xx

The Magics in the Make Up Bag..

2010-04-08T09:19:00.000-07:00

Today i made another make up bag. This one is a gift for my friend in England who i am visiting next week! I made it along the same lines as my previous bags, but this one is larger, uses more fabrics and tapers out at the bottom so you can fit more make up in!

I really like the effect of using different strips of fabric, though i wanted to add lace and buttons onto this one, i cant afford the extras this month so its plain this time! What do you think?

I know all my bags seem to be using all the same fabric recently, but i have just purchased three new fabrics from ebay for £1.65 each! They are so cute and over a metre squared. So i got myself a real bargain!

The shop i got these from is JaskWear, postage is 75p so you cant get much cheaper in my eyes!

I will be making bags with my new fabric when it arrives, so excited!!

I will also make a tutorial post on how to make a simple make up bag!

Back to Black..

2010-04-07T03:55:00.000-07:00

So...apologies for the wait! But here is my new hair colour! I love how shiny it is, the picture doesnt show it at its shiniest...but it is! I think it looks alot healthier than it did before.

(see before pic in a previous post)

The dye i use is Loreals Casting Creme Gloss, in Ebony Black. Its got the most amazing after conditioner which smells ace and makes your hair sooo soft! Its around £6 but the colour is amazing and the cream sort of lathers up like shampoo which means even with hair my length you only need one box!

I am also wearing my Bourjoirs 10 hour sleep effect foundation, which i LOVE! Its got slightly less coverage than revlons colourstay, but it doesnt feel like im wearing anything which is great because i work 12 hour shifts, and it has a lovely scent.

The only downside is that i think the bottle should be slightly larger, it seems as though it will run out quite quickly. Though for £8 it is cheaper than colourstay, and i havent had any oily patches as i did with colourstay either! So all in all id give it 9/10! Im definately converted!

I am also wearing one of the new lipsticks i wrote about a few posts back! The colour is Tell No One, and its the new range from Rimmel (in the pink packaging) I never knew until i tried them out that they smell like those sweets parma violets! Its lush! The colour is pretty and not too bright. Its not too drying, though i do have to moisturise my lips a lot to make it look good. So a thumbs up for these too!

Hair Inspiration...

2010-04-06T15:25:00.000-07:00

Im having a clearout!

2010-04-06T13:30:00.000-07:00

Im moving in two months, down to portsmouth! Which is a big 600 miles from where i am now! But i will be back in my hometown after years in scotland!

So...i need some pennies and am having an ebay clearout!! Just a few select items which i love but cant justify just hanging in the wardrobe!

Here are the 4 things i am selling, i will be selling more once i decide what to part with next!!

ASOS dress

Warehouse dress

Miss Selfridge dress

River Island clutch

Oh and i have found an ebay seller who sells NYX round lipsticks for £1.99 which is the cheapest ive seen in the UK! the link for their page is...http://stores.shop.ebay.co.uk/Fragrance-Direct-Uk__W0QQ_armrsZ1!

Hair story....

2010-04-01T09:13:00.001-07:00

Tomorrow i will be dying my hair again, these days i usually dye it a semi-permanent black, which leaves it glossy, makes me look slimmer, and if it fades it doesnt leave horrible tide marks! I have done this for a while now, but thought id share with you some of my past haircuts and colours!

Here i am in my first year of uni, after experimenting with some highlights! I never really cared for them much, and always thought they looked a bit 'not me', but i stuck with them!

Here i am with some bolder highlights, but slightly underneath my top layer of hair, as i didnt want the horrible roots!...again not my favourite ever style!

This is when i dint colour my hair much, and let it go to its naturalish colour! You can still see remnants of highlights in it, though they have faded a lot!

Here is when i used to get my hair quite layered, just a normal style for me. I never used to be able to grow it because it frustrated me too much when it was long!

So this one is probably my shortest haircut ive had, it was very short layers with a kind of side fringe going on!

I then experimented with a fringe...but i hated the getting it trimmed all the time aspect so i let it grow out!!

And here is me last year, when i first tried using the semi permanent black that i do now! I think this is the colour which best suits me and it looks so healthy.

And this is my hair today...this afternoon in fact! Its got a bit of a reddish tinge to it after several attempts to go Mahogany failed!! All my layers have sort of formed into one big long mass! But i love the length and i cant wait to dye it tomorrow!

I have enjoyed looking back on my many styles! I hope you have enjoyed looking with me! If any of you can be bothered to do this post as well, please let me know as i love looking at how people have changed over the years!!

(p.s. photos will be up tomorrow of my black hair!)

Lil xxx

3 for 2 Rimmel

2010-04-01T08:44:00.000-07:00

So as you guesed...it was 3 for 2 in boots today on any rimmel purchases. I noticed they have out a new lippie so i tested a few and chose two that i liked. Im not usually a bold bright lipstick kinda girl but i thought they might brighten up my day!

I love them, and the packaging is GORGEOUS! ...slightly over the top but very girly and different! They had a range of shades and they were categorised into day, night and party. So i chose two from the day range (i think?) I havent tried them on my lips yet but as an initial review the colours are beautiful, they are both matte which i dont usually wear, and the textures appear to be creamy! I shall feature them in a FOTD soon...

For my other purchse i got one of their Eyeshadow mousses. I was sceptical about these when i first saw them but i tried this one in the shop and i liked it!
It comes in a cute glass pot, with a cover which you remove, or can use to take the product from. Its in the colour 008, Sassy.

I think it will look really great with MACs club over the top, or with a purple, perhaps a barry M dazzleglass, over the top! Anyway i shall test out some eyeshadows on top and let you know! This will also look lovely on its own though im sure!

(Without Flash)

(With Flash)

I also bought some Bourjois 10 Hour Sleep Effect Foundation, after BUBBLEGARM reviewed it a while ago, i thought id try it out! Lets face it, arent we always on the look out for a better foundation!?

Hope you liked my wee haul, and are all loking forward to the easter weekend! I, unfortunately, am doing night shift tonight, and tomorrow night, then off saturday, and working easter sunday and monday! Excellent! I think i'll be needing the '10 hour sleep effect' for sure!!

30 day shred..day 3.

2010-03-29T14:47:00.001-07:00

Oh my! Ive just completed my 3rd day of the shred dvd...and i feel fantastic, im really not just saying it!

...My legs are so sore, i couldnt sit down all day and driving was almost impossible! But i must say its working! I managed the whole workout this time (minus some of the butt kicks as they hurt my legs so much!) So i can DEFINATELY feel myself becoming adjusted to it and my stamina is improving no end!

Day one i couldnt get through 3 minutes without huffing a puffing, this time it took around 10 minutes to get really breathless which is good for me!

My strenth is coming along, and i can almost do a proper pushup! go me! I'm now using soup cans as my weights as i cant afford proper ones! but they seem to be doing the job!! My tummy feels horrible and wobbly when i do the butt kicks/ jumping jacks/ skip rope but hopefully that feeling will be replaced with washboard abs (ha ha).

I'm definately keeping it up, its so quick and i really do feel great!

If anyone else is doing this, or knows anyone who is doing it too...please get in touch!!

Or if you have any words of encouragement...please say them! As its nearing easter and im off chocolate until this is over! :( boohoo

Until next time...here are some cute animal pics :)

Home-made by me :)

2010-03-27T07:21:00.000-07:00

Today is post heavy! I work shifts so my posts tend to be like buses, you wait and three come along at once

I love to make things, and recently ive been thinking about selling some of my wares on etsy or folksy. I think i need to create more of a portfolio though, so ive been trying out some new designs for make up bags. I hope to make lots of pretty bags, all individual and special.

I want to create some with ribbons and lace and pretty decorative touches, but money is tight at the moment so i shall have to use up what i have!

So today i made a large make up bag, which i will give to my sister as i promised i'd make her something! Its so easy to make, all you need is two different fabrics (one for the lining and one for the main colour), a zip, and some thread and a needle! or in my case a sewing machine, which really does speed up the making process!!

The inside is lined, as it makes the bag not only last longer and look cuter but also any make up residue will go on the lining, not the main fabric!

It fits lots of make up, so its perfect for travelling!

I will do a post on how to make one of these, if any of you are interested? and i will post some new ones soon and if you'd like to purchase one just drop me a comment and i shall make one for you!!

My cat Jack sat and watched me as i worked away

30 Day Shred

2010-03-27T05:39:00.001-07:00

So, i know theres been lots of reviews on this subject. But here is my own!

I am joining the bandwagon and trying out the 30 day shred. It is a workout DVD with a difference. And that difference is why i never usually buy or use workout DVD's...they are all far too long.
The 30 day shred is 3 levels of 20 minute workouts which combine fitness and weights. You begin on level one, stay on it for around 7-10 days and then move to level 2, do this for 7-10 days then level 3 and so on. It is led by Americas 'The Biggest Loser' Jillian Michaels.

I actually downloaded this, as i wanted to get started straight away. I have just completed my first day on level one and OH MY im unfit!!

I love it because it is only 20 minutes, and thats not 20 minutes with an added 10 minutes either side, its literally 20 minutes. Its very tough, but i love it and i feel amazing after my first go. I shall definately be doing this, everyday...i know this is easy to say but i hate going to the gym, and i have a very large living room so i have no excuse!!

I hate my arms and my tummy, and from the reviews ive heard it gives you nicely toned arms from the weights involved. And the sit ups should help my tummy! I dont actually own weights which is a bit of a problem, so i used...large pillar scented candles (hehe), so they werent nearly as heavy as they should have been but they smelled nice!!

I am probably the heaviest ive been in a LONG time! I dont weigh myself that often because theres really no point! But my goal is to lose around 1 1/2 stones. Id love to fit into those old jeans that literally wont go past my calfs anymore!

So i shall be posting about this regularly, i have taken 'before' pics which i would love to have the confidence to post, but im just not strong enough!! Perhaps after i will like the results and post some before and afters! I will also take measurements and post these up.

I will also try and drink lots of water and eat healthily. I lost a lot a weight a few years back on the Carol Vorderman Detox diet, probably about 2 stone and it really got noticed by everyone! (This was basically where i ate stir frys and hamemade soup...but it worked!!)

But from day one i feel very encouraged and ready to face day 2!!

Here are some photos which will help to motivate me, as i look slimmer in them! I was going to put up photos where i look larger too, but i dont think theres any need to embarrass myself :)
I realise i look slightly tarty in a couple, though these were a few years back when i was a student! But oh to be able to wear shorts again... :)

It finally Smells Like Spring...

2010-03-27T04:29:00.000-07:00

We are finally in Spring, and today really feels like it. The sun is shining bright in Aberdeen today, and i for one am loving it!

Spring reminds me of many things, Daffodils, Washing the car in the sun, Long walks...and with the clocks going forward tonight, the nights will be a lot more lighter which i love!

I also love spring because you can see your make up in the light when you put it on! instead of having to use a lamp. And using bronzer to make you feel slightly more summery, even if we arent quite there yet!

So i was looking around my room on something to post on and it had to be these...

My perfumes old and new, sit on my chest of drawers and soak up the sun when it wants to shine. This is probably not go good for the perfumes, but the majority of them are empty anyway, I tend to buy more in Spring/Summer because thats when i feel you can really benefit from a good fragrance, instead of hiding it unerneath a coat or cardi.

I love to keep all the empty bottles from my perfumes, for sentimental reasons, as decoration, and also to remind me of which ones to repurchase.

From left to right, my perfumes are...

Givency, Absolutely Givency. (LE)
DKNY, Be Delicious.
Christina Aguilera, Night.
Valentino, Rock n Rose.
Gucci, Envy Me.
Christina Aguilera, (Day).
Calvin Klein, Euphoria.
Escada, Suset Heat.
Escada, Ocean Lounge.
Dior, Miss Dior Cherie.
Nina Ricci, Nina.
Vera Wang, Glam Princess.
And a small bottle of Dior, Miss Dior Cherie on the far right.

My HG scent would have to be the Miss Dior Cherie, its such a gorgeous scent that can be worn day or night. It lasts longer than most of the other scents on me, and it gets me compliments whenever i wear it!

I love fruity scents, and ones which are a bit different. I will definately be repurchasing Nina and i love all the Escada range, They all smell slightly sickly but i love this in summer, so i will try a few more of those. I love their bottles and even empty they brighten up my room!

Some other fragrances i'd like to own are Viktor and Rolf, Flowerbomb. Juicy Couture, Couture. And Armarmi, Diamonds (purely for the fact its fronted by beyonce).

Which are your favourite scents? Can you recommend and fruity numbers for me to try?

Dolls House Miniature Jewellery

2010-03-23T08:48:00.000-07:00

After a wander around the shops the other day i noticed many of these vintage style jewellery items which you can buy in Accesorize, Miss Selfridge, Topshop and so on.
They are a necklace, ring or earrings with cute items on, such as a china teapot necklace or teacup earrings.

Seeing these made me think of my sister and her love her dolls house when she was younger. She would spend all her pocket money in the dolls house shop down the road. It occured to me that dolls house furnishings is the way to go. Rather than spending £15 on a necklace, make it myself!

So i go on ebay...and let my mind go, as i spy all sorts of cute items which would make a unique, yet very on trend, peice of jewellery!

Here are some of the treasures i found!...

(All images were sourced from ebay)

Most of these items are under £2, and buy it now, so theres no bidding involved! Then all you'd need is an old chain or a thrifted one, and you will have a beautifully unique item of jewellery for a fraction of the price of the shop bought ones!!

I love this idea, and as my sister still has her old dolls house, im going to give the jewellery making a go!

Bombay Duck

2010-03-23T07:58:00.001-07:00

I am in love with this shop! A new visitor i may be, but still in love!
I found this website through a morning of blog reading, whilst tucked up ill in bed.

I am in love with their cute door mats in particular, though im not quite sure i can justify £20 for something i wipe my feet on!

I also love this gorgeous candleabra!

...Their keyrings...

...and these rolls of ribbon! Usually a roll of pretty ribbon from John Lewis or somewhere is around £5 for a 2Metre roll! this set of four rolls (each roll 2m) is £6!! So thats 8m for £6! A beautiful bargain i think you'll agree!! And they come in various designs!

The website is http://www.bombayduck.co.uk/ and they have a mailing list, and catalogue which i cant wait to receive!!

My Favourite Eye Brushes

2010-03-20T16:12:00.001-07:00

So i thought id make this post, just to share what i consider to be really great eye make up brushes!

I have a lot more than 5 but these are ones i regularly reach for out of my jam jar brush holder...well actually its a Dolmio jar with a ribbon round the top but jam jar sounds cuter :)

From left to right:

BK34 Angle Stippler Blender £3.29, Crown Brushes.

IB110 Min Oval Smudger, £2.67, Crown Brushes.

IB116 Round Tapered Crease, £3.18, Crown Brushes.

Eyeshadow Brush, £8, The Body Shop.

275 Medium Angled Shading Brush, £17.50, MAC.

I highly rate the Crown Brushes, they are so soft and lovely to use, and THE PRICE! you cannot get better! I will be purchasing a lot more brushes from them, i especially love the badger series.

The stippler blender is a great blender brush, i dont have a MAC 217 but i feel i dont need one as this is brilliant for me.

The mini oval smudger is a lovely brush for smudging out eyeliner to make a smoky eye, or also excellent for under eye work, Its so tiny, its half the width of a normal brush hairs, which makes is so fluffy and easy to apply.

The tapered crease is fantastic at crease work, hence its title, and fits right into the eye socket. I use this everyday, love it!

Body shop brush has changed design since i purchased it, its a lot more curved now, but i love mine. I use it to press on pigments or Barry Ms dazzledusts! Its excellent at wet shadow work and because its fairly hard its excellent for eyeliner smudging too!

The MAC one was my first ever make up brush, ever! We've been through many years together and i still love it!! Its brilliant at blending out shadows but also all over colour work. I love this brush and highly recommend it as a first MAC brush purchase!

What are your favourite brushes? Are there any you can recommend??

Florals and Hearts

2010-03-20T16:03:00.000-07:00

So just a few updates...I bought some lovely fabric from ebay for around £2! Its a basic floral print but so pretty, i cant wait to use it!

I also have spent an afternoon creating these cute hearts, which i will turn into a pretty garland when i find the right string! I made them from some samples i had requested from various fabric websites! Yep...a homemade garland for free! I think theyre quite cute, and theres hundrds of them so it will look nice hanging over a mirror or something!

I also have two new additions to my Hanging Hearts collection!! A lovely rusty wire one, with pretty flowers created out of the wire. and a lovely wooden bead one. They lovingly hang my bedroom along with the rest, but i want to make them into a heart wall (like a plate wall but with hearts)!

Margots Misadventures...

2010-03-20T15:54:00.000-07:00

For mothers day me and my sister clubbed together to buy my mum something she'd wanted for a while, after i introduced her to it!

It was a cat called Margot, but she was not your ordinary cat! I found her on Etsy, where i am a regular browser, and i knew my mum would love her! Shes so gorgeous, her cute bandage and ripped ear, and her own little story to accompany her. My mum loved her and when she came up to visit me for a few days she brought her along. I loved her too!

Margot was made by Lisa of LouLou and Oscar, you can find her blog here http://blog.loulouandoscar.com/. I am in love with her style of work and her Etsy shop is wonderful. I emailed her to say thank you so much for Margot and she very sweetly replied and was as lovely as i thought she might be!!

One day i hope to make lovely items to sell on Etsy, but for now i shall make do with admiring other peoples works!

Bumpy Arms?

2010-03-20T14:56:00.000-07:00

For as long as i can remember i've had bumps on my upper arms and on my legs. I always figured this was due to me being at the top of the 'normal' scale for my bmi...im not sure why i thought this! In the past month this condition had got a lot worse and i was contemplating going to the doctors.

(This isnt me - Its a google image!)

I did a bit of research on the internet and found out this isnt just me...its a condition called Keratosis Pilaris or KP. Its often referred to as chicken skin, because it covers your arms, legs, chest, face or stomach or anywhere else in litle red bumps. After researching this, i realised i no way had it as bad as other people. Some people get it so bad they need super strength creams from the doctors, but i dont think mine is that severe! It is a genetic condition, and i recently found out my mum and sister suffer from it quite badly too.

The condition is helped by exfoliation of the areas with gloves, loofas or sugar scrubs. I tried these but none seemed to work for me. I went to boots online to see if it had any products that might help me deal with this and behold, it did!!

I love The Sanctuary products, they smell great and really feel luxurious when using them. The product in question is the Microdermabrasion Body Renewal. On the boots website it said that this is to combat 'Chicken Skin'...i couldnt believe it! A product is out there that specifically helps to fight this condition! So off i toddled to my nearest boots and bought it.
It costs around £9, which some may seem excessive but if you compare it to a Body Shop butter at £12, then i think its quite reasonable!

I have never liked scrubs before as i find their density very poor and their particles either too big or too few. This is amazing in terms of density, its so thick and creamy, you rub it in and it feels smooth, but then after more rubbing (on dry skin) you get a very harsh gritty texture, i would describe the particles as 'micro tiny'...they are so small and you really feel like theyre working!! It smells like lemons and i LOVE citrus fragranced products!

All in all id give this product a 10/10 i really cant fault it!! Ive used it three times now, each time before a shower on dry skin i rub for around 3 mins on each arm and leg, until they are quite red but you can feel it working. Then i get in the shower and rub it off. I can honestly say my arms have never felt smoother, and hopefully my legs will follow suit! Afterwards i cover myself in my favourite moisturiser The Body Shop satsuma lotion! And the two scents leave me SUPER citrusy!!

Does anyone else suffer from this? What do you find helps?

I Heart Ebay

2010-03-04T08:57:00.001-08:00

My name is Lil and im an Ebay-a-holic.

There...ive said it!

I love ebay, it is part of my everyday routine, is that sad? I think so... but i dont care! I use it to buy silly things, things which i dont need or wont ever use, but i also use it to buy hidden treasures and great bargains!

I am also a seller, i like to sell clothes and shoes i no longer wear, to get some cash to spend on more things i probably wont use! But its all good fun. People really will buy anything on there. I sold some broken GHDS a year ago, i had the listing up for all of 30 seconds and someone (a guy!) bought them instantly! I think it was for around 30 quid which is good for something that wouldnt even turn on!!

I have been doing some ebaying recently, so i thought id share my purchases with you all!

Ok so first we have a lot of 34 zips...who knows why that number! But i figured, one zip from John Lewis or a craft shop is around £2...i got 34 really good quality zips for £3!! Inluding postage! Now thats a bargain, even if i never use them all!

I also bought a lot of Knitting Stitch books. Separately, on Amazon, these are retailing at around £20 per book...I got all three for £10!! I think that is amazing! I have been looking for a nice project with a variety of stitches, and what better way to learn them! Theyre full of gorgeous stitches which i can wait to try!
Here are some of my favourites...

I also bought this Benefit Dandelion blush. This retails at i think £23 in stores. I got it for around £8...HOWEVER...i think this may be a fake. It doesnt have any scent which i know from my Georgia blusher, Benefit blushers usually have. Also the colour isnt exactly right, if i remember correctly from seeing it in boots. Saying this, i still use it and love it!

Last but not least i got this dress. It is a topshop number, which i actually tried on in store and loved. (I also have this in a floral style, i have blogged about it in a previous post!). This one is a factory second which means there was probably a problem with it and therefor has no tags! But apart from that its fine! I love it! In store this was £45 if i remember rightly, I got it for £30...which ill admit isnt a MASSIVE saving, but for something i'll wear a lot and suits my body shape amazingly, its worth it!

A sneaky FOTD there!

Do you guys use Ebay? What are some of your favourite purchses??

H&M haul!

2010-02-26T10:01:00.000-08:00

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!

2010-02-26T09:50:00.000-08:00

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 :)

Plush Toys

2010-02-25T13:30:00.000-08:00

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!

2010-02-25T12:53:00.001-08:00

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?

Anyone for Tea Candle?

2010-02-18T03:37:00.001-08:00

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

What A Find!

2010-02-15T07:07:00.000-08:00

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...

2010-02-15T06:30:00.000-08:00

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 :)

Lip Service...

2010-02-12T12:29:00.000-08:00

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 :)

My Projects!

2010-02-08T04:45:00.000-08:00

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!

2010-02-07T12:48:00.000-08:00

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Face and Outfit of the Day!

2010-02-06T08:05:00.000-08:00

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!

Saturday Night Face!

2010-02-01T14:25:00.000-08:00

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

2010-02-01T14:06:00.000-08:00

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!

2010-02-01T13:24:00.000-08:00

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!

Lush times!

2010-02-01T12:51:00.000-08:00

Me and my other half took a trip to town and whilst there i dragged him into lush. I love lush products, i love their shampoo 'i love juicy' and their facemask 'mask of magnimity' Both are great re-purchase items. Tho this time i was just browsing i ended up buying a few goodies!

The first thing i bought was 'The Soft Touch' Body butter...the smell is amazing! i picked up all the butters and gave them a good sniff but this one was the best for me! I didnt actually realise until i got it home that it is a hand butter but i use it for everywhere! The smell is unreal, i find that with most moisturisers and butters, their smells fade. Some people may like this but i dont, i love to know that i smell yumnmy! The butter itself is quite hard to apply i have found, you can either rub it a lot with your hands until it almost melts in your hands and then apply to body...or you can rub the bar actually where you want it, this hurts i must stress, especially on the arm hairs but the result is worth it! It left my skin so touchable and i was constantly smelling it through the day! I would highly recommend this product, however after picking up the others i found they were slightly 'meltier', though this could have been the bright lights in lush!

The second product i got was the 'Honey Bee' Bath Bomb. Again, i picked up and made my bf smell all the bombs!...this is the one we picked though there were some equally gorgeous ones! I havent actually used this yet but from the smell alone i know i am going to love it. You know the smell as soon as you walk into lush? This bomb is it! It has a slighty spicy smell to it, which i think will be gorgeous in the bath! the colours of the bomb are what drew me to it as well, they are so pretty!

Then i got one for me and my bf to share, The 'Blue Skies and Fluffy White Clouds' Bubble Bar! Quite a lengthy name but its a very big bar so it matches! I have tried the other realy big bar from here, 'The Comforter', and i loved it! it smelt so nice and i felt so relaxed using it in the bath! So...this one to me smells rather minty which i love, its a very fresh smell and i have used some of it and im in love. I am amazed at the amount of bubbles you get with these, but they really are bubbles in a bar! I have only tried these two but i will definately try the rest of the range!

As is normal in lush you usually get a wee freebie in your bag! This time i thought i hadnt because i really didnt see the guy put one in, but there it was in all its glory at the bottom of my bag!! I am definately going to repurchase this as a full size, as he only gave me a little slice! It is the 'Miranda' Soap. On first smell i was in love, which i have actually said about all these products i know, but, i am! Its a strong citrus smell with various other aromas that i dont know the proper names of! It leaves my skin feeling smooth, Lathers up nicely and after reading the lush website it contains ylang ylang which is said to firm the breasts! Very good selling poing for any product i think youll agree!! Its L.O.V.E it has to be said!

So there are all my goodies! My favouring is probably the honey ball in terms of smell, and the body butter in terms of overall product benefits! I was loving looking at their valentines products for this year! and their cute gift sets look exciting so...if i dont get one as a gift i will buy one as a gift! For myself! :)

Pallette time...

2010-01-19T12:44:00.000-08:00

For Christmas i got my first MAC Pallette! I had a few MAC single eyeshadows before this so i depotted them and put them in. I also bout 5 new ones off the MAC website! So here it is so far! Quite a way to go but at least its a start! I hope to get a really great pallette i can use all the time. Being dark haired and green eyed i tend not to wear blues on my eyes as i find it doesnt quite go. So i try to stick neutral, i love browns especially.

So here i have...from top Shroom, Retrospeck, Omega, (Top)Honesty, Woodwinked, Antiqued, and then at the other side i have Scene and one which i dont know the name of because i forgot to take the sticker off after i depotted!! First timer faux pas #1! But i love the way the colours all work so well with each other, i especially love Omega in the crease as its matte and suitable for every occasion! I hope to get my hands on Cranberry as it will go nice with my eyes. As for other colours, i shall just have to try and see! Its hard not having a MAC store here, if god loved me he would have given us one, but alas he hasnt! So the internet it is! God bless ebay ;)

Paint the town...

2010-01-19T12:18:00.000-08:00

Also whilst i was in town i picked up some bits in Paperchase and H&M. In Paperchase it was the beginning of Valentines! So there were so many bits and pieces, mainly red and mainly heart shaped! Which i love!! I had wanted an old antique hand mirror for a while but cant quite find the style i like...so this red plastic one should do me until i find one! Its so cute and i love it! There were also heart cookie cutters, mixing bowl, candles, keyrings, heart sparklers, bath confetti and more! Heaven for a heart lover like myself! I also bagged this Gorgeous card for a birthday, thought id share it!

After this i toddled off to H&M in search of an outift, but as i saw nothing i liked i went to the accessories section! They had gorgeous bags and really bling jewellery but i liked this nail polish. Quite a modest purchase considering i was in for a whole outfit but there we go! I put it on when i got in and i love it!

After i applied the polish i took out my polishes box and took some piccies! Most of my stuff is Barry M, i love the way their polishes lie, and the finish they give! I also love Nails Inc for their top coat, base coat and a&e varnish!

I recently got these Nails inc goodies too, A file which is is ideal as my nails seem to chip all the time! I also got the buffer, both have a pretty floral design on them, it leaves my nails SUPER shiny, but it did keep catching on my nails as i was buffing back and forward.

So all in all a good day at the shops and not too much spent!

Jewellery!

2010-01-19T11:37:00.000-08:00

Today i went shopping! Although this post is called jewellery...i didnt buy any! i just looked...and looked! and then looked some more! A new shop has opened in Aberdeen called Outfit, which is warehouse, dorothy perkins, miss selfridge and a few other shops combined! The jewellery section is massive and i loved it all! I will go back and purchase some, but it got me thinking about my own jewellery collection!

I used to keep my earring all jumbled in an pot and my bangles the same. Never showing them off or being able to wear them because they were all tangled! So i bought a tray from Hobbycraft and organised my earrings into it! I then took my kitchen roll holder and used this to put my bangles on! Not a bad idea i thought, and it was just the right size! I put all my rings in one section of the tray, but i would prefer a ring cushion to hold them in, so i shall see what i can find when im next out!

I also thought id share some of my favourite bits!

Polaroid Effect...

2010-01-10T06:36:00.001-08:00

Whilst looking through Flickr i have come across many photos which were taken on polaroid cameras, the result is so striking and i love it. However...my polaroid is in a box at my mums house and i probably wouldnt remember how to use it!

So ive been looking for a good tutorial for how to recreate a possible polaroid effect in photoshop...i found a few good ones but the best one i found is here http://best-photoshop-tutorials.blogspot.com/2009/06/retro-polaroid-coloring-on-your-photo.html I tried out the tutorial and LOVE the effects they gave...here are my results...

Here is my original photo (me and my best friend at Durdle Door, im the one on the left!)...

And my photoshopped versions!...

I Wish...

2010-01-10T06:14:00.000-08:00

This...is stunning! Another Etsy find...Enough said :)

Vintage Eating...

2010-01-10T05:58:00.000-08:00

I love the look of old fashioned cutlery, and would like nothing more than to own a large collection of different cutlery. On Etsy.com i found these eating implements...which i loved. They are so pretty, and were quite cheap might i add! I think my first purchase on etsy will have to be some cutlery, may the collecting begin!

Dress up...

2010-01-10T05:42:00.000-08:00

Heres some photos i found on Flickr of some dressers. When i think about how i would like my own house to look, i always think about dressers. I picture a large kitchen, Big wooden table, vintage tablecloth, Plates on the wall, Lillies, Cute tea set and a big vintage dresser! I love them, and definately want one when i have my own place. I would fill it with pretty plates and hang gorgeous cups on it, have a stash of cookbooks piled up on it, and hang hearts on the cupboard knobs.

I also love the chickenwire addition to the middle photo, very country chic.

Gorgeous...

2010-01-10T04:51:00.000-08:00

Having a gander on etsy.com i was plunged into a pool of 'i want i want i want!'. I have never bought anthing off there before, however i think its time to start! I found some gorgeous old plates, cutlery, jewellery, furniture, linens and so on. Below are some photos of the gorgeous items i liked, and some Flickr photos of decor i love.

Etsy is an american homemade store where there are literlly thousands and thousands of items! Some gorgeous, some not quite so. All unique and i love that. All prices are in USD, which is quite nice as when you work out the GBP, you realise its not so much afterall! I want to start a collection of quirky but pretty plates, to use but also to hang on the wall. The first picture i have posted is so inspirational to me, and when i saw it it jumped right out at me and one day 'when i grow up' i hope to have a collection like this!

ELF!

2010-01-08T07:40:00.000-08:00

Yesterday the postman also brought me a delivery of ELF stuff i had ordered.

I have heard lots of good things about this company, especially the price, so i thought id give them a whirl! The website is really good, i like how theres a 'studio', 'mineral' and 'basics' section, i preferred the studio line myself.

So i got: Complexion Perfection...which is a pressed powder in four shades but in the same compact. You can use just one or two colours for specific problem areas or just the whole palette across the whole face as i did! I used it on top of my foundation before blusher and highlighter and i loved it. My foundation tends to leave my skin slightly tacky looking, so i like the mattifying effect i got with the powder! It was only £3.50 so very cheap, and is comparable to mac powders i have used in the past!

I also got a blush in Candid Coral...havent actually used this one yet but it looks a nice coral colour and also very cheap so cant wait to use it!

Next i got the Shimmering palette which i hadnt heard too much about but thought id try anyway! I love it!! i used it on my cheeks for extra highlight and under my brows! It is like a cream/very soft powder and goes on great with a fluff brush or just the finger works great too!! It has 4 colours in the palette but each one would suit the face or eyes! or perhaps even lips!

Then i got the Contouring blush and Bronzing powder! This i loved! The shimmer on both of the products is amazing!! and for contouring, highlighting and blushing this is a great duo!! At only £3.50 again!! i cannot recommend this highly enough!

I had heard that the bronzers they did were great, so i went for the golden one as i have quite fair skin! i LOVE this, it didnt really bronze my face which was good, it just gave me an all over shimmer, but not as in too much, it was just right and i love it! If i wanted a darker one or if i were wearing tan i would use the darker one but this one was perfect for me! and again...£3.50!!

I also got a lipstick from their mineral range which is natural nymph! when i took it out i thought it looked quite peachy but in comparison to a lot of my other lippys its quite pinky. I love this and wore it all day yesterday even though im ill right now! And i find a lot of lipsticks leave my lips broken and visibly so...but this didnt! it matted them right out which is a nice look on my lips.

Last but not least i got a brush which i have heard on youtube so many times is great...the flat top powder brush!! I have to say i really do like it! I used it with the contouring powder and then for all over with the golden bronzer and it was great!

I will look at buying ELF again for definite! such great value for money! I will probably stick to the studio line though, as i think their packaging is more sleek and high end looking! I also want to try their mineral range as ive not had much experience with minerals as yet!

Oh and just to add...these 7 products including delivery came to £27 which...everyone must agree...is fantastic!! plus the delivery was super fast and if you buy right now and spend over £15 you get a free mini kit which looks like it has everything in it!! ...wish i had waited til now to order!! oh well i can just get it on my next shop! :)

Patchworking

2010-01-08T07:11:00.000-08:00

Hello. So yesterday was a day off work for me and i had some goodies in the mail!
Firstly, ive been into sewing for a few weeks now and although i like the little day projects i want one which will take a little longer to complete! So...im going for a patchwork quilt! Or maybe not quite so big as a quilt...a patchwork blanket? So ive been trawling through ebay to find good deals on patchwork squares! I love ebay but i tend to only use it for 'Buy Now' products! im so inpatient!
A lot of the patchwork square lots on ebay are bidding so i didnt look at them so much, and there are lots of ugly fabrics out there too!! I found one lady who sells only square cuts, not by the metre so they were perfect for my needs, as i wanted 4" squares for mine! I ordered two sets of 40 squares! They were both mixed florals and i liked them a lot...so yesterday they came and i spent a bit of time arranging them in a way i liked. Its not quite big enough yet so i dont want to start sewing them together until i have the correct size i want. But already i love it and cant wait to get sewing!!

The picture probably isnt great quality, but i had to darken it in photoshop so you can see the flowers!

I was in town the other day also and picked up some wadding from john lewis for just £2 a metre! quite cheap i thought!

Sewing...

2010-01-04T15:56:00.000-08:00

So there are lots of posts today! Ive been a busy Lil!

For my birthday i got the Cath Kidston, Sew! book from my mum and i have been wanting to try some of the projects on my new sewing machine.

The book came with a pre cut bag, so i finally got round to making that...

I love this bag, although its a lot smaller than you think its going to be.
It only took me a few hours to make the bag so i was happy, and its now home to a lot of my cotton reels and trimmings!

I went to Dunelm Mill and John lewis, and found some really pretty fabrics in the sale! So i snapped them up! I also bought Bias Binding which i'd never heard of before so it was an experience using this for the first time!! I also got some zips because i wanted to make some storage bags for my sewing bits and bobs!

So here is what i made today! I loved making the pencil case, its so pretty with the two fabrics i chose and am thrilled with it, considering it was only my third sewing project! I then made the apron which was from the CK book also, i love it and will wear it for doing housework!! The pockets are a great size for cloths and dusters and sprays so i will feel like a right cleaner with it on!! I am going to make a smaller version of this for a make up brush roll! Im in desperate need of something to keep my brushes in, and i will be able to accesorize it with vintage brooches and such!

I love my new found hobby of sewing! I've never had a hobby before so im in my element and having the festive days off work has helped!

I shall keep posting pics up of my projects...

Oh and one last thing!...i made this garland after being inspired by Kirstie Allsopps Homemade Christmas programme on Ch4. I love her, she is so inspirational and i forced my bf to watch it with me!! The next day i went out and bought loads of felt to make this garland! Its a bit tatty on the edges as its not quite finished but it has tiny bells sewed onto it so it jingles and the cat loves it!! I was pleased with this garland as it was my first time using the blanket stitch.

Knitty Gritty...

2010-01-04T15:46:00.000-08:00

I started knitting when i was younger, my mum taught me very patiently! Everytime i messed up she fixed it, and this was a regular occurence!! I picked up the knitting needles last year, and attempted a nice scarf...as you can see it didnt turn out so well!!

So i was shopping for some fabric in Dunelm Mill, and came across the wool, which was all for sale and lots of pretty colours! So i went for a nice warm grey colour which will go with most of my jackets! perfect for this snowy weather! I have since started a new scarf with this wool and some newly purchased needles! ... As you can see its going a lot better than my last attempt!! Hopefully when its finished i will accesorise it with some pom poms or vintage buttons or lace! I love knitting, its so relaxing and similar to reading a great book that you just can put down!

I was in John Lewis today buying some more fabric in the sales and their wool was also in the sale!! I bought two balls of this lovely burgundy colour, which would look great as a hat with a black crochet flower on or some mittens with vintage buttons on!! I hope to sell some of the projects i make so watch this space again!!

Does anyone know where to get lots of vintage buttons? apart from ebay?

Hearts...

2010-01-04T15:32:00.000-08:00

Whilst i had the camera out i thought id also share some of my favourite things from my flat! Mostly just silly personal things but they're very me, so hopfully give you an insight into what i like!

I have lots of bits and pieces that hang from odds and ends in my flat! Its a rented flat, so the decor isnt exactly my taste and i cant do much about it! Apart from accesorize! This i am a big fan of. The above flutterby was a gift tag on presents i sent last year and i had one left. They were bougt at The Pier where i used to work until it closed down!

This heart was bought for me a week ago for my 23rd birthday by my friend susie! I love hanging hearts and she knows this, i also got from her a heart necklace made from glass which is gorgeous!

This heart was bought in my favourite shop in aberdeen, AnnieMo's. It sells quaint and chic items but also contemporary furniture. I love this shop and one day when im rich i want to buy everything from there! I bought a few of these button hearts and have then hanging from the broken handles in the kitchen! I'd like to make some myself when i can get my hands on some vintage buttons, im thinking cream and gold ones with gorgeous ribbon!...watch this space!

My mum bought me this heart for my birthday also, i love it and its very my style!, its currently hanging on the big heavy cabinet which the tv sits on, so i see it all the time which i love!

And...last but not least...this is my cat jack in my new sewing machines box!! Its quite a snug fit and i laughed when i found him there! He loves boxes so ill let him keep it!

...Nostalgia

2010-01-04T15:10:00.000-08:00

So i was contemplating packing up my christmas tree tonight!...turns out i didnt want to! So i photographed it instead. I then remembered about some items i made when i was younger for our christmas 'decor'...decided to share them with you!...

This is a clay candle holder i made when i was in primary school! My mum kept it all these years, i must have been no more than 5 when i made it! it even has my name scrawled into the bottom of it. I love memorable items like this, and so glad my mum let me have it for my christmas box this year!...

This is a felt stocking i made when i was 15! My first experience with a sewing machine, quite good i thought! This was made in my home economics class and i loved making it! I'd like to make some slightly better and slightly less tacky ones for next year! I love personal stockings and think itll be a great little project for during the year.

And this is my christmas tree! Lovingly destroyed day by day, by my cat jack! and lovingly restored day by day, by me! Its held up quite well so im glad! Probably pack it up tomorrow :(

Christmas / Birthday!

2010-01-01T07:46:00.000-08:00

So it was chrismas last week!! It always comes and goes so quickly, but its always brilliant nonetheless!! It happens to be my birthday on the 28th of December as well so i turned 23! I recieved some lovely presents this year!! Some suprises and some asks! Here are just a few i recieved....

I recived this Sewing Machine from my lovely Boyfriend, after dropping hints!! Its such a cute size and is so great to use!! i have already made a few things on it and hope to make lovely things to sell some day!! I love crafts, and i am a very creative person! I love to draw and make cards, sew, knit! i hope to learn to crochet soon as it looks gorgeous!! So along with my sewing machine i got....

This book from my boyfriend also! It was a suprise and i LOVE it!! Its got so many great ideas in it! and all the patterns in the back of the book for me to copy!! A great gift!!

I have liked Cath Kidston for a while now and though my mum didnt know this...she suprised me with this book!! which came with pre-cut fabric for making a cute shoulder bag!! Im pleased to say i sat down for a few hours the other day and made the bag!! Is so lovely, great colour! And it is now a bag for keeping sewing materials in!! The book has loads of other great things to make as well, like aprons and bags, napkins and tablecloths!! Its safe to say my family and friends should expect handmade gifts next year!!

I also got for my birthday these Babyliss Curling tongs which are the largest barrel size they do, at 38cm!! I havent actually used these yet as i havent had an excuse to, but i shall test them out tonight so watch this space for pics!!

From my bf for xmas i asked for these straighteners! I had read in marie claire that they were better than GHDs and having had a few pairs that broke previously i was dying to try them!! I have used them almost everyday since and i can safely say they are much better!! My hair is so smooth and shiny and everyone has commented!! I also love the colours they come in, Gold, purple, red zebra, silver, black! They are also really lightweight and the cord is soooo long!! The handheld remote attached shows you the temperature as its heating up! and it has a blue light on it too so you can see when they are on or off!! Amazing, and i highly recommend!!

I love MAC make up and every christmas/birthday for me is like a massive haul!! This year i got an eyeshadow palette (empty but im sure ill fill it in no time!)I also got MAC studio sculpt foundation in NW20, love it! perfect for my skin!...MAC shadestick in beige-ing!...one palette refil in my fav colour retrospeck!! (above) i love this colour and im always repurchasing! I also got MACs volcanic exfoliator! MAC strobe cream, MAC smoke and mirrors eyeshadow compact which i LOVE!! the colours are so pretty and can be worn for a day or night look!! I love the packaging too its so simple and small!

I got a number of make up brushes to add to my collection as well, this year no MAC ones as i already have a few so i went for a different brand which ive heard are very good! Crown Brushes! From here i got, badger crease brush, badger mini oval which i LOVE! Badger camouflage brush, which i use for concealer. Badger angle brow brush which is so good for shading in my non-existent eyebrows! also the deluxe oval shader from the deluxe range.

Now that i have tried Crown brushes i can highly recommend them!! I was very sceptical that anyone could persuade me from my love of MAC brushes but they have! Plus they are around a quarter or less of the price so my brush collection can grow and grow without denting my financial situ!!