Tuesday 28 February 2012

Tweezer Review

Tweezers: £22.50 Tweezerman / Boots


Just thought I'd do a little review on these tweezers I bought the other day. My eyebrows are a nightmare, and I find myself plucking them every other day at least! So having a decent pair is fairly important. I've had a pair of Ruby and Millie, plain grey tweezers for around 3/4 years (!) and to be fair they were amazing! and lasted for so long. However they were starting to finally loose their gripping power which meant it was about time to find a new pair. 


Honestly £22.50 is a HUGE amount to spend on something so tiny, but in this instance I would say it's more than justified ;) The design is so cute (much more attractive than my previous boring grey pair) and you get a little pouch to keep them in, to prevent knocks and misaligning the tips. Tweezerman also offer free sharpening if you send your tweezers off to them, so with these tweezers you pretty much have a pair to last a lifetime.


Not only do they look great, they also have grip, and I mean serious grip. Using these you never miss a single hair and you can remove even the smaller, finer strands quickly and efficiently. They are also very sharp, which again, helps with the removal of the more stubborn hair, as they are extremely precise. Although I did manage to gauge a small hole in my face during the first use - must have got a bit too pluck happy :') Other than that they are PERFECT! and I would definitely recommend these tweezers to anyone looking to invest in a new pair! 

xo

Monday 20 February 2012

Monday Blues...

Hope everyone has had a lovely weekend! Although the title of this post may suggest otherwise, I've had a lovely chilled out day :) 


I went into town last week with the intention of buying a new pastel nail varnish and ended up buying a dark blue jumper and nail varnish instead :')

Jumper: £12 Primark


I adore this! I'm not usually a huge fan of wearing so much blue, but I can definitely make an exception for this jumper. It also comes in an alternative colour scheme - reds and oranges I think! For only £12 you can't go wrong really!

Nail Varnish: £1.99 Miss Sporty


When I bought this colour I really wasn't sure how keen on it I actually was, I didn't particularly have high hopes for it, due to the price. Oh how I was wrong! I don't think these polishes come in a huge range of colours, but I will definitely be investing in any more colours that catch my eye.

Nail Varnish: £2.99 Barry M - Pink Iridescent


This is my my favourite nail varnish at the moment. I've been wearing it over the top of every shade I've worn for the last few months. Needless to say it's almost run out and I was gutted they no longer had it in stock on the Barry M website! Though I've just checked and it's listed again! Doesn't everything look better with a splash of glitter...

Nail Varnish: £2.99 Barry M - All In One Basecoat, Topcoat and Hardener


Nail Varnish: around £4.10 Maybelline - Protecting Top Coat


I never used to bother painting my nails often, as it seemed they would ALWAYS chip after a few days. I most certainly underestimated the power of the base and topcoat. Above are the two polishes I currently own. The Maybelline polish I was not impressed with. It was expensive and the brush doesn't go to the bottom of the bottle, so it is impossible to get the last bit out. The Barry M topcoat is so much better and has a runnier consistency, making it easier to apply and I expect it to last so much longer!

I now do my nails once a week and it isn't a quick job - usually taking over 2 hours from start to finish (!) As I rarely experiment in the makeup department I use my nails to try out different shades and patterns.

My Tips For A Lasting Manicure
- Good base and top coat.
- Always apply a thin, even layer of polish first before applying the second coat.
- Make sure each layer is properly dry before painting over.
-To finish I always apply the topcoat and put a small line horizontally across the end of the nail to seal it completely.

My nails usually last around 7 days, and I've had this Miss Sporty on for a week and a half now and it's still going strong!! 
What are everyone else's tips for long lasting nails!?


xo

Tuesday 7 February 2012

Primark Bargin!



I bought this dress from Primark last week and words can't describe how much I love it! I was so surprised how well it fitted and how flattering it looks on, and for £15 it's worth every penny. I wore it on a night out with some beige heels :) 


xo

Monday 6 February 2012

A Few Things...

That have made me happy today :)


Denise my microwaveable dinosaur.
Was a christmas present and has been keeping me snug for the last few nights <3


This Embroidered Cat Notebook
£12 from Paper chase.. actually going to start organising my life!


My Yankee Candle
Vanilla cupcake flavour. Actually smells amazing, wish I could buy one in every flavour! I bought my Mumma the strawberries and cream one for Christmas and she's used it all already!


This Flowery Top
£7 from Primark


These Photos
From a wedding I photographed at the end of last year, finally getting through a massive backlog of work. 



My Favourite Mug
A valentines day present from a friend last year. I'm currently addicted to the white chocolate 'options' drink! Only 40 calories.... without cream ;)


These Chopsticks
A friend bought them back from Hong Kong. Aren't they adorable!


And Of Course
Murphyface. Always guaranteed a smile when he's around.


xo

Saturday 4 February 2012

Reverse Dip Dying!

A few days ago my best friend B asked if I would attempt to reverse dip dye her hair. Despite having no experience with colouring hair, apart from my own dodgy DIY attempts when I was 14, I agreed. We decided to go for a semi-permanent colour as I wasn't totally comfortable with the thought of destroying her hair with permanent dye! 


We chose to use this dye by Clairol because A. it has the word 'easy' in the name ;) and B. it was the only semi-permanent dye they had in Tesco... 




Before we began B had bleach blond hair and wanted the top to be a dark brown, fading into the blond at the bottom. 


We stared by separating the hair into two sections - the top section to be dyed brown, and the bottom section to have some brown added at the roots and down into the blond to give a gradient effect.



I then mixed the dye, put on the gloves and we were ready! I put the majority of the bottle on the top section of hair and massaged it in, making sure it covered all the hair right to the roots. 


I then put some dye on the roots of the bottom section of hair and dragged my fingers through the hair from roots to tips, to avoid the colour looking too 'blocky'. 


The instructions said to leave the dye on for no more than 15 minutes, but B didn't want the brown to be too dark, so we only left it on for 10.

AAAND RINSE!


I then shampooed B's hair making sure that the water ran clear, with no dye left in her hair whatsoever. Then massaged in the conditioner provided and left it again for 5 minutes.


Another final rinse and a blow dry later we were left with this!



I'm actually so pleased with how it turned out! Though I could have perhaps added a bit more brown into the bottom section, so there would be less blond showing through. After a couple of washes the brown fades slightly which makes it look more natural. 

I wouldn't attempt this alone, it was fairly tricky with two of us, plus our friend Terry who popped round half way through... It was quite handy to have another extra body I could shout at to pass me things and to take a few photos for the blog :)


GOOD LUCK! xo

New Bits.

Thought I would share a few bits I bought the other day on a budget.. Everything shown here, apart from the Topshop shoes... was under a fiver! 

It seems like everyone has these studded pumps from Topshop at the moment and I can definately see why. They are sooo comfy and can be dressed either up or down to go with almost any outfit! Both myself and the bestie have a pair! They are also available in a nude shade with gold studs, which look equally as yummy. 

Studded Slipper Shoes: £28 Topshop


I absolutely LOVE this ring, and for only £1 it was a total steal. Speaking of steals.. I wore this ring last week on a night out and took it off to wash my hands in the bathroom and left it there! Went back about 10 minutes later after I had realised the error of my ways, and it had gone :( along with another of my favourite rings. Thankfully I went back into town a few days later and they still had some left! I was so happy!

Reindeer Ring: £1 Primark


I bought this top to wear on a random night out, it has a slight crop and can be dressed up or down, I chose to wear it with jeans and flats.

Patterned Crop Top: £4 Primark


I got this card to send with a final lot of photos for a client, it's quite odd but cute at the same time! 

Mermaid Card: 75p Paperchase