NOTD

The sun was shining for at least a few hours the other day and i nearly thought spring had arrived, embracing the season i decided to paint the nails a pastel shade that reminds me of Parma Violets.



Avon - Luxe Lavender

 The colour is actually paler than the photo shows just like the sweets - mmm good enough to eat!

Guess who's back?

I'm really sorry guys that i've been a bit slack on the posting front but i've been making some pretty life-changing decisons! In my absence i hope you've been showing some love to other blogs - i'm addicted now, every time i'm online i can't resist a sneeky peek at other bloggers and catching up on their latest buys - me thinks this is why i've been neglecting my own! I've even gained a new follower - whoop whoop to lenka.komrskova! Maybe i should go away more often - might increase my following! Nah.

Just before i give you a quick rundown on my recent purchases, i wanted to tell you about a great magazine offer i picked up on my weekly Tesco shop (on a Saturday, i must be mad!), Marie Claire is giving away a free Ciate Nail Polish worth £9. You can choose from Dangerous Affair 013 - a deep raspberry or a bright red/orange, not sure on the name of that one as i got the first colour. I've yet to try Ciate polishes so hopefully the quality will be just a good as my fav Nails Inc, and i'll invest in some other colours courtsey of the 15% discount they're offering online with the polish (find the code on back of the nail polish bottle).The magazine is £3.50 so you might as well get both colours if you can - very on-trend colours for a/w. 

I've recently been embracing what my mama gave to me and going au naturale. Some may say i am lucky to have curly hair but throughout childhood all i ever wanted was poker straight hair, you always want what you can't have, eh! My nickname used to be candy floss - can you guess why? Oh yes, my hair was just like it, a big frizz ball - i don't think i was aware of the cardinal sin with curly hair - brushing it! Well i did discover GHD's and they say the rest is history. Now as i'm in desperate need of a cut but i'm really trying to get past the flicky out stage, i've been leaving my hair to dry naturally and just applying a little serum to define and tame the curls.

What do you think?

You'll have to excuse the curl at the front! Don't worry i pinned that back when i went out.

I'm now obsessed with hair accessories and have been trying to hunt down some cool one's - i found this gold heart hairband in Dorothy Perkins for around £7.00. It will even double up as a necklace!

My delivery of the sideways cross arrived as well! I first saw this on Lollipop26's blog and i've been lusting after ever since, she mentioned where she got her's from Etsy btw and i indulged. To be honest i thought the quality would be better but it is 14k gold filled and looks v.dainty and pretty on - my mum thinks it some sort of anti-christ thing! It's fashion darling! I paid around £30 including shipping from America.

I also picked up a heart charm necklace from Topshop that is v.cute and will go with my hairband when i'm feeling a bit girly.

Bargain - £4

As you can see i'm starting to fall in love with charm necklaces and will be wearing mine altogether for that vintage vibe.

I've also been changing my make-up look recently - channeling that 40's look and working my inner vamp with a little red. I painted my nails in Nails Inc Victoria & Albert and i've been sporting red and plum pouts.

I know i've not gone the full make-up look - i thought the lips and the nails were enough for a daytime look but i quite like the pared-down make-up look - less is more as they say!

Now i've blogged about Avon make-up before, but i just wanted to show you how much i like their eyeshadow palettes. I've three so far, Purple Haze, Smokey Eyes and Tiger's Eye (i think they're the names). I am a real palette lover, they're great for work or on-the-go and saves carrying so much make-up around. 

The Tiger's Eye is a great dupe for Chantecaille’s Limited Edition Tiger In The Wild Palette which costs £73 , Avon's palette was only £3.50 in the sale. Bonus.

Avon



Chantecialle



Chantecialle's palette may have a hefty price-tag but a proportion will be given to a save the tiger charity so it's all good! Both palette's are Limited Edition so grab them while you can.

Just a last mention that i've ordered Urban Decay's Naked palette, i know i'm a bit late on the bandwagon but it was sold out everywhere, now it's back in stock on Boots and Debenhams online so i am awaiting delivery as i type.

Latest haul

I love shopping but hate the waiting involved with online ordering - my Asos order arrived after i chose the free delivery option, UK Super Save, which means you have to wait up to 6 days, and on the 6 day it was delivered and i am not in love.

The French Connection dress I've had my eye on since the start of the season has not lived up to my very high expectations. Usually with French Connection you can expect the quality of the items to be quite good but this black and white stripe dress looks a bit cheap and I'm sure i got a waft of smoke when i opened the packet. I thought it could have been the plastic smell from the packaging but on second sniff and close inspection of the packet, i reckon someone has already worn this dress and returned it but still with the label on.

On the size 8 model it looks great, but i didn't realise that it is a lot shorter and tighter than anticipated and the fabric which is 68% viscose looks like it would get bobbly after a couple of wears.

I've not posted a pic of it on as I'm sporting a cold sore and definitely not looking my best. I've only tried it on once so i might give it another chance and dress it up how i would wear it and see if it looks any better and decide whether to return for an exchange but i reckon it's going to be a refund. Here's a thought if i return the dress i can use the money to buy the two Sekonda watches - happy days.

Have you ever ordered something online - only to be disappointed when it arrives?

My second purchase was a lace waistcoat from Dorothy Perkins - £20

I thinks it's got a bit of a festival vibe to it and i wore mine out yesterday for dinner with the girls with my black maxi and brown waist belt. Worn layered over pretty much anything it would look fab, even with your favourite bikini on the beach. It's very Kate Moss and the lace gives it that vintage look - i could imagine it on Nicole Ritchie, accessorised with her House of Harlow range, long wavy hair with halo braid - very ethereal.


Well my beautiful French Connection birthday shoes arrived and they are lovely. At first i nearly cried because i couldn't fit my feet into them, i blame a full day's work in 4 inch heels, but this morning i tried and with a little pushing they fit. Because of the platform and the stiletto heel, i could be in danger of falling over in these, so definitely a taxi and sober only shoe.

In the beauty blogging world it's not all Mac, the drugstore products are just as good and never underestimate Avon, if it's good enough for Reese Witherspoon it's good enough for me - i do love a celebrity endorsement.

I got two nail polish colours, Peppermint Leaf and Luxe Lavender. I've been after a lilac colour for ages and i was very impressed.

I did three coats to get an even coverage, but two would give you that opaque look. I've already had plenty of compliments and it's a great summer colour.

The peppermint green looks quite similar to the Jade Beauty UK polish i bought a few weeks ago, I've not had a chance to compare on the nails so i will show you, i was hoping it would be more of a mint green, but that's what happens when you buy from a brochure.

Like or dislike?