LUSH Christmas

Oh dear...so it's not even been Halloween and I'm already blogging about Christmas! I popped into LUSH on Sunday and picked up a few products, coincidentally all three were from the Christmas collection.

The first product I bought was the one I went into LUSH to buy, the Magic Wand reusable bubble bar. I wait for this product to come out every year because it's one of my absolute favourites, I just wish it would become part of the permanent collection! It has the same super sweet candy smell as the Snow Fairy shower gel, swirl it around the bath of create lots of bubbles then let it dry out to use again.

When I saw Butterbear I had to get myself one. This cute little bath bomb is just like butterball, one of my favourite LUSH bathbombs, but in cute teddy bear form, who could resist!

Finally is Candy Mountain bubble, this pink and white swirly mountain smells delicious and sweet, crumble under running water for lots of bubbles! It's a prefect Christmas treat.

Have you tried any of the LUSH Christmas Collection? What's your favourite?

 

5 Things to Love About Autumn

I think it's pretty safe to say Autumn has arrived. Leaves are falling, the weather is getting colder and the days shorter. If you're out if pouring rain or freezing cold it's easy to forget about how lovely Autumn can actually be, so just incase you're having one of those days here are five of my favourite things about our current season:

1. Hat Weather

Personally I'm a bit of a hat person, the Topshop Pork Pie hat I received last Christmas being one of my favourites. But whether it's a favourite fedora or much loved beanie hat weather is definitely something to be embraced!

2. Cosy Hot Chocolate Nights

Photo Credit

There's nothing quite like curling up when it's dark and raining or a bit stormy with your hot chocolate to watch a movie or read a good book. It's the kind of thing that the Autumn/Winter season was made for. Incidentally I recently started working at Costa and can thoroughly recommend a Hazelnut Hot Chocolate, it's definitely the best hot chocolate I've had so if you're passing one pop in and pick yourself one up.

3. Scenes like this

Photo Credit

Ok, so this one is more fairytale than reality but there's definitely something about fallen leaves while they're still fresh and crisp.

4. Autumn Fashion

Photo Credit

Already partially covered by hats, autumn fashion is the comfiest cosiest style that there is without being totally lazy. It's cold enough that you can wear tights, oversized sweaters and ankle boots but not so cold that you'll freeze half to death without 5 layers surrounding your outfit, it's a perfect balance.

5. Bonfire Night

Photo Credit

Remember, remember the 5th of November. Maybe it's a little strange to be celebrating the burning of someone but Bonfire Night is my favourite autumn holiday, I love the huge fires, fireworks, sparklers, roasted marshmallows and another excuse for hot chocolate. 

So that's it, my Autumn five, what would yours be?

The Olivia Burton Watch

Big flashy rose gold watches have been pretty big news for a while now, everywhere from Micheal Kors to River Island, it's feels like everyone has one. But if big, shiny and in your face isn't your style of arm candy then let me introduce to you Olivia Burton. A little more simple, a little more delicate and in my opinion even a little prettier, Olivia Burton matches a little vintage with current trends to create some beautiful time pieces. 

I first stumbled across Olivia Burton browsing on the Topshop website where I fell in love with the rose gold faced watch I then received for my birthday. It still has the on trend rose gold elements but with a simpler face and a beautiful white leather wrist strap. Others among the collection include vintagey floral faced watches and even a few dials decorated with butterflys, bees and hummingbirds, if the all rose gold look is the one for you, Olivia Burton even has that covered.

If you're looking for a new watch that's a bit different to the ones of the wrists of everyone else the Olivia Burton is for you. I know I can't wait to add another to my collection!

Laura Geller So Scrumptious Baked Collection

I recieved the Laura Geller So Scrumptious Baked Collection for birthday last month and while the collection is no longer available the individual components of it are so I thought it was still worth a mention. The collection consists of 5 products and a great little brush. There's a primer, foundation, eye shadow trio, blush-highlighter duo and a lip gloss.

The first product is the Spackle Tinted Under Make-Up Primer in Champagne. This is a tinted version of their Spackle primer which I love. I haven't tried out this champagne version yet however I can't wait to. Spackle is great for keeping make-up in place all day long and providing a flawless base for your foundation, this tinted version also claims to add a little glow.

Next up is Balance-n-Brighten Baked Colour Correcting Foundation. I got porcelain in this set which is my winter colour but while my skin is still a tiny bit darker (not much) I'm using this foundation in fair as my current everyday foundation. I absolutely love it. It's easy to build coverage with and definitely evens out my skin tone to provide an almost perfect (as good as it ever gets for me) skin tone. 

My favourite product from this collection is the Blush-n-Highlight Baked Cheek Colour and Highlight. This shade is Spiced Chai/French Vanilla. Unfortunately I can't find the product on their website which is a shame as I am loving the highlighter from this duo in particular, I use it everyday at the moment to lift my cheekbones a little. It's perfect for contouring and isn't too shimmery. I've only tried the blush once but found it a little dark for me and was scared off it.

The kit also contained a double ended blush and highlighter applicator which is super handy little brush to have. I've been using the sponge end to apply highlighter (as instructed by the box) and the brush end is great for applying blush or contouring with bronzer. 

Finally is the Colour Drenched Lip Gloss in Sugar Cookie. Initially I wasn't a fan of the colour as if you apply it too heavily it gives a glossed version of the 'foundation lips' look. However, when sparing applied it gives a lovely shine to the lips with a pinkish-nude colour. This lip gloss also has the most amazing smell, it reminds me of a vanilla latte, so delicious!

So that's my first impressions of the collection. If you managed to pick it up while it was about I'd love to hear your thoughts too!

Autumn Fashion Lust List

The arrival of September in fashion signifies the arrival of the new season. I've recently on various social networks a quote 'September is the January of the fashion world' and with fashion weeks taking place across the world this month I thought it was about time I shared a few of the pieces I'm dying to buy this season.

New Look Red Aztec Print Fringed Hem Blanket Wrap I saw this blanket wrap on a mannequin in the store window of my local New Look a few days ago and fell in love with it. It reminds me a little of Burberry's blanket coats for the AW14 season. Tied at the waist with a belt, this one from New Look is the perfect way to stay warm this autumn.

Topshop Sleeveless Seam Detail Flippy Dress This is another item I spotted while out shopping, wandering around Topshop this little green dress caught my eye. It's a perfect all round dress, it could be easily dressed down during the day with some patterned tights and boots or dressed up to go out with a statement necklace and your favourite heels.

Missguided Coco Designer Motif Boyfriend Tshirt As the Missguided description states, even you pocket can't stretch to the real thing this tshirt is a great way to show appreciation for fashions key players. This boyfriend tee is great for lazy days that still look stylish, black skinny jeans and heeled chelsea boots would make a perfect combination.

Red Herring Faux Fur Shawl Collar Parka I love buying new coats and this one is top of my list for this year. Parkas are one of my favourite coat styles and the faux fur collar will definitely keep you warm. The collar is also detachable so it can be mixed and matched with any outfit.

Topshop Control Over the Knee Boots I fell in love with these boots as soon as I saw them in Topshops new season email, a little pricey but totally worth it if your pocket can stretch as its looking like over the knee boots are going to be big this season. I love the suede texture and heeled style of these ones.  

Missguided Lepita Cherry Blossom Print Shorts Maybe shorts are not entirely autumn clothing but these were too cute not to add to my list. The dark print is a perfect autumn/winter floral, a pair of tights are all they need to see you through the season.

So that's it, my lust list round up. What items are you dying to own this season?

Review | MAC Vegas Volt

Since I last posted I've been to and returned from South Africa (look out for a post on my adventure soon!), received my A-Levels and finally turned 18. After almost a month I finally have the time again, and also a wifi connection, to return to my little blog. 

On my way home from South Africa while I was waiting around at Heathrow for my connection back to Newcastle I of course had a good browse through the make-up counters at World Duty Free. My sole purchase was this MAC lipstick in the shade Vegas Volt. I spotted this shade on a swatch on Pinterest and had been lusting after it since so couldn't resist when I found it at the duty free price of £12.50.

Vegas Volt is an Amplified Creme lipstick so it has great pigmentation which gives a vibrant colour with a creamy finish that glides on and moisturises lips a little too. This colour also has great staying power, when I've been wearing it I've found it's stayed in place for as long as I've worn it, usually a few hours, until I eat at which point, like most lipsticks, it tends to come off. 

I wasn't sure whether or not I'd suit the colour when I bought it but thankfully I am in love! It's not too orange which I was a little worried I wouldn't suit, the colour is more of a bright coral so it's a great summer colour for through the day and into the night. 

It's safe to say this is definitely one of my favourite MAC lipsticks!

Travel Essentials

Tomorrow I'm heading out to South Africa for two weeks so I thought now was an appropriate time to share with you some of my favourite things that I've picked up to take with me on my travels. On side note, this will also be my last post until I'm home again as I've been so busy sorting out everything for my trip that advance planning posts for when I'm away got pushed to the back of my list and didn't get done.

My first 'essential' is the carry on perfect Travel Bottle Set from Paperchase. The clear plastic bag is perfectly sized to hold your carry on liquids and unlike most other carry on plastic bags this one has a cute little palm tree image of the front, it makes me dream of being somewhere exotic (I soon will be, eeep!). Inside of the set are two spray bottles, 3 normal lid bottles perfect for shampoo, conditioner and shower gel or bubble bath, and 3 little pots you could put moisturiser, sunscreen, foundation or even an extra pair of earrings in. What I also love about this set is it comes with two sheets of clear stickers with various things you may fill your bottles an pots with so you can label them so you don't forget or mix up what's in them. How handy!

The next item is a super cute world map ticket and document pouch (similar here). This is perfect for keeping your tickets and boarding passes in as well as any important documents you may need from getting lost in the bottom of your bag. The pouch contains 3 sections labelled Documents, Passport and Tickets. This keeps all of your most important papers separate and handy.

My little black Radley leather passport cover is next on my list (similar here). My Nana got this for me not long after I'd booked my trip and it is possibly my favourite of my essentials. This handy little cover contains a clear side to hold your passport and a card holder style layout on the opposite cover. It perfectly fits my passport, vaccine book, a little money for the flight and the 3 cards I'm bringing with me (bank card, railcard and Boots card...just incase I happen to wander in at the airport...). 

Finally is my floppy hat. When I saw on my kit list I needed a wide brimmed hat, as someone who bears a surprising resemblance to a country farmer when wearing a fedora I knew this was my excuse to buy a straw floppy hat. I'm going to be working with wildlife out in South Africa but this hat would see you from Safari to Mediterranean beaches to sunny big city escapes and back home again. Perfect for any sunny holiday!  

So that's my four favourites, essentials if you like, of my packing that anyone could use. I hope you all have a great few weeks, I'll be sharing my adventures once I'm home if you're interested!

Review | w7 In The Buff Palette

w7 In the Buff

I spotted this palette in Next not long ago and immediately thought of the Urban Decay Naked Palettes. I don't have any of the palettes myself so can't compare them very well but the w7 In the Buff is a definite dupe for Urban Decay's Naked 2.

I love all of the colours in this palette, they can make so many different looks to take you from day to night, it's great playing around with colour combinations to see the looks you can make. All of the colours in the palette have a neutral brown-gold hue (except obviously the black), they almost all also have a slight shimmer to them which looks great when applied to your eyelids. However, I do think they could be slightly more pigmented as it takes a fair amount of eyeshadow to get a good colour.

I also love the packaging of this product, the pale gold tin is very pretty and definitely mimics the look of Naked palettes. I was quite disappointed though when I went to use the brush with this palette, its very thin and a little scratchy so doesn't apply the eyeshadows very well, because of this I've been using my realTechniques eye brushes to apply the colours.  

I definitely think this palette will become a favourite of mine and it's also only a fraction of the cost of Naked 2 if you're looking for a cheaper alternative.

Have you tried this palette? What's your favourite Naked dupe? 

Review | Burt's Bees Tinted Lip Balm in Petunia

Burt's Bees Tinted Lip Balm in Petunia

I'd never tried Burt's Bees before but when I heard they did tinted lip balms I had to try them out. I'm a sucker for lip products and tinted balms are one of my favourites for low maintenance colour that keeps lips moisturised.

Burt's Bees tinted balms come in a variety of colours, I went for Petunia, a pale pink fairly natural toned balm. The pigment in the balm is very sheer, it's difficult to tell if this just the shade I picked or whether it's the formulation of all of the balms as this is the only one I've tried. Despite initially being disappointed with the very sheer cover, this has become one of my favourite lip balms. It provides a little colour to my lips without me needing to be aware of it partly coming off and leaving behind oddly lined lips as lip sticks often do, making it great for when you don't have time to be constantly aware of your make up.

As a lip balm, the main feature I expect is for it to moisturising and Burt's Bees does not let you down in that aspect. This is by far one of the moisturising lip balms I've used, it keeps my lips feeling soft and stops them drying out for quite a while after applying.

Have you tried Burt's Bees tinted balms? What are your thoughts?

Review | Eyeko Skinny Liquid Liner

When I saw the July issue of Glamour Magazine came with a free Eyeko Skinny Liquid Eye liner I couldn't resist paying the bargin price of £2 to try out the eye liner, again. I tried an Eyeko eye liner around this time last year that I got free with a magazine and having read a lot of rave reviews about it online I was left fairly disappointed with the product, it dried up quickly and I could only manage to get a faint, barely there line on my eyes, despite this I thought I'd give the product a second go.

Eyeko Skinny Liquid Liner

As an initial sceptic of all of the hype around Eyeko eye liners I immediately tested this on the back of my hand when I got it, I was surprised that unlike my last Eyeko this one seemed capable of an actual black line. Excitedly I tried it out on my eyes and found I couldn't quite get the line as dark. I've found there's  bit of a knack to using it as in order for the ink not to run to the bottom of the pen away from the tip I need to angle it fairly steeply. I've also found that keeping the pen upside down in my make-up holder keeps the ink near the tip ready to use. 

Moving on from the colour, I love the brush of this eye liner, it's very easy to use and glides on, I've also found it easier to do a little cat flick with this eye liner than with others I've used and I can quickly apply it without making a mess all over my eyelid, so that's a win for Eyeko there. 

I guess it's a bit of a love-hate relationship with this eye liner, for as long as it draws black I'll love it, but if it starts to quickly dry up I'll be searching for a new brand.

Have you tried Eyeko eye liners? What are your thoughts?

Summer Beauty Lust List

Bumble and Bumble Surf Spray: Surf spray is great for getting a beachy summer hair texture, I've read several reviews saying that the Bumble and Bumble surf spray is the best people have tried. I also love the packaging of this surf spray the silver spray nozzle gives the packaging a little more of a sophisticated look than other surf sprays, it would definitely look good on my dressing table! The only downside is it's fairly pricey at £21.50 for 125ml 

Urban Decay Naked 3: I've been lusting after this palette since it came out and I have still not had the spare cash to be able to buy it yet, I've seen various reviews of the palette by various bloggers and all have loved it. I love the rose gold hues of this palette as well as, again, the packaging.

Benefit Posie Balm: This is one of a collection of new balms by benefit to match their lip and cheek tints. These are tinted hydrating balms which provide a sheer colour, perfect for sweeping on for a light colour over summer as well as keeping lips from drying in the heat.

Nails Inc Gel Effect Polish, Soho Place: I'm yet to try any of the gel effect polishes but I'm a big fan of Nails Inc polishes anyway, the gel formula claims to have a plumping, high gloss formula and this shade is a great stand out summer colour for me as this Tiffany turquoise shade is one of my favourite colours!

Dior Addict It Lash: I was initially attracted to this new mascara by Dior by the packaging, similar to their Addict lipglosses, it's fairly sleek. Its claims to transform the eyes in a single flourish, a fairly big claim, and is available in 4 colours, while I'm not sure I'm brave enough to go for anything other than black, if you're feeling bold for summer you could try a hot pink, electric blue or pretty purple lash. 

Smashbox Photofinish more than Primer Blemish Control: As a brand I love smashbox and their photofinish primers have received rave reviews, I had a small sample of the normal photofinish primer and loved it, it smoothed my skin and minimised pores. As someone prone to breakouts now and then I'd love to try the blemish control primer and see if it really did have an effect on my skin.

What's in your summer beauty lust list? Are any of the products I've listed your favourites?

Review | Benefit Gimme Brow

This post has been a long time coming now, I got Benefit's Gimme Brow not long after it came out but I've been so tied up in cramming for my exams that I haven't had a chance to blog about anything for over a month now! However, my exams are finally finished and until I find a job I have way more time on my hands than I currently know what to do with, so I am finally reviewing my new favourite brow product.

Benefit Gimme Brow

Benefit Gimme Brow is a brush on fibre brow gel that's very easy to apply. I've fairly messy eyebrows without any product after I got them threaded too thin a while back and they still haven't quite recovered. Despite being a gel rather than a powder or pencil Gimme Brow still provides great coverage on sparser areas of brow. 

I sweep with brush backwards through my brows first to catch and coat more hairs, even shorter or finer ones (thank you QVC for that little tip) and then back through the opposite way to shape my brows. The brow gel allows brow hairs to be easily shaped to give neat natural looking brows that are set in place all day, great for everyday, even on no make-up days it's great for adding a little definition to eyebrows.

If you're going out or prefer a more defined brow to a natural one you can use a brow pallete (I like Benefit Brow Zings, it was my go-to product everyday before Gimme Brow was released) and add Gimme Brow over the top to add extra definition and set your brows in place. If your eyebrows are naturally full already, Gimme Brow would be a perfect product to sweep on and set brows for groomed eyebrows all day.

Gimme Brow comes in two shades, light/medium and medium/deep. As I'm naturally blonde I use light/medium, I'd recommend this shade for anyone whose natural hair colour is anything from blonde to light brown. 

Have you tried Gimme Brow? What are your thoughts?

NE1's Newcastle Fashion Week

Who knew Newcastle had a fashion week? Well it turns out it does and it's going on over the next week. Yesterday afternoon the first of the shows showcasing fashion from high street brands and independent local boutiques took place at The Assembly Rooms. I headed up to the L-Z show (featuring brands whose name began with letters between L and Z funnily enough) and managed to grab myself a front row seat (how exciting!), the hour and a half show featured everything from Levi's to New Look to Oxfam as well vintage clothing from The Yesterday Society. Annoyingly, although probably my fault, my camera battery died on my half way through the show however I managed to get some good snaps before it did.

M&S

Miss Selfridge

Monsoon

Next

New Look

Oxfam

Sadly at this point my camera battery died, there were a lot more amazing looks after this (particularly diappointed I couldn't photograph Topshop and River Island) but I had an amazing afternoon playing at being a fashion photographer and I was definitely inspired by some of the outfits I saw!

Have you been attending any of the NFW events? There's a lot more going on throughout the week if you're about!

Review | LUSH: Whoosh

LUSH is a store you're probably familiar with, known for their fresh hand made bath and body products and a huge advocate for not testing on animals they're one of my favourite brands in terms of bath and body products. I remember discovering LUSH when I was younger on a weekend trip to York, I somehow still remember what we bought, Happy Pill, a citrus smelling bath bomb that's sadly no longer available in shops.

Whoosh shower jelly is another product that was a favourite of mine when I was younger, shower jelly seemed like the coolest thing ever when I discovered it, it was packaged quite differently in a plastic tray and cut into a slab then but the product was the same. This citrus smelling jelly is great to wake you up in the shower in the morning as it's so fresh! Being jelly however it is slightly awkward to use, it's very slippery. I find it's best to smush it up in a shower scrunchy. The LUSH website also suggests chilling or freezing the jelly, which although I've never tried I'm sure would wake you up in the morning.

Have you ever tried shower jellies? How do you use them?

Good Friday OOTD

Hat - Topshop

T-Shirt - Jack Wills

Skort - Zara

Bag - Topshop (Similar)

Shoes - Juju Jellies

So the latest blogger challenge topic was outfit of the day (ootd), which I was pretty excited about as I've never posted one before. However doing this post I have discovered I am the most photographically awkward person I know so it is a good job I'm not usually a fashion blogger! Anyways, here is my ootd from Good Friday, a day later than I intended to post it. Hope you're all having an amazing Easter weekend!

He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. 1 Peter 2:24

ZARA Delivery

I've spent the best part of this week rather unglamorously in waterproof pants and wellies on lambing work experience, which despite the mud and cold was very cute. On Monday however, the delivery of my Zara Skort, added a little stylishness to my week. 

Until recently Zara was somehow a brand I was fairly unfamiliar with, I'd always somehow got the impression that Zara was a bit out of my price range, but having actually looked through their website their prices are the same sort of range as Topshop. The website set up is certainly more high end than high street, with a similar layout to the Burberry website. I was also pleasantly surprised when my skort arrived by the attention detail in the packaging. I had expected a plastic wrapped parcel like most other high street stores send out orders in but instead I received my skort wrapped in pink tissue and packaged inside of a box. Zara, you have impressed me.

I've had my eye on the skort itself for a while now, you might remember I featured it in my February Lust List. Every year at Easter my Nana gives me and my brother some money towards new clothes to wear at Easter, it's a bit of an Easter Tradition, so I knew immediately that this was what I was buying. The skort has not let me down either, it is beautifully cut and will go with a lot in my wardrobe, it will be easily dressed up or down and will certainly be worn a lot, safe to say, I'm in love.

Lemon and Thyme Loaf

The latest blogger challenge post, which I am very late in writing, was food. So for this topic I thought I'd share my favourite cake recipe: lemon and thyme loaf. Before I share as a little disclaimer this is a Nigel Slater recipe, I didn't come up with it, I saw it on T.V and had to try it for myself. It is a delicious recipe that makes a very lemony cake and always goes down a treat!*

For the loaf:

• 200g Butter (or margarine)
• 200g Golden Caster Sugar
• 100g Plain Flour
• 100g Ground Almond
• 1 tsp Baking Powder
• 4 Eggs
• Zest of 1 Lemon
• 1 tsp Thyme Leaves

For Syrup:

• 4 tbsp Sugar
• Juice of two lemons
• 1/2 tsp Thyme leaves

1. Preheat oven to 160 degrees C. Line a loaf tin.
2. Cream together butter and sugar then separately sift flour and baking power and mix this with the ground almond.
3. Lightly beat eggs and add a little at a time to the butter and sugar, also add some flour mix each time egg is added until all is combined. 
4. Mix the lemon zest with thyme leaves and add to the mixture.
5. Spoon the mixture into the tin and bake for approx 45 minutes (or until a skewer inserted to the center of the cake comes out clean.)
6. For syrup dissolve the sugar in the lemon juice over heat and add thyme leaves.
7. As soon the cake is removed from the oven poke holes with a skewer into the top and drizzle the syrup over the cake while it's still hot. Leave to cool.

The syrup flavours right though the cake, making this a perfect recipe for lemon lovers. You can eat it cold or I like it still a bit warm from the oven. 

 

February Fashion Lust List

I'm on a bit of an unofficial spending ban at the minute as I'm saving and fundraising for my volunteer trip to South Africa in the summer (keep an eye out for my blog sale coming soon) but despite knowing this I'm still forever browsing online and looking at things I can't buy right now. So I thought I'd share a few fashion pieces I'm coveting at the minute. 

H&M Straight Cut Jacket £14.99
I've recently decided, thanks to pinterest, that a blazer is something I'd like to add to my wardrobe. I found this one browsing on H&M and I love it, it's less structured than some others I've seen so is much more casual and something I'd wear often, probably over white t-shirts. At £14.99 it's a bargain as well, however with my trip still to pay I can't justify it right now.

Missguided Deynara Rose Print Collared Dress £29.99 
I spotted this dress a few weeks ago scrolling though Missguided and fell in love with it immediately. I love the cute little collar and the rose pattern is a perfect winter floral. I think this dress could easily be dressed up or down to wear anywhere with heels or flats.

ASOS Floral Blouse with Curved Collar £15.00 (sale)
This blouse popped up shopcade a few weeks ago and I immediately added it to one of my lists. Like the missguided dress it has a great little collar and is perfect for everyday, maybe even with the H&M blazer? Currently in the sale it's also a steal at £15.00.

Zara Mini Skort £25.99
I've seen quite a bit about skorts lately and I'm loving this one by Zara. Looks like a skirt but is actually shorts and in black will go with pretty much anything you want it to. I'm way too tempted to buy this at the minute but if you think £25.99 is a bit much for a pair of shorts I've seen blog posts about Primark dupes!

Topshop Vibrant Snake Ballet Pumps £16.00
With all of the current rain storms ballet pumps are probably not the most appropriate shoes but when Spring finally rolls around these pale pink snake ones will be perfect to add a little pastel to any outfit.

Warehouse Oriental Print Top £28.00
This morning I woke up to an email for ASOS about new season style and scrolling through the Warehouse page linked in the email this top caught my eye. I love the floral oriental pattern and the pastel colours, it's definitely something I could see myself wearing a lot.

Are there any fashion pieces you've been lusting after lately? Have you picked any of these ones?

Mally Lip Favourites

Mally High-shine Liquid Lipstick Pen

Before I start I thought I'd say a quick sorry for lack of posts recently but I do have a lot lined up at the minute but also my laptop has just broken so I'm having to borrow my mums and so posts might still be a bit irregular until I can sort something out with mine.
With that out of the way this post is about one of my favourite brands for lip gloss: Mally. A while back when I did my 'Day-to-day make-up' post I had my Mally Peach Sorbet lip gloss in there, it's still probably my favourite lip gloss so I thought it was about time it and my other Mally lip glosses got a review.
All three of these Mally colours are great to wear everyday or for any occasion. This product claims to be lip primer, lipstick, lip gloss and lip liner all in one tube and in my opinion it lives up to this pretty well. I've never used a lip primer so I can't really comment on that but this 'Liquid Lipstick' is well pigmented and very glossy without being sticky. It also stays in place a good few hours so it's great if you don't have time to be touching it up every 5 minutes. I also love the twist up tube, it means you can easily see how much product you have left and there's less waste than with other lip glosses.

Punch: This is the pink colour, I think this is very much a 'your lips but better' colour, and of course it's glossier than natural lips. The pink tint in the gloss is noticeable but not too loud making it perfect for a day to day colour.

Peach Sorbet: This is probably my favourite of the three colours, it's a perfect peachy lip colour and is again amazingly glossy.

Super Natural: This is an amazing nude colour which is great for creating a nude lip without ending up with a 'foundation lips' kind of look, it's definitely my favourite on days where I fancy a nude lip.

Have you used Mally before? What's your favourite lip gloss?

Ketchup Clouds: Book Review

Being a beauty blog book reviews are not somethings I'd normally post, however I'm a big reader (when I'm not swamped by college work) and this book deserves a review and, as it happens the current 2014 blogger challenge topic is books.

"I've done something wrong. Not a little bit wrong or even quite a lot wrong. What I've done is awful. And do you want to know the worst bit? I got away with it."

Zoe Collins has a secret - a dark and terrible secret that she dares confess to no one she knows. But then one day she hears of a criminal of death row who knows all about secrets. And lies. And betrayal. Desperate to confide in someone Zoe picks up a pen, and takes a deep breath. These are the letters she wrote.

I'm not sure what caused me to pick up Ketchup Clouds when I was book shopping at the start of last summer, I don't remember if it was the name or the cover but the blurb - above - had me dying to read it, I was intrigued and had to know what Zoe Collins had done, which, despite my efforts, could not be found by reading the first few pages stood in Waterstones. 

To start off we quickly learn that Zoe Collins is not the name of the girl writting the letters, she's so scared that she'll be found out that even a prisoner on death row half way across the world cannot know her real identity and address. Just in case. And without ruining the story I think I can say that not too far in we find out her terrible secret. She killed someone. 

This entire book is written as letters to a Mr S Harris, prisoner on death row in America who killed his wife, the letters switch betweens Zoes tales of what is currently happening in her life - like the person she killed's mum coming over - and the story of how she came to kill someone. What if find really lovely about the way this book is written is that you see Zoe become more trusting and familiar towards Mr S Harris, her first is rambling, it begins 'Dear Mr S Harris' and ends 'From Zoe' but letters and letters later, when Zoe writes her last letter she begins 'My dearest Stu' finishing the letter, for the first time with her real name. 

Throughout the book, in her letters, Zoe tells Mr Harris not only her home life, with two sisters one of whom is deaf, but also of school and parties and particularly the relationships she develops with two boys who she meets on the same night at the same party. I don't want to spoil the story for you so I don't think I can say a lot more or I'll get carried away and have told you every detail, however this is a strangely beautiful and inevitably sad story that I recommend everyone read. So to wrap up my review I'm going to share one of my favourite lines of the book, I couldn't tell you why but it seemed to stick in my head:

It was the wisest conversation anyone had ever had and I smiled wisely because of my great  wisdom and also possibly because of the whisky.