×

Not just another beauty blog...

Archive: March 2012

Hi there! I hope you're all having a great day so far. 




I am trying not to spend money at the moment (doesn't everyone say that?) BUT didn't actually spend a penny (not literally, anyway) because I got this lipstick with my Boots points! I have heard a lot about this one in particular from The Persian Babe, or Barbara, on YouTube and thought I'd give it a go because it seems I am incapable of going anywhere near shops without picking something up.


First of all, whilst the packaging is a bit in-your-face, I actually don't completely hate it. It's really easy to find in the bottom of your bag and makes a bit of a change. The formula of this lipstick is really lovely, it glides on to the lips and feels really moisturising and light, which is always a bonus. The colour is a very pale pinky nude, which doesn't have a great amount of pigmentation in, however it does make it a very wearable, everyday colour. As I mentioned in my Brilliant Beauty Products post (read here) I often reach for the Blistex Lip Brilliance for a slight bit of colour and moisturisation and, whilst I don't think the No. 17 lipstick will give as much moisture, it very well may be my new go-to product for when I want to perk up my lips but not really have to think about it. I'll keep you posted! 
Left - No. 17 Right - Estee Lauder


Also, as a rather large bonus, I would say it is very comparable to Estee Lauder's Crystal Baby, if a little more glossy and not as opaque in colour. Compared to the price tag of £18 for that one, £4.59 seems like a pretty good deal to me. The packaging of the Estee Lauder one is a million times nicer and you don't get quite the same feeling pulling the No.17 one out of your bag as you do with the other, but it's nice to know there is a similar one out there if you can't quite relax the purse-strings too far. 


I haven't tried any of the other colours in the range yet, but I have heard that not all the formulas are as good as this one so I am a bit wary. Has anyone tried any of these lipsticks before? What did you think of them?



Hello there!




So, last Friday I spent the day getting increasingly excited about going to see The Hunger Games and was sure to pre-book a couple of days in advance because I thought it would be jam-packed! It wasn't. Myself and my boyfriend went to the 8 o'clock showing and I would say it was no more than 40% full, which surprised me. But that doesn't really matter that much. What matters is, what is the film like?

Well, having read all three of the books in the space of about 2 weeks I was going with an open mind because they always say a film will never be as good as the book, and to some extent I agree. First of all, let me say that I think it would be good for me to go and see it for a second time, because I seemed to spend a lot of the film thinking about whether what was happening was the same as in the book and wondering if said boyfriend was understanding what was going on (not that he's a bit simple or anything! Just that he hadn't read them). So I think a second watch would be good so I could really concentrate on the film on its own, as opposed to an interpretation of the book, if that makes sense! 


Overall, however, I did really enjoy it and thought that not only was it very true to the book and followed it almost exactly (only a couple of changes which didn't really make that much difference) but that it was also cast very well. Jennifer Lawrence, who plays the main character Katniss Everdeen, was, in my opinion, perfect. Very strong willed and gorgeous, but not in an obviously girly, pretty way. And the same with almost all the other characters apart from Haymitch, who I had always imagined to be an overweight, short, balding man but, to my surprise, was cast with Woody Harrelson, who is most definitely not any of those things. It was probably my mistake, as I'd imagined him to be a lot older than he was portrayed in the film, so I probably just missed that bit of timescale in the book. 

Apart from that though, I would definitely recommend going to see it whether or not you've read the book beforehand because the story is very interesting and really makes you think about what they're portraying. If you want a basic plot outline you can take a look at my review of the book here. Neither my boyfriend or my parents, who went to see it the day after, have read any of them and they all said they enjoyed it and that it was easy to follow. Also, the fight scenes are done in a way that you can't really see that much of what's going on, so I would say it would be suitable for any young teenagers who've read the books as well. 

I would give it at least a 7.5 out of 10, but a second viewing would definitely help to confirm that! Have any of you seen it? What did you think? Compared to the book? 


Image from www.benjaminkanarekblog.com
I was just going through my daily blog list and came across this lovely post from Daisy at PrettyGreenTea. It really made me think and re-inspired me to make sure I make the most out of every day. It can be so easy to slip into old, familiar routines and soon enough you become aware of the days and weeks merging into one, so every now and again it's nice to be reminded to take a moment and think about ways to make the most out of your days. Even trying to make the smallest changes to include something you love doing into your daily routine can make a big difference and make you so much happier. It's actually partly why I started up this blog, because it feels like I'm doing something worthwhile and creative. Since finishing uni last year it has been a bit difficult to feel settled and I haven't yet decided what it is I really want to do, so this little outlet has really helped and I feel much more relaxed and happy. 


I wasn't actually planning on doing this post but it's always nice when you write an impromptu piece after feeling inspired by another blogger :)


Thanks for reading and go out there and be inspired!



This is a little post about some beauty products that I am loving at the moment, and have been for the past month or so. I'm having to get a bit creative with my hair because of my mission to not use heat on it (you can read about that here) and have found it difficult to get it looking nice enough that I don't feel like a total tramp, especially when I go to work where it probably pays off to look slightly presentable, so that's where the rollers come in. Obviously, they're not heated (would kind of defeat the point!) but I just use one in my fringe in the morning as I'm getting ready in order to give it a bit of lift and a couple at the front pieces of my hair. I find it really helps to just make it look a bit more 'done' and on days when I'm not actually washing my hair I'll just dampen it with a bit of water and pop the rollers in for about 20 minutes.


My Clarisonic is (at the moment, anyway) my all time favourite beauty gadget. It is seriously amazing. I know there has been a lot of hype about this for months and months now and I got mine for Christmas (after a bit of persuading on my part because my Mum couldn't seem to get her head around the concept of using a giant toothbrush on your face!). If you haven't got one, you should! Honestly, it is just incredible. I don't have particularly problem skin anyway but this has just made it even better. It feels so soft and smooth and looks the best it has ever done. In the past couple of weeks I've actually had a few comments on how good my skin is looking and I would definitely put that all down to the Clarisonic and it's ability to work wonders! I know it is a little on the pricey side but it is worth the investment and will last for years and years, so you will get your money's worth.


Miss Dior Cherie - absolutely loving this at the moment it is such a sophisticated scent in a gorgeous bottle.


Estee Lauder DayWear - have been wearing this almost everyday since the weather has been getting warmer and sunnier. I love it. I'm sure you will all have heard lots about it but it is worth the hype as it gives a gorgeous dewy, sunkissed glow.


Umberto Giannini Overnight Beauty Moisture Balm - yet another hair care product which I've been using to bring my hair back to tip top condition. I like it and it smells divine but I'm not completely convinced that it does that much for my hair. 


Blistex Lip Brilliance - really great product that I have re-purchased many times. Gives lips a lovely rosy tint with the slightest hint of shimmer whilst making them super soft and moisturised. It's only £2.49 and something I always opt for if I'm in a bit of a rush or feel like my lips need looking after. 

Do you use any of these products? What do you think of them? Let me know what your faves of the moment are! 

Not actually entirely sure what the protocol with things like this is but I'm giving it a go! I just entered the latest one hosted by BlogLoveTherapy (there's a button at the side if you wish to go as well). It seems like a great way to discover new blogs and also gain some interest for your own, so why not go over and take a look :)


Anyone new reading? Let me know if you found me through the blog hop! 

Hope you're having a great day! 


I always love reading and looking at posts where people use one piece of clothing but make two different looks so I thought I'd do one with this dress that I am loving from Next right now. It's always nice to really highlight one key piece of an outfit and let it stand out and shine, and something like this tea dress is perfect. 


Look One
Denim shirt £85Denim and Supply Ralph Lauren
Telephone Necklace £5River Island 
Chocolate Leather Tote £75Next
Office Narnia Plait Leather Sandals £35: Office

Look Two
Fluid Longline Blazer £65: Topshop
Mega Pearl Necklace £6.99New Look
Clutch Bag £26Accessorize
Pewter Slingback Heels £38: Dorothy Perkins 

I've tried to make the two looks quite different, with Look One being quite casual and Look Two a lot more formal. For the second look I had the idea of a summer wedding or a formal garden party in mind, so went for heels and a relatively neutral palette. I really love the longline blazer and think it would smarten up the tea dress and make it more formal, if the occassion called for it. 

The first look is more of an everyday look, which I would definitely wear to go shopping or out for lunch on a lovely summers day. The denim shirt layered over the dress would look really nice and would also keep you warm if it does get a bit chilly (which, lets be honest, it probably would!). Any long necklace would look good with this outfit, I just chose this one from Accessorize because it's cute. The brown colour of the bag (which I also featured in this post) goes really well with the dress and pairing it with some brown sandals gives a lovely summery vibe. 

What do you think of the outfits? Which one is your favourite? Let me know in the comments below and have a great day! 


Nail varnish is such a good way to add instant colour and pop to an outfit and is one of the easiest beauty trends to keep on top of, because it can be changed so quickly and easily. Like all beauty and fashion trends they tend to change quickly and what's in fashion now might be out next week. But for now, these are my go-to polishes for adding an instant Spring update into your outfits!


First though, just in case you haven't seen it, I thought I'd show you the new Nail's Inc. polish that's being released for the Diamond Jubilee and features red, blue and silver particles. Its looks AMAZING! I need to get this in my life when it's released in May!


Now here's my faves of the moment! Let me know in the comments below what nail colours you like at the moment, I would love to know! I applied two coats of all the nail varnishes and no top coat but all of them still have a very glossy finish. Enjoy!


Barry M No.308 - Berry Ice Cream


Revlon No.028 - Minted


Sally Hansen No.560 - Kook-A-Mango


Topshop No.101 - Hypnotic


Nails Inc. No.330 - Maple Place



I hope you enjoyed this post, I really am obsessed with nail varnish recently so I loved doing it! Talk again soon and have a great day! 





I am having a love affair with jewellery at the moment so have dedicated this Weekend Wish List to just that. I also am loving the jewellery on offer at Urban Outfitters at the moment and as I was putting together my fave pieces of the moment it was ending up as mostly pieces from there anyway, so I decided to dedicate it entirely to them! I want all of these things really rather a lot. Unfortunately it's not payday for me until NEXT. FRIDAY. so I'm afraid I will just have to be patient...Enjoy!




Hamsa Charm Necklace: £12
Metal Stone Ring: £14
Vivienne Westwood Rose Gold Valentines Necklace: £110 (gulp!)
Heart and Chain Bracelet: £8
Hanging Triangle Earrings: £8

My favourites from this little line up are the ring and the bracelet. I'm really into cute, simple bracelets at the moment and this one would be so easy to wear all the time. It does come in a couple of other colours as well so you could layer them or just wear one on its own. The Vivienne Westwood necklace is really gorgeous (if a bit on the expensive side at this time in my life!). The rose gold colour is bang on trend and would quirk up an outfit instantly. Love it!


Is there anything you are desperately lusting after at the moment? Let me know in the comments! Hope you're having a really fantastic weekend!




Hi there lovely readers!

This is a post about handbags of all shapes and sizes! Now I would say that, in general, I'm more of a clothes girl than a bags or shoes girl. I do love bags and I especially love getting a new one, but it would never be something that's at the top of my list and I hate to admit that I'm the sort of person who just uses the same bag everyday for months on end. I tend to like to go for bags on the more expensive side rather than buying loads of cheaper bags but then whenever I'm watching or reading a haul on a fashion blogger's channel or page I always love the fact that you can get designer inspired bags at a much lower cost from the high-street. With this in mind, I have been doing a little look around what's available at the moment and wanted to share my findings!

£30 @Next
The dark blue/teal colour of this bag from Next is fabulous. I have one by Ted Baker which is a similar shape and finish which I have used to death so I know I would get a lot of wear out of this. It would go with loads of different outfits and adds a bit of glamour with the patent finish.


£30 @Topshop
How lovely is this clutch from Topshop? I love the colour and the scallop-edge detail. I am in desperate need of a new clutch for nights out and get really sick of boring black, so this dark pink colour seems like a good option. Obviously it might be more tricky to pair with an outfit but, hey, we're all about colour blocking, right? It also comes with a strap which can be whipped out if you get bored of carrying it or, like me, you get bored of picking it up off the floor after dropping it on the dance floor!


£75 @Next
This brown leather bag, also from Next, is simply gorgeous. It is a timeless piece that would see you through season after season. The simple shape and classic brown of the leather means that it would go with almost everything in your wardrobe. It's also really practical not only because of its' size but also because of the two handle options meaning you can wear it over your shoulder or on your arm. An investment piece that's sure to get better over time.


£48 @Urban Outfitters
Ahhh I love this bag from Urban Outfitters so much. The colour, the shape, the size, the fabric. It is just amazing. Only £48 for a suede bag which looks this good - I must be dreaming! Need. It.


£79.99 @Zara
A lovely small across body bag from Zara. It has an ethnic inspired pattern with a long strap which makes it perfect for day-wear when you don't need to take too much stuff with you. The neutral colour means it will go with loads of things and, bonus, you won't get one-shoulder-ache from lugging around half your life with you (does everyone's handbag end up with a really quite alarming amount of junk in it after a certain amount of time? Receipts? Food wrappers? Hair ties/bobby pins?). Lovely.



Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed this post! Do you have a huge collection of bags or just a few that you rotate? What sort of bags do you like? Speak soon!





Hello there!
So it's the end of week one of my no-heat, hair repair experiment and so far it is going well. It hasn't been particularly hard at all and has really made me think about just how much heat I was using and what I was putting my hair through everyday. It was completely unnecessary! Oh how we learn. I do feel like my hair looks shinier for sure, at the moment it doesn't really feel much different and I haven't suddenly got thick, flowing locks (I was hoping) but I definitely feel like I'm on the right track!

The Tresemme Split Remedy haircare that I'm trying at the moment is good, but I can't really tell if it has done what it claims to (repair split ends by up to 80% after 3 uses) because, well, how could you unless you painstakingly checked each split end in your hair! I do have my doubts as to how any hair product can claim to do that but I will certainly keep it up for the rest of the weeks to come because it is a nice line and I have hope in my heart.

As another addition to my ever-expanding arsenal of hair products, yesterday I purchased the Tangle Teezer, after hearing quite a lot about it and, of course, wanting to reduce the amount of breakage I have when I brush my hair. The only thing really that put me off buying it before was the price, £10.99. Now I know hair brushes can be on the expensive side of things here but it's just that this one in particular feels so plastic-y (?) and not in the slightest bit luxurious so I didn't think it seem to warrant that amount of money. However, I decided to go for it because I am hair obsessed at the moment and so far so good. I've used it on both wet and dry hair and it definitely does make it a doddle to brush your hair and teeze those tangles, so it's a thumbs up from me.


I will be sure to keep you updated with what's going on and whether I find any more miracle hair products to help me through this time! (A little melodramatic, possibly.) I have some more beauty posts on their way soon so thanks for reading and speak soon! 



This look was inspired (well, just full-on copied really!) by MissGlamorazzi on YouTube (video here) and I think it turned out really quite well! The look overall is something a little bit different and was so easy to recreate. I used Nail Rock's Designer Nail Wraps for the leopard print nails. I got these free in a GlossyBox one month and this is the first time I've used them and I really like them, they were just so easy to use. I've tried the ones where you had to heat them with a hair dryer before but found those really annoying, but with these you literally just stick them on and you're ready to go! I used Nails Inc.'s 'Tate' for the red nails, which in my opinion is the perfect red colour - it's a really deep pillar-box red but with a bit of brightness to perk it up.


I alternated the leopard and red on each finger and did the opposite fingers on each hand, so thumb, middle and little fingers in leopard on one hand and just index and ring finger on the other - I'm really pleased with it!  Stay tuned for more nail posts in the near future, I just can't help myself at the moment!

Thanks for reading I hope you enjoyed and let me know in the comments if you like the look! Have a great day everyone!


A little late what with it not actually being the weekend any more but wanted to share with you some more pieces that I am having a serious love affair with at the moment. I haven't had a big clothes shopping spree in far too long and have the overwhelming need to buy something. But I just know that when it actually comes to being let loose around the shops there won't be anything that I want because that always seems to happen! Whenever I can't shop for one reason or another (mostly because I'm not looking after the pennies too well!) there seems to be a never-ending list of things I want to buy, but then when I allow myself to have an indulgent spending spree nothing seems to float my boat or what I have seen just doesn't look or feel right. Hopefully that will not be the case with this little collection of beauts that I've lined up for you...As it was St Patrick's Day on Saturday I've chosen mostly green things, which is good as green is in at the moment!

Mint Shirt: New Look
Snood: Topshop
Typewriter Necklace: Accessorize
Nail Varnish: 'Gargantuan Green Grape' O.P.I
Green Shorts: River Island
Patent Pumps: Lipsy @Asos

I absolutely love the nail colour, I've been looking for a green for ages so might just have to go ahead and buy that one. And that mint green shirt is gorgeous and so in right now! Hope you like my picks and let me know what you're loving at the moment. 

I hope you all had a really great weekend. I've got some exciting posts on their way, including some of my favourite beauty products of the moment. Have a great day and speak soon! 





This is one of my favourite nail polishes of all time. I am in love with colour. It's by Andrea Fullerton and is one of the Nail Boutique 'Trio' polishes which is double ended and just creates the most amazing effect. It's a duo-chrome polish which goes from blue to purple to green and has extremely fine shimmery-glittery particles. I don't think the photos quite do the colour justice but I would really recommend going out and trying a polish from this range to see for yourself how amazing they are.

Yesterday I bought another nail product, not a varnish, but something way more amazing! I will most definitely be doing a post about it because it is pretty cool!

Hope you're having a good weekend so far and speak soon! Let me know in the comments what your favourite nail varnishes are because I love finding new ones! 

Woohoo! I have finally been shopping after what feels like a lifetime! I have been buying things here and there, but there's nothing like the feeling of getting home after a day of shopping with your arms full of bags and full of lovely things! Plus, what made it even more exciting was that when I got home there was a little package waiting from me which contained my absolutely lovely bracelet from Wavy Jewellery (wavy.bigcartel.com) - I am in love with it! And the packaging is really cute and so personal, take a look down below at some pictures of what I got.

I didn't go absolutely crazy on the spending (I am attempting to actually come out of my overdraft at some point) but I bought enough to make me feel good! So I thought I'd give you a little peak into what I bought if  you're interested!

First things first, my hair! Today is Day One of the big hair experiment and the first day in years that I have gone out the house without the use of a piece of heated equipment (hooray!). It was absolutely fine. I tend to  clip my hair back with bobby pins quite a lot anyway so it looks kind of 'done' without using heat. So all is good there.

So, first on the shopping list was hair products to bring my hair back from the brink of dry and damaged disaster. I spent a while browsing the aisles and decided to go for the Tresemme Split Remedy line (mostly because it was on a really good offer on Boots) but also because it claims to reduce split ends by 80% after 3 uses. I went for the shampoo, conditioner, leave in treatment and hair masque so I'm quite excited to give it a go and see if it improves my hair and will let you know the results in the near future.

After that there wasn't actually a lot that I really needed, but of course I did get a few more bits. I bought some lovely coasters from John Lewis because I got a beautiful new desk this week (which is the crackle effect you can see in the background of some of my pictures). It's a restored washstand from a little shopping village near Stoke and I absolutely love it.

Coasters from John Lewis: £5.99 
Rose Gold Star Earrings from Accessorize: £4
Pen from Paperchase: £2
Gold Heart Earrings from Accessorize: £3 (bargain!)

I'm loving dangly earrings at the moment and thought the prices of the two pairs I bought were really rather good! The star earrings are my personal faves, rose gold is having something of a fashion moment right now so thought these would be perfect matched with some other rose gold accessories and can easily be dressed up or down depending on the situation.

And now for the little surprise which was waiting for me when I got home...

I hope you enjoyed reading, let me know what you've been buying recently! I have yet another nail post to put up tomorrow featuring one of my favourite nail polishes of all time

I hope you're having a splendid day and speak soon!





Copyright © Sophie ElgarCREATED BY ThemeShine