Merry Christmas Everyone!

So this is Christmas...?

It's Christmas Eve tomorrow, and for once in my life not only have i bought all my presents but they are all wrapped and under the tree. Tomorrow will be a stress free zone, and i won't be rushing about tomorrow night frantically wrapping things. So i'm feeling quite smug... even though i can't find the obligitory novelty socks that i'd bought my Dad ages ago.

Christmas is my absolute favourite time of year. Whatever crap is going on in your life, you can put it aside for a few days and just have a good time. Christmas to me is about loads of tinsel, and a tree covered in fairy lights. It's about having a sing along to the most cheesiest songs ever (but cheesy is good at Xmas!) The best Christmas song of course being by Wham! But you can't beat a bit of Slade, or Shakin Stevens! haha

Of course you can't beat the array of seasonal films. Maximum smulch a neccessity. Me and my sister have a tradition that we must watch A Mupppet Christmas Carol every Christmas Eve. A classic story, with the added bonus of the Muppets, and Michael Caine! And the classic Marley and Marley song that we always sing along to. But Home Alone, Elf, The Grinch, The Nightmare Before Christmas, The Santa Clause, Love Actually, and Jingle All The Way all have to be watched as well.

Forgetting about the 'healthy eating' and getting out the Quality Street, and Christmas biscuits. The huge turkey dinner expertly cooked by my Mum. Always getting the mini screwdriver set in my cracker. Always. The cashew nuts... which we only ever eat at Christmas. The net of chocolate coins that we always get in our stockings. Christmas food is delicious!

Exchanging presents, and watching peoples faces when you've got them just what they wanted. Opening my Marks and Spencer bubble bath from my Nan & Grandad and smiling (even though i only have a shower cubicle). Giving the Dogs their present, and finding they prefer the wrapping paper to what's actually inside.

Then of course in the evening attempting to play games with the whole family, which inevitably ends in an arguement over whether somones cheating or if that deserves a point etc... Having a brandy and then laughing about the whole thing.

I mean, yes this time of year can be stressful. Walking round shops desperatly trying to find a present for my Dad (who is the hardest person to buy presents for ever!) with people everywhere, and endless queues. But when all is said and done, whatever your beliefs to me the best thing about Chrismas is spending a bit of time with the people that you love, and having a bit of fun.

So wherever you are, and whatever your Chrismas traditions are, i hope you have a bangin' December 25th!

(^_^)

A Little Bit of Glitter!

This is the time of year when i wheel out all my glittery make up, and go mad! After all, you've got to have some glitter at Christmas!

Here are my favourite glittery products:

• Nails: Nails Inc in Queensgate, Eyeko Disco Polish & Cosmic Polish
• Pigments: Mac Reflects Antique Gold & Reflects Duo Purple, Models Own Black & Gold Sparkle
• Eyeliner: Collection 2000 Glam Crystals in Funk, Rock Chick, & Shake It Up!, Urban Decay Heavy Metal in Pyrotechnics, Models Own in Golden Girl
• Lipgloss: Barry M in 8 & 9, Mac Dazzleglass on Steppin' Out
• Misc: Sleek All That Glitters pots in Gold & Cranberry, NYX Glitter Cream Pallet in Ocean Breeze, and Sally Girl Sparkle Effect loose glitter pots.

(^_^)

A few early Christmas presents

It's Christmas...wooo!
Here are a few lovely presents i've been given early (^_^)

Anatomicals- don't look like your ma home spa pampering kit. I love anatomicals stuff, this pack includes a body scrub, moisturiser, hair mask, and mud mask. This will be perfect when preparing for New Year (and when recovering after!).
Also some lovely Freedom at Topshop goodies, including some heart hair slides and bracelet, a ruby slippers necklace and some shiny green and black hair bows.

A huge lacey bow headband from H&M. I love this! I shall be wearing this on Christmas day and new year with some huge boufanty hair! Also a Mac lipstick in Angel, and below a Mac 5 sexy shenanigans set from the holiday collection.

(^_^)

A Little Review of Eyeko Disco Polish

I love Eyeko nail polishes! Mainly because of the super kawaii bottles, and cute names. The fact that they cost £1.99 is also a cheeky bonus. I hadn't tried the Disco Polish before. I'm always on the lookout for a good glitter nail polish. Every one i've tried has been a disappointment, leaving the slightest hint of a few specks of glitter after endless coats.

So the Disco Polish... i thought i'd paint my nail with Barry M's black nail paint as a base so the glitter would hopefully show up more. One coat of Disco Polish later and i was stunned (in a good way!) This polish is so densely packed with glitter! I needn't have bothered with a base coat as you could barely see it through the sheet of glitter. Afterwards i painted my sisters nails with just this and it worked really well :)

I finished it with a clear top coat and a week later it was only just starting to chip. Great product- super sparkly, and great value.

Overall 5/5

(^_^)

These are a few of my favourite things...

A little tag to waste some time. You are welcome to join in.

Favourites....

Favourite make up brand? erm.. Mac, Estee Lauder, or Sleek

Favourite eyeshadow? Freshwater by Mac

Favourite lipstick? Estee Lauder- Pink Sand

Favourite mascara? Hypnose by Lancome

Favourite colour? Purple

Favourite place? London

Favourite word? Indelible

Favourite number? 8

Favourite season? Winter

Favourite smell? Vanilla, coffee, freshly blown out candles

Favourite song? You're Not Alone by Olive

Favourite book? 1984 by George Orwell

Favourite film? Amellie

Favourite sweet? Haribo love hearts

Favourite tv programme? The Mighty Boosh

Spend Vs Steal: Glitter Eyeliners

Around Christmas time i love to get into the spirit of things and wear a bit of glitter and sparkle, and there's no better way of doing that than wearing a glitter eyeliner. There's all sorts of price ranges available. But which are best?

I used to be a make up snob. Yes, i admit it! If something was cheap i automatically assumed it would be a bad quality product and would opt to spend ridiculous amounts of money on lipsticks and foundations because the packaging looked pretty. Recently, i've had to reduce my spending habits and was forced to become more open minded towards 'budget' or more affordable brands. And i have to say i have been quite pleasantly suprised.

I wouldn't think twice about ordering from ELF, who have amazed me with great products at hugely cheap prices. So this led me to invesitgate other cheaper priced brands further. Could they stand against more expensive or 'high end' products and perform just as well? and if so, then why bother spending £20 on a lipstick when i could get a good one for £5?

Here's my thoughts on glitter eyeliners.... spend vs steal:

L-R Collection 2000 Glam Crystals liner in rock chick, shake it up, and funk (£2.99), Urban Decay Heavy Metal liner in pyrotechnics (£12), Too Faced Starry Eyed liner in super freak, and obsessed fan (£13). Below: swatched in same order.

Collection 2000 were a brand i used as a teenager, and since then have never revisited. When it comes to glitter liners they have an impressive selection of 14 colours (compared to 6 from Too Faced, and 5 from Urban Decay). So after many years i bought a C2000 product to give it a try.

When it comes to glitter liners i previously favoured Too Faced- they had good staying power although need a lot of coats for it to show up properly. Urban Decay Heavy Metal liners were always a disappointment for me. They have an awful smell which is reminiscent of the PVA glue i used to use at primary school in the huge bottles, and really didn't show up all that much.

So the C2000 liners? well staying power- brilliant. No bad smell, easy to use, beautiful colours. And best of all- they have amazing pigmentation. A lovely dense glitter that only needs one coat to give maximum sparkle! These liners could quite easily be used alone as a liner where as the other brands would need to go over a normal liner to show properly. I was so impressed i went and bought more colours the next day...

Quite simply in terms of price, value, and quality the Collection 2000 glitter liners have put the other brands to shame. Who'd have thought?!

(^_^)

Another Day, Another Spree...

Sunday night, internet shopping for Christmas presents in my pyjamas, with the fire going and a big mug of coffee. Perfect! And that's what i did last Sunday night. Amongst all the present buying i couldn't help but cheekily add a few things for myself :)

Firstly at ASOS i bought a steamcream in Liberty (£10). In all honesty the thing that made me want to buy this moisturiser was the supercute tins they come in. I had trouble deciding between this one and the lepeord print one. Next i got the Dainty Doll eyeshadow & blush gift set (£12) I've been wanting to try this make up range for a long time. As well as that i got an Anatomicals Snog Me Senseless Minty Lipbalm (£2.50) i love their stuff! And lastly i ordered the Eyeko 3 nailpolish set (£5) which is amazing value considering they are £3 each. In the set is the Vintage Polish, Cosmic Polish, and the Indigo Polish. All lovely.

At the Elf website i bought a cream shadow in Blueberry (1.50) these work well as a cheap eyeshadow base. An Elf Studio Complexion Perfection compact, An Elf Studio Lip stain, a brow treat and tame, and a brow lifter and filler (all £3.50 each). Because i spent over £25 i also got a make up gift set free, which i think will make a nice little Christmas present.

I took a little trip to Suerdrug today, and found out they have a 3 for 2 offer on all their make up. Seeing as Christmas is on its way i thought this was a great oportunity to stock up on plenty of glitter and sparkle! I got:

• Sleek eye dust in green with envy £2.99
• Sleek eye dust in inferno £2.99
• Sleek blush in Pixie Pink £3.29
• Collection 2000 Glam Crystals eyeliner in gold £2.99
• Sleek all that glitters pot in Gold £3.99
• Sleek all that glitters pot in Cranberry £3.99

With a nice saving of £6.28.

The Sleek All That Glitter pots are a new product brought out for Christmas. They are cute little boxed products of a glittery moussey gel that can be used to add glitter to eyes, lips, face etc.. and come in 3 colours- Silver, Gold, and Cramberry. I recommend the Cramberry in particular which is a beautiful hot pink. They are a nice little novelty that would make a good stocking filler.

(^_^)

Most Used: October

Here are the things i've been mostly using during October:

• Gosh velvet touch eyeliner in Bananas. Great for lining the under eye.
• ELF Studio eyeliner & shadow stick in black & smoke. I've found my new favourite blackliner!
• Avon cuticle balm. Really cute tin for carrying round.
• Gosh touch up concealer. Really impressed with this.
• Witch Stick. A must have for spots.
• No.7 stay perfect nail polish in rose truffle. A lovely dusky winter colour.
• Boots Natural Collection vanilla body spray. Cheap and cheerful & smells lovely.
• Lancome Hypnose Mascara. This was a trial size,but i'll definately be purchasing the full size, it's amazing!
• Maybelline colour sensation lipstick in ambre rose. A good one for everyday wear.
• Mac cremesheen lipstick in creme cup. Again another good one for everyday.
• Lancome Hydra Zen moisturiser. Hmm.. this is still on trial.
• Mac Blush of Youth beauty powder. Initially i wasn't a fan, but i've been converted.
• Mac paint pot in bare study. Trusty eyeshadow base.
• L'Occitane hand cream. This was a freebie with a magazine, but it is the most luxurious hand cream i've ever tried.
  

(^_^)

Things i've bought lately

Here are just some things i've bought over the last couple of weeks. I haven't really been spending much, but i'm always on the lookout for a bargain.

Predictably i got the Sleek Sunset palette (probably along with everyone else), and the colours are lovely. I also bought 2 of their eye dusts to try. They had an impressive selection of colours and the were only £2.93 each.I chose Hypnotic which is a midnight blue, and Fantasy which is purple. I'm looking forward to giving these a go. I also picked up a Collection 2000 Glam Crystals glitter liner. I have heard so many good things about these liners and they are so cheap at £2.93 each. They have so many colours to choose from, but i fell for 11 shake it up which is the most beautiful blueish purple.
I also ordered online an Bourjois Vintage Collection little round pot set. This is basically 3 of their eyeshadows with a vintage design on the packaging- that's why i got it.... they just look so cute!


I stopped in Primark to have a look at their makeup range, i wanted to see if they had anything interesting. The only thing that caught my eye were these nail polishes, i got a nice grape colour, and a 2 pack of a green,and a really pretty glitter top coat. Both were a £1 each, i've never tried their cosmetics before but i thought i'd give them a go.

Again very predicatably i bought the Sleek Graphite palette, and also some little pots to empty my UDPP into because the packaging is awful.

I found a real bargain in TK Maxx. I am a HUGE fan of Lancome eyeshadows, and i found this quad 105 renaissance a lovely selection of smokey greens (and current season) for £9.99. I also went into Boots to get the Limited Edition No.7 Opulance Highlighter (£13) from the Christmas Collection. I have a thing for limited edition No.7 stuff and i thought the packaging looked so pretty. I was planning ongetting the eye palette as well, but on seeing itin the shop i changed my mind. Well done me :)

Lastly i bought the 3 Harajuku Lovers perfumes i don't have. These are the Snow Bunnies Christmas editions. Ijust think these perfumes are so cute! Igot these from Boots, and there were included in the Christmas 3 for 2 so they were £12.50 each and i got 1 free.

Also, to cheer me upthe other week my sister gave me some Hello Kitty treats. Iamobsessed with Hello Kitty, so she gave be a watch, and a hardback notebook and little heart mirror. Very Very nice! (^_^)

Reasons to be cheerful (and reasons not to)

Reasons to be cheerful:

• Having fun in the cold last night- the fireworks, the funfair, the candyfloss, and my new found talent for winning toys on the crane machines
• The arrival of Winter. I love wrapping up in my scarf and gloves
• Revisiting my favourite albums of 2009- among others albums from La Roux, Kasabian, Ian Brown, IAMX, Maps, Spinnerette, Yeah Yeah Yeahs...
• 'Life' on BBC1. Iam obsessed with this programme, it's absolutely facinating and it always makes me smile. I love wildlife programmes, especially with David Attenborough. And i loved the flying fish in last weeks episode.

Reasons not to be cheerful:

• Feeling the harshness of the recession- being made redundant from my job which i was very fond of after the company went into liquidation.
• As a result being very poor, and seeing all these lovely holiday collections from Mac, Estee Lauder, Dior etc... sooo painful! But worse of all not being able to buy Xmas presents.
• Daytime television. No explanation needed.
• Not having a job.... hopefully not for long.

My Wish List

I have been doing pretty well with my self imposed spending ban, but i'm getting increasingly frustrated not being able to buy anything and especially watching the Style Black collection come and go. So to cheer myself up i thought i'd create a wish list.

If someone gave me a couple of grand and said i had to spend it instantly (i wish) this is perhaps what i'd buy:

MAC lipglass set from the soon to be released holiday collection
MAC Baroque Boudoir collection (it all looks beatiful)

AOFM Make Up is Art book

Chanel necklace

Eyeko nail polish

Estee Lauder Ulitimate Red Collection (particularly that lovely highlight compact)

Dior Addict 2

Chanel bag

Chanel 'double c' earrings

Benefit Georgia blush

Urban Decay 24/7 super stash liners

That was almost as fun as shopping... kind of. (^_^)

Something For The Ears 1

Right now my soundtrack is:

1. Kasabian- Underdog
2. La Roux- Tigerlily
3. IAMX- The Stupid, The Proud
4. The Temper Trap- Sweet Disposition
5. Ian Brown- For The Glory
6. Cerys Mathews- Arlington Way
7. Ladytron- The Lovers
8. Mumford & Sons- Little Lion Man
9. Muse- Exogenisis- Symphony Part 1 (Overture)
10. Robbie Williams- Tripping
11. Gwen Stefani- 4 in the Morning (Thin White Duke Mix)
12. Yeah Yeah Yeahs- Heads Will Roll
13. Glasvegas- Fuck You It's Over
14. All Saints- Dreams
15. Kasabian- West Ryder Silver Bullet
16. IAMX-Thinking Out Loud

As well as make up my other passion is music. I have a hugely electic taste in music and love everything from Dusty Springfield to Roots Manuva and everything in between. This is a list of stuff i've had playing a lot lately.

Oh, and i'm pleased to see Tom from Kasabian has cut all his long hair off... very nice <3 ^_^

Playing with make up 2

'Lizard Girl'

I tried to create a scaley, shadowy look using stencils, sponges, and different shades of dazzle dusts & pigments. I also brushed on some bronze as a contour/highlight. Lots of wet look hair gel was slopped on the hair (sorry Kirst!)

Playing with make up 1

What better thing to do on a boring Sunday than be creative with make up. This is what i came up with...
I am also going to enter this into pixiwoo's competition (I already have ideas for more designs!)

Oh,and thanks to Kirst for letting me give her a black eye (^_^)

A little review of ELF make up brushes...

(from L-R) 1. ELF studio powder brush, ELF studio complextion brush, Elf studio angled foundation brush, foundation brush, blending eye brush, eyeliner brush, eye shadow brush.

1. ELF studio powder brush. This brush is super soft, and looks really profesional considering its £3.50 price tag. I've been mainly using this for blush in the vein of a Mac 109 and have found no shedding at all. It blends really well, and picks up loads of products. My only one little moan is that i think perhaps making the head a little smaller would be a benefit, but otherwise i think this brush is very very nice indeed. 4/5

2. ELF studio complexion brush. This brush is most definately my favourite of them all. It's so soft i could just brush my face with it all day! This is great value at £3.50. You can use this for all sorts, face powder, blush, bronzer etc... I've found it particularly good for applying my face powder. The brush is really dense so as well as picking up a lot of product it buffs it in really well, so there's no patchiness or streaks. 5/5

3. ELF studio angled foundation brush. (£3.50) I tried applying foundation with this brush, and although the finish was not bad i found the brush to be nothing special. The brush was so small it took ages, although the angled shape was useful for the eye area i found the brush to be quite flimsy so had to really work the foundation in. I probably wouldn't use this to apply foundation again, but think this would be good for blending in concealer- especially round the eye area. 3/5

4. Foundation brush. Simply put this brush is awful! Small and flimsy, applying foundation with this brush is a nightmare, for £1.50 i wasn't expecting anything amazing but this is just not worth it. 0/5

5. Blending eye brush. This brush on the other hand was brilliant. Amazing value at £1.50 i've since stocked up. It works as a cheap dupe of a Mac 217, and is brilliant for blending eye shadow. I've also found this brush useful for touching up areas with face powder- particularly under the eye. Really good quality, and does a great job. 5/5

6. Eye liner brush. (1.50) This brush was pretty terible. i't's a flat top but is far to thick and flimsy to be precise with eyeliner, i say stick with the good ol' Mac 266! 0/5

7. Eye shadow brush. Lastly the eye shadow, which was another brilliant one. It cost £1.50, and is a great dupe for the Mac 239. Short haired and very dense it picks up tons of eyeshadow for easy application. I love it! 5/5

So a mixed bag, but some great brushes among them, and the value is staggeringly good. I'm going to go and brush my face with the complexion brush now!! (^_^)

Today my nails are...

Rose Libertine by Rimmel

A little review of Barry M blusher

First of all i want to say i'm a big fan of Barry M cosmetics, and of all the products i've tried i've always been very impressed. When i found out they were bringing out a range of blushers i was very excited and keen to give them a go.

The colour i got was 'rose'and was £4.50. My initial reaction was a bit disappointing because the packaging is very tacky & cheap looking as i know a lot of other people have mentioned. The blusher came with a rubbish little brush which it could have easily done without.

The colour pay off on these is very strong and a little goes a very long way. I think naming this shade rose was wrong because its nothing like rose and is actually more of a bright, almost neon pink. The powder is very fine and super soft which is very nice, and blends well.

My other moan about this product is the smell. It has such a strong smell of cheap perfume....it's awful! So i had a mixed opinion on this product. Would i buy another? Not sure to be honest, there's so many brands that make much better blushers i think i may give the other shades a miss.

My rating: 2.5/5