Home Room Tour

I'm the first one to admit I'm a bit of a nosy girl. I like to know what's going on in order to keep one step ahead of the game. I also like looking at things, and seeing if I can use what I see to my advantage, to better myself or my life. This goes for room tours, house tours, make-up collections, hauls, storage collections, wardrobe tours - the lot. I think everyone loves a little nosy trip around the parts of someone else's life that they're willing to share with the world. What better way to find inspiration than through the eyes of someone inspiring? This is one of the reasons why I adore YouTube, and while I don't have the get up to create YouTube videos myself, I love nothing more than meandering through the lenses of some of my favourite 'gurus'.

I've recently been watching a lot of room tours. Granted they're mostly teenage American girls displaying they're epic sense of interior design, but when you're on the verge of a complete life upheaval like I am (6 months until graduation, finding a 'proper' job, getting a 'proper' house etc) it's nice to have a peek into other people's style and bookmark ideas for your own cosy nook in the world.

This is my home room, my bedroom in my Mum's house in Devon. We moved into this house in February of 2011 and I landed the smallest room (even though I am the eldest child) much to my despair and hatred for my younger brother. It's literally the tiniest, but cosiest, space in the world. My bed is 3/4 (I was determined to have a double or something similar) and it takes up practically the whole room, but I do have a lovely built in wardrobe with shelves at the back for all my cosmetic needs, and a bedside table that houses my top drawer of miscellaneous items and my underwear collection. It's not decorated that well, the colours are mismatched but girlie and the walls are clinically white, and sometimes I think it could pass for a 6 year old's playroom, but I secretly love it. All of my books live in the spare room due to lack of space, but I'd put up some shelves if I found some I love.

I'm definitely in the process of clearing out the remaining clutter that I have in boxes under the bed, as well as sorting through my wardrobe and bookshelf. I'm such a neat freak, I like having things, but I also like the minimalist look (the two don't marry well, eh!). In June I somehow have to fit all of my Durham room into this one (i.e. another wardrobe of clothes, books, make-up etc) and that worries me somewhat. Perhaps the beginning of 2013 will see a large sale on eBay...?

Are you a hoarder or do you like the minimalist approach?
If you've ever done a room tour please leave me a link below.
Have you entered my 10,000 page view giveaway yet? Do so here!

As We Sit, Perched On The Dawn Of A New Year...

Found here.

Once again we find ourselves at the dawn of a new year, pumped full of hopes and aspirations about what the next 12 months will hold for you. I love the transition from one year to the next. I'm a Pisces, the water sign renowned for it's ability to daydream, dwell and fantasise, and I waste no time doing that in the days after Christmas and leading up to a new year. I like to remember the good bits from the previous 365 days and reflect on the times when I triumphed over the worst times, it makes you feel better, you can look at what you've learned, laugh about events that you never thought you could laugh about, and remember all of the good times.

Found here.

2012 has been full of brilliant things for me. It contains some of my most memorable events of my life:

• I turned 21,
• My boy and I celebrated 2 years of being together,
• I got selected to be part of a 1000 employee crew out of 86,000+ employees to work at the Olympics for a week all expenses paid and had a fantastic time,
• I passed my 2nd year of university and moved into the final year,
• I went on my first holiday with my boy, to my home from home, Disneyworld in Florida,
• I found excellent housemates completely by accident and am finally happy in my student home.

And so on...2012 also contains some of the events I'd rather forget, money troubles, being ill, having issues etc, but you know, keep calm and carry on!

Found here.

Found here.

Found here.

So as 2013 ticks closer to us I was sitting and thinking about making resolutions. I don't normally make concrete resolutions, more like a number of small goals that I can tick off or cross out in a notebook (I love lists!) to make me feel more accomplished. For example this year I am wishing and dreaming that I achieve:

• Graduate with a 2:1 or a 1st from Durham
• Celebrating our 3 year anniversary,
• Booking a holiday,
• Giving someone a hug,
• Starting the Mulberry fund.

...and so on. I usually create quite a comprehensive bucket list and this year I have decided to make it public. At the top of my blog, where you find the pages, you will find '213 things for 2013'. This contains 213 mini goals to be achieved in 2013. I created one last year and managed to finish a good chunk of it, but some goals I didn't reach so they have been rolled over for me to try again. Take a peek, you might be inspired to do something similar, or find a goal you'd like to achieve.

What are some of your goals for 2013?

Best wishes for 2013, hope you have a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year <3

Pandora from John Greed (What I Bought With My Bloggers' Competition Voucher)

If you have been following me for a little while you might have seen my entry to John Greed's £250 Pandora blogger challenge where, in order to enter the competition you had to create your dream Pandora bracelet up to the value of £250 and the winner would get their bracelet sent out to them. I was lucky enough to be chosen as one of the runners up in the competition and was grateful to receive a £25 gift voucher to spend on anything from the John Greed website. Seeing as the competition was Pandora related, and I didn't own anything from Pandora, I decided to buy myself a bracelet and a charm. I was even more lucky when my boyfriend offered to put £20 towards my order as part of my Christmas so my Angel of Hope Charm (£30) and pink leather starter bracelet (£40) technically only cost me £25 - happy Louise!

I placed my order on Christmas day and it arrived in the morning on the 28th of December, how is that for excellent delivery and service? I am incredibly impressed with the website's ease of shopping, and it's layout, the whole ordering process really. I'll definitely be recommending John Greed to family and friends for future presents, and of course to buy myself some more exciting charms. My boyfriend also did well and bought me a little teddy bear charm when we went shopping the other day, so I am well on the way to starting my Pandora collection. I'm not keen on the coloured beads though, and am strictly a silver only kind of girl. So if I know you and you're reading this for gift ideas, I'd like a strawberry, rabbit, boat or heart next...!

Big thank-you to John Greed :-)

Have you got a Pandora bracelet?
What charms are on your wishlist?
Have you entered my 10,000 page view giveaway yet? Enter here! 

What I Received For Christmas 2012

My presents from Father Christmas!

I hope that everyone who celebrates Christmas had a lovely time, stuffed themselves sufficiently with enough food to last a life time and spent a good amount of quality time with friends and family. I was lucky enough to have 3 Christmases this year, the first at my Boyfriend's house where his Mum cooked dinner and we drank lots of nice wine. The second was actual Christmas Day with my Mum and my brother. We woke up around 8am to see that Father Christmas had been (yes, even at 21 and 19 years old he still visits!). We opened 'his' presents and then went to get dressed. Back down and hour or so later (I wore a green peplum top with a black skirt and red festive nails) and we continued around the tree to open presents from each other and money envelopes from relatives. My third Christmas was saved for when my boyfriend came to visit me and we exchanged gifts and ate another Christmas dinner...yum yum yum!

My 'haul': Books galore, Soap & Glory galore, Pandora bracelet, KUWTK boxsets, Money, Radley Kindle Case, MAC makeup, Benefit products, Bits from Accessorize etc

Safe to say I was thoroughly spoilt again :-) But what kind of material girl would hate Christmas, eh? I love spending time with my family, but I equally love receiving and giving presents! Last year my brother and I went halves on an iPad for our Mum, I don't think we managed to top that this year but she was grateful for her many presents none the less. My brother and I always write a little wish list, mine included some Real Techniques brushes, Keeping Up With The Kardashian's box sets and a Radley Kindle case to name but a few things. I was super excited to peel off the wrapping paper and reveal all that I received.

The messy aftermath of gift unwrapping!

Now that Christmas is over there's still plenty more to look forward to! My boy and I are off for Tapas on NYE, I have to first choose between 3 dresses (help!), my birthday's coming up in March, it'll be our 3 year anniversary then too and I'll be looking forward to graduating from Durham and settling down in a cosy house with a gorgeous bunny.

Until then, I will fondly look back over the few snaps I took of Christmas 2012, and remember the special people who couldn't be there to share it with us (Daddy, I'm sending you a festive hug!).

Have you written a festive post? Link me up below, I'd love to read it!
Have you entered my 10,000 page view giveaway yet? Do so here!

MAC Prep + Prime BB Balm

After a festive week long hiatus I am back on the blogosphere with a product I am incredibly excited about, MAC's Prep + Prime BB Balm. I was out in Plymouth yesterday trying (not too hard I might add!) to spend some of my Christmas money and made that inevitable dive into the MAC concession in House of Fraser. I was only planning on purchasing two more pans for my Pro 15 palette and, as with any new collection, I browsed the Apres Chic stand. To be honest nothing completely caught my eye, until I noticed a little stand next to Apres Chic and saw that MAC now has a BB cream. Whoopah!

I'm a big fan of BB creams, I've tried many, loved some (Dr Jart, Maybelline) and hated a few more (Garnier, L'Oreal, MUA and Sleek). To me a BB cream is the hybrid foundation and moisturiser combination that replaces a heavy duty routine in the summer months, and on cold days when you're not up to applying a fully covered face. A BB cream is supposed to be a wonder product, a miraculous all singing, all dancing face layer that should even out skin tone, hydrate skin, cover up minor imperfections, smooth out lines and brighten dull skin (to name but a few of the product's promised properties).

MAC market their BB balm on their website as a 'lightly tinted in a nearly sheer beige tone to work on an array of complexions, it creamily retexturizes the skin and then goes on to excel at being a face primer with high everyday UVA/UVB SPF 35 defense'. This sounds incredibly promising, it doesn't claim to work wonders which instills a lot of hope in this product for me. Instead MAC neatly summarise the product as a primer/foundation/moisturiser rolled into one - so how did it fare?

I am an avid fan of MAC's Prep + Prime Skin, it dispenses like a foam and leaves a luxurious smooth film on my face, creating the perfect base layer. MAC's BB Balm feels much like this only it dispenses from a squeezable tube as a gel like cream, once blended onto the skin it gives it a super smooth texture and creates a perfectly primed surface with a natural tint, like a primer, but with an added bit of oomph. The colour matches lovely with my skin tone and a little bit of product really does go a long way. There are, however, currently only 3 shades of BB balm available from MAC, Extra Light, Light, and Light Plus which I believe to be a bit of a limitation for this product. I was matched to Light Plus, the darkest of the shades, which I was surprised to see considering how pale I usually am!

I loved this on my skin, it completely evened out my skin tone, and masked any redness on my face. It even covered up some blemishes I've had lately on my chin and hid the evidence of a few festive late nights from the past week. I have tested MAC's BB Balm as a standalone base layer for a minimal, natural make-up look, as well as underneath regular foundation and it's been perfect both times. I honestly cannot rave about this BB Balm enough, it's definitely moved up to the top of my favourite BB creams list!

MAC's BB Balm is available in store and online now for £22/40ml.

Are you a fan of the BB Cream trend?
What do you think of MAC's latest product?
Have you entered my giveaway yet? Do so here!

Inspiration For The Weekend

Arlene Dahl

I found this quotation on the back of my copy of Caroline Cox's How To Be Adored and it struck a chord with me. It reminds me of the fact that sometimes girls can be incredibly judgemental based purely on looks alone, you're probably guilty, and I know I am guilty too. The one question we never seem to address is why? Why do we pick on the person with the physical features that are different to ours? Why do we make fun of people who can't afford what we have in terms of clothes or other material goods? Why do we even think that we have the right to do so?

I can guarantee that at one point those who make fun of others based on physical appearances were once feeling exactly like the persons to whom their words and actions are directed. I just wish that people would stop and consider that for a moment. We may say things to 'look cool' or 'act cool' in front of others but to be honest perhaps you, the one saying/doing these mean things has not yet reached your full potential, no-one's ugly, but your personality needs an overhaul.

I hope you're listening. Just a little thought.

Have a fabulous weekend <3

Soap & Glory - Love At First Blush

With all of the hype surrounding last week's star offer in Boots, Soap & Glory has become one of the leading brands in girls' bathrooms and on beauty shelves across the world. I was lucky enough to score one of the big reduced sets as part of my Christmas gifts from my boyfriend and immediately turned my attention to the mascara, which I have previously owned and reviewed here. I remembered that I wasn't too keen on the mascara initially, but knew that Soap & Glory have many other fabulous make-up products on offer and dug out this little beauty from my at-home-but-not-uni-home make-up kit.

Love At First Blush is a gorgeous multi colour wheel of pigment that blends together perfectly to give you a beautiful pearly sheen of pale pink on the cheeks. It's such a fine colour, and although quite pigmented, the colour is so sheer on the cheeks that it needs to be built up if you're the kind of girl that likes everyone to notice you're wearing blusher. If not, a light dusting of this will give you a perfect colour too. I like the combination of pink hues and white with this blush. It reminds me of the way that Benefit often have blush boxes that you mix together to create a perfect cheek colour, each could even be worn as a standalone (providing you can find a decent brush that's small enough!).

The packaging, as with all Soap & Glory make-up products is a little clunky for me. This was one of the reasons why I was put off this Christmas make-up sets available in Boots. I do however like the addition of the mirror in the lid, perfect for on the go touch ups. The price is in keeping with the rest of the Soap & Glory products, a little bit more expensive that other brands, at £11.00 for 7.5g but if you're into your sheer baby pink colours and are a bit of a Soap & Glory fanatic like I am then this will be a lovely little addition to your make-up bag!

Have you tried the Soap & Glory cosmetics range?
What's your favourite product by the brand?

Have you entered by 10,000 pageview giveaway yet? Do so here! 

Avene Eau Thermale - Thermal Spring Water

This review might seem a little out of sorts considering we're in the middle of winter in the UK and feeling the effects of heat are not really commonplace at the moment, so there's not much need for products intended for use during the summer. However, I recently discovered that my local Boots was beginning to stock more of the famous French skincare brands that so often feature on many of my well loved blogs and went up to the stand for a nosey.

Despite initially wanting to repurchase a micellar water as my Bioderma had run out, I was drawn to Avene's Thermal Spring Water for a neat little price of £3.15 for 50ml (or £6.50 for 150ml). I had been told my a MAC MUA earlier in the morning that in order to inject a little moisture into my skin throughout the day I should use a spritzing spray type product underneath my moisturiser. That way I'd have an extra layer of moisture to help combat dry skin in the winter, and it would also be able to help cool and freshen my skin in the summer months. With this reason in mind I picked up the Avene spray because of it's multi purpose properties. Not only does is set out to cool and refresh skin in hotter climes, it also provides relief for skin from sunburn, redness, irritation, razor burn, or other medical treatments and can help complete a cleansing phase of a skincare routine or even set makeup. You can use it whilst travelling, at the gym, after vigorous housework, anywhere really.

It dispenses from a pressurised canister in a fine, light mist and settles lovely on the skin making you instantly feel refreshed. So far I have been using this every night underneath my moisturiser and wake up the next morning with significantly less dryness that usual which makes me incredibly happy! I have a lot of love for this product, and will definitely be purchasing the full size 150ml to have sitting at home while my mini 50ml earns its place in my handbag!

Do you have dry skin?
How do you combat it?
Have you entered my 10,000 page view giveaway yet? Do so here! 

Essie Shine Of The Times & Ciate 'Cookies & Cream' Winter Nails

Day 19 of Ciate's advent calendar brought out a gorgeous nude colour called Cookies and Cream. It had been one of the colours I had been waiting to find since I eyed it up on their website. I decided to create another wintery nail art using Cookies and Cream and a gorgeous Essie polish I picked up in Florida in the summer for around $8 in Walgreens. It's part of their Luxe Effects holiday range for December 2011 called Shine of the Times. It has gorgeous shimmery flakes suspended in a clear polish that sit flat on the nail and shine gold/amber/bronze/yellow when you turn your nails in the light. I don't know if you can properly see it in the picture on the left, but it makes my nails look so glittery without look too over the top, the iridescence is beautiful!

I'm not too sure where you could pick up this polish given that I'm a year late to this party, but then again Essie has only just properly come to the British high street so I shall make my excuses. I have found it here (check for UK shipping!) but not any where else as yet. If you're desperate for it try Sally Hansen's Hidden Treasure, or GOSH's Rainbow, they look like pretty good dupes!

Are you glamming up your nails for the festive season?

Butterfly Twists - Sparkly Shoes

I recently won my first ever Twitter competition/giveaway and I felt like my luck was in! The wonderful Holly from Holly Arabella held a competition in conjunction with a shoe brand I'd never before heard of, but am thrilled to now have bookmarked in my 'Things I Want' folder on my MacBook, Butterfly Twists. My prize was to pick a pair of shoes from their website and sit back and wait for them to arrive. They landed on number Mrs number 24's doorstep while we were out but I came home and sank my feet into a truly beautiful shoe creation.

Butterfly Twists are the kind of shoes a girl needs at the end of a good night out when her heels are rubbing, her feet are aching and her toes want to be able to breathe again. There's nothing better than kicking off a pair of heels and putting your painful feet into fluffy shoes of joy, i.e. slippers. Butterfly Twists are not slippers, far from it, they're gorgeous ballerina flats that fold up to fit inside your handbag so that you can whip them out on the way home and save your feet from the pain of heels at the end of the night. I was amazed at how comfortable these are, they're so cushioned and soft and don't rub like most new shoes do. I opted for a size LL which is a UK 8-9 and while I have 7-8 sized feet these fit like a dream. The sparkles on the toes underneath the bows retain that bit of glamour that comes with every outfit for a night out, and the soft satiny feel of the material of the shoe moulds perfectly to my feet (as you can tell from above I have quite wide feet, but these fit perfectly!).

I'm really impressed with Butterfly Twists, and I absolutely love my new shoes! I already have my eye on a few more styles, and while these are a brilliant idea for a night out I just think that shoes that fold up inside themselves are perfect for people who travel a lot, or don't have a lot of wardrobe space to store things. They even have boots that fold up inside themselves and look like they're in a bag, genius!

Butterfly twists are reasonably priced, £50-40 for a pair of boots and £20-30 for ballerina flats, with lots of styles and the promise of extreme comfort and practicality I think there's something to suit all tastes and outfits!

Have you heard of Butterfly Twists?
Would you take spare shoes with you on a night out or 'man up' and wear your heels home?

Bad Apple Cosmetics - Once Bitten, You'll Eat Right To The Core...

Warning: I might litter this review with a few bad apple puns (haha, there's one for you already...!) because I'm feeling creative, and creativity is the name of the game with this brand. Bad Apple Cosmetics are new to the UK beauty scene with a collection of polishes and nail wraps, from gorgeous apple sweet shades like Gala Pink and Green Bramley, to 3D shimmer shades and nail wraps detailing tiger print, florals, swirls and neons - there's definitely something to suit everyone. 

L-R: Red Cape, Red Delicious, Bramley Apple, Arkansas/Arlington

Their products are made in the UK and are free from harsh chemicals like Formaldehyde and nasty Parabens. There are two core (!) collections available at the moment, block colours and shimmery 3D colours. The block colours are bright, fresh and encompass a range of colours that wouldn't look out of place on an apple stand at the greengrocers. I know not everyone wants to wear juicy (!) bright shades like these but I think they would add an amazing pop of colour to any outfit. The 3D shimmer shades are beautifully iridescent and add a gorgeous shimmery shine to your nails. The polishes are all super long lasting, chip resistant and add a high gloss to your fingertips. The best bit about the 3D shades is the change in colour when you move you hand or catch the light, almost like two polishes in one!

These gorgeous nail wraps definitely add to the big nail wrap trend of the moment. Bad Apple has a complete range of 8 designs, however the website also boasts the idea that Bad Apple are the first in the world to apply any picture/design to a nail wrap. I would be intrigued to see this happen, but there's not an option to buy such a wrap on the site that I can spot. These wraps are super easy to apply and are great for first time nail artists or anyone who wants a quick and easy nail pick-me-up. All you have to do is peel back the sticky bit of the wrap, apply it to the nail, fit it to your nail's contours, and then file to shape perfectly. 

All bad apple products are available on their website: www.badapplecosmetics.com, however their website is questionable and I think needs a little work.  There are pages on the site devoid of important text (e.g the 'Bad Apple Stockists' and the 'Bad Apple News' links at the top of each page). I have also found the same picture being used for two different polishes (Arkansas and Arlington I'm looking at you) and some of the descriptions look as though they have been copied and pasted. The description for Arkansas (a shimmer 3D polish) starts out by describing the 3D shades and then slots in a description about Red Delicious being a stunning deep red shade. Other descriptions however are for the correct polish. Furthermore the brand seems to be having a slight issue with its pricing, some polishes are priced at £9.95 (as detailed on my press release) yet other are priced at £9.95 but only because they appear to be on sale for 33% off (normal price £14.95). So I cannot give you a concrete price, but I am going to go with the £9.95 per 14ml as stated on my press release. The nail wraps are also priced at £9.95 but one was retailing at £9.00-£9.95. Are you as confused as I am? But hey, I'm not here to review their website (although it is an important part of the brand)!

I was sent Bad Apple's 3D shimmer shade, Red Cape to try out and on initial thoughts it does exactly as it says on the tin, providing me with a lovely shimmery, high shine shade that transforms from a deep purple to dark bronze in which ever way I move my fingers or they catch the light. I was impressed with the application, the polish was not too runny, it coated the nail well and didn't take long to dry at all. Two coats were all I needed to create this fabulous nail effect. The only downside was that my nails began to chip after two or so days, but I remembered later on that I hadn't applied a top coat so maybe that's my fault?

What do you think of Bad Apple Cosmetic's polishes? Had you ever heard of them? Would you be keen to try them out? I fancy a gorgeous pink or even a nail wrap next time!

Boots Botanics Hot Cloth Cleansing Balm

If there's one product I keep repurchasing it's Liz Earle's famous Cleanse and Polish. I love how it makes my skin feel after I've washed it and it smells delightful. What's not so delightful is the price, sometimes I just don't want to pay £15+ for a face wash, however much I love it.

In steps Boots Botanics Hot Cloth Cleansing Balm at £8.99 (currently on offer reduced to £5.99). I have been eying up the ticket and the price for a while now, but ever since Boots Botanics had a rebranding not too long ago it's always been unavailable or out of stock when I search for it in store, perhaps it's just that popular?

I used it for the first time last night and had mixed initial reactions, but then it grew on me. Unlike Liz Earle's white cream cleanser that you extrude from a pump, Boots Botanics cleanser is more of a yellow/gold solid balm that becomes a paste like substance in your hands when you scoop it out of the pot. It was very oily when I applied it, not in the sliding all over my face kind of way, it just made my skin feel extra buttery for want of a better word. At first I didn't really like this, but then as I rubbed more of the paste in it started to work it's magic and I felt more cleansed (I must add that I'd already removed the bulk of my makeup prior to using this, just as I do when I use Liz Earle. I'm just not comfortable with applying a cleansing balm to cleanse my skin on top of my foundation!). This cleanser includes a cloth in the box, it's more substantial than Liz Earle's muslin cloths, they always feel so delicate to me. This cloth is a lot softer and more substantial, run it under the hot tap and it removes the paste and the grime from your face beautifully. I carried on with my usual evening routine after that, (removing and excess mascara clumps from halfway down my face, that sort of thing) and the cotton pad from my toner was clean and make-up free, the sign of a nicely cleansed face in my opinion.

I say I had mixed reactions because I wasn't initially too keen on the oiliness of the balm when it was applied to my skin. After realising that this was providing extra moisture to my face (I have quite dry skin) I started to like it, my skin didn't feel taut or hurt like it needed moisturising right that minute. With the Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish I am always left with dry, flaky patches where the product has cleaned my face very thoroughly but stripped all the moisture out, with this balm there was none of that!

A little of this product goes a long way, it's so easy to spread around your face and leaves you with the nicest, just washed clean feeling that accompanies the prospect of a lovely night's sleep in a comfy bed. There's nothing more horrible that going to sleep in a face full of makeup and waking up feeling dirty. A product like this, that takes only a few minutes to apply and work, can be so easily incorporated into a little bedtime routine. I recently knuckled down to doing mine properly and my skin is really starting to thank me for it!

Have you ever tried this product?
What do you use to cleanse your face?

Have you entered my 10,000 page view giveaway yet? Do so here!

Insta-Week

Tree in my bedroom / Saw my boy for the 1st time in 5 weeks / Christmas tree decs / Make-up on the train / Nail art
Longest of hair / CK catalogue / Fave Christmas film / 12/12/12 12:12 / Made me laugh!
Ciate Calendar / Reading articles / Note in a book for my dissertation / Ciate Calendar / Best cake ever?

I finally made it home from uni, back down to Devon from County Durham, having not been home for 3 months. To say that I am happy to spend time in a clean, carpeted and clutter free house would be an understatement! I love my house and housemates to bits up in Durham but there's no place like home is there?!

Fancy following me on Instagram? Search for louisekwilliams :-)
What have you been up to this week?

Have you entered my 10,000 page view giveaway yet? If not, do so here!

Wintery Nail Art

When I opened my Ciate advent calendar this morning I got super excited about this gorgeous blue polish called 'Glass Slipper'. I couldn't wait to try it out, but ended up feeling a little disappointed at the sheer opacity of it, immediately took it off and trundled off to my lecture with bare nails. I thought that 'Glass Slippers' has to be more than just a topcoat type polish and went around on the web to try and find ideas for glittery nail art. I stumbled across the idea of the reverse french manicure, where the colour on the very tip of the nail is applied at the bottom near the cuticle.

This gave me an idea for a reverse half french manicure, and this beautiful frosty nail art was born! I know it's not perfect, but I'm quite enjoying the speckles of glitter paired with the gorgeous baby pink colour of Ciate's 'Cutie Pie'. So if you have this calendar, and like me were initially disappointed with this colour, don't be put off, get your art on instead!

What's you favourite nail art trend?

Have you entered my giveaway yet? If not, see it here!

10,000 Page View Giveaway!

I recently hit 10,000 page views. This might not seem like a lot to some people, but for me it marks a significant milestone! So I thought I'd do a little giveaway to say thank-you for reading my posts, and commenting and being general all round love jubbly people :-)
I've chosen the prizes based on recent products I have found and begun to love (a product for your face, your eyes, your lips, your hair, and a brush to apply it with!). So what can you win?

• Sleek Makeup Shangri La Palette
• Benefit Triple Performing Facial Emulsion Miniature
• Nib + Fab Lip Butters in Cherry Tarte, Coconut Latte and Mango Smoothie
• TRESemme Liquid Gold Perfecting Treatment
• A Real Techniques Brush of your choice (excludes the core collection/starter set/travel set)

All you have to do is fill in the rafflecopter form below, enter as many times as you like but make sure you perform the mandatory steps in order to be entered! 

Rule etc...

Giveaway will be open until 23:59 GMT on the 12th of January 2013.

The winning decision is final. 

Open internationally. I will post your prize out to you on receipt of your address no later than 3 working days after the giveaway ends. I will not be held responsible for lost post with Royal Mail and will retain proof of postage. 
All items were purchased with my own money, and are brand new. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Sleek 'Glossed' lipglosses

I seem to have developed an obsession with lip products of late. I honestly think that I need help now. I never ever used to wear lip products, lipstick scared me, lip gloss was something that you hair got caught up in, and the thought of putting bright pops of colour on my face made me nervous. It's taken me almost 6 years (I first started wearing makeup when I 16!) to fall in love with lip products, and by gum I've fallen hard.I honestly, just can't get enough, and have a great many products on my 'lip wish list' perhaps I should share it with you soon?

Next in my little series of lip product reviews are these two little beauties I picked up from Sleek Makeup (found in Superdrug) not too long ago. They're very affordable at £3.99 each, and I was lucky enough to purchase them as part of Superdrug's recent 3 for 2 offer...making one of them free!

I picked out two pinks, one bright fuschia (Pixie), one more baby pink/nude (Whisper). I was a little bit afraid that the baby pink gloss would make me look a bit washed out in the face, but a quick dab of bronzer here and there sorted me right out!

I like the packaging of these glosses...it's, well, sleek! (haha, points if you laughed!) The tube allows you to see the exact colour you're getting, and how much is product is left, and the wand is like a soft mini brush, very flexible, and able to coat the whole of your lips (especially good for getting into the corners of your mouth, some wands don't let you do that!).

The colour pay off from these products is amazing, they're super pigmented and sit just lovely on the lips. The gloss isn't too sticky either (something I hate as I have long hair!) and the shine is just perfect as you can tell from the pictures!

For an incredibly affordable product, and as a quick boost of colour to your day I cannot recommend Sleek's Glossed lip glosses enough. They have a further six colours in the range, from vibrant red, to orange and even a clear gloss and you can find more information about them here on Sleek's website.

What's your favourite lip product? Are you a gloss or a lipstick (or both!) kind of gal?
Any that you can recommend that I can try out?

I'm just off to put on my face for the day...which colour shall I choose, hmmm...