Blog Award Time Again

Over the last few weeks some of you lovely bloggers have give me some blog awards - huge, huge thank you :)
I received this award from the lovely Geek from Geeky Weirdo Chick

This lovely one from Eliza - Make Up Junkie

and this lovely one from the lovely Essjayarr at Obsessions Of A 19 Year Old

Huge thank you girls and very much appreciated
I have received a few of these before so I would like to pass on these awards to all my followers I really appreciate your comments, your blogs and you tubes, and your tweets - thank you for being there you are inspirational, sometimes controversial, sometimes sad and sometimes but you all always worth reading - Thank You xxxx

New You Tube Video - Meet Tallulah

The Surprise Revealed

A New Kitten!
We had been talking about getting another cat for a while and my mum decided it was just the boost I needed. My mum went to collect from her RSPCA foster parents this morning - she is a 9 week old, black and white longhair and her name is Tallulah. We were told last night that she was boy so we had spent last night choosing boys names so when my mum went to went to get her she got a bit of a shock lol so Tallulah it is. She seems very timid and nervous but she has plenty of time to settle in. Jasper doesn't seem that bothered by her he had a sniff whilst she hissed at him, whilst Jake just seems terrified of her lol I predict the fur will be flying for a while lol never mind she is a treasured addition to our home.I will get some more pics and maybe a video when she calms down a little bit x

Something Exciting Coming Soon !!!

I mentioned in a previous post that something good was potentially happening this weekend well its happening tomorrow -I have had such a rough time health wise lately that my mum thought I needed cheering up - check back tomorrow to see what my good news is :)

Dishonest Me? No Way!

I have just received a comment on my blog which I have chosen not to publish as you will soon see why. As you may have seen I have recently did a post to promote a contest held by Superdrug. The PR company that asked various bloggers to promote the contest promised to send us a GOSH goodie bag of the new Christmas collection if we promoted the contest. Seeing as the subject matter of the contest was and is to create a make up look for the festive season I agreed to promote it on my blog. After all I am sure many of would love the opportunity to win great prizes and do what you do best and create some fab looks. However because I didn't mention the goodie bag that I am being sent I am now being labelled as being dishonest and of fooling my readers! The thing is I already own some of the GOSH Christmas collection ( the smokey eye palette) anyways so I was planning on giving some away in a Christmas giveaway. As you know I always let you know when I have been sent something this case was to be no different. I am not going to get into a slanging match with the person concerned as I respect her stance but please don't questions my honesty. I have been bloggin for over three years now and I have never been accused of anything like this before. I f you think I am dishonest tell me and I will walk away now x

One Month To Go

Argh I can't believe that it will Christmas Day a month today ! I have done quite a bit of shopping so far so I am not too worried but I still have my cards to make which usually takes me a few days argh!
I did manage to pick up this yesterday how cute!

It's not that Christmassy which is more often than not my biggest failing with advent calendars but its cute. My mum has bagged herself a dairy milk one which I have to say is much more festive than mine with Santa and his elves, even the cats have one again this year which I have to say is way more festive than mine, but ho hum (or should I say ho ho ho lol)

Anyways in the same shop which we got our advent calendars they also sell a whole load of ex catalogue and chain store clothing - my mum very kindly bought me this top / tunic for the festive season - Sorry for the bad pic but it's a gorgeous electric blue colour with gunmetal sequins and seed beads :) very pretty I am thinking of wearing it for Christmas lunch with my jeggings which give plenty of room for expansion but we'll see I have a few family and friend things to do over Christmas so I need to sort out a few outfits :)

Talking of Christmas the lovely Sarah at I Heart Cosmetics is hosting a super generous Christmas giveaway so don't forget to check her out x

I have a few things planned for the rest of the week including a visit to the Vampires (the nurse for bloods:(), and the hairdressers on Friday -bye bye roots !! and potentially something exciting over the weekend but I'll try and get a few posts in xxx

Superdrug Get The Look Competion

One of my favourite shops Superdug is holding a fabulous competition for all those talented and creative make up fans out there and I know there are lots of you. All you have to do is create a fabulous party make up look using only 6 make up products purchased from Superdrug. The prizes are amazing and include an invite to the UK Elite Model Final and the aftershow party, a hair and make up shoot with top MA Sue Moxley, a Revlon Traincase and a parcel of GOSH goodies, and that's just the first prize! there is also a second and third prize winner and 5 runners up who will also win loads of fabulous cosmetic goodies. So to win these fab prizes including a chance to hob nib with celebrities - don't forget to check out the Superdrug website Good Luck xx

My Final 2true Reviews - Lipgloss and Bronzer

I am so sorry to all concerned that this has taken me so long but I like to try things properly to be sure about them not just use them once and then review them - that's just me I am afraid
As you now a few months ago I was sent a huge batch of 2true goodies from the lovely people at one of my favourite shops Superdrug.
I've said it before but for some reason I had always bypassed this range maybe seeing it as too cheap to be any good I really don't know, so I was delighted to get the chance to try a few bits and I have to say I have been largely impressed with the items I was sent, OK I have had a few quibbles with somethings usually packaging or texture but on the whole they have been pretty good.
One of the products they sent me was the All Over Bronzing Powder in Shade No.2

Described as "long lasting, creates a natural suntanned look" this product I have to admit terrified me it looks so orange / brown in the compact


however after swatching it (quite a heavy swatch here) and using it after my hols I found that it did surprisingly blend out to quite a natural wearable glow with a tiny bit of shimmer. It didn't however have a great deal of staying power and you would possibly need to reapply throughout the day. You get 17g of product in the compact which I have to say isn't the best looking but it does the job perfectly well

I was also sent another Plumptous Lipgloss this time in clear (sorry I don't know what shade number as I can't find my tube at the mo but clear is pretty easy to spot :) )

Again it has a nice fruity taste but it was a bit of a thicker texture than I would normally like however this didn't seem to matter so much with the clear as its easy to splodge on and less obvious than if it was a coloured gloss. It says it's a plumping gloss but I couldn't see any real difference within the fullness or my lips and I didn't feel the familiar tingling sensation that you normally get with lip plumping products. All in all if you like a nice sticky, thick gloss this is certainly a one to try and how doesn't need a clear gloss in their make up bag :)

Excuse the weird pic but you get the idea lol. 2true products are I believe exclusive to Superdrug and are £1.91 each or you can buy 3 items for £5 - bargain beauty indeed! Any questions give me a yell xxx

Fab Giveaway

The fabulous Amy aka Dazzledust25 is hosting another one of her fab weekly giveaways on her blog - this week you have the chance to win MAC MSF in Shimpagne - argh I so want to win this its untrue but I am sharing the love and letting you all know about it - don't forget to check out her blog xx

My Nail Polish Collection

Well here it is - I initially intended to line all the bottles up so you could see them all individually but as you can see I would probably be on for ever lol. I love my nail polish me and yes this is well over 100 bottles predominantly OPI but there is also some Nails Inc, MAC, Leighton Denny, Chanel,Revlon, China Glaze, etc, etc, etc. I probably do have every colour under the sun now so my resolution for next year is to buy no more nail polish!
If you want to see anything close up or you would like any info on anything I've got or used please don't hesitate to ask I already have a post planned on my blue colours which I promised the lovely Mizzworthy ages ago ;) but anything else let me know x

Swatch A Rama

I've recently been asked for some swatches of some recent purchases so I thought I would do them for you whilst I had a bit of light. It has been so hard to photograph anything properly over the last few days because of the dark sky and all the rain but I had a bit of light this morning so I took some pics for you:)

First up is the Boots No7 Trio Concealer Palette



The texture of the concealer is nice and creamy and they blend down easily. If you of a darker skin tone this palette certainly isn't for you - although the colours are a little bit darker than my pic shows they are still far too pale for anything around and above an olive toned skin. Thankfully as I am an NW15 they seem pretty good for me - the majority of concealer palettes I buy seem to include a colour that is too dark for me even to contour with so I always end up throwing the barely used colour away which is a total waste - thankfully I should be able to use all of the colours in this trio.

The next lot of swatches that have been requested is from the new Beauty UK Eyeshadow Collection No5





Like the other Beauty UK palettes this one is also super pigmented - It's a gorgeous combination of dark blues, purples and greys. I have to say the two lightest colours aren't quite as pigmented as the darker ones but I suppose that's only to be expected - this is a really nice palette which is a great alternative if you don't manage to get your hands on the Sleek Graphite palette

If you want any more swatches on anything I own please don't hesitate to ask xx

A Mini Ramble and an ELF and Superdrug Haul

Ho hum well as you can see I have been a bit short on the posts again this week but hey ho. Tuesday I was at the opticians which always wears me out and leaves my vision a bit all over the place - argh! Never mind the good news is my vision is pretty stable and my prescription hasn't really changed - I still ordered a new pair of specs though surprisingly enough for not designer ones - they have a lovely tortoiseshell effect frame and are a bit different from the pair I already have :)
Wednesday was the biggie I braved a trip to the Metro Centre and did some Christmas shopping - I was a good girl and paid for all my shopping in cash!!!! It's a really good feeling doing that but it also makes you realise that money doesn't really go very far these days :( I also noticed by doing it how few people actually pay for their purchases in cash - hardly any shops had any change because so many people are paying on plastic - what does that say about us as a country no wonder so many people are in debt!!
Anyways I was a good girl and bought lots of pressies and swap goodies, and I only bought three things for little old me - OK I have gone a little over budget this month but it was all paid for in cash!
First of all I picked up a pair of 100 denier black tights from Primark - not very interesting but an essential purchase for this shocking weather.
I also picked up a couple of bits from Superdrug :)
A Sleek Blusher in Pixie Pink



This is so pigmented but it blends down so nicely :)
I also picked up a new Beauty UK Eyeshadow Palette in No.5 - I was so excited as I hadn't seen this one before :)


Its gorgeous all smokes and dark blues - I haven't had time to swatch it but if you would like to see some swatches please let me know and I'll do some for you x

Anyways after my shopping trip I was pretty whacked and felt totally yuck on Thursday I always end up paying the price for doing something I enjoy :( Thursday got so much worse after a lovely conversation with somebody about my disability benefit - my doctor filled his forms in wrong so I potentially have to go for another medical - I hate these so much - as well as causing me stress and pain, they also make you feel like the lowest of the low - for feck sake I didn't choose to be ill, I don't want to be like this - why make me feel guilty - yuck something else I don't need :(
Never mind I was cheered up slightly by my ELF goodies from the new line arriving.
The first thing I got was the Daily Brush Cleaner but unfortunately the bottle had leaked in the packaging so about a 1/4 of it was gone but ELF were kind enough to sent me a new full bottle for no extra charge :)Huge thumbs up to ELF for fabby customer services :D

I have already used this a couple of times and I am really impressed - the idea is you spray the liquid into your brushes after use and wipe them clean with a tissue. Obviously you still need to wash them every week or so but this really keeps them for being too grubby and it prevents them from staining. I love MAC Cool Heat eyeshadow but it's so pigmented I can sometimes stain the brushes but with this the colour just wipes away. It is antibacterial and it smells gorgeous and fruity too!


I also got one of the new 2in 1 Conditioning Lipgloss in Supermodel - a peachy coral.
These are two phase glosses which come out of the sponge covered applicator as one. You get a moisturising clear gloss and the coloured gloss - you do seem to get more clear gloss out but its a nice thick gloss which does seem to be quite moisturising

I also picked up one of the much talked about mineral lipsticks in Natural Nymph

OMG what can I say about this that hasn't already been said apart from how gorgeous is this lipstick! Think the colour of Barry M 101 or GOSH Darling but with a much creamier, smoother texture - this really is a gorgeous nude lipstick and one that I will definitely be repurchasing
So this post pretty much sums my week up - highs and lows and probably something in between - apologies for the length and the waffle lol and I promise I'll post more over the weekend xx

Schwarzkopf Bonacure Hairtherapy Review

A month or so ago I was lucky enough to be sent a few products from the new Schwarzkopf BC Bonacure Hairtherapy range to try - having used Schwarzkopf products before in the past I was keen to try this new range. I have consistently used these products for over a month to give you an honest balanced review :)
Schwarzkopf is a salon professional brand with over 111 years of hair and hairdressing experience and the BC Hairtherapy Products are one of their newest launches.
The whole concept of the BC range is to "rebuild beauty from within" by treating not just the surface of the hair but to use amino acid technology to rebuild the hair from within thus restoring it to its natural beauty - a bit complicated I am sure you will agree but restoring natural beauty I am certainly up for a bit of that:)The BC range is comprised of 5 separate range of which deal with 5 different hair types - damaged hair, colour treated hair, normal to dry coarse and curly hair, fine hair, and for specific hair and scalp needs.
I was sent two products from the colour treated hair range and one product from the damaged hair range. My hair is quite long, it's coloured I have a mixture of blonde and caramel highlights, and I use a lot of straighteners and heat treatments on my hair - oh and its also needs cut and coloured desperately!!!

Color Save Sulfate Free Shampoo
.
"cleanses and protects colour-treated hair from fading even after 30 washes. For hair full of long lasting vibrancy and healthy shine"

This shampoo from the color save family came in a sleek looking 250ml bottle. The slightly thick liquid was pearlised in colour and non sticky in texture - it didn't take much shampoo to produce a decent lather which was surprising considering it doesn't contain sulfates. This was one of the major things I liked about this shampoo the fact that it doesn't contain sodium laureth sulphate - I won't go into why this isn't a good ingredient there is plenty of info out there on it but this shampoo proves you don't need it to produce a foam. It was easy to rinse out and didn't leave the hair tacky or tangled. The smell was hard to describe slightly musky, slightly floral, my mum probably described it best when she said it smells like a hairdressers :)I must admit I didn't get my hair coloured during this trial but I did notice my blonde highlights looked a lot brighter, fresher and less dull
This shampoo retails for around £8.65 for 250ml

Colour Save Spray Conditioner

"detangles and protects colour treated hair from fading. For smooth manageable hair full of long lasting colour vibrancy"
This was another product from the color save range. I must admit I do use leave in conditioner sprays on regular basis anyway so the concept wasn't new to me. This product came in a 200ml pump action spray bottle which gave a nice fine spray. You had shake the bottle first and then spray it on to towel dried hair. It didn't feel sticky or heavy on the hair and had a similar fragrance to the shampoo. It did help to detangle the hair but I have used sprays that have felt more conditioning on the hair than this one. Again my blonde lights appeared to be brighter but I don't know if it was this product or the corresponding shampoo
This product retails at £9.85 for 200ml

Repair Rescue Sealed Ends

"mends split hair ends and prevents them from reforming. For smoothed ends full of suppleness and shine"

This product was from the damaged hair range. As I said my hair does have some heat damage and split ends. This is a non sticky white cream which I applied to the ends of my hair. It didn't make my hair stiff or tacky and felt weightless. Again it had a similar fragrance to the previous products. Whilst I felt it smoothed my hair and made the ends and the frizz less noticeable I didn't feel that it actually mended my split ends - I am a firm believer that the only way to get rid of them is to cut them off
This product costs £10.95 for a 75ml tube

Summing Up
I enjoyed trying these products but I have to say the only one I would repurchase would be the shampoo - I liked the effect, and I liked the fact it was sulfate free. To be honest I have used leave in conditioners and serums that I prefer to the ones for this range so I wouldn't repurchase either of those products. If you want more information on the range please check out the Schwarzkopf website These products are available from your local Schwarzkopf salon or from online retailers including HQ Hair and Look Fantastic. . Any questions please contact me

Lush Goodies

Just a quick post to show you some of the Lush goodies I won in a recent twitter giveaway (Don't forget to follow me on twitter ;))
I have been a Lush fan since there previous incarnation Cosmetics To Go -I love the shops, I always find the sales assistants super nice and of course the products are gorgeous -so I was really pleased to win the competition

I received a pot of Dream Cream, some Snow Showers and some Honey I Washed The Kids Soap.

Dream Cream - I have used this before and I love it. If you have used the Dreamtime bath melt this is a perfect companion. A soothing body cream with lots of lovely things in it including lavender, cocoa butter, oat milk, and chamomile -perfect for bedtime :)

Honey I Washed The Kids Soap - Despite hating the smell of honey I love this soap it smells amazing like sugar and caramel - so good you could almost eat it

Snow Showers Shower Jelly - this is a new one to me but even without opening the tub the smell is amazing - oranges and cognac according to lush -really nice fresh and fruity -very like the discontinued champagne bath bomb. I am sure I have tried the shower jelly's in the distant past and to be honest I don't think I was that sure about them but it smells good enough and trying to use it could be a laugh, and bath and shower time is supposed to be fun :)

I can't wait to use these products again I love new smellies - which Lush products do you like? I'd love to know I think I have tried most things but you never know. Oh and thanks again to everybody for their kind words regarding my recent post I really appreciate it xx

Tag - One Word

Two posts in the one day - what is wrong with me ;)
I was tagged by the lovely Michelle from Lipstick Rules a few weeks ago to do this tag - thanks honey x Believe me this is harder than it looks

Where's your cell phone: Sofa
Your hair: Brown
Your mother: Amazing
Your father: Missed
Favorite Food: Chocolate
Dream last night: Argument's
Favorite drink: Coke
What room are you in: Living room
Hobby: Shopping
Fear: Loneliness
Where were you last night: Home
Something that you aren't: Healthy
Muffins: Chocolate
Wish list item: Cosmetics
Where did you grow up: Durhamish
What are you wearing: Clothes
Your pets: Cats
Friends: Unbelievable
Something you're not wearing: Socks
Favorite store: Primark
Favorite color: Blue
Last time you laughed: Today
Your best friend: Dawn
Best Place you go to over and over: Bed
Person who emails you regularly: Bestie
Favorite place to eat: Home

I tag all my followers to try this one - not easy I promise especially the hair colour one erm how about, various shades of brown and blonde lol x

The Things Life Throws At You

Huge apologies for the lack of posts or interactions this week - I have noticed I have lost a few followers this week and I hope this isn't why but this is me unfortunately what you see is what you get - my blog has always been for me, about me and by me, and I have never wanted to feel pressurised into having to post on a regular basis.
I had plans for so many posts this week but things never work out the way you want, do they? ME is a strange beast you can have a few days where you feel like a relatively normal person and then you have a phase where you feel like a cotton wool filled head alien from the planet zog. For the majority of this week I have felt like the alien - a fuzzy head, tired beyond belief but unable to sleep at the same time, and so, so mentally and physically exhausted. Unfortunately there is no way of dealing with it other than painkillers and as much rest as possible. As sad as it is ME defines me as a person now and that hurts like hell at times - this week has been a bad one for me in all senses of the word :( I also got a pretty hellish realisation this week when I received my credit card bill - OMG I am on the verge of hitting my limit - there was only one course of action - the kitchen scissors! Yes after pressure from my bestie for a long time I finally chopped them up into tiny little pieces. If I can't pay for it in cash I ain't getting it. So apologies in advance as my hauls are going to be pretty tiny lol I am keeping my £30 a month limit for the foreseeable future, and I am going to be putting my money towards Christmas shopping for the next couple of months and towards paying my debts after that. I really don't need any more clothes or make up at this stage-( hence my Christmas list is huge lol) but hey ho the reality has been shoved headlong into my face and it isn't nice. Never mind I still have loads of posts to do tags, reviews, a mini blog sale and more but they will be in my own time - don't rush me :). Thanks in advance for all your support and understanding and thanks for being there x

More On The Lauren Luke Book Signing

I don't know if I mentioned it when I showed you my pics of the Lauren Luke book signing but I was interviewed for the University of Sunderland student magazine whilst I was waiting in the queue -as an alumni of Sunderland Uni I thought I'd give you a link to the resulting article - enjoy xx
In Journalism Article
Oh and to anyone who asked I would thoroughly recommend the book - it's written in a fun easy to understand style, and the looks are pretty easy to follow - I especially love her Cheryl Cole look - so pretty x

Some Budget Buys + One MAC Goodie

If you follow me on twitter I mentioned yesterday that I had bought a few bits to help cheer me up. First of all I used my £5 No 7 / Ruby & Millie voucher tp buy an automatic perfect lip pencil in 20 Nude which as a result only cost me £1.75 :)

I didn't desperately need it but ho hum - it will come in handy and it was the only thing I liked - my nearest Boots No7 counter was a disgrace half the testers were missing and there was hardly any stock - I liked a few lipsticks but surprise, surprise they didn't have any!
Anyways I also went to a shop I think I have mentioned before called The Factory Bargain Shop - they had a whole load of discount YSL make up in including some Rouge Voluptes but only in really dark or bright colours no good for me :(
What they did have though was a whole load of CK Calvin Klein cosmetics all at discount prices - I picked up a full delicious sheer plumping lipgloss in 205 Enchantment - a gorgeous milky pink with a little bit of a sparkle for only £5 - so pretty


I also bought a few magazines yesterday including this months Glamour which came with a free Nails Inc Nail Varnish - you have a choice of 4 I think and I chose Shoreditch a lovely pink shade which "I don't think I have" lol

This week also saw the launch of the new MAC holiday collection in the UK I didn't buy anything instead I gave my mum a list so she could choose herself what to buy me. Anyways understandably I was a bit down so my mum gave me something she had bought for me - MAC Mineralize Eyeshadow Duo in Devil-May-Care

A gorgeous lilac colour which I absolutely love and quite a chunky silver glitter shade which unfortunately equals poor payoff and loads of fallout

Never mind it's still worth it for the gorgeous lilac which goes perfectly with China Glaze and Avalanche :)
Don't forget to check my monthly spends section in my sidebar - less than a week in and I am over half way down argh!!! less than £15 to go for the rest of the month...

More 2True Reviews

As you can see from my FOTD below I used a couple of 2true products which I was sent recently to review.

The first product I used here was 2true True Colour Blusher in Shade No. 1. This was probably my favourite of all the 2true items I was sent. Its a gorgeous pinky, peachy, nude colour that gives a lovely flush to the skin - it's quite pigmented and has quite a smooth, matte texture, that lasts quite well

I really liked this product and the colour and finish it gives and I have used it almost constantly over the last month and a half.
The only issue I have with this product is the packaging


It's study enough which isn't the issue but the size of the blush in comparison to the packaging is. It is quite small which means you can only use a small brush with it and you seem to get a lot of product dusting into the packaging and subsequent wastage - never the less for £1.91 I was pretty impressed with this and will definitely consider purchasing it again :)

In yesterdays FOTD I also wore the 2true Plumptuous Lip Gloss in No.6 which is a pale glittery pink shade.



As you can see it isn't the most pigmented gloss you've ever seen a slightly shimmery / glittery neutral which would probably look nice over any shade of lipstick. My one issue with this gloss is that it is quick thick and sticky which isn't that easy to apply with the sponge applicator - you kind of have to splodge it on as it doesn't spread that easily. Some people though prefer a thicker gloss - if you do, this may be perfect for you but personally speaking I like something a bit thinner - the taste though was lovely -very fruity.
All 2true products are £1.91 each or £5 for 3 from Superdrug and for that price they are well worth a try x