NOTD # 1

Barry M 307 'lemon' 

Hi there Girlies, 

So hands up- who's still in bed whilst reading this post. What do you mean- Bank Holidays aren't brilliant excuses to have a duvet day and catch up on all your fave blogs- Well I never! ;D 

I've got a flurry of social engagements coming up in the next few weeks, so I've been trying to pick out what I'm going to wear to all of them. I've counted out that I have at least 25 dresses in my wardrobe that have never been worn out with the friends that I'm going to all these parties with. I think its high time these dresses got dusted  down and and some airing out and about in Glasgow.  

Thursday kicks everything off in a messy post exams- slash-birthday night out at one of the very studenty places in Glasgow. This renders all my pretty, floaty, delicate dresses that I wanna wear out the window. And makes anything disposable and made from Primark in. So I've plumped for a floral ditzy playsuit instead and it got me thinking about what to wear on my nails for said night out.  

I bought this Barry M number a few weeks ago (when I still had money) and thought it would do the job. Pop colour- check, cheap- check, from reliable brand- check. 

Unfortunately, its not quite what I'm after...

Hmmm... I don't know but does anyone else think it looks as if I've got splashes of sick on my nails? Just me then. For a 'lemon' colour it comes out more saffron than I would have liked. Also, it took a decent three sized coats to get a good coverage but I honestly can't remember the last time I had to do that with any of my other cheapo nail polishes. 

Meh, just another nail polish to get flung into my ever expanding collection, never to see the light of day again! 

Or am I being too harsh? 

xxx 

I just spend my last dime...

Overdraft limit= £1500  Current Overdraft status= £1499.12 

Payday= Tuesday
 which all equates to FML! 

Whoops I seemed to have spent all my wages and now have the grand sum total of 88 pence to do me til Tuesday. Never has a song summed up my life more than This!

Anywayz, its not all doom and gloom look at what I got with my last dime! 

I had been considering shelling out 38 pounds on these Topshop jeans but when I popped in to Primark I realised that I could get 4 jeans for the price of 1 in there. So being frugal with my money and all I opted for the more sensible option. 

It was a toss up between the pink jeans or pedal pushers but then I quickly came to my senses and thought that was a step back in fashion TOO far! Honestly, with all these denim jackets and maxi skirts around I'm starting to think I've time travelled back to 1999! 

The lemon jeans will look a lot better once I've cut that ghastly belt off. And I reckon I'm going to have to be very careful with the red ones so as to not to look all Avril Lavigne-esque. But my favourite pair out of all of them has to be the fab high waisted maroon jeans. The pic honestly doesn't do it any favours, but I had a pair similar to them from Topshop yonks ago and I wore them to death one Winter. I'll probably do an outfit post in them soon but they'll be worn much more when Autumn comes around and I'll wear them with rich berry shades and a caramel floppy hat (Hat to be worn inside obviously. I am, like many a blogger still not confident enough to wear a humoungous hat outdoors) 

So after Primark I popped into my local Watt Brothers store just for a wander and came out with SlimShot down from £16.99 to £6.99. This was an impulse purchase inspired by how well Jess has been doing on her Rodial crash diet sticks. I'll let you know how I get on. 

Also bought from Watt Brothers was Ponds Cold Cream, as I've recently become averse to using water on my skin at night, and Garnier's Body Summer gradual tan. The only other graduated tan I've used was the Johnson one when it first came out and it was awful, but I keep hearing good things about this one so I'm gonna give it a go. Last item on the pic below is my beloved Bobbi Brown corrector. Which I love and will put a review up soon. 

Finally, the pic above shows the only thing I've bought this week which I've regretted buying. I'm doing up my room and wanted bunting hanging from my wall. I  saw this on ebay for the bargaintastic price of £7 quid but didn't realise until it arrived yesterday that its minature in size. Aww seriously my life is just a continuum of jumping from one fuck up to the next. 

So I'm gonna go now as I've got tonnes of blogs to catch up on. Hope everyone is well and I'm really gonna try my best to blog as much as I can this week. 

Until next time. Peace out xxx

First Aid Beauty 5 in 1 Eye Cream: A comparison and review

Hey Girlies, 

Before I start this review can I just point out that this post has actually drove me round the bend the past few days. I've done umpteen rough drafts and I'm still not happy with the final outcome. But hey ho I'm gonna press publish anyway, its not like its an English Exam paper is it?  

So sometime last week whilst I was completing my morning skincare routine I noticed my Clinique's All about Eyes was about to run out. I was also dismayed as I looked at the sight of premature wrinkles taunting me in my reflection in the mirror. I must admit that until December of last year, an eye cream was omitted from my skincare routine. I was only 22, I had all the time in the world to worry about the dreaded anti-wrinkle potions right? Wrong! Hours straining at the computer, rubbing my eyes constantly, sleeping on my stomach and not drinking enough water or using SPF have resulted in the skin around my eyes becoming scarred with wrinkles, an uneven skin tone and a dehydrated texture.   

So since December,when I purchased All about Eyes, I have been using an eye cream religiously every day hoping to rectify said problems. It was a cream that I thought would be up to the job, it has featured in various glossy mags, won The Sunday Times 2010 beauty award and was ranked a respectable 3.4 from makeupalley.  

But alas, it just didn't work and it has made me very reluctant to shell out another 22 quid on an eye cream.  

I know all you girls out there are very busy so I'm just going to reduce my overly worded ramble to a simplified list of pros and cons of Clinique's All about Eyes. 

What I liked about All about Eyes: 

* The expensive looking and sleek packaging. 

*The gel consistency as I'm wary of putting too rich of a formula on my skin and causing more harm than good. 

* The fact that it isn't tested on animals, is fragrance free and contains essential for the eyes Vitamin E and C. 

What I didn't like about All about Eyes: 

* It didn't really have any effect on my skins texture after 5 months continuous use.

*Cost of £22, which I don't mind paying if a product works.  

*Does not contain any SPF 

*The open lid packaging, firstly because air exposure decreases effectiveness of anti-toxins in the product, and secondly because it is really unhygienic plunging my fingers into the tube every day. 

Just look at how unhygienic it is: 

So what eye cream did I then go for after such a disastrous first try at high end eye cream? 

Behold, First Aid Beauty‘s (FAB) 5 in 1 eye cream.

 FAB is a relatively new brand that was born in America in 2009 and only launched this side of the pond in March of this year. I only came across this brand in Boots perchance when I was handed a £5 off voucher in store whilst hastily rummaging the aisles desperately searching for a cream to hydrate my eye’s skin and smooth those wrinkles away.

 FAB is the brainchild of Lilli Gordon who saw a gap in the market for effective, science proven skincare in the high end prestige market. As a blogger, who suffers from problematic acne prone skin, all too often I have to sacrifice luxury for effectiveness and buy from chemists or supermarkets.  Optamil is neither sexy nor glamorous- but that’s a whole other blog topic. FAB products promise to deliver effective results by being a solution based brand operating in the prestige skincare market. 

5 in 1 eye cream claims to

1>    Reduce the appearance of wrinkles

2>    Improve radiance

3>    Correct uneven skin tone

4>     nourish and moisturise

5>    Combat free radical

This is delivered by the inclusion of Retinyl Palmitate (a milder form of retinyol), Homeostatine, Alpha Arubtin, Niacinamide and silicon. Excluded in this product are parabens, harsh chemicals or colourants and it is suitable for sensitive skin.I apologise if I have come across all scientific all of a sudden, however, the reasoning for this is FAB products is marketed to be scientific. It doesn’t mask its ingredients in small unreadable writing and marketing jargon instead its ingredients are in bold large writing, they are included in the marketing incept at the back and for the first time it really made me think and research what chemicals I used on my skin. De-mystifying the ingredients used in beauty products is an important feature of FAB products and it aims to give its packaging “A voice”.  

  

As much as I am becoming increasingly aware of the need for toxic free products my evaluation of any product will come down to one thing. The bread and butter if you like. Does it work? Hell yeah it worked! 

Only after one week of use, my skin tone has evened out, it has plumped out to make wrinkles less noticeable, and it remains silky smooth ALL day long meaning my makeup-up sinks into rather than sits on top of the skin like before.  


So just like my Clinique review, what I liked about FAB's 5 in 1 eye cream was: 
* It does what it says on the tin. My skin is hydrated, the skin tone has evened out and it feels silky smooth. 
*It contains no harsh chemicals, is fragrance free and it was not tested on animals. 
*The ingredients used are all science proven to be effective anti- wrinkle chemicals. 
*Like All about Eyes it retails at £22 pounds but with my 5 pound off voucher I only paid £17. 
*The handy sized packaging, with a hygienic point sized application: 

Things I didn't like about FAB's 5 in 1 eye cream: 
*Again it does not contain SPF. 
*It is in cheap plastic packaging, and the design looks like a bad rip off of Soap &Glory. Seriously who thought that grey was a nice colour? 


Apart from the lack of SPF, my only criticisms of this product is purely cosmetic reasons. But then again, if FAB wish to lure more people off the prestigious brands in luxurious packaging then they need to come up with a better design that the one they have at the minute.  

Will it be a repurchase? Well, only time can tell on how effective it will be but I still remain on the lookout for an eye cream with SPF. Do you guys know any? xxx

The one without a title...

Hello Stranger! 

Long time no speak and all! 

Well!!! I knew that I was getting addicted to blogger but it wasn't until the site crashed for three days that I realised just how addicted I had become! Was anyone else getting withdrawal shakes because they couldn't check their out favourite blog? Okay, just me then.... 

Now I know what you were thinking when you clicked on this site:

 "She's not wearing that bloody top again is she!"

But I'm afraid to say that yes I am wearing my wardrobe staple yet again. And... I reckon I could get another 3 combinations out of this top yet. So watch this space! 

So for like the millionth time: 

Top: Urban Outfitters 

Leggings: Topshop 

Shoes: Topshop

Bag : Primark 

I've added the two pictures below purely for lolling purposes. Its the first time a bag has featured in my blog cause, well... just look at the outcome when I do! I'm a fud and really need to work on posing with a bag. Come on now, lets all lol together: 

eek! Double lolz! 

So the photos featured in this post are all from last weekend when I was just outside Birmingham visiting my  partner's family. One of the main reasons we went down was for my MIL's 50th Birthday Party (ano not technically MY MIL but she will be, eventually, when my boyfriend decides to pop the question, its not like I've been waiting 7 years or anything!) Right, enough of that tangent!

I heart the dress I wore that night (see below- £29.99 from H&M incidentally) but in the rush to arrive on time I didn't get the chance to take  a blog worthy picture so this one with my SIL (ano not technically SIL) will have to do.  

Also, in my last post I did mention that I was hoping to squeeze in a London trip whilst down there. I've never been to the big smoke and I'm dying to go! But regrettably it didn't happen. This was mainly Due to my partner's hangover and the awful weather on the only day we could go. However, it was also because, out of principle, I did not want to spend over forty quid each on a return train ticket for a journey that would last less than an hour! As an equivalent up in here its less than a 15 quid to get a return on a cross country journey that lasts over two hours. 

 Man! You guys down South do have it tough: sky-high tuition fees, hospital car park charges AND extortionate train ticket prices. I know I moan about the weather up here here in Scotland, but at least in relative terms I've got more money in my back pocket at the end of each month. But then again I guess it balances out when you consider the extra I need to pay out in thick woolly tights all year round lolz!   

Whilst down South, apart from doing the obvious visitng family malarky, one of the things I did do was thee olde English favourite pastime of car booting. 

I was hoping to find some vintage treasures at amazing knock down prices a la Kavita but unfortunately it was more of lots of household goods that had obviously came off the back of a lorry. Nevertheless, I did pick up these two lovely rings for 2 quid each. They are very similar to ones i was going to order off of Lily's shop. 

I'm also wearing fake nails for the first time ever in these pics. I've got to be honest and say I wasn't a fan of them before 'cause I just hate anything fake but especially fake nails as I perceived the wearers of them to be all fur coat and no knickers. But, I must admit I may be a convert! I loved how sleek my hands looked, and there was none of that hide your hands in shame due to 3 day old chipped nail polish that I normally do. I'm still on the fence. What's your thoughts on fake nails? 

And last but not least just some swatches of the 3 Maybelinne lipsticks I picked up at the carboot for 50p each. The two in the pink cases are from the watershine collection and they are just perfect everyday wear lipsticks.

Phew, so I think I've wrote so much in this post that even I am sick fed up of reading this. But if you have managed to get all the way down to the end then thanks for reading. speak to you guys soon xxx 

The week that was..

....the week of change 

Okay, admittedly these pics are from a week and a bit. Can't believe its Wednesday already!


For the past few weeks the phrase 'transitional season' has been spouted a lot on blogs. All about 'layering' and 'updating' but essentially still in the midst of chilly British weather, particularly up here in Scotland. But when I was eating my favourite breakfast the other day, it was then that I realised we have bypassed the usual transitional season and shuttlecocked straight into hot,sunny, summery days. Seriously, when did it last rain?

Therefore, when the weather outside is so good it just seems wrong eating porridge when everyone knows its only to be consumed on dark, frosty, Winter mornings. So my favoured breakfast has been swapped for a delicious berry fruit salad. I've been eating them on their own, or with natural yoghurt and in amongst Special K but all the time secretly wishing it was Winter again so I could  eat those oaty droplets of heaven.Woe is me. 

After moaning about my hair for the past God knows how long when I awoke last week and saw this mop staring back at me in the mirror:-

(Exhibit A)

I knew it was time for change:- 

(Exhibit B) 

At last I can see through my fringe and although its not anything drastic those few inches being snipped off has made a big impact. I no longer wake up in the morning screaming "Why! Why! Why!" when I catch sight of myself in the mirror. 

Easter Holidays = Family Time

I live a fair distance away from my family and it can be quite awkward, time consuming and costly to meet up especially when I rely on public transport. Because of this I don't get to see my family as often as I would like. But this Easter holiday I spent every possible minute chilling with the folks and co. whilst soaking up the Summer rays.  

Here's a pic of my niece Eilidh with her Easter bunny ears on. 

How Cute! 

 Beep! Beep! Okay, so I don't have an actual picture of myself in the driving seat you'll just have to just take my word for it. But I thought I'd use this visual representation, courtesy of Google images, to warn any drivers and pedestrians in the West of Scotland that yes, after years of refusing to learn, I've been out on a few lessons. Verdict: well, I'm not gonna lie I think it will take awhile for me to pass but its not half as scary as I once thought and some have said I'm a natural. So watch this space! 

Finally, it has been a long Bank Holiday weekend full of landmark worldly events. It was coined on Facebook as a real Disney weekend as a Prince got married and the bad guy died. I'm not on here to lecture anybody but I just thought I'd share this conjoined quote* that's doing the rounds on t'internet. 

Why all the celebrations over a death. I mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but i will not rejoice in the death of one not even an enemy, "returning hate for hate multiplies hate adding deeper darkness to a night already deviod of stars, darkness cannot drive out darkness only light can do that hate cannot drive out hate only love can do that."

                                                                                               Martin Luther King JR

*conjoined quote meaning those in inverted comma said by MLK and the sentence before coined by some woman in America on her Facebook page that has unwittingly merged into the one quote by error 

So that's all folks! 

Tomorrow I'm travelling down South to visit my boyfiend's family and I'm vary excited 'cause its been toooo long since I saw them last. Also if we get time we're gonna squeeze in a trip to London, so I'm sure there will be pics of that up next week. 

xxx