Essie Winter Colours

colours: tuck it in my tux, double breasted jacket, jiggle high jiggle low, jump in my jumpsuit

I found this set in T K MAXX the other week, and I fell in love with it straight away. I think it was about £10, and it's four of the Christmas 2014 collection (which I distinctly remember lusting over last year). If you have a TK MAXX near you, sometimes it's worth a quick look in to see if you can find little treasures like these! I think my favourite shade is the pinky-red, double breasted jacket, because I'm really into pinks at the moment! I love jiggle high jiggle low too, the silver, because you can't go wrong with a silver at Christmas! My least favourite is probably tuck it in my tux, mostly because it's quite sheer and needs an extra coat to get a good colour.

Do you have any of this collection? Or do you prefer this years extra sparkly winter collection?!

n xx

Winter Travel Make Up

 MaxFactor colour correction under eye

Collection lasting perfection concealer

Rimmel hide the blemish concealer

Rimmel stay matte powder

 MAC omega 

Rimmel brow this way

Clinique lash power mascara

Bourjois volume 1 second waterproof mascara

L'Oreal super liner mat-matic

Soap and Glory sexy mother pucker xl extreme plump

Blistex intensive moisturiser

Lush the kiss lip scrub

As you're reading this, I'm actually coming home from being in France with Jay's lovely family on a mini skiing holiday. I didn't want to bring much with me, but I wanted to cover all bases if I wanted to! I don't want to spend ages putting on foundation, so instead I went for a simple base. I use the Collection concealer for under eye and blemishes, and the Rimmel concealer around my nose and cheeks for redness.

Rimmel brow this way has become an essential in my daily make up, along with my long-term favourite MAC omega. Mascara wise I wanted something long lasting and waterproof, so I went for this Bourjois one which I've yet to try out but looks promising! Finally I'm taking not one but two Blistex moisturisers, because we're going skiiing so it might get quite cold! I don't know if I'll use Soap and Glory sexy mother pucker, but I wanted something easy and low maintenance.

I'm sure at the last minute I'll find an excuse to throw in something extra, but I'm really excited for what I'm taking with me!

Let me know if there's anything you'd like to see a full review of!

n xx

Wrapping Favourites

Though I don;t think presents are the most important part of Christmas, I do love a good bit of wrapping. I remember getting really excited when I was little and my mum would let me help wrap presents, so I've had a fair bit of training as a wrapping elf. These days I've stepped things up a notch and go all out with bows, ribbon and sparkly tags. I thought it would be fun t show you some of my wrapping favourites this year!

One of my favourite places to stock on wrapping essentials is definitely Paperchase. I've taken advantage of their 3 for 2 on wrapping paper the last few years. I know it's not the cheapest, but 3 rolls tends to be more than enough so I don't mind! This year I picked up this gorgeous brown paper one with white trees (pictured) for the main bulk of presents and one roll of a cute penguin pattern that I'll use for my sister's presents. Last year I also picked up this amazing box of wrapping accessories for £8.50 that has two sizes of bows, ribbon, plain and glittery tags, p1lus a few little bells. It was a seriously good buy and I'll definitely be buying it again next year.

Mostly I just love having a wander around places to have a look what I can find in places like John Lewis, Tiger, Next and Marks and Spencer.

Do you love wrapping presents more than opening them like me?!

n xx

Christmas Lights

One of my favourite things about this time of year is all the lights that go up, and how pretty streets look. I especially love Norwich's Christmas lights, because Jarrolds always looks so lovely. I love just wrapping up warm, getting a hot chocolate and going for a wander around to see everywhere all lit up with my family, or even sometimes alone. 

What're your Christmas lights like?!

n xx

Catch Up

It's been longer than I expected (sorry about that), but I'm finally back! The last few weeks have been absolutely crazy, including the dramatic death of my poor little Toshiba laptop, Rosa. I now have a beautiful HP, which I'm in love with.. though I'm still getting to grips with Windows 10. It's like iOS 7 all over again.

Other things that have been going on includes the standard mass of christmas shopping, and starting to get more and more festive over the last few weeks. I'm happy to announce that the nights in of knitting and marathoning kind-of-rubbish christmas films is well underway at this point. My sister has also moved in with her partner since the end of November, while they're looking for a more permanent house in the area. It's a little crowded with five of us here, but we're surviving.

I think they're the two biggest things that have happened, but it's been crazy!

I hope you're all having a lovely December so far!

n xx

Be Right Back...

Last week my poor faithful toshiba laptop died rather suddenly after nearly four hard working years, so since then I've been post-free and trying to organise a new laptop. It's pretty hard to keep up with blogging without one! But I've still been planning a few graduation outfit and Christmas gift guide ideas so watch this space.

So, sorry for the lack of posts currently, but I'll be back (fingers really tightly crossed please) next week with a mountain of new things! Though let's allow a few days for me to get to grips with Windows 10, because until now I've been using Windows 7 and I'm not exactly tech savvy...

Peace and love until then ♥

Nails Inc Battersea Park

Battersea Park £14

You might remember me mentioning this in my September Glossybox post, and because it's such a perfect colour for autumn I'd thought I'd give it a go. Battersea Park is a really gorgeous dark khaki colour, mostly grey with a hint of green. I definitely would have bought this colour if I'd have seen it out shopping, it's a perfect addition.I really love Nails Inc colours, so it's a welcome addition to my ever growing collection, but the main problem I had with it was that it seemed to take forever to dry (you can slightly see imprints where I got impatient of waiting). I don't know if it's because I've been addicted to the Essie Gel Setter Top Coat, which dries in seconds, or if it actually takes ages, but recommendations are welcome for faster drying nails! 

What's your favourite Nails Inc colour?

n xx

Cake at No33 Cafe

I've found a new cafe favourite in Norwich, which is down Exchange Street past Jarrolds (surprisingly, building 33). I've been a few times now, and every time it's been completely lovely. It isn't a very big building, but I've never waited long for a table, and the service is fast too. This time I went with my friend Jessie, and we both went for cake and coffee. I had raspberry drizzle cake with a cappuccino, and Jessie went for a white chocolate, vanilla and berry cake (which I've had before and can vouch for 100%). For the  £3.85 cake/coffee deal, I love the amount that you get for your money! I'll definitely be coming back here again.. and again.

Have you ever been here, if you've been to Norwich?

n xx

Foundation Favourites

Rimmel Match Perfection £7.99

MAC Pro Longwear £25.50

I mentioned in my August Favourites how much I've been loving the MAC pro longwear foundation, and I noticed the other day how different in texture and colour it is from my other current favourite foundation. While both of them suit my skin tone and give me a flawless coverage, Rimmel match perfection (010 light porcelain) is noticably lighter, and slightly more of a pink undertone, and is a much runnier formula. It is buildable to give quite a good coverage, but I tend to wear just one pump. MAC pro longwear (NC15), however, is definitely a thicker formula, and more of an orange undertone that I've never noticed until I compared the two.

I've tried darker shades of other Rimmel foundations, but interestingly they all make me look like I've been tangoed, though from looking at them I'd say they're much nearer in colour to pro longwear in NC15! I think it just goes to show that even though they're both so different in the bottle, when applied and blended out (like on my hand in the bottom photo) they're not really all that different. I prefect MAC pro longwear at the moment, because it's slightly better coverage, but this has definitely opened my eyes for when I'm picking up my next foundation!

What's your favourite foundation at the moment?

n xx

Gone Girl

It's been a long time since I've had a book that I have to keep reading and finish right now. But Gone Girl was definitely one of those books for me. I had heard a lot about it when it was published, and when the film came out, but as it was around this time last year I was in a third-year-dissertation bubble and it kind of all just went over my head. But I've finally gotten round to reading it and I definitely am glad I did. There's so many twists that you don't expect, and I was constantly torn with who I was siding with, as the book is narrated by both Nick and Amy.

It's so well written and thought through, I think it will probably be one of those books that I just have to keep re-reading to remind myself how good it is. If you haven't read this yet, you seriously need to. I can't wait to watch the film to see if it lives up to the book!

Have you read this, or seen the film?

n xx

November Goals

Even though I'm sad my favourite month of the year is over, I love November nearly as much. Winter is by far my favourite time of year, and I plan to spend a lot of time wrapped in blankets, roll neck jumpers and singing along to Disney films.

♥ make nutella hot chocolate

♥ wear every scarf I own at least once

♥ have a Hunger Games marathon before the new film comes out

♥ take part in the big knit

♥ read more books (still)

♥ bake more

Do you have any November goals?

n xx

Long Hair Inspiration

Now that my hair is (finally) longer, I love trying out hew hairstyles and experimenting. I only learnt how to french plait properly last year, and though it's still a matter of trial and error, I've become a bit obsessed with any hairstyle that involves a plait. Pinterest is my favourite place to look for hairstyle inspirations, and here's some that I've got on a short list to try out. My long hair board is full of plait inspiration, I love how simple and easy they are, and the messier they get, the better they look. Plus I think they're so autumnal!

DIY hair bow

Fishtail braid

Flower braid

Pigtail plaits

French plaits

What's your favourite hairstyle at the moment?!

n xx

Review | Clinique Lash Power Mascara

Clinique lash power mascara

long wearing formula £19

I picked this up because I've always loved Clinique mascaras in the past, especially the High Impact ones. Most of the time I tend to pick up mascara from high street brands like Rimmel or L'Oreal, so Clinique mascara is more of a treat. I chose this one because of it's claim to be 'long wearing', something that's useful for long days at work.

The wand it quite small (probably the closest comparison I have is MAC Extended Play), and the main thing I notice as I apply it is how evenly it applies, and how it individually coats my lashes really well. It doesn't really layer up, so if you like big lashes this might not be the one for you, but I really love the relaxed, kind of off duty feel that it gives. I've also taken to wearing it just on my top lashes, just because it's so easy to wear.

The biggest down side of this that I've found is that it can be a bit stubborn to remove some days, and when it does come off it's a bit flaky so goes everywhere. I don't really mind it, you just need to find the right cleanser for it! I find using Liz Earle cleanse and polish works really well.

Have you tried out any new mascaras recently?

n xx

Lush Haul

Magic Wand £5.25

Sparkly Pumpkin £3.65

Dragons Egg £3.50

First Snow £5.95

Star Dust £2.95

Cinders £2.95

Damaged £6.50

Shimmy Shimmy £4.95

Santa Baby £5.95

When Lush launched all their Hallowe'en and Christmas products, it would have been just rude to not go and pick a few things up, so I made a quick trip to the store in Nottingham (reluctant Jay in tow). I'm really in a bath loving phase at the moment, so most of what I picked up shows that! I'm loving glitter in particular, so of course I had to pick up a Sparkly Pumpkin. I heard that Dragons Egg is also secretly glittery so I picked that up too. I'd forgotten how much I love the scent of Magic Wand, though last year I never actually bought it! I'm excited to see how many baths it'll last for.

Shimmy Shimmy is a long term favourite (and hatred of Jay's) for adding a lot of glitter, but First Snow also caught my eye so I'm excited to try that out! Santa Baby is another new try, but so far it's super soft and leaves my lips feeling lovely. Damaged hot oil hair treatment was recommended me because of my frizzy hair, and I'll definitely be putting up a review when I've used it!

I know I've picked up so many bath bombs, but I'm already so excited to go back and try more! 

Have you been in to Lush for their Hallowe'en and Christmas bits yet?

n xx

Barry M Pink Silver Glitter

Barry M pink silver glitter £2.99

You might notice that my nails are looking distinctly shorter than in my last nail varnish post. I have a love/hate relationship with my nails, and can go from stumpy little nails to acrylics in a heartbeat. After months of  loving long nails, I'm so happy to have my little man hands back.

The first colour I decided to go for was this beautiful Barry M pink silver glitter, which I'm in love with. It's super princessy and cute, and catches in the light beautifully. I love that it's a silver sparkle rather than a gold one, though it does take two, maybe three coats to get it opaque.

What are you wearing on your nails at the moment?!

n xx

Make Up Brush Deep Clean

Dove original beauty cream wash

from Boots £2.30

I'm actually one of those strange people who really loves washing my make up brushes. There's just something so very satisfying about seeing all the make up come out of them. I've always used Dove soap to wash mine out, and it leaves them soft and fluffy every time. I've also used the fine silk scent before, but I've found that even when I've been in the routine of a weekly wash, the soap lasts for absolutely ages. I mean months and months, because I definitely remember buying this probably about last summer, if not before. In between washes I use the No7 make up brush cleanser, which does a good job for mid-week concealer brush cleans.

What do you clean your brushes with?!

n xx

Carrie's Book Club | October

one box £16

three month subscription £48

here

If you're a book lover like me, then you'll understand why I find this so exciting. Carrie Fletcher started a monthly book themed subscription box, Carrie's Book Club. It's pretty similar to beauty boxes, but book themed. This month's box is only my second (and my first was way back in January), but I've decided to treat myself to a few over the next few months.

This month's theme is The Hunger Games, a trilogy that I love, and my favourite thing in the box has to be the silver hair glitter that's inspired by Effie's hair. I can't wait to try it out! I'm just not sure that my manager will appreciate me turning up to work with glittery hair. I'm also really excited to try the tea alongside the dried fruit.

One reason I really love this box is the letter that comes with it, explaining why Carrie chose each thing and how it links into the theme of the month. The other box I got in January was Peter Pan themed, so I can't wait to see what I get next!

Are you a book lover like me? Will you be trying a book club box?!

n xx

Lunch at Rye

what we had:

mushroom, spinach and goats cheese on toast 

soup of the day - tomato and basil

latte 

hot chocolate with whipped cream and marshmallows

With life being so crazy and hectic at the moment, I want to share a bit more of my everyday life and devote a little more time on my blog to things like outfits and lifestyle, where I've been and cafes that I've found along the way. So here's the start to a new type of post!

Last week I was up staying at Jay's, and we decided to go out to lunch at a cafe called Rye that his family are loving at the moment. It's in Beeston, which is just outside of Nottingham, and is really cosy and lovely. I've been there a few times now, and the staff and atmosphere are always so friendly.This time, I had a latte with tomato and basil soup, which was lovely (though you really have to like pepper), and Jay had one of my favourites, mushroom, spinach and goats cheese on toast. I've ordered it a few times but I've never been able to finish because it's so rich, but definitely worth it.

I hope you liked this post! Would you like to see more lifestyle posts in the future?

n xx

Mini Haul

Essie watermelon, left, and with the band, right

Lush creamy candy bubble bar £2.95

MaxFactor colour elixir lipstick in rosewood 833 £7.99

MaxFactor colour elixir lip liner in 02 pink petal £4.99

Essie nail varnish in watermelon and with the band £7.99 each

Topshop pom pom £5

Topshop fluffy beanie hat £14

 I tend to have more mini hauls that less frequent big ones, so I thought I'd share one for a change! I'm really, really loving bath bombs at the moment, especially with bubbles, so I thought I'd pick up one of my favourites from Lush. Let me know if you'd like to see more frequent bath bomb reviews! I also picked up this new lip combo that I saw in this video, and so far I've been loving it! It's really natural, but I've heard some not so good reviews about the liner, so I'll put up a full review soon. My love for Essie is also no secret, and I've been eyeing up the colour 'watermelon' for a while. I picked it up on offer with 'with the band' as a whim, and I've ended up falling in love with it completely. It's such a perfect colour for autumn! I've been lusting over pom poms for a while, though I couldn't find a link to my cream one, here is where you can find other colours. Lastly I picked up this super cute hat! Just because you can never have enough hats for winter.

What have you been buying recently?!

n xx