NOTD & Review - Eyeko Saucy Polish

This is my NOTD for one of Eyeko's newest polishes. I recently reviewed the Rain Polish which I loved so I had high expectations for it.

The Saucy Polish has been re-released for Autumn - I had it in the old packaging but I don't think i've ever used it as I have lots of other classic reds. I definitely prefer this packaging to the milk bottle style as it's much sleeker and easier to use. The consistency of this polish is just as good as the Rain Polish and is fast drying. I love that you can get away with just one coat and as it is a staple colour, it's the perfect polish for anyone who dosent have a lot of time or wants an easy colour to perhaps take on holiday. When it comes to removing any mistakes around the edge it can be tricky as it is really pigmented and smudges on your skin. Other than that I really love this polish and it's up there with some of my other favourite reds like the Max Factor one I tried. 

You can now buy this polish individually for £3.50 from the Eyeko website. 

For a free gift with your order add my ambassador code: E2757 into the comments box :)

Hummingbird Bakery Cupcakes

This is just a quick post to show you some cupcakes I made recently using my Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook (which is amazing!) The book is meant to be a present for my birthday next month but i've already used it!

I was so pleased with how they turned out, especially as they look a bit like the ones in the book!

They also taste really nice as the recipe is a bit different to the one I normally use. You use plain flour instead of self raising and add baking powder so they don't rise too much. The vanilla frosting is very tasty too; it goes really really creamy and doesn't taste buttery like some frostings.

I'd really recommend getting your hands on the Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook as its packed full of yummy recipes - i'm already planning on making the Marshmallow Cupcakes, Mississippi Mud Pie and the Raspberry Cheesecake Brownies!
You can buy the book from Amazon here for £8.49 (RRP £16.99)
x

30 Days: Day 23

A YouTube Video

There are so many videos I could have chosen for this but I decided not to pick anything beauty related because I haven't really been watching that many recently. I kind of prefer to read blog posts now because I hate watching a video and switching off after the first minute.
I couldn't just pick one video though so here are a couple that i've taken from my YouTube favourites.
I'm sure a lot of you will have already seen this but it always puts a smile on my face and i'm sure it was a day the bride and groom will never forget!


I wasn't sure about this when I first heard it but I love Snow Patrol and it's really grown on me. I'm not a massive fan of Cheryl but I think she sings really well on this!

30 Days: Day 21

A Recipe

I've already posted a couple of cupcake recipes so I thought i'd choose something a bit different. I wanted to share something summery so I went for one of my favourite desserts: Blueberry Crumble.

This is quite an easy thing to make and you can change it in lots of ways. If you don't like blueberries you could use a different type of fruit or if you want to make it healthier you could use less sugar or wholewheat flour.

Ingredients:
Blueberries
8oz Plain Flour
4oz Butter
3oz Sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 180c
2. Place your blueberries into the bottom of the dish you're going to be using. The reason I haven't said exactly how many blueberries to use is because it's up to you and depends on how big your dish is. For mine I used defrosted frozen blueberries because I had some that needed using up but fresh ones are definitely better. You can also add a sprinkle of sugar to your fruit if you'd prefer it to be sweeter.

3. Sift the flour into a bowl and chop the butter into chunks and add it. 

4. Rub the butter and flour together until it forms a breadcrumb like texture.

5. Stir in the sugar.

6. Pour the crumble over the top of the blueberries (Don't press it down or it will be really hard).

7. Bake in the oven for 35-45 minutes or until the crumble starts to go golden brown.
8. Serve with cream or custard or eat it by itself to be healthy ;)  

30 Days: Day 19

A Talent Of Yours

I don't really have any special talents so I kind of copied Kim and i'll say i'm good at nail art. It's something I enjoy doing anyway and my NOTD posts always seem to go down well :)

30 Days: Day 18

Whatever Tickles Your Fancy

I always seem to do tags for this! This is the 25 Random Questions Tag which i've seen on a few blogs recently.

1. Do you have any pets?
I do and i'm sure you've heard about them plenty of times ;) I have a Hamster (Honey), two Guinea Pigs (Muffin & Truffle) and two Rabbits (Parsley & Sage)

2. Name 3 things that are physically close to you.
My iPod, Next Diamonds Perfume and a Kabuki Brush.

3. What's the weather like right now?

There's lots of rain

4. Do you drive? If so have you crashed?
I'm learning at the minute so no although I did get quite close to a bus a few lessons ago!

5. What time did you wake up this morning?
9:30am.

6. When was the last time you showered?
Last night

7. What was the last movie you saw?

I watched Toy Story 3 last month at the cinema and I also watched Orphan a few weeks ago on DVD. I'm going to the cinema later today with some friends too; I think we're going to see Knight and Day.

8. What does your last text message say?
'I might be a teeny bit late because the bus was late :( x' this was from my friend - it's not very interesting!

9. What's your ringtone?
My phone is always on silent but it vibrates that loudly it might as well have a ringtone!

10. Have you ever been to a different country?
I've been to Belgium, France and America.

11. Do you like sushi?

I've never tried it but i'm not a massive fan of fish anyway. I've always wanted to go to Yo! Sushi but only because I think the little conveyor belts are cool!

12. Where do you buy your groceries?
Usually ASDA

13. Have you ever taken medication to help you fall asleep faster?
Nope!

14. How many siblings do you have?
I have a younger brother

15. Do you have a desktop computer or a laptop?

A laptop (I wish the one above was mine!) I actually don't have a laptop right now as mine died a couple of days ago after I spilled a glass of water on it! I'm hoping to get a new one at some point as i'm relying on my parents laptop and my iPod to blog at the minute!

16. How old will you be turning on your next birthday?
I'm 18 next month :)

17. Do you wear contacts or glasses?
Neither although i'm sure I need glasses!

18. Do you color your hair?
I've never dyed it, i'd hate to have to keep getting my roots done so if I dyed it it would have to be a really nice colour.

19. Tell me something you are planning to do today.
I'm going out for a catch up with some friends - we're going to the cinema and then for a meal and maybe some shopping :)

20. When was the last time you cried?

Yesterday

21. What is your perfect pizza topping?
Well it has to be Prezzo base, tomato sauce, and then cheese, more cheese, and then either chicken and sweetcorn or ham and pineapple!

22. Which do you prefer-hamburgers or cheeseburgers?
I don't eat either, i've never really liked burgers but if I had to it would be a hamburger (hot dogs are better though!).

23. Have you ever had an all-nighter?
I've been close but no. I'd hate being so tired the next day!

24. What is your eye color?
Bluey green

25. Can you taste the difference between Pepsi and Coke?

I only really drink Diet Coke so i'll have to try both and see!
x

Lush Lemony Flutter Review

I haven't done a Lush review in forever so I though it would be nice to post one. I won Lemony Flutter in Aqsa's giveaway and as it's always something i've wanted to try I was really pleased I won it! 

I'm sure most of you know that Lemony Flutter is a cuticle butter which can be used to soften dry skin and help to keep your nails in good condition. Unlike a lot of the other cuticle creams i've tried you only need the smallest bit of this as it's packed with oil so although it isn't the cheapest product in the world it will last you a really long time. 

What I love the most is it's gorgeous smell! I love anything that smells of Lemon and this reminds me of Lemon buttercream, its so tempting to eat it!
I like to use this before I paint my nails as it makes my cuticles really soft and easy to shape. It helps me to keep them in good condition and i've started using it on the dryer area of my toes.
If I ever use this up i'll definitely be re-purchasing it especially thanks to it's lovely scent!
You can buy Lemony Flutter from Lush here for £5.50.

30 Days: Day 17

An Art Piece

There are so many things I could pick for this but I saw this on Flickr and thought it was really quirky. 

If I was looking for a piece of artwork for my wall i'd pick a city scene similar to the one below but in black and white.

They have some really nice city prints in Ikea, I just wish they weren't all so big!

30 Days: Day 16

A Song That Makes You Cry...or nearly

I don't think i've ever cried at a song so I picked one with the lyrics that mean the most to me emotionally.

The song i've chosen is:
Athlete - The Getaway
I've only recently discovered this song but i've been a big Athlete fan for a while. This is an amazing song with beautiful lyrics and is one i'm sure i'll still be listening to in a few months time.

[1:21] "Who’s gonna fly your plane, When you need to make your getaway?
But I’m still holding on, Calling you back home, calling you back
You hear my flesh and my bones, They’re calling you back home, they’re calling you back
This house lives in silence for most of the year, you’re a million miles away but you couldn’t be nearer, Please break my heart just so I can feel, At least I would have something that I could believe"
Athlete also have quite a few other songs which I could have chosen; Wires is the first song I heard by them a few years ago and is definitely one that could bring tears to your eyes.

30 Days: Day 15

A Fanfic

I have no idea what a fanfic is even after the help of Laura's post, so i've decided to do a post about the music i'm a fan of at the minute :)

(click to enlarge)

Liz Earle Review: Intensive Nourishing Treatment Mask

I was very kindly sent this by Andrea from Liz Earle's PR who recommended it after I mentioned I had dry skin. As you probably already know I really like Liz Earle skincare as it's one of the only brands i've tried that actually works.

This treatment mask is really rich and has a thick creamy texture. You apply a thick layer after your normal cleansing routine and leave it on for 10-15 minutes to soak into your skin. You then wipe it off using a warm Muslin cloth. I noticed that after using it my skin was a lot softer and my dry skin had definitely improved. I now use it once a week after i've exfoliated as this is when I find it works the best.

Overall i'd recommend this to anyone who has dry skin or wants to give their skin a treat. I think this product will be really good for winter months when my skin gets quite dry.

The Intensive Nourishing Treatment Mask Starter Kit retails at £12.75 from the Liz Earle Website.

30 Days: Day 13

A Fictional Book

There are so many books I could choose from for this! I love girly novels like the Shopaholic series so they'd be the obvious choice for me or anything by Sophie Kinsella!
There are two books which I read a while ago that i'll never forget. It wasn't just the brilliant story but the way they were written was so good and I think thats the reason why I enjoyed them. I think they're aimed at teenagers but i'd happily re-read them.

Baby Blue and Blue Moon by Julia Green
Baby Blue is the sequel to Blue Moon and they tell the story of Mia who is 15 and finds out she's pregnant. Blue Moon follows Mia through her pregnancy and how she learns about love and how important families are.  In Baby Blue Mia has given birth to her baby and has to learn about the emotions of being a mum. She also has to make new relationships with the people around her which at times is very difficult.
Both of these books are quite deep and are very different to the girly books I like to read now. I think its nice to read books like this as you learn things about yourself and they really make you think. Although both books follow the journey of teen pregnancy that isn't what they're really about and the deeper you read into the books the more you understand this. These books probably aren't for everyone but if you enjoy reading then they're definitely worth a look at.
I've also just finished I Heart New York by Lindsay Kelk which I really enjoyed and is definitely my kind of book. I'm looking forward to reading Lindsay's other books I Heart Paris and I Heart Hollywood. You can read Lindsay's beauty blog here too. 

30 Days: Day 12

Whatever Tickles Your Fancy

I've seen this tag floating around for a while and although I wasn't tagged to do it I thought i'd post it anyway!

1. Would you rather go out with messy hair & nice make-up, or nice hair & no make-up?

I think nearly everyone has picked this but i'd definitely rather go out with messy hair and nice make-up! My hair usually ends up in a mess the minute I walk out of the house so I think people are used to seeing me with messy hair ;)

2. Would you rather shave your eyebrows or have your eyelashes fall out?
This was hard but i'd probably say have my eyelashes fall out as i'd try and find a way of sticking false lashes to my eyelids or something and I don't think drawn on eyebrows are ever a good look... I always think of Katie Price's eyebrows which are so overdone!

3. Would you rather be forced to shop at only MAC or Sephora?
Probably Sephora as there are so many different products to choose from and i'm not a massive fan of MAC. 

4. Would you rather wear the lipgloss/lip liner look, or an 80's perm?
Probably an 80's perm as i'm sure it would come into fashion one day! I've never really understood the lipgloss/lip liner look and I once tried a lip liner and I thought it looked awful on me!

5. Would you rather leave the house with an obvious foundation line, or an overdone blush?

Probably overdone blush as on some days i'm probably guilty of it anyway! The obvious foundation line is a bit of a crime and i've seen some awful ones so i'd hate it if I had one!

6. Would you rather wear MC Hammer pants, or biker shorts?
Probably MC Hammer pants as they're basically Harems and biker shorts just wouldn't suit me.

7. Would you rather have a bad orange-y spray tan, or really weird tan lines that can't be covered?
I'm quite pale so being orange wouldn't be a good look for me! I'll pick really weird tan lines than can't be covered as i'm sure they'd fade eventually.

8. Would you rather have a bad haircut, or a bad hair colour?
I'd say a bad hair colour as it's easier to re-dye it than wait for your hair to grow out.

9. Would you rather have Youtube or Twitter taken away forever?
Probably Youtube as I go on Twitter more. I always thought I tweeted a lot but actually I only do it a couple of times a day!

10. Would you rather give up using make-up brushes, or mascara?

I'd give up make-up brushes as I look so tired without mascara! I only use brushes for powder and blush so i'd still be able to get my foundation looking nice as I normally use my fingers :)

30 Days: Day 10

A Photo Of You Taken Over 10 Years Ago

The first photo was taken 12 years ago when I was an angel in a Christmas play in my first year of school.
The second photo is from July 1994 when I was nearly 2. I love my floral patterned dress ;)
I'm not sure when the last photo was taken but I was probably about 5 or 6. I love my daisy pumps in this one!

30 Days: Day 9

A Photo You Took

I suppose i'm a bit of a photography geek and as i'm a bit of a perfectionist I take lots of photos before i'm happy with one! I don't have a big fancy camera so I try to make the best of the one i've got and i'm quite pleased with some of the photos i've taken on it. I thought i'd share a couple of my favourite photos:

You can see more of my photography on my Flickr here.

Nude Leopard NOTD ;)

I finally got round to doing a Konad NOTD! I wanted something quite minimalist and chic (not sure if they're the right words to use) but still quite quirky so this is what I came up with...

I used Nude Chic by Revlon as the base and Wham by Collection 2000 for the leopard print. I also used the Clear ELF polish as a base and topcoat.

I'm quite pleased with how it turned out although some of the prints are darker than others. The Revlon has bubbled a bit too but it's not that obvious and kind of adds to the design ;)

The Konad plate I used was M57. 

x

30 Days: Day 7

A Photo That Makes You Happy

I didn't want to be predictable and pick a picture of my pets for this tag ... but I did!
Here are my lovely girls :)

As you can see Parsley isn't very photogenic ;)

x

30 Days: Day 6

Whatever Tickles Your Fancy

For today's post i'm going to talk about a website which I really enjoy looking at. This kind of follows on from yesterday's post as it's something that really made me think. You might have heard of it before but the website i'm talking about is

Gives Me Hope

I was introduced to this website by Maddy who did a post on it a few months ago and its made me feel so positive about things.
I thought i'd mention a few of my favourites...

"While on my way to work, a Grandfather and his two grandchildren were waiting to cross the street. A young man in his chrome-low rider-mega bass car stopped and waved for them to cross the street while his friends were in the car. Respectful teenagers GMH."

"To the girl at the gym who said she wouldn't get a prom date because she was too "fat": My friends and I were lifting weights nearby to try to impress you. Don't ever think that all guys see is your weight. We thought you were gorgeous. The fact that you will realize that one day GMH."

"When I was at rock bottom, not wanting to even go on another day, no one even realized how depressed I was. Then last night my cat came in my room, saw me crying and rubbed her head against me all night, meowing at me, and purring. She made me happy. Animals that understand more than humans do GMH."

"A few years ago my grandfather was admitted into the ICU unit in the hospital. I went to go visit him, but could only watch him through a glass box. I stood there crying, while he lay there with his eyes closed, barely alive. The nurse told him I was there. He opened his eyes, smiled ear to ear, and waved to me. That night he passed away. YLGMH."

Batiste, Barry M, Bourjois and Boots

I haven't really shown any of the makeup or beauty products i've bought in the past few months so I thought i'd show you what i've been buying recently.

Boots

I needed a new powder and a blush but I couldn't really find any products from other brands that looked good and were affordable so I stuck with 17.

17 Pressed Powder - £3.49 - I've nearly run out of this so it was just a re-purchase. I had a look at a couple of other pressed powders but I thought i'd stay safe with this one as I wasn't sure if any of the other colours were right for me.

17 Blusher in Bramble Frost - £3.49 - I'm sure i've seen this on a few blogs and i've been wanting a new blusher as my super cheap Natural Collection one is also running out. I thought this colour looked quite natural so i'm looking forward to trying it out. 

I'm sure you've all seen that you got a free travel makeup kit when you spent over £6 on 17 a few weeks ago. I'm not a fan of the lipgloss but the waterproof mascara and nail polish look nice. 

I had a look in Superdrug and considered getting the new Rimmel scented nail polishes as the Apricot and Stawberry ones looked good. I decided against them though as I already have similar colours to them and i'm not sure if the scent will actually work. If you've tried them let me know what you think.

ASOS
I made a really small ASOS order as I needed some new dry shampoo.

Batiste Dry Shampoo in Blush and BoHo - £2.05 each - This is the normal price on ASOS and is cheaper than both Superdrug and Boots so with free delivery I thought why not?
Barry M Nail Paint in Blueberry Ice Cream - £1.75 - This was a bargain and I don't really know why it was in the sale as it's the most popular Ice Cream shade. I wasn't going to buy it originally but as it was so cheap I thought it would make a nice addition to my ridiculously huge nail polish collection.
Mini Straighteners - £5.25 - I've recently ordered these very cute straighteners from ASOS. I saw Sophie's review of them where she mentioned they were great for her fringe so I thought i'd give them a go. You can't go wrong for £5.25! I'll let you know how I get on with them :) They're available in pink and black here.

Bourjois Bronzer & Kabuki - I won these in Glamour's May Beauty Giveaway and I really like them. I don't normally wear bronzer but it's definitely something i'll be experimenting with now i've got it. The kabuki isn't the softest brush i've tried but it's a nice size and hopefully won't shed.
Have you picked up anything nice recently?
x

30 Days: Day 5

Your Favourite Quote

I've read quite a lot of quotes and I regret not writing them down somewhere as I don't really have a special one to post here.
There is one which I will always remember 'You don't know you've got it till it's gone'. For me this relates to losing someone you love but I suppose you could relate this to anything in your life.

My Grandad passed away in October 2007 and would have been 89 last month. I miss him every single day and he was a true inspiration to me. Watching him slip away from me as he battled with cancer was the hardest time of my life and you really don't know you've got it till it's gone. RIP ♥
There are a few other quotes i've seen on Tumblr which I like:

30 Days: Day 4

Your Favourite Book

I love reading so this was quite a hard one to pick! There are some other book related days though so I should be able to mention all the books that I love. I used to read a lot more than I do now as I don't have the time thanks to 6th Form and staying up late but now it's the holidays i've been really enjoying reading lots of books.
Probably my favourite book that i've read recently has to be Rescue Me by Melissa Wareham.

This is a non-fiction book and is Melissa's story of her time working for Battersea Dogs Home. Being an animal lover I absolutely loved reading it and there were some bits that made me laugh and lots that made me cry. It was one of the best written books i've ever read and was so easy to read that I didn't want to put it down. I don't tend to read books more than once but writing this has made me want to read it all over again! I'd definitely recommend this to anyone who is an animal lover although it might make you want to go and adopt some more pets!
You can read extracts from the book here and here. 

30 Days: Day 3

Your Favourite TV Program

I'm not a massive TV fan so I don't watch that many shows. I only really watch it if there is something specific on that I want to watch or if i'm bored.
A show which I know a lot of bloggers love and one which usually makes me laugh is Come Dine With Me. There is always some drama or something funny happening and the narrator Dave Lamb makes it even funnier!

The celebrity specials are always really good, especially the one with Janice Dickinson - what is she on?!

I also love Skins although it really annoys me that it's hardly ever on! They also keep changing the cast and although I love some of the new cast there were old ones like Mitch Hewer who I wish were still on!
Special Mentions To: Ladette To Lady, One Born Every Minute and The Apprentice.

What's In My Bag?

I've been asked to do this post quite a few times but i've only just got round to it - sorry! I was also tagged to do it by Steph and Hannah -thanks girls!

My bag is from H&M and was £5 instead of £14.99 in the most recent sale. It's not very big but I don't carry a lot around with me so it's a nice size to fit everything in. I love the colour and gold detailing along the bottom but the main reason why I bought it was that it has a long strap. I don't really like shoulder bags as I can never keep them on my shoulder! It also has lots of little pockets inside which are really useful so nothing gets lost in the bottom. 

So inside I have:

-Lilac Umbrella

-Momiji Pen

-iPod Touch

-Keys

-Green Purse (from Topshop a few years ago)

-Phone (not pictured - it was in my pocket!)

-17 Pressed Powder 

-Liz Earle Handcream

-Burt's Bees Lipbalm

-Hairbrush

-ELF Complexion Brush

-Lush 'Honey I Washed The Kids' Solid Perfume

-Nail Clippers 

-Nail File

-Hair Bobble