Tell Me, Did The Wind Sweep You Off Your Feet?

.1. I picked up a gorgeous new lipstick today in Boots. It's the No7 Limited Edition in Grace which is a really pretty soft pink and is so moisturising. I'm not normally a lipstick kind of girl but its not too dark and I think it really suits me. I might do a FOTD with me wearing it soon as it's a beaut!

.2. How beautiful was Adele's Live Lounge this week? I loved every song and i'm hoping to get round to downloading her album soon. I love that she's a 'real girl' and is really down to earth unlike a lot of artists that are around at the minute. You can have a listen here.

.3. It's the little things in life that make you smile isn't it? I was just casually perusing Tumblr on Monday night when this photo which I took for my Summer Must Haves post popped up on my dashboard. I was really shocked to find it had over 400 likes even though I wasn't the person that posted it to Tumblr. I felt quite flattered as I never really think my photography is up to much so it certainly put a smile on my face! I wish i'd watermarked it though!

.4. ♥ A few to follow: Ellie, Cassie and Shannon

.5. ♫ I'm currently listening to: Train- Drops Of Jupiter, McFly - That's The Truth and Adele's Live Lounge.

4 Things Tag

I was tagged by StarsGlitterMagic to do this tag but it's actually been sitting in my drafts since August after I was tagged by Christina and Jenny so I thought it was finally time I posted it! There are actually a few different versions of this so i've thrown them all into one, I hope you don't mind!

4 Things Found In My Bag

- iPod
- Topshop Purse

- Burt's Bees Lipbalm

- Keys

4 Things Found In My Purse

- Boots Card

- A little bit of money

- Train tickets

- Receipts

4 Favourite Things In My Room

- My Bed

- Momiji Dolls

- Laptop

- My Nail Polishes

4 Things I Always Wanted To Do

- Spend a week in London
- Learn to horse ride

- Skydive

- Pass My Driving Test

4 Things I'm Currently Into

- Cupcakes
- Music

- Blogging

-Tumblr

4 Things I Bet You Didn't Know About Me

- I ♥ music but i've never been to a gig or festival
- I was born a month early

- I've never been to Nandos

- I like to believe my horoscope, I have every characteristic of a Virgo!

4 Songs I Can't Get Out Of My Head

- McFly - That's The Truth

- Ellie Goulding - Believe Me
- Bruno Mars - California Girls
- Adele - Rolling In The Deep

4 Shows That You Watch

- Come Dine With Me

- One Born Every Minute
- My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding
Sun, Sex & Suspicious Parents

4 Things You're Passionate About

- Music
- My Pets
- My Blog
- Being Creative

4 Things You've Learnt From The Past

- You don't know you've got it till it's gone
- There is something positive in everything

- Believe in yourself, dream big and work hard
- Nobody is perfect

4 Places You'd Like To Go

- Italy
- Paris
- China
- New York

4 Things You Did Yesterday

- Tidied my room
- Had tomato soup for lunch
- Listened to Adele's amazing Live Lounge
- Bought a magazine

4 Things You're Looking Forward To

- Finishing 6th Form
- Starting uni
- Passing my driving test
- Chinese with the girls on Tuesday

4 People That Should Share Their List Of 4s

-Leanne Marie
-Lucy
-Victoria
-Jodie

I hope you all have a lovely weekend x

All images were taken from Tumblr

A Walk On The Wild Side

I dug out my Konad on Sunday night and instead of revising I thought i'd give my nails a makeover. I haven't used it since August so I was quite pleased with the way it turned out as it can be hit and miss. 

I used Miscellaneous by MissGuided as the base and Barry M Black for the leopard print using my Konad M57. I really need to get myself a few new plates so I can be a bit more creative as I always opt for the same design as you can see in my previous Konad posts. 

I've been promising a Konad tutorial for a long time and i've never got round to it so if you're interested in finding out how to use it have a look at this Q&A post and this tutorial by Leanne which are really useful. 

But You Can't Change The World With A Song, And You Can't Make It Right When It's Wrong

Photo lovingly borrowed from The Notebook Doodles

.1. How much good TV has there been this week?! I've watched something nearly every night and usually I only watch a couple of things a week! My revision plans for the week went out of the window as I opted to watch One Born Every Minute, Sun, Sex and Suspicious Parents, The Biggest Loser, Big Fat Gypsy Weddings, Come Dine With Me, Come Fly With Me, Take Me Out and lots more!

.2. Last night I had a lovely homemade pizza which tasted amazing! I was inspired by Gemma's video and i'd definitely recommend it to everyone! It's also quite a bit healthier than the pizza you get in supermarkets and tastes just as good! I'm hoping to make another so i'll try and do a post it if I get the chance.

.3. Today has been spent revising for my exam tomorrow; I have to keep reminding myself that it counts towards my final grade and could depend on whether I get into to uni so I have to work hard! It's a business & economics exam so i've been really bored but i've had a few (2 hour long!) breaks in between and watched a couple of five episodes of Come Dine With Me haha! I'm really looking forward to tomorrow night when I can forget about the stresses of exams until the summer :)

.4. ♥ A few to follow: Francesca, Tara and Emily

.5. ♫ I'm currently listening to: Ellie Goulding - Believe Me, Taio Cruz - Falling In Love and Bruno Mars - California Girls (such an amazing cover!)

Lee Stafford Shine Head Spray Shine

I thought it was time to share the love properly for my all time favourite hair product! I wrote the worst review in the world for it back in March 2009 when my blog first started it out and as I still love it just as much I thought it would be nice to re-write my review :)

There really isn't anything not to like about this product! The main thing I like about it is that it actually makes your hair shiny and soft without it looking greasy. After styling I spray a little bit on the ends of my hair and brush it through. I've had quite a few compliments since I started using it as it makes my hair look really healthy. I've mentioned before about my love for the scent of Lee Stafford products and this one is no exception. It has such a nice smell and eliminates the smell that my straightners can sometimes give my hair. The bottle says 'ShiNY seXxxy hair in a can' and that really sums up what it does!
The packaging is just a simple spray bottle which is easy to use and I love the design and colour of it. I use this about once a week if I remember and this is still my first bottle so you can really tell that a little bit goes a long way! I don't have much left so i'll definitely be re-purchasing it soon. It costs a purse friendly £5.40 for 200ml from Boots and the Lee Stafford range is often on offer too. 

I'm Dreamin' Out Loud

I hate thinking of post titles, I don't know why I just do! I took the fail safe option of some song lyrics as i've been listening to Dreaming Out Loud by OneRepublic.
Anyway back to the point of this post.... there's no disappointment when you buy your own Christmas presents is there? haha I actually bought this lovely Fiorelli makeup bag on Boxing Day as I thought it was gorgeous and I wanted to treat myself. It comes in two colours: Blue and 'Poppy' which is a corally red. I couldn't decide between the two so I took to Twitter where 'Poppy' was a firm favourite. I can always trust you lovely lot to help me make a good choice! 

I love the ruffle detailing and the material is really soft too. It has a little zipped pocket inside which is really useful for all the little things that end up dropping into the bottom. My current make-up bag is ok but it's getting a bit small as I seem to have two of everything in it but this fits everything in a bit better. 

It was £9 from ASOS instead of £18 but I actually paid £8.10 as I had a 10% discount code :) I was thinking of doing an updated What's In My Make-Up Bag post if anyone is interested as quite a few things have changed since my last one?

It's Easy Saying Nothing When There's Nothing To Say

.1. I feel like i've been a bit 'quiet' on here this week; i've still managed to do a couple of posts but i've just had a lot on my mind as i'm trying to juggle work for sixth form and revision for my exam and for once i'm actually trying to be prepared and do more than just revise the night before. I'm hoping to keep blogging as my exam is a week tomorrow so the stress will have disappeared by then!

.2. If you love Your Song by Ellie Goulding you should defintiely watch this video. I really wish there was sound with it as it's so cute! There are lots of other videos by musicANDmuffins with my favourite being Yellow by Coldplay.

.3. I signed up to Threewords recently and I just thought i'd let you know. Feel free to describe me in three words and if you have an account leave a link in the comments and i'll do the same for you :)

.4. ♥ A few to follow: Sophfe, Charlotte and Sophie

.5. ♫ I'm currently listening to: KT Tunstall - Fade Like A Shadow and David Guetta - Baby When The Light

French Manicure Tips & Tricks

I love painting my nails but I find French Manicures so frustrating! It's so easy to make mistakes and sorting them out often means starting the whole thing again. I thought i'd share some of my tips and tricks with you as I got lots of practise doing them over Christmas and the New Year.

The perfect white tip (in my opinion) is all about the polish. I'm not saying go out and buy a £10 white polish but using a relatively new one works best for me. If you use an old white polish that is too thick it will look awful! I used to use one by Natural Collection but it went thick really quickly and I got about 3 or 4 uses out of it so it just wasn't worth the money. I now use French White by Collection 2000 which is £2.99 a bottle. It's a thin consistency and has a brush that is designed for manicures and I love the way it applies.

I use fairly inexpensive polishes as I get through them quite quickly and if they do go thick it won't break the bank to buy a new bottle.

I use Natural Collection Peach Manicure for the main colour. This does have a thick consistency but I find this works well if you have the patience to wait for it to dry as you only need to use a couple of coats to get a nice colour on your nails.

I then use Collection 2000 Manicure French White for the white tips. I only recently discovered this but I love the consistency of it and the shape of the brush makes it easy to apply.

Finally, I use Collection 2000 Ice Cube for the top coat which helps to make it last longer and give an overall shiny appearance. I sometimes use this as a base coat too as it helps to even out any ridges in my nails.

Before I start my manicure I remove any other nail polish and rub some Lush Lemony Flutter onto my cuticles. I then file down the tips of nails so they're square and are all a similar length. I like them to be a reasonable length so I don't file them down too much otherwise i'd have no space for the white tips. I then use a nail buffer to soften and smooth down the edges.
I then apply a base coat and the rest of the other polishes, allowing plenty of time for each coat to dry. I always make mistakes no matter what polish i'm using so I always have some cotton buds and a bit of nail polish remover on hand to clean them up. The cotton buds above are from ASDA and have two different ends so they're really useful for manicures. I got the nail buffer quite a few years ago and it works really well but I don't think you can get these particular ones anymore although there quite a few similar ones available from the 'Ms Manicure' brand in Boots.
I hope this post was helpful, i'd love to know which polishes you use for your French Manicures as i'm always on the look out for new ones to try :)

Versatile Blogger Award & 10 Questions

I was tagged by Rebecca, Leanne Marie, StarsGlitterMagic and Christina Marie to do this tag.
Please have a read of their blogs, they're all amazing!

The Rules:

1. Thank and link back to who gave you the award.

2. Share 7 things about yourself.

3. Pass it along to 7 blogs you've recently discovered and enjoy.

4. Leave your recipient a note, telling them about the award.

1. I'm quite superstitious and really live up to the characteristics of being a Virgo; i'm a perfectionist and I love being tidy and organised!

2. I have a food intolerance to onion, chilli, garlic, peppers and any quite strong vegetables. They all give me a migraine if I eat them but I sometimes tolerate it for things like garlic bread which are too good to resist!

3. Apparently i'm funny in a blunt way. It's hard to describe exactly why!

4. I've been loving reality TV recently; i'm so glad 'One Born Every Minute' is back and I love 'Sun, Sex and Suspicious Parents' too.

5. I love nail polish. I have far too many and don't plan on counting them!

6. I've never really liked eating fish but i've recently developed a bit of an addiction to Lemon Basa Fillets; I could eat them all day!
7. I've banned myself from buying any body lotion or shower gel for 2011. I have a cupboard full and I know it will easily last me for the rest of they year so I hope I don't give in to temptation and buy any more!

10 Questions:

1. Why did you create this blog?

I stumbled across the beauty community nearly 2 years ago when it was quite small after finding the link to someone's blog through YouTube. I loved reading other people's blogs and enjoyed writing so I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to continue my love for writing as I didn't want to do A-Level English.

2. What kind of blogs do you follow?

I mainly follow Beauty blogs but I also follow a few Food, Fashion and Life blogs too.

3. Favourite Makeup Brand

I haven't really got one particular favourite as I use so many different brands but i'm loving Rimmel's Lash Accelerator at the minute so i'll pick Rimmel :)
4. Favourite Clothing Brand

I want so many things from H&M at the minute and I love how affordable their clothes are!
5. Your Indispensable Makeup Product

Mascara - I look so tired without it!

6. Your Favourite Colour

I don't really have a favourite colour - if I have to pick a colour for something I tend to pick purple or pale blue so I suppose you could say they're my favourites.

7. Your Favourite Perfume

At the minute it's Boss Orange which I got for Christmas and i'm also loving CKIN2U as the scent lingers around for a long time.

8. Your Favourite Film

The Hangover, i've watched it so many times and it still makes me laugh every time!

9. What country would you like to visit and why?

I'd love to go back to America and visit New York because i'm a city girl at heart and it looks so vibrant and busy which i'd love. There are also some amazing shops and the weather would be so much nicer than it is in the UK.

10. Are you a Cat or Dog person?

I'm a big animal lover so I can't really pick between them, especially as I haven't had either as a pet. Truthfully i'm a Guinea Pig person and i'd pick them over any other animal!

Seven bloggers i'm passing this award onto:
Lucy, Lisa, Emma, Phoebe, Emma, Jemma and Laura.

All images were taken from Tumblr

You Look At Me It's Like You Hit Me With Lightning

.1. I failed my driving test on Tuesday so probably not the best start to the week haha. To be honest I was more angry than upset, I don't think the examiner could have been any more unreasonable but she is known as being the worst one at the test centre so it was just bad luck. Third time lucky next time I hope!

.2. I went to Ask for lunch today as it's my brother's birthday and I had a lovely Tropical Pizza followed by Lemon Tart. I don't eat out often so it was a really nice treat especially as I love Italian food! I've been quite organised this week as I bought a pretty diary from Paperchase and i've used it everyday so i'm quite proud of myself. It hasn't helped to motivate me to do my revision though as I have a business exam in 2 weeks and I haven't opened a book!

.3.  I am in love with Kelly's post 'Blog like you read no other'. I always try to write about the things that interest me and not be swayed by what everyone else seems to be writing about. We are all influenced by the blogs we read in one way or another but I think it's really important to keep to your own writing style, be yourself and write about the things that you actually like. I like to keep away from any 'drama' in the blogging community as I write this blog because I enjoy writing and talking to people with same interests as me; i'm not here to experience the same kind of crap that goes on at 6th Form as this is my escape! I have seen a couple of posts that are similar to ones i've written myself and as much as I don't like being 'copied' I like to keep my head above the clouds and be flattered that people are influenced by what i'm writing. I'm not going to raise it with the people that have done it because I hate causing drama and I don't think it's worth it - i'm not here to make enemies! I'm sure it's a topic that everyone has an opinion on so i'd love to hear what you think :)

.4. ♥ A few to follow: Rebecca, Tamara and That Girl

.5. ♫ I'm currently listening to: Ellie Goulding - Starry Eyed and Adele - Rolling In The Deep

How I Wash My Make-Up Brushes

I've been feeling a bit uninspired recently so I thought i'd do a post which I haven't really seen many bloggers do and show you how I wash my make-up brushes.

I use Johnson's Baby Shampoo to wash my brushes; I like the light scent and it's really gentle which is good for my brushes as some of them are made of natural hair and some are synthetic. I try to wash my foundation, powder and blush brushes at least once a week (if I remember!) as I use them everyday and it's important that they're clean and free of bacteria. I would like to wash them more often but it's hard to find the time as i'd need to give them long enough to dry so I can use them the next day.

For my other brushes - eyes, lip and concealer I just wash them when they need it. I don't wear eyeshadow during the week as i'm always in a rush for 6th form so I get very little use out of them unless I use them at weekends. I did find that the baby shampoo didn't get my concealer brush very clean as the concealer is quite oily and had built up in the bristles. I opted for some washing up liquid as I know it's really good for removing grease and is good if your hair needs a really deep cleanse and it worked a treat.

I have been thinking about trying a proper brush cleanser such as the ELF one so if anyone would like to recommend me one that would be good :)

Sale Shopping

I love Christmas but equally I absolutely love the sales as I love buying something and knowing i've saved a bit of money. I've taken my time posting this as I actually bought all of this on Boxing Day so please forgive me!

Boots

I love the Boots sale and usually resist the temptation to buy much until the sale as I know it will be half price after Christmas. I look for the Christmas Gift Sets that contain full sized hair products as they usually work out a lot cheaper than buying them individually.

Giles Deacon for Toni & Guy Weekend Bag.

I'm not a huge fan of the bag but I bought this for all the products inside. It was £20 in the sale and I absolutely love their hairspray and shampoo so it was well worth the money. The products inside are worth around £35 if you buy them individually (not including the brush, bag, mirror or sectioning clips) so I definitely saved myself some pennies!

Lee Stafford Poker Straight Gift Box.

I've mentioned plenty of times before about my love for Lee Stafford's range so I picked this up as I love the dry shampoo. It was £7.50 in the sale which is again a big saving as the products are worth around £15 individually.

Topshop

Guinea Pig Hot Water Bottle.

This was £6 in the sale. I love Guinea Pigs and for Christmas last year I got the very comfy jumper featuring the same design. I saw this when it wasn't in the sale but I thought i'd wait until it was a bit cheaper as £12 is a bit pricey for a Hot Water Bottle. I've never had one before so i'm looking forward to using it since we've had such cold weather recently.

Huge apologies for the photos from the Boots & Topshop website. I couldn't get any decent lighting and the Toni & Guy set is a bit too big to photograph!

When Everything's Made To Be Broken, I Just Want You To Know Who I Am

 .1. I hope everyone had a good new year, mine was good although in some ways I would have preferred it to be a bit more relaxed. It was my friends birthday so we all had a big party with alcohol, fireworks and lots of music. I normally spend New Year at home so it was nice to have a change and spend it with my friends as 2011 is going to be a big year for me. One day I want to go to London or somewhere abroad for New Year as I think that would be really magical or maybe spend it on the beach with lots of pretty fireworks.

.2. I don't normally have New Years Resolutions because i'm not very good at keeping or remembering them! If I did it would probably be the usual save money, be more organised, eat healthier kind of thing anyway. I think my New Year's resolution can just be to get my hair cut because it really needs it!

.3. I just want to say thanks to everyone that has written a positive thought provoking post for new year. There have been quite a few that have got me thinking and inspired me to be more positive for 2011. I know i'm echoing the words of yesterdays post but I seriously love every single one of you for writing so many beautiful things and i'm looking forward to many more this year.

.4. ♥ A few to follow: I want to say thanks to these bloggers who featured me on their blogs this week: Phoebe, Jemma, Laura and Phoebe

.5. ♫ I'm currently listening to: Emiliana Torrini - Today Has Been Okay (thanks to Lyzi) and The Wanted - Iris (cover)   (I know people are sceptical about boyband covers but I think it's beautiful)

Happy New Year!

I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their lovely comments and support and for making blogging so enjoyable over the past year. It means a lot to be a part of this community and i've learnt so much and 'met' so many amazing people. I read a crazy amount of blogs so i'd also like to thank you all for writing like you do and inspiring me so much. I honestly couldn't imagine life without my blog or the blogging community and hopefully we'll all keep doing what we're doing for another year. 2011 is going to be a big year for me; I have some of the most important exams of my life and the potential to start university in September which i'm really looking forward to. I haven't made any New Years Resolutions as in a months time they'll be forgotten but I know the things i'd like to change or make better and that's all that matters. Finally, i'd like to wish my readers all the luck in the world with whatever you do throughout 2011 and if you're hoping for a fresh start or big changes, i'm sure you'll make them happen.

♥

x