The last post of 2011...

Hey lovely readers! :)

I just wanted to take a minute to write a last post of 2011.

This year has gone so quickly for me. A lot has happened in my life this year.

One of the main things is obviously starting my YouTube channel and receiving any views, comments or ratings has meant so so much to me. I am quite a shy person when it comes to putting myself out there to be judged and gaining followers has been an amazing experience.

The second is obviously this blog. After a few failed attempts and blogging - mainly failing due to me getting bored and not putting enough effort into them. I have been blogging here for a few months now and I am loving it! Receiving followers here and having comments left means more than I can say.

I am looking forward to 2012 and expanding my blog and channel. It's an exciting feeling :)

Thank you if you have ever taken the time to follow my blog, comment on a post, follow me on Twitter or view my videos, it means the world to me.

I'll see you in 2012!

Thank you for reading :)

Nicky
Xo

What I got for Christmas...

Hey lovely ladies :)

I know these posts can be quite controversial and normally I'm not too keen on them. However, the gift that my boyfriend kindly got me is totally beauty related and thought it would be a great post for the blog...

Lucky me eh??

We had talked about it before he ordered it so that all of the shades were right and what not :)

I'm looking forward to reviewing them for you guys!

Did you get any beauty related items for Christmas?

Thank you for reading :)

Nicky

Xo

Merry Christmas!

Hello lovelies :)

I just wanted to do a post wishing you a very Merry Christmas!

However you have spent it, I hope you've had fun and have been surrounded by those that you love.

Thank you for following my blog and YouTube channel, to have anyone tuning in is a surprise to me. So thank you for making the last few months special :)

I hope you're eating way to much...
wearing silly paper hats...
cuddling with your loved ones...
and of course enjoying loads of presents! ;)

Merry Christmas :)

Nicky
Xo
(Scheduled post as I am far too full and drowsy to type anything!)

Favourite Beauty products of 2011

Hello lovely readers :)

Today I am going to post a list of my favourite beauty products of 2011. Here we go...


Face wash - Garnier Visibly clear pink grapefruit (already looking for an alternative for this)

Face Exfoliator - The Body Shop facial buffer

Moisturiser - Monu revitalising moisturiser

Face Mask - Boots tea tree and witch hazel peel off face mask

Blemish treatment - Witch stick

Lip conditioner - The Body Shop lip conditioner Translucent

Body wash/shower gel - Rituals Yogi Flow

Body exfoliator - Soap and Glory flake away

Body moisturiser - Soap and Glory the Righteous Butter

Bubble bath - Radox green tea and Jasmine

Bath bomb/s - Lush (Twilight, Butterball and Sakura - discontinued!)

Shampoo - John Freida Sheer blonde colour renew tone correcting

Conditioner - John Freida Sheer blonde moisturising conditioner

Hair mask - Aussie 3 minute miracle colour deep treatment

Hair spray - Aussie dual personality Hi-hold and Hi-shine hairspray

Hair serum - John Freida frizz-ease serum


Quite a few different price ranges there so I'm pleased :) I'm never 100% happy with products so this will change very soon... But I'm happy with it all at the moment ;)

What made your list?

Thank you for reading :)

Nicky
Xo

Favourite make up of 2011

Hey ladies :)

Today I am going to give you a list of my favourite make up products from 2011. Here we go...


Primer - Haven't needed one :)

Foundation - Chanel Vitalumiere

Concealer - MAC Studio Finish

Bronzer - MAC Surf Baby matte bronzer (Gold go lightly)

Highlight - MAC Mineralize Skin Finish (Soft and Gentle)

Blush - MAC (Fleur Power & Pinch Me)

Contour - MAC Eye shadow (Wedge)

Eye base/primer - MAC Paint Pots (Painterly, Bare study & Constructivist)

Eye Shadow - MAC (Sable, Mulch, Sweet Satisfaction and Satin Taupe)

Eye Liner - MAC Teddy

Eye brow bone Highlight - MAC Eye shadow (Vanilla, Shroom & Prance-limited edition)

Mascara - Clinique bottom lash, Loreal Paris Voluminous x5, MAC Haute&Naughty

Lip stick - MAC (Hue, Shy Girl & Creme Cup)

Lip gloss - Yuck ;)


A lot o' MAC there =S lol. This was my first year using MAC products and trying high end products too. Doing this list has let me see that I know it was money well spent because a year on I'm still considering them to be great products :)

What made your list?

Thank you for reading :)

Nicky
Xo

Christmas Glossy Box

Hello lovelies :)

A week or so late but here's my Christmas Glossy box!...

Nouveau Lashes

Deborah Lippman nail varnish in Razzle Dazzle

Deborah Lippman Finger mitt

First Aid Beauty facial cleanser

Cargo lip gloss

Rituals shower Gel

 

Here's the skinny...

Nouveau Lashes Noir mascara - Quick drying flake-free formula and dramatic volume from just one application. Excellent staying power.

I agree that this mascara is fast drying and flake-free. I don't feel as though it is volumising. I found it to be more lengthening than anything. The packaging is great, very sleek and something that wont be destroyed being thrown into your make up bag. (£14.99 for full size)



Deborah Lipmann mini nail varnish in Razzle Dazzle - Party glitter nail colour with a sachet of the most amazing polish remover finger nail mitt.

A little disappointed with this nail varnish. It was... Ok. For a full size you will be set back £16 which isn't cheap but I'd happily pay that for a nail varnish I really like. I wont be buying this one. I have heard great things about Deborah Lipmann varnishes and have been let down. It took 3 coats to resemble the colour in the pot. Sad times. (Have not yet tried the mitt)


FAB Face Cleanser - A mild, nourishing cleanser that's ideal for all types. Calms redness and reduces skin reactivity with regular use.

I have not yet tried this product but it looks promising. I have very dry skin at the moment due to the winter time so I'm trying to keep my routine as close to usual as possible. I will let you guys know what I think when I use it. (£13.00 for full size)


Cargo Cosmetics classic lip gloss - Cargo's new lip gloss formulation! Perfect shades, great wear and high-shine without being sticky.

I don't like lip gloss. I find it far to sticky so I much prefer lipstick that being said I did test this product out. It had very little stickiness to is and I really liked the shade I was sent (Las Vegas) For someone who isn't a fan of this product I feel like this brand would be the way for someone to go.(£10.00 for full size)

Rituals foaming shower gel - This unique foaming shower gel gently cleanses your skin and leaves it silky soft and smooth.

I really like this shower gel, the smell is so gorgeous! It hasn't particularly made my skin feel any different to shower gels I have use over the years but the smell alone makes me want to use is everyday! Am considering placing an order online to buy some more! (£6.50 for full size 200ml)


All in all I thought this box was pretty great. It provided a range of all types of products. Out of the 5 items featured, I would spend my own money on repurchasing the Rituals shower gel.The others were great for me to test out, but I wont miss them when they die :)

Thank you for reading :)

Nicky
Xo

Being fat isn't all that...

Hey every one :) As you can see from the title this is going to be a weight-related post so if you aren't interested in such things, please click off now :)


A couple of weeks ago I was having a down few minutes and decided to jump -figuratively speaking ;) - on the weighing scales. I have come to the conclusion it was to make myself feel worse that I already did. I didn't disappoint myself.

Although I am not ready to tell the world - or the few people who read my blog - what my start weight is I am happy to tell you my losses and gains between now and my target weight.

Since last week I have lost half a stone (7lbs)!

This may not sound a lot but it is a start. And considering that I haven't been being particularly careful with what I eat, it's a great accomplishment to me.

Since discovering yesterday that I had lost 5lbs I thought that it was a blessing, giving me the jump start I desperately needed. I have cut out Crisps, Chocolate and Biscuits completely. This may sound harsh to some but I do this ever year coming up to Easter for Lent so this will be easy for me.

What will be difficult is the exercise side of things. I would rather skip a mean than do 30/60 minutes of the damned stuff. I do however enjoy walking a hell of a lot. I have a rather large dog who also enjoys walking so for the past two days I have taken him for a 3.5 mile walk with a friend. It feels great to be in the fresh air whilst burning calories.

So that's my little round up of the past couple of quite eventful days. I have been given the opportunity to start what I have been wanting to do for so long now and I am hoping I wont screw it up.

Do you have any experiences with weight loss? Any tips for a beginner?

Thank you for reading :)

Nicky
xo

Fatty fatty boom boom?

This wasn't an easy post for me to click publish on. I hope you can appreciate how difficult this was for me and hopefully relate in some way...

Have you ever had the realisation that you are fat? This happens to me. Every day.

I was never a slim child, I wasn't over weight or obese but I was never hungry ;)

Age 10 - Before weight was on my mind

I can remember being at secondary school and started to think about my weight and talk about it alot with my friends - the usual routine right? I have been struggling with my looks, if I'm being honest, for about 2 years now. The crazy thing? I didn't think there was an issue as I'm one of those people who push things away until they come crashing down in front of me. Not a great quality to have when it comes to your health.

Age 18 - At my thinnest and happiest

People have started to notice. I can see it in their eyes when they talk to me. A kind of look of "Awww, poor you".

A few months ago, I made a good start at losing weight but it slipped as it always does.

After losing 9 pounds in 2 weeks the loss started to slow down - I know this is normal - I started to feel cracks in my brain telling me I was going to be fat forever. Then the day came when I put on a whole pound and that was the end of my positivity. "What's the point of trying this hard if it isn't going to go down and then go back on?!" I cried to my boyfriend one morning. He is so supportive of me. He has seen me so low in the past few years of my gaining weight. It must be hard to see someone you love change in a way that you can't understand and can't really help.

Age 21 - At my biggest and unhappiest (Now)

With every pound - and then stone - I have put on, I lost a degree of myself. Confidence, self respect and love for myself are things that seem a very distant memory to me now.

I am doing something about it.

This blog means a lot to me and being able to speak openly about these issues helps me vent and maybe speak to people who are going through what I am.

Thank you for reading :)

Nicky
xo

p.s This post isn't for pity or 'poor you' comments. Just trying to share my daily battles.

Pro Longwear eye shadow - A Review

Hey ladies :)

Last month I posted an eye of the day featuring one of my MAC Pro Longwear eye shadows called Lie Low. I mentioned that I would later do a post talking about it's wear time... Well that post is this one...

Before

After

Ok, so here's the run down...

MAC claims - A unique long wearing Eye Shadow with a silky, creamy texture formulated for maximum colour impact. Easily blendable and buildable; lids are visibly smooth no matter how intense the application. Lasts 8 hours.

Pro Long wear eye shadows cost £15.50 and there are 16 shades in the permanent collection.

The first two pictures were taken at 9.30 am before I set off for the day ahead. They were taken in natural light and uploaded that same day as an eye of the day post.

The second two pictures were taken at 5.30 pm when I gotten home and was just about to take my make up off. These pictures were obviously not taken in natural light, as it is the winter, it gets dark here around 4 pm. They were taken in my bathroom with a bright light.

So, as you can see there is definite wear signs. I do not suffer from greasy/oily lids and have never needed to use a primer as a result. I always use one of my MAC paint pots as a base but purely to make the surface even or in some cases coloured.

I would say the eye shadow held up around 5 hours before I started to notice the cracking. Normally, if I have nothing with me, I would try to blend the crease with my finger so that it doesn't look messy. I didn't do this as I knew I would need to take a picture later.

To sum up, I agree that these eye shadows are silky and creamy and are easy to blend and build up. I think it is impossible to have an eye shadow/lipstick/foundation last more than 6 hours - in my opinion! So 5 hours wear from an eye shadow? That doesn't sound too bad to me!

You could of course take different measures to try and ensure a longer wear (a strong primer for example) but I wanted to do as little as possible for this result.

Well done if you made it through and I hope you found this helpful :)

What do you think of the Pro Long wear collection?

Thank you for reading :)

Nicky

xo

Mythology and Sable look

Hey every one :)

If you read yesterdays post you will know that I had read about a combo of eye shadows that seemed a little... Different to me. After quite a lot of thinking about it, when I was doing my make up today I thought that I would give it a bash!...

Here's the skinny...

I used MAC Painterly paint pot all over the lid up to the brow bone.

I then used a 239 to place Mythology on my lid up to the crease line.

Next I grabbed one of my trusty 226's to apply Sable through the crease.

I then applied MAC Vanilla and Shroom as my highlight on my brow bone and inner corners.

The mascara I used was Loreal Paris Voluminous x5 in Carbon Black.

This is not exactly how Laura wears it, but I thought I would try to make it as wearable for me as I could. I'm really happy with how it turned out and glad that I tried something that normally I would have shied away from :)

What do you think of this look?

Thank you for reading :)

Nicky

xo

Combo confusion

Hey ladies :)

I just thought I'd do a post asking your thoughts on something I read yesterday. I was reading Laura's latest post and she mentioned a combo of eye shadows I own that I had never thought to pair together...

Mythology

Sable

Images taken by me in natural light

MAC eye shadows in Mythology and Sable. I love both of these colours but it had never occurred to me to wear them together. Laura's combo is to wear Mythology all over the lid and then Sable in the crease with either/both on the lower lash line.

I'm one to shy away from bright colours or even just colours. So I tend to pick neutral shades and if I were to wear something like Mythology which can look quite pinkish/coppery if not used right, I use a bronzy-gold eye shadow to counter act it.

Sable would be in my top 5 fave eye shadows and Mythology would make the list a little further down - but still on the list!

So my question is, would you wear these eye shadows as a combo? And if yes, would you wear them in a different way together?

Would love to hear your thoughts :)

Thank you for reading :)

Nicky

xo

My giveaway win

Hey lovelies :)

Not too long ago I entered a giveaway that the lovely - and very pretty - Char was holding on her blog and I only managed to friggin' win! I've never really won anything before and I was so excited when she emailed me to let me know I had won :)

The entry was to choose 4 eye shadows from the new Superdrug brand Fashionista. I was so excited because my local Superdrug doesn't carry this chain yet. After looking at the eye shadows on the website I chose the ones I liked best and entered thinking I didn't stand a chance in hell of winning.

Beautifully packaged :)

Bronze

Auburn Glow

Berry Brown

Brunette Bombshell

I haven't yet had the opportunity to wear them, but the swatches look so pretty! I am so glad I won so that I could have the chance to try this brand. I love the packaging, very sleek and professional looking.The option to mix and match and move them around when ever you like it a great choice to have.

Once I have worn them, I'll let you guys know what I think and hopefully post pictures wearing them.

Many thanks again to Char for selecting me as her winner and congratulations again to her for reaching 50 followers :)

Thank you for taking the time to read :)

Nicky

xo

Fashionista Magnetism nails

Hey beautiful readers :)

Today's post is going to be about the new-ish range of nail varnishes by the Superdrug brand Fashionista. They are these new fandagled magnetic nail varnishes similar to the ones Nails. Inc released except Fashionista have brought in The Saturdays to be the spokes-women(?) for the range.

Here we go...

Ok so here's the skinny...

The Fashionista Magnetism nail lacquer is costs £6 per nail varnish. The magnet (which will fit on top of any of the magnetism varnishes) is sol separately for £3 which I though was a bit of a swizz until I did the math.

If you pick one up and a magnet, it'll cost you £9, if you were to pick up a Nails Inc magnetic varnish, it'll set you back £13 (magnet included). A £4 saving doesn't sound like much but it is when you realise that there - in my opinion - no difference between the two. You are effectively spending £4 for a brand name on your nail varnish bottle. It dries in the same time, creates exactly the same effect and last about the same time before chipping or signs of wear.

I tried the Nail Inc offering about 2 months ago and gave it to my mum after we had both tried it as I felt I wouldn't use it again. I wasn't planning on spending more of my money on the magnetic nail varnish trend until I saw these in my local Superdrug. I was ashamedly drawn in by The Saturday's being on the posters (21 year old fan girl and proud) and picked up the metallic silver.

When I used the Nails Inc version and the Fashionista version I had to from time to time re-apply to certain nails because the desired effect hadn't come up as strong on those as the others. It wasn't a huge problem. I just had to put another coat on and try again.

Basically what I am trying to get across is that if you aren't brand obsessed (as we all can be sometimes!) I find it pointless spending the extra money whether it's £4 or £50 on something when you can get exactly the same result for less.

And breath! I hope you found this helpful and I hope I managed to save at least someone a few pennies :)

Have you tried either or both types? What do you think about them?

Thank you for taking the time to read :)

Nicky

xo