Vintage nice'TEAS'

Thought I would share another two of my favourite books which not only have fabulous content but look great as a decorative piece too.

These two books are amazing. I first saw the one on the right in Urban Outfitters and as I flicked through and saw the journey of photos and recipes I knew I needed this.

The 'Vintage Tea Party Year' by author Angel Adoree is my most recent purchase. The rrp is £20 although I purchased it *here* which is a bargain and comes with free delivery worldwide.

Angel encapsulates vintage style and is also the founder of The Vintage Patisserie, a popular vintage hosting company offering bespoke tea parties from a bygone era. These books are a guide for vintage lovers through the season with beautiful photography and includes charming illustrations.

"The Vintage Tea Party Year takes you on twelve months of parties, celebrations and tea-time treats as well as introducing more hairstyles and craft projects for your chosen theme"

They are  a complete guide to hosting your own tea party with different themes to suit the seasons and celebrations.

These books give me inspiration and in my head I can envision holding a tea party with scrumptious food and decorations. Think this needs to be on my 'to-do' list :)

I also absolutely love afternoon / high teas and I'm making it my mission to try out as many different ones as I can find and photograph them! I adore the perfectly cut sandwiches on the different tiers and one of my favourite material things in life is dessert! yum!

For more information here is her website; Angel Adoree

Do you own any of these books or know of any similar?

For the love of Oz!

I love, love, love the Wizard of Oz and Alice in Wonderland. Whenever I see anything to do with them it gives me the feel-good-factor!

                                               Here are my Wizard of Oz goodies.

 

I went to see Disney's Oz the Great and Powerful as soon as it came out at the cinema and I loved it so much that I bought it on Blu-ray.
Above left is my Urban Decay 'Glinda' palette which was a limited edition and was released to coincide with the film release. I almost bought the Theodora palette too but with my hair colouring and blue eyes I felt that it wouldn't suit me. As soon as I saw them advertised I had to get one and waited im patiently until the release date! I thought the packaging was absolutely gorgeous and magical. How stunning is the head piece that Michelle Williams who plays Glinda in the film? I need one of those in my life to wear! This will be next on my wishlist.

In the centre of the photograph is 'Everthing Oz' by Christine Leech and Hannah Read-Baldrey. Available at Amazon (amongst other places)  This is a happy, inspirational book that makes me feel all creative just looking at it. Inside it has creative photographs and includes fifty things to creatively make and bake. I need to make a Toto cushion, cherry pie, bluebird wreath, cyclone cupcakes, squashed witch cupcakes, silver-nut sundae and I'm going to stop there because it's making me hungry! I absolutely adore this book so much that I also have two other books written by the same author(s)

 

 

 

Cinnamon says Hi!

 

 By same author.

All three are incredibly inspirational .

A peek inside.

 

Ahoy there Models Own!

My collection of Models Own Nail polishes :)

As you can see I love Models Own nail polishes and seem to be drawn to the sparkly glitter variety. I bought a lot of these from the Clothes Show Live in Birmingham as the deals they had were absolutely amazing!
I bought the full Winter Wonderland collection off their website because as soon as I saw them advertised I just had to have them. They reminded me of the fairy-tale bubble that I live in so these were a must-have!
I am a fan of their facebook page also and at certain times when they reach so many fans they release a code which has 50% off and therefore as you can see I took full advantage!

If I had to choose just ONE! (Oh the difficulty!) it would have to be Indian Ocean from the Beetlejuice collection Models Own Nails .

Now as I have just got the link above I have visited the website and fallen in love with Splash collection !!!! Oh I need them in my life! ....... and then right next to them is the Iced Neon box set !! Think these definitely need to be on my Christmas wishlist. Father Christmas I have been reallllllllyyyyyy good all year and even ate all my broccoli up yesterday! Oh and please could I have the scented ones too!!

What's your favourite shade from the collection?

Ahoy there me hearties! Full nail polish collection.

Witty shower power!

Oh Anatomicals how I love you!

I've known about this brand for a long time and have always admired and stifled giggles at their imagination, wittiness and humour.

'You need a bloomin shower! Your nose smells rose body cleanser' £2.99

The packaging is bright and cheerful and to me would catch my eye whilst sitting on a shelf. In fact I'm sure it would try and jump off at you if it could! I love the colours used and the font is large and clear. It's a decent size and for the price I think it's extremely good value.
All of the products in the range have the same wit and it makes a refreshing change to see this level of humour with the marketing. The thoughts of the smoothie company 'Innocent ' springs to mind as they too make their products fun and have you seen the offices where they work! Amazing!

So, onto the product. It has a thin to medium consistency , clear and gel like. It smooths the skin in an instant and smells of a bouquet of roses. I would definitely repurchase this again but probably as a gift for someone who loves florals. I prefer fruitiness!

I definitely need to check out the other products in the range too as they would brighten even the dullest of Monday mornings!


Anatomicals Check out their highly imaginative website and although you can't actually buy from the website which is a shame they do list online stockists such as ASOS to buy from!

A little nutty!

I love body butters so much. I love the scents available and the moisturising qualities of them. I use them mostly everyday after I've had a shower and they make my skin smell so tasty ! Some of my favourites include the Body shop range and Palmer's body butter as both of those are extremely moisturising and smell divine!

I received the Nip + Fab pistachio sundae dry skin fix body butter in a previous Glossybox and my initial thoughts were "I would've preferred a fruity one!" After sending a picture to my friend of the contents of my box and vice versa I wanted hers instead! I then popped it away with the rest of my moisturisers and on the spur of the moment opened the packaging a few days ago.

"Pampers your skin with an appetising aroma."

As soon as I twisted the container I was literally in aroma heaven . I don't think I have smelt a more moreish body butter in my life! If you like the smell of marzipan and nutty sweeties then this is the body butter for you! I could smell this all day long. In fact I may get some strange looks if I keep on involuntarily sniffing my arm !

I first found out about this brand when I saw it advertised in my magazine. On an airport visit on the way to Frankfurt last year I saw the brand in Boots and the mini holiday products were on 3 for 2 . I bought the coconut variety and that smelt great too but was not in the same league as this one.

 I'm not sure if it was the climate but after a couple of weeks the consistency of the body butter started to go watery but I'm hoping it was just with the travelling I did or that it had been on the shelf too long and that this one will not go the same way. Time will tell with this.

I received this in a small 50ml container and now need a humongous one so I can 'bathe' in it!

So the moral of this story is .... Never judge a body butter by its colour!

For more details visit Nip+Fab 
After researching the site it states they have been discontinued! They are however still available from Boots and Amazon to name but a few. Phew!

Nip + Fab body butter goodness.



Who is the fairest of them all?

Having just recently moved into our new house four weeks ago our spare bedroom has been set up as a dressing room. I received a set of Ikea drawers as a gift and also a vintage white dressing table mirror. I had been looking at pretty pictures of dressing tables and was initially going to get one for Christmas this year. I love how gorgeous they look and started to have a preference for shabby chic / white or Parisian chic. I needed somewhere to organise my make up, hair and beauty items as I have quite a selection. I used my empty Glossyboxes (especially the limited edition boxes) to organise my make up into different sections.
The drawers are a perfect solution as I needed storage rather than solely a beautiful decoration.

So today I thought I would show you my handheld, fairytale-esque mirror which one of my friends kindly got me for my Birthday which was back in February. I adore the shape, decoration  and colours  on this so much. It came in a pink box with sponge to protect it inside and was purchased from Paperchase . It reminds me of a princess who would gaze into this when brushing her long, silky hair . ( Yes, I am a dreamer! ) It is really good quality and feels quite  'weighty' a sign of quality craftsmanship. It looks beautiful on the top of my dressing table drawers.

I have photographed it with , on the left, a Jelly Pong Pong eye cream which came in the most stunning box and on the right an angel that came from the Isle of Arran.

"Mirror, mirror on the wall. Who is the fairest of them all?"

How to look the best at everything .

A flawless complexion kit by Benefit encompasses an excellent design yet again filled with compact goodies.

 I was so excited to receive this as a present . I absolutely love the design, the compactness, the brand and the quality. I received the medium shade box. It's also available in light and deep varieties.
I love how it features these products dedicated to making a flawless complexion as that's what I need especially when you want to look your best when you're going out.

This retails on the Benefit website for £25.50

The kit contains;
The pore fessional 7.5ml- A pro balm to minimise the appearance of pores. This feels like silk on the skin and does a great job of minimising pores before you add your foundation and concealer.

Hello flawless oxygen wow brightening makeup 7ml in the shade Honey.  I'm saving this for a night out as I don't usually wear foundation.

Boi-ing concealer- this has an excellent reputation. In this set you get shades 02 and 03 which are a perfect shading for me, I used to have the darker one and it really did not match my skin tone well at all.

"I'm cute as a bunny" A custom powder cover up .

Another highly recommended product !

Wham bam thankyou glam !

So today's prettiness comes in the form of this retro makeup set from one of my favourite brands Benefit ! This is just sheer happiness in an oblong!
Currently I'm trying to write this post with my puppy curled up on my knee. His nose keeps poking the iPad . Last week he bit through the laptop charger in a rapid three lightning seconds. I ordered a new one and waited four loooooong days and when it finally arrived it didn't work ! I googled blue flashing lights, took the battery out but still to no avail . So I've ordered a new one. This time Alfie baby will be not getting anywhere near !!

The set comes with Girl meets Pearl - a liquid pearl for the face
Four eye shadows 'pink fancy' 'icy lilac' 'posh amethyst' and 'precious pewter'
A two tone glamming face powder
BADgal lash mascara
Lipgloss- life on the A list

Design: perfectly compact with good use of space. A glam, luxe artistry with top lid mirror.

My thoughts: I absolutely recommend a million percent the lipgloss . I've owned a selection before and not only do they smell gorgeous they have a  really conditioning texture which I love having on my lips. I don't like lipgloss which is sticky where your hair flicks and sticks and Benefit is one of the lipglosses that I return to as it doesn't do this.
I've used the mascara as I've owned about 6 of these and although I like the colour I'm just not sold with the effects it has on my eyelashes. It doesn't give a wow factor at I like. It's great as an everyday work one however .
The 'girl meets pearl' adds a highlight to cheekbones which is very prettiful.
The neutral eyeshadows apply well and are perfect for blending.
The gleaming face powder makes a nice change from my Coralista blush to mix it up a bit.

Overall : perfect kit for glam stars !

Bling ring collection.

Here are most of my rings . I used to store them in a pretty butterfly drawer box which had little drawers inside and I organised them into colours but I couldn't really see what I had . After I bought the clear heart jars I decided to try out saving all my rings in there instead.
So here is my ring collection. Most of them are from Primark, River Island, E-bay or Topshop .

Happiness heart jar

Happiness jar. 

Here is the B&M jar that I mentioned in my previous post . I think it was only  £1.49 . I purchased two when I saw them . The watermelon mini notepad came as a free gift when I ordered a lucky dip jewellery pack from Temporary Secretary :) this jar will be large enough to fit in all the happy thoughts . You could cut strips of paper , decorate them, write on them and pop them in the jar .
I use my other jar to store my rings at the moment . They're a little jumbled up but I prefer to be able to see them or else I forget what I've got!

Add caption

24 hours of happiness

This morning I'm reflecting on what made me smile over the last twenty four hours. Sometimes I need to remember to stop and think about the 'glitterings' in life that make me happy. I bounce off people that are positive and this has a knock on effect of my bubbliness :) The more I think positively the more I see the greatness in everything around me and even on days where it may seem hard to smile the things in life that don't cost money mean the most to me.

First up working backwards is the series Heroes . Oh my word. My favourite ever show! I love the profound statements that Suresh states in the voice overs about life as it gets you thinking in detail about what your purpose in life is.  I watched this show when it first aired and I was hooked from episode 1. I have just started watching it again from the beginning !

The beach :) Recently I have moved from England to Scotland and ten minutes away from us is a beach . Not only do I love walking along the front but our puppy Alfie has magically started to enjoy walking for enjoyment. He's 14 weeks old and is growing in confidence by making lots of new doggy friends. We saw a chihuahua puppy one day this week and she was miniature! Alfie loved this fact as he trembled last week when he saw a 'big' dog ! His little tail started wagging.

Conversations with my other half make me realise how completely selfless he is. Although I knew this without talking . I see it in actions.

My Persians. I love how they want cuddles and are happy just to be sat near where I am. My little fluffy heartbeats. Last night they made me smile by running in and out of the room like they were chasing an invisible fly!

Speaking to my family on the phone brings a guaranteed smile on my face.

My new baby cousin coming home from hospital with her Aunty (one of my favourite people) made me smile lots.

My brother passing his GCSE'S and me thinking of what little pressies I could get him to say we're proud of him.

My friend Jenny texting me on the way back from her holiday to say she loved my blog whilst she
was still in the airport .That was so lovely and brought a smile to my face :)

Buying cards for people's Birthday and to say thankyou and well done made me smile yesterday as I was thinking about the people I would be sending them to.

I love how the fish in my BiOrb come to the surface when they see me in the morning as they know they will be fed. They certainly don't have a 5 second memory .

And I'm thinking about putting these happy thoughts into a jar I have . Then at certain times of the year or when I might be feeling a little sad I could just pull out a little happy thought and remember
the smiles. I thought about giving these as gifts too for Christmas as my gorgeous jars were inexpensive from B&M . They have a heart on them and pink lid :) will show picture on next post :)

Have a happy day!

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Get to know me beauty tag

1. Is your hair naturally curly or straight?

My hair is naturally curly. It's usually wavy unless I add holding products and scrunch it and then it's more curly. I like to have it straightened after I go to the salon but I miss my waves after a couple of days!

2. Do you dye it yourself or go to a salon?

I always go to a salon. My hair is naturally a dark blonde but I get highlights put in at the hairdressers. I have, in the past coloured it myself and it didn't look too bad !!!

3. Do you wear the same style everyday, or do you change it?

I love wearing my hair down and putting my hairbands on that I have tonnes of. However sometimes my hair doesn't behave so I pull it all to the top of my head and put a bobble in to keep it neat and out of the way. When my hair is straightened I like to put a plait in my hair at the front. My best friend does the best ones!

4. Do you do your own mani/pedi or go to a salon?

I have a drawer full of nail polishes and do my own :) I once got a voucher for my Birthday and went to a salon a couple of times to have them done and I've had Twinkle Toes done also twice. They look absolutely gorgeous but wrecked my toenails :( will stick to just polish on my tootsies from now on ! 

5. How often do you change your nail polish?

When I wear it regularly I have to change it every couple of days because my nails chip so easily :/ need to find a brand that has staying power! I also have so many different ones that variety is the spice of life.

6. Do you polish your toes in the winter or just the summer?

All year round with the glitteriness.  Polished toe nais look great in summer with sandals and then you get a nice surprise as you pull your winter socks off ! 

7. How long does it take for you to put on makeup?

If I go to work it takes me less than5 minutes as I just pop on a few products and go. If it's a night out then its about 15 to 20 minutes including nail polish! 

8. What do you do first? Face or eyes?

Definitely my face first so that I have the base covered! 

9. Do you collect makeup or just buy what you need when you need it?

I am definitely a collector! I have many varieties of lipsticks, lipgloss, mascara, bronzes, blushes and more eyeliners and eyeshadows than I know what to do with! I love new collections that come out!

10. How often do you wear false eyelashes?

Never ever even though I own some! I tried to put them on for my best friend's hen party and somehow got one stuck to my cheek so I gave up ! 

11. Do you do a full face of makeup everyday?

No I don't. I only wear more make up when I've got a night out or it's a special occasion . I love make up but I don't cake it on.

12. Do you wear makeup when you're home alone or with family?

Only sometimes. It depends on whether I'm going out or not that day. Some days I just embrace the fresh faced look and my two cats and puppy haven't been scared so far.

13. Will you leave the house without makeup?

Yes but I always dash so no one I know can see me. Although when I took my dog for a walk at 7am this morning there was no one around ha ha it was just when I caught sight of my eyes in the lift mirror that I thought ohhhh noooooo.

14. How many high-end products do you have?

A few that mainly I received in beauty boxes . I love Benefit and UrbanDecay.

15. Do you plan your OOTD every night or decide when you're getting dressed?

I used to do this every day but now I just look through a drawer or my rail pick one item then find something that goes with it!

16. How often do you change your handbag?

I usually coordinate my handbag to my outfit so it depends what colours I wear. Black goes with 

everything and so does white so if I've been using one of those and I'm in a rush I can just grab and go, whereas if I've got more time I will swap over the contents to a colour matching one.

17. What time do you wake up and go to sleep?

I go to bed around 11pm and am up for just after 6pm. Although this is because I have three heartbeats ( puppy and two Persians that need their breakfast) 

18. How often or when do you workout?

I walk everyday and am getting back into Zumba soon. I love it !  

19. Left handed or right handed?

Lefty

20. How tall are you?

5'4"

21. Do you speak any foreign languages?

I took French for GCSE . 

22. How many pets do you have?

Three :) 2 Persians and a whippet puppy.

23. How often are you on Blogger?

I've only just started to blog but before that I was reading blogs regularly .

24. Do you read comments posted on blogs?

Sometimes if I'm going to comment myself and if I like the post :)

25. Do you keep a list of products to try as you see other posts?

It makes me want to buy everything ! I don't need a list , I make mental notes of goodness!

Birch box beauty August 2013

After I signed up for Glossy box I caught the products buzz even more and wanted to try out another box to see what goodies they contained. After researching I came across 'Birchbox' which again is £10 per month if you wish to subscribe plus £2.95 p+p

Birch box comes with a little magazine which gives lots of information about different products, a plain brown box and a cute drawstring bag inside.

I went through a phase of loving this box and then I suspended it because it just wasn't exciting enough for me for the particular products I received.

However I happened to go onto their website and see what products I had missed in the box I had cancelled and I liked what I saw and subsequently restarted my subscription pronto !!
I have received these for about 6 months now and after being so happy with this months box i will be ensuring that it arrives every month!

So here's what I got in my box;
Beautify me vitamin complex with marine collagen for skin , hair & nails. I received 28 capsules in a cleverly designed slide out box which cost £35. I was unsure at first what they actually were but researching on the little leaflet it states that these are food supplements that contain health-boosting omega 3 , protein and more .

Birch box gel mask that they state is worth £10 . Handy to have as it's one of those that you can put in the fridge and cool. I tend to wake up these days with puffy eyes at 6:20 with my three pets ! So this is a must !!!

Gerda Spillman hydro pearls moisture lotion, make up primer. A 10 ml sample which would cost £30 full size . Never heard of this brand but I will try it out.

Molton Brown Ylang-Ylang body wash which smells quite pleasant . It's a cute little bottle and will be great for travelling.

LAQA&CO lip pencil in shade 'Ring of fire' full size is £14 . Really like this. It's very smooth on application and a little goes a long way.

Philip Kinglsey elasticizer intensive super moisturising pre-shampoo treatment for all hair types. Adds elasticity, manageability, bounce and shine. Looking forward to trying this out , especially for the shine. That would be £27.50 full size.

Bluemandarines SkinLife energetic cellular cream 10ml  would be £35 full sized. This smells clean . I now have a collection of face creams so I need to use them as I keep getting  more in beauty boxes. I love the brand name though it reminds me of being at sea .

So overall I think that it is a great box this month which is worth the money :)

You're so glossy!

I first came across Glossybox at the Clothes Show Live in Birmingham , two years ago, where staff were promoting it. I wasn't in the mood for signing up to a monthly subscription fee and receiving samples as I was too busy paying for bagfulls of make up and eating marshmallows dipped in chocolate!
However I stumbled across Glossybox again on YouTube with unboxing videos and became intrigued. I wanted to get my hands on the goodies so therefore I signed upto the monthly subscription fee to see what it was all about.

I pay £10 plus p+p which is around £2.95

Each month I get excited by the delivery person dropping my box of beauties off as it feels like my Birthday every time I receive one and open the packaging. The boxes are well wrapped and inside there is delicate tissue paper beautifully folded, ribbon that is tied into a bow and a glossy logo sticker to seal. I always keep it pristine by wrapping it back up after I have taken a peek inside !

I have been subscribed for around a year now so have accumulated lots of Glossyboxes which i use in my makeup drawers to organise into categories ! I keep the tissue paper in and the filling that comes with it.

So here is what I got this month in the 'high flyers' box for August 2013. The products come from different places around the world for 'the girl on the go'

Sweden: Emite make up eyelash curlers approx £20 . These look very professional and are curved to fit for different eye shapes. I am pleased I got these as I don't actually own any . I gave my other brand new ones away.

USA: TRESemme keratin smooth concentrated treatment shot. 15ml for £1.49. I'm looking forward to using this as my hair is naturally wavy and highlighted so I love trying new hair products to tame the mane !

Brazil: Oceane makeup remover pen. Not yet available in the UK. I've never owned one of these before but I'm sure it will come I handy when I use liquid eyeliner and draw on my face by accident!

UK: Jelly Pong Pong 2-in-1 shadow/liner £10.50 . I love love love this brand and always buy 2 bags from the Clothes Show Live . The products are packaged so beautifully that they look gorgeous on my dressing table . The lip glosses also smell divine! I tried this out and it's really easy to use, if quite thick, but glides on easily. I would personally use it just for eyeliner as black eyeshadow with my colouring would be too dramatic !

Finally: Urban Veda Purifying Day Cream . Full size £7.99 A brand new skincare range which reflects their holistic health and well being. The scent to this is one of mintiness and nature. Although the tube is small it will last me quite a while as I only use a tiny bit.

So, overall there are some good products there and I am happy but there's nothing that gets me excited !

Let's see what next month's box brings.

Baby you're all mine!!

So as I love anything to do with soft lips, cute packaging and with them first in the USA I knew I had to get my smackers onto the Baby lips from Maybelline as soon as they came over to the UK.
These are currently on 3 for 2 at Boots (usual price £2.99) and as they had six different varieties I had to get myself all six to try out. I am never satisfied with just one!

The six I bought were; Intense care, Cherry Me, Mint Fresh, Hydrate, Pink Punch and Peach kiss.
I love the colourful containers and the large crayon-esque font. The products are easy to use as you pull of the cap and then twist.

I did reapply more frequently than the 8 hours stated because I wanted the super soft feeling to stay on my lips.

Three of the lip balms are clear ( Intense care, hydrate and mint fresh) whilst the other three have a hint of colour.
If anymore of these little beauties are released I will be snapping them up.

Have you tried the Maybelline Babylips?
Which one was your favourite? I love Cherry me! (I love cherries and pinkness)



Baby Lips goodness