Update…

Hey girls,

Sorry i’ve been absent from the blogging world for a while. My camera completely died on me so i decided to give blogging a break until i got a new one! I’ve now got a sparkly new camera so i’ll be back to blogging very soon.

I’ve been really busy at work because i’ve recently started working full time hours so i’m always knackered in the evenings and can’t get the motivation to blog. I’ve been trying my best to read everyone elses blogs but it’s hard to keep up with them all. I feel like i’ve missed out on loads.

I’ve still not finished project ten pan but hopefully i’ll get there soon. Another reason i haven’t felt like blogging much is because i’ve not been buying any new and interesting products and my make up has become rather predictable in a bid to use up products faster. I’ll do a update soon.

As you may have noticed the name of my blog has changed. I come across more than one other blog with the same name and that’s what spurred me on to change it. I’ve also gone for a different lay out because i fancied a change. Let me know what you think?!

I hope you are all well. Laura xXx 

FOTN

Sorry i’ve been a bit quiet on the blogging front lately, had a really busy week and it was my boyfriends birthday on Thursday so i moved in at his for a couple of nights!

On Tuesday night i went to see ‘Lord of the Dance’ in Manchester and it was absolutely fantastic. I reluctantly went along thinking it wouldn’t be the same without Michael Flatly but it was still just as good!

So here’s my FOTN:

Face:

• 
  
  Revlon colour stay foundation -natural beige
• 
  
  no.17 powder in natural beige
• 
  
  maybelline mineral concealer - natural
• 
  
  fake bake bronzer
• 
  
  maybelline pure blush mineral - topaz rose
• 
  
  prestige skin loving minerals - pure shimmer

Eyes:

• 
  
  Benefit lemon aid as a base
• 
  
  Sleek storm palette - dark gold as an all over lid colour and light gold as highlight
• 
  
  Barry M dazzeldust in 34 in the crease
• 
  
  loreal super liner - carbin gloss
• 
  
  prestige automatic eyeliner - black
• 
  
  Maybelline lash stiletto

Lips:

• 
  
  Revlon matte lipstick - nude attitude
• 
  
  barry m glossy tube - number 4 i think!? The numbers rubbed off!!

The outfit:

(sorry the pictures rubbish)

Dress/top from river island

Black boots from river island

Leggings from primark

And i just wore a black long cardy over the top of it.

Hope you've all had a great week. I'll be doing a project ten pan update very soon... i'm getting nearer to finishing now :)

Laura xXx

Black Nails??

I purchased OPI – black onyx about three months and have never touched it until today when for some reason i was inspired to paint my nails black. This is the VERY first time i have ever had black nails and i just don’t know if i actually like it or not. Clearly should have bought a cheaper brand if i wasn’t sure but hey ho.

So what do you think about black nails? Do you wear them on a regular basis?

Hope you are having a great weekend. Laura xXx

Ins and Outs 4

Ins:

- Being proud of my boyfriend - basically he should've graduated in july like me but there was an issue with his dissertation and he had to re-do a part of it. It was all a bit traumatic and he could have potentially come out of uni without a degree but he's just found out he's passed with a 2.2... i'm soo happy for him eeee!! :)

-Pay day - need i say more?!

-Bright Nails - i know it's nearly autumn but i'm trying to keep summer alive with bright corals and pinks!

Golf season - one more weekend and then its officially over and get my boyfriend back.. well until next april at least!!

Chicago - I recently booked tickets to go and see chicago in manchester. I love this musical, i've seen it twice already and can't wait to see it again.

Outs:

Post uni blues - i feel like i write something about uni in every ins and outs post, i'll get over it soon! :P Just with people talking about going back and starting, its not making things any easier!

'Floating around' - that's what i call this stage in my life. I have a job but it's only a temporary solution and i need to find a more long term job that has more to do with what i want to do. I've been searching hard for jobs but it's so hard to get anything at the moment. I just don't know what i'm doing with my life and i feel like i'm inbetween stages.. hence why i'm 'floating around'.

Project ten pan - Ok, i'm not gonna lie, its getting REALLY old now. It seems to be taking forever and i'm only on five products so far. I've very nearly finished this bronzer but i swear it's not gone down anymore for about two months. Just finish god dammit!! I miss doing haul posts aswell!

Blogger events - i had the priviledge of being invited to both aussie and maybelline but sadly i couldn't make either. Hopefully i'll be able to make one soon.

My camera dying - my digital camera's on it's last legs and it think i'm gonna have to buy a new one soon. Any recommendations? I'm just looking a pretty standard digital camera that's not too pricey but does a decent job!!

Laura xXx

Aussie Hair Care

Aussie Hair Care held their first of three events last weekend. It was a treasure hunt to find lots of goodies! They sent everyone the clue and the key but unfortunately it was special delivery and nobody was in to sign for it. So i wasn't able to get hold of my key till monday.. gutted :( But Lauren still offered to send me some goodies which i thought was really generous. They arrived this morning...

So these were the goodies i got. I got two full sized products which are the miracle moist shampoo and the 3 miute miracle frizz remedy. Then i recieved 6 sample sized products, which are the mircale moist shampoo and conditions and the 3 minute miracle reconstructor.

I also recieved a topshop voucher which i was really excited about. I had heard that people who had made the event got a voucher but i didn't think i would get one because i didn't go! Super happy! I have no idea what to spend it on.. hmmm decisions decisions!

I have never tried aussie hair care before so i am really excited to try them and the products sound perfect to my dry, damaged hair! On first impressions the products smell absolutely amazing! Look out for some reviews coming up soon!

Hope you all have a great weekend. Laura xXx

Blog Awards

I was tagged for the 'i think you're an awesome girl' award by Shortiee's beauty blog and peonies and water lillies. Thank you girlies and if you haven't check them out... go do it!

So you have to state ten random facts about yourself.. i have already done a ten facts post here, but i'm gonna try and come up with ten other facts...

1. I can'r ride a bike, i think my parents just gave up on me because it was clearly never gonna happen!!

2. I have a really close relationship with my mum, I tell her most things and she's always the first person i go to with a problem...

3. ...however i really struggle to get along with my dad :S

4. I have a bad phobia of dogs. I'm not too bad with small dogs but if they come anywhere near knee height i can't deal with it.

5. Me and my boyfriend very first met on a night out at uni. He had a girlfriend at the time but i was totally coming on to him... whoops :S He claims that it made him remember me but i felt really embarassed and out of order!

6. I can't keep me mouth shut when i'm drunk. I tend to really open up with my feelings and don't hold back with what i want to say.. (hence the above). It's the total opposite to how i normally am and i've got myself in some sticky situations because of it...

7. I can't whistle, wink or role my tongue!

8. I'd really love to be able to attend a bloggers event but i'd be REALLY scared because i'm really shy... especially around new people.

8. I don't own a single item of mac make-up.

10. I'm really indecisive. I always leave to decision making to someone else because it seems to be an impossible task for me!

I tag:

• 
  
  amy @ lipgloss86
• 
  
  laura @ lipsticks and lollipops
• 
  
  Marcia @ let there be shopping
• 
  
  ling @ what do stars do
• 
  
  Jennifer @ jennifer rosellen

I was also tagged by rosa adores for the i love your blog award.

I tag:

• 
  
  victoria @ lilyloveslola

• 
  
  laura @ lauras bloggy blog
• 
  
  ella @ ella cinderella

Laura xXx

Hair History...

I’ve never been brave enough to do anything drastic with my hair so this won’ t be the most exciting hair history but still I fancied doing it..

This is at my high school prom when I was sixteen (unfortunately I don’t have the facility to get any older pics on my laptop) My hair was a mid-length, just a few layers and... blonde STREAKS! Why.. !?

This is a couple of years after when the blonde had gone and I had let my hair grow. Again I just had a pretty unadventurous cut. As you can tell I used to like my hair to absolutely poker straight.

This was in my first year at uni and I think this is probably the longest my hair has been. I started wearing my parting more to the side.

This was probably only taken a couple of months later when I decided to get some blonde bits put in the underneath layers on my hair. This picture doesn’t show it well but it was pretty subtle. The rest of my hair is my natural colour.

This was at the start of my second year at uni when I had a complete hair disaster. I went to get some more blonde in my hair and it turned out blue. Yes... bright blue! I was mortified. Long story but I got my hair dyed for free! I asked for it to be as close to my natural colour as possible but it turned out nothing like it. It was lighter and more red toned. I did like he cut he gave me though, a side swept fringe and more layers.

When I got bored of plain brown I decided to get blonde again but a little bit more this time and once again I asked for a dark brown colour on the rest of my hair but I got light/reddy brown. I hate this when I look back at pictures, I’ll never do it again plus it totally ruined my hair where I had it blonde.

Eventually the previous colour just went really ginger so I got a bit of a drastic colour change and went almost black! I didn’t like it at first but it soon faded.

So this is what it looked like once it had faded. This is waayy lighter than my natural colour and I can’t seem to get rid of the reddy tones it in! I also decided volume was the way forward.

More recently I dyed my hair a dark brown colour to try and get rid of the reddy tones in it. I’d vowed that I won’t dye it any more now and I’m going to let it grow out to my natural colour.

And this is what my hair looks like currently had a bit of a trim last week but nothing too drastic. Love how healthy it has made my hair feel and I will definitely be getting regular trims from now on.

Laura xXx

New Boots :)

I've been looking for some black leather flat boots for a while and when i came across these beauties i couldn't resist.

They were £85 for River Island. Expensive but i see them as an investment and i'm hoping they'll last me a few years.

Do you think i made a good investment?

Laura xXx

St. Moriz - The Results

So as i said i would last night, i applied my newly purchased st. moriz. I showered, exfoliated and then moisturised. I've been using fake tan since i was 16 but i have never used a mousse formation so i was a little scared!!


A few people had told me it was quite hard to work with so i only left it about an hour after mositursising before i started applying it. This seemed to work for me because my skin was still moist so the tan worked in really smoothly and evenly.


I used the st. tropez soft mitt and found it was a really easy way to apply the mousse. You can cover a large area at a time which is good with this fake tan because it dries pretty quickly! I would say however that the mitt isn't that great for the more intricate places such as round the collar bones because you have less control over where the colour is going. So i just used my hands to rub it any bits i felt looked a bit patchy.

For my face i used a make up sponge. I find this helps to get a precise and even finish... no one wants a patchy face!! And for my hands i mixed a pump of tan with some moisturiser and lightly swept it over my hands with the sponge.


I've tried some fake tans where the application process has just been really messy however this seemed like less hassel and less mess. It dries really quickly aswell so i wasn't walking around like a zombie for half an hour waiting for it to dry!


So this moring after i was all showered i was really impressed with the result. The colour didn't come out too dark on me which for some people may be a downfall, but with me being so pale it's definately a good thing because it looks more natural. There's also not a single streak in sight, the finish is really smooth and even. I'm pretty impressed with the lack of fake tan 'smell' aswell. There was a slight smell last night after i'd applied it but today i can't smell it anymore.


This is the finished result...




So over all i'm really impressed, and for £2.99 you can't go wrong!!
You may also have noticed i've had a little trim. I went and got it cut yesterday because i was so sick of it being in such bad condition. I probably had about two inches off which isn't loads but it's a big deal for me because in the past four years i've never had more than half an inch taken off! I was amazed by how much healthier the ends look and feel. I'm definately going to be going to more regular trims!!
Laura xXx

St. Moriz

Ok so i know i'm about five years too late on the st. moriz bandwagon but i finally spotted it in my local home bargains today so i picked up a couple of bottles. I also took Hele's advice and bought a st.tropez tanning mitt to apply it with.

I'm going to apply this tonight and will post about the results 2moro!

Anyone got any application tips/advice!?

Laura xXx

Burts Bees Review

So those of you who have been following my blog will no that I got the burts bees essential body kit a few months back now. It is a kit full of sample sizes of some of their products. I’ve had chance to try them all out and I have mixed feelings about the products, some were hits, but unfortunately some were complete misses and there were a few products in between.

*warning* this could turn into a really long post but I’ll try and keep it brief.

The Hits:

Repleninshing lip balm with replenishing pomegranate oil:

‘replenishes moisture to reveal smooth, healthy lips while coating them with a hint of colour for e even toned appearance’

Retails for £3.42

I love this lip balm. It feels super moisturising on my lips without being greasy. Because of it’s non-greasy nature I think it makes the perfect base for lipsticks and have been using it every day for that purpose. I also love the fact that’s in a stick form, I haven’t bought a stick balm in years but it’s so much convenient and less mess. As for the hint of colour.. it seemed to be pretty clear to me but that’s even better because my lips are quite pigmented anyway.

Lemon butter cuticle cream:

‘nourishes and moisturises nails with a hint of lemon oil which makes nails smell incredibly clean, healthy and beautiful.’

Retails at £5.86

This wasn’t in my august favourites for no reason... I LOVE this. It smells divine to start with; lemon is one of my favourite scents and actually smells like fresh lemons. It’s really nourishing and mosisturing for the nails and cuticles and sorts out any dry skin or ragged cuticles. The texture is like a thick creamy butter which feels really luxurious.

Peppermint Foot Lotion:

‘peppermint oil and menthol invigorate tired, overworked feet while sunflower, wheat germ and coconut oils nourish and moisturise rough, calloused feet.’

Retails at £11.26

This foot cream has a strong peppermint scent which I love it feet products. It just smells really clean and fresh and personally I don’t want anything other when it comes to feet. I put this on a night and then put cotton socks on and my feet feel refreshed and moisturised by the morning. It’s definitely moisturising and makes your feet look and smell great!

The maybes:

Hand salve:

‘our most intensive hand treatment is packed with botanical oils, herbs and beeswax to moisturise hard working, rough and dry hands’

Retails at £8.31

I only really suffer with dry skin on my hands when it gets really cold so it’s hard for me to evaluate this one just get. It seems to be really moisturising but it also feels a bit greasy which is something I don’t really like. It also has a bit of a funky smell that I’m not too fond of.

Radiance Day Creme:

‘light weight natural moisturiser which is specifically formulated with royal jelly and botanical oils to help enhance skins radiance.’

Retails at £18.59

This would probably be a great moisturiser with someone with normal or combination/oily skin but my skin is dry and I need something more than a light weight moisturiser to help my skin keep hydrated. As for the radiance... personally I didn’t notice much difference but then I wasn’t really expecting anything drastic.

Citrus and ginger root body wash:

(don't have a picture... totally forgot and threw it away when i finished it)

‘blends essential citrus oils and ginger root extract with a gentle plant based cleansing complex to leave skin feeling clean, smooth and soft.’

Retails at £11.74

Don’t get me wrong this body wash smells absolutely gorgeous but I can only get soo excited about a body wash and I’m not sure I can justify spending over £10 for a bottle of shower gel...

The misses:

Naturally nourishing milk and honey body lotion:

‘Naturally nourishing, lightweight lotion feeds your skin with milk to soften and honey to deeply moisturise’

Retails at £11.24

I found the smell of this to be far too overpowering. The smell stayed with me all day and started to make me feel a bit yucky after a while. Its great that this body lotion is light weight because it doesn’t feel too sticky throughout the day but personally I prefer something thicker and more luxurious feelings for my body, such as a body butter.

Peach and willowbark deep pore scrub:

‘natural penetrating scrub with finely ground peachstone to gently exfoliate, willobark to remove oil and Hawaiian ginger to increase circulation and replenish essential moisture.’

Retials at £9.78

‘This product smells divine! I really wanted to love this product but it felt far too harsh on my sensitive skin. My skin felt baby soft after I used it but it brought me out I red blotches because the granules were too harsh. I love my skin to feel soft but red blotchy patches isn’t usually a look I go for.

Well done if you made it this far! So this was my honest review of all the products I tried from the burts bees. Some products I’m sure I will be repurchasing over and over again, however some products I won’t.

Laura xXx

'The list'

This tag has been going around for a while now, so thought it was my turn to share my 'list' with you all!

Enjoy...

Zac Efron


Channing Tatum



David Beckham

Jude Law

Patrick Swayze

Robert Hoffman

Will Smith

Yum!!

Laura xXx

August Favourites

This is my first monthly favourite's post but i will try and make it a regular thing! :)

Burt Bee’s Cuticle Cream:

I love this mainly for the smell. It smells of fresh lemons which is one of my favourite scents. It’s really clean and fresh. This is really moisturising and has sorted out my ragged cuticles no problem!

Ciate paint pot – knickerbockerglory:
See my previous post for a full review on these. This is the most amazing hot pink colour. The consistency and application is great and they last really well. You can’t go wrong!

L’oreal paris super liner carbon gloss:

I love the applicator on this; it makes application for me really easy. It’s an opaque glossy black and it won’t budge all day! Happy days.


Natural Collection Mositure Shine Lipstick – Apple Blossom:

I wasn’t expecting much from these lipsticks being under £2, but I’m impressed! This is a gorgeous muted baby pink colour that is really wearbable and the consistency is really creamy and non-drying.


Maybelline pure mineral blush – topaz rose:

These blushers are really pigmented and a tiny bit goes a long way. You get loads of product so they will last me ages. This is a really pretty bright pink colour that gives a natural glow.


Lee Stafford Poker Straight Over Night Treatment:

This product is great for dry and damaged hair like mine. I like the idea of it going on to dry hair and being left over night because I feel like it has the chance to work. And for me.. it definitely does. It makes my hair feel really soft and manageable after I have washed it. It makes your hair feel yucky when you first put it on but it’s well worth it for the results!

Batsite Dry Shampoo:

Now that I’m working I can’t always be bothered with the hassle of washing my hair every other day. My hair gets pretty greasy but this product is a life saver. It not only soaks up the grease (yuck) but it also brings life back to your hair and gives it volume. I have to be careful with this because I have dark hair and it can look like I’ve tipped a bottle of talcum powder over my head. I usually spray it in to my hair at night before bed and massage it in and by the morning.. all the white powder has soaked in!

Hope you had a great August, can’t believe it’s September tomorrow... time it going was too fast!!

Laura xXx

Ciate Paint Pots

I’ve wanted to try this brand of nail polish for ageeess so I was so happy when I was sent some to try! I was sent four of the ciate paint pots to try... isn’t the packaging just adorable!?

I was really impressed with these nail polishes, they are really easy to work with and have great coverage. You get the colour in the bottle with two coats and they are really long lasting. They have a long and pretty flat brush which I found made application really easy. They retail for £9 for 13.5ml and I think they are well worth the money.

Knickerbockerglory:

This is pretty much as hot pink as hot pink gets. I was super excited when I saw this colour and it didn’t disappoint when I got it on my nails. It’s a deep, rich, almost red hot pink and I absolutely love it. I have lots of hot pinks in my collection but this is totally unique to any of them. I couldn’t stop looking at this colour when it was on my nails.

Plastic Fantastic:

This colour is a purpely pink berry colour which looks gorgeous on the nails and I think it would suit any skin tone. It’s not too bright so I think it would be perfect to take you into the autumn/winter months.

Refresher:

This is a pastel, powder blue. I’m not usually a huge fan of blue’s on my nails but I like this because it’s so light it still looks really feminine and pretty. I was really impressed with the consistency of this one because I find sometimes light colours don’t provide opaque coverage but this was totally opaque in two coats.. brilliant!!

Shaken not stirred:

When I saw this colour in the bottle I thought it would be my least favourite. But it was a different story once I got it on my nails. It’s a purple with pink tones and blue running though it and it looks just gorgeous when the light hits it. It doesn’t look much in the bottle but it really comes to life once it’s on the nails. It’s totally unique to anything else I have in my collection and it’s gorgeous!

I will definitely be purchasing some more of the ciate paint pot range, I have my eye on a few colours already, I love that all the colours are really unique. Cookies and cream looks like a great colour and I need to have it just because of the name. Cookies and cream is my favourite ice cream flavour... yum!

Laura xXx