Week In Photos 058

001 I did intend to have today's post Halloween themed but I was too tired when I got in last night to write and post my Week In Photos post. I've been on so many trains this week I don't want to see one for a long time! I bought cheap tickets to London which meant I could only get on London Midland trains and they were just a nightmare. When something seems too good to be true, it usually is. Definitely learnt this, this weekend!

002 Wednesday to Friday I was working the BuyArtFair in Manchester which was really interesting. We got to see and help with the set up of the exhibition as well as the private view. This meant long days with traveling from Liverpool to Manchester each day.

003 Saturday I went off to London for the Aussie event and I took my lovely cousin with me. It was a really great night and the venue was perfect! It was on an open roof top which you can kinda see from the photos. Definitely didn't help that we were both so tired! It was great to see everyone and meet some new bloggers and plus 1's!

004 Sunday was a shopping day with my first trip to Space NK to pick up one of my Christmas presents! I do wish we had one in Liverpool. Also found my next perfume purchase, Tom Ford's Black Orchid. I first heard about this perfume from Laura (BuyNowBlogLater). I never thought it would be one that I'd like though so never smelt it until yesterday. I loved it immediately and the huge bonus is that I could still smell it about 12 hours later! It's not the cheapest perfume so it may be a while until I actually buy it.

Models Own Blue Lagoon & E.L.F Twinkle Layered - NOTD

I'm surprised I haven't posted about E.L.F's twinkle polish before as I've used nearly half the bottle. This isn't the best polish to show it off but you sort of get the idea of how it can look. I'm going to be posting it layered over black which works the best.

 The great thing about this polish is that is only costs £1.50! I usually have to apply two coats as the glitter isn't always distributed evenly.

Christmas Wishlist For 2011

This is my little Christmas wishlist to try and get in the spirit. With the warm weather recently it feels like the end of August and not the middle of October!! Can't believe it'll be Christmas in two months. This also means it's only a couple of weeks until the little family gathering we have each year around bonfire night. 

As you can probably see the products are mostly nail related. Nail polish and nail art have definitely taken a front seat of what I'm loving at the moment. A lot of these have also been on my wishlist for a long time and have heard a lot about.

Argos Four Drawer Set - I already have one set of drawers but I'm a bit ashamed to say it's already full of nail polish. I was going to buy the Alex drawer set from Ikea but I actually prefer the Argos one. This also means I'll be able to store all my nail art stuff in a drawer instead of a seperate box.

Rococo Gold Leaf Nail Polish - A polish that I would probably never buy myself but am definitely having it on my Christmas list. At £25 it's probably the most expensive nail polish I'll ever own but I just love the looks you can get from it. 

Deborah Lippmann Across The Universe - I know you can get a much cheaper version from Essence but I just can't track it down anywhere. If I do get this one, it'll be the first Lippmann polish I'll own. 

Cake Stand - I really want a cake stand so when I make cakes I'll have something nice to photograph them on. Loving these ones from Milly.

Lush Christmas Products - Each year I always get at least one product from the Christmas range from Lush. This year they seem to have brought out more than usual, not that I'm complaining! I'm just a bit spoilt for choice on what I want. 

Barry M Glitter Polishes - I don't think you can buy these in stores, at least I've never seen them. I've wanted them since seeing them on various nail blogs. I especially don't have anything like the one on the left. 

Konad Stamping Set - And finally, a konad stamping set. I only really want it so I can do certain designs like zebra print, dog tooth and leopard print. 

Week In Photos 057

Chai Lattes & ginger syrup cakes // sleepy cat // making iced cupcakes with jam in the middle // picking apples from the tree in my garden // & filling the kitchen up with them.

001 The week just gone has been nice and relaxing! Monday I helped my mum put up an exhibition in the Victoria Gallery & Museum then just been catching up with everything the rest of the week. Having to put up with my hey fever driving me crazy towards the end & today!

002 This week's pretty jam packed! I'm working wed-fri at the BuyArtFair in Manchester then I'm in London Saturday & Sunday for the Aussie event. Excited to see my family down there, haven't seen them since June!

The blog I've discovered this week is Elle Yeah written by Elodie.

October Boudoir Prive Box

Again, I'm really impressed with this months Boudoir Prive box! I definitely think it's the right subscription for me although this will be my last box for a bit. I just can't afford the £10 at the moment while unemployed.

Cetum Illuminating Mask & Creme De Lite - Not liking the smell of the moisturiser and wont be using this. It's too heavily perfumed to use on my face. The Mask smells nice though.

Leonor Greyl Huile De Palme - This is a pre-shampoo conditioner treatment to soften and nourish dry and damaged hair. Sounds like it was made for my hair! Going to have to do a bit of google-ing for this one. It looks like the oil has solidified so wondering if you have to heat the bottle in some water first. Think I'm going to try this tonight when I wash my hair.

Memo Paris Moon Safari perfume - Going to enjoy using up this perfume although it definitely won't be purchased with a £70 price tag for 30ml! It seems like it's one that will last on the skin for a long time. The website describes this as Bitter orange, grapefruit, lemon essence, primofiore, mandarin orangeneroli blossom, clary sage, verbena, vetiver, leather, tonka bean -since I'm so bad at describing scents!

Rose & Co Rose Petal Salve - I've had a cuticle balm from Rose & Co years ago which I really liked. I wouldn't have chosen the rose one myself as I'm not a huge fan of rose scents but I love lip balms so going to give it a try. It's a great price too, being only £5.

Korres Quince Body Butter - I was hoping for a Korres product in this months box and am glad I got a body butter. Love the fruity smell and can see this being one of my favourites from the box already.

Studio Makeup Line Styler Pen - I find felt tip liners the easiest to apply so this one looks great. I swatched it on my hand and it looks good. It's really black and the felt tip means it's great for either thick or thin lines. It washes off with water though so there might have a problem with wear. I'll update once I've worn it for day or so.

Update - Also forgotten so mention there was a RMK leaflet which entitles you to a complimentary skin consultation and a relaxing mini facial. We don't have a Selfridges in Liverpool so might make a little day trip to Manchester. There's a restaurant I really want to go to as well.

Products I've Finished 007

Lush Therapy massage bar - One that I obviously couldn't photograph as it doesn't have any packaging. One of my favourite massage bars from Lush. It smells amazing! Exactly like orange chocolate. It's incredibly moistursing and I use it like a bath melt sometimes when my skin is feeling drier than normal.

Lush Dream Cream - Also my favourite body moisturiser as it works really well to control my eczema. You can read my full review here. Luckily I have another tub so I don't have to worry about buying another one.

Alva Naturkosmetik Salva-derm Cream* -  This is great for when my eczema has flared up and is really itchy as it's really calming. It also actually stops the itching as well. I just wish I wasn't on a spending ban otherwise I'd buy another one. It's not cheap though. You can read my full review here.

Tara Smith C Curls Conditioner - This is one of the 3 conditioners I rotate between using. It's nothing amazing but doesn't irritate my scalp so I stick with it. Although it is really hard to find now Asda have stopped selling the range.

Olavie Chardonnay Body Butter- I really liked this body lotion although it was pretty hard to get out the tube. It smells really nice too. Not sure how easily it is to buy the full size as it's in dollars on the website.

DKNY Delicious Night perfume - I love the green and pink blossom versions and this is no exception. I'll probably buy a bottle at some point.

Tropic Body Smooth Refreshing Polish - Another Boudoir Prive product that I really enjoyed using. I got one full body application out of this tub. It smells great, really citrus and definitely refreshing. The formula really reminded me of Lush Rub Rub Rub.

Sea Kelp Body Wash - A typical hotel shower gel that smells really nice.

Alva Foot Care Balm* - You can read my full review here. After finished I wouldn't repurchase, I used it up too quickly to justify the price.

OPI Rapi-dry Top Coat - The first nail polish that I've actually finished! Although it is only a mini bottle. I actually really like this top coat which is unusual for me. Think I might add this to my Christmas list.

Cowshed Lip Balm - Wasn't very impressed with this lip balm. It was too watery and didn't really do anything to moisturise my lips.

Blistex Intensive Lip Balm - This is more of a cream for your lips than a lip balm, guess you can tell from the name really. Definitively one to be used at night as it leaves a white hint to your lips. Will be buying a new one once I finish a few more of the lip balms I already have.

Blistex Lip Massage - A really nice lip balm but the massage part is a bit gimmicky. I won't be buying another one as I think the other blistex lip balms work just as well.

Matte Nails

I only like to use a matte top coat with certain nail polishes. The formula and application has to be near perfect otherwise the top coat will highlight any imperfections. This happens even if the nails look good beforehand.

The three I have in these photos are Barry M's Navy & OPI Last Friday Night, OPI Extravagance, Accessorize Aztec and Models Own Blue Lagoon.

I find glitter or shimmer polishes look best and the topcoat I use is Matte About You from Essie. This is the only one I've used, I love it so haven't felt the need to buy another one. From reading other nail blogs, this sounds like the best one although it is quite expensive. It seems like it gives you the most matte finish and doesn't alter the colour of the polish too much. The glitter polish look almost suede like when a matte topcoat is applied, sort of like the OPI suede polishes.

What I usually do is when I'm about to take off a nail polish I'll put the matte top coat on a few nails to see how it looks. It's a great way to do it so if it doesn't look good it's not going to mess up your freshly painted nails.

Are you a fan of matte nails?

Alva Naturkosmetik Handcream

As the weather is getting noticeably colder now this hand cream* from Alva is definitely an essential for me. I get really dry knuckles in the winter which is where my eczema flares up.

The packaging is pretty simple, a white tube with a screw on lid. I think they could have gone for something that looks nicer with a better lid but that's just me being nit picky. It does the job so that's all that really matters.

It's quite thin in consistency but this means it soaks in so well with hardly any rubbing in. No sticky residue or greasy feeling is left behind.

It hasn't got much of a scent but I prefer this to Alva's other hand cream. This is meant to be an anti-aging hand cream. Since I have only used this for the past two weeks I can't comment on the long term effects. I'm always skeptical of anti-aging products though. I just think a simple moisturiser is going to have the same effects as an anti-aging one.

I have the mini version which is 18ml and costs £4.10 which is a great price for how nice it makes my hands feel. It's also the perfect size for keeping in my bag. You can buy it in a 75ml tube for £12.30.

What hand cream are you using at the moment?

OPI I Lily Love You - NOTD

OPI's I Lily Love You is definitely one of my new favourites. It's packed full of multi coloured glitter and multi coloured flakies.

 It looks pretty layered over lighter colour but looks amazing over darks. Here I have it on top of OPI's Lincoln Park After Dark.

Week In Photos 056

001 Getting into the Autumn and Winter spirit with wearing darker nail polish with the exception of Revlons Minted. These are what I've been wearing this week.

002 The scent I'm burning at the moment is Spiced Orange which I love. I got this last year so not sure if you can still buy but if you can, get it! I feel like I haven't used my tart burner for ages!

003 Also preparing for the colder weather by getting all my hats, scarves and gloves out from under my bed. Can't wait to wear them and my winter coat.

004 This week was another slow one but the next few weeks look quite busy. Aussie, volunteering in Manchester and having a family get together which we do every year.

Blog I love is Red Brick Lipstick which is written by lily. Currently reading through it with a nice cup of chai latte.
What have you been up to this week?

Alva Naturkosmetik Baked Bronzing Powder In Beige Rose

I'm a big fan of baked products so I'm always excited to try out new ones. Today's product is a baked bronzing powder* from Alva.

This is available in 3 shades - beige rose which I have, beige medium and beige brown. I know a lot of websites have pretty rubbish swatches but this one has to be one of the worst. You just can't tell what the shade is going to be like. I went for the lightest shade since I have really pale skin but was really unsure what to expect from the name beige rose. To me it sounds more like a blusher rather than a bronzer.

As far as the packaging goes, I like it. I think it could be less bulky though. It's made up of two compartments. One for the product and the other to house a sponge. There is also a decent sized mirror in the lid which is always a bonus. The lid stays upright so you can do your makeup without having to hold the mirror. The one downside to the packaging is the middle part which holds the powder doesn't clip down in any way. It rattles which could break the powder at some point if it was kept in your make-up bag. It does come with a second cheaper looking sponge on top of the powder to protect it. This does stop the rattling but it's not ideal to keep it there forever.

It's a really nice colour in the pan with beige rose being the perfect name. It does look more like a blusher though. Once applied it's a totally different story. It's lacking in pigmentation to be classed as a bronzer. If you have dry skin it would make a great setting powder for foundation. It also works as a highlighter as it has very finely milled gold sparkle to it. It makes your skin look more glowing but doesn't give you a "naturally transparent tan" as it claims to.

This costs just under £18 which I think is way too expensive for what it is. I'm really intrigued to see what the other two shades look like but wouldn't recommend buying them just to find out.

Recent Purchases 001

Since being on a spending ban since the start of September I've been pretty good and haven't really bought anything. Thought it was time to treat myself to a few bits and I also had a gift card to spend.

Primark PJ bottoms - I love Primarks pajamas as they're cheap, comfy and they have really great patterns. Especially the Christmas or winter ones! Love these ones as they have reindeer on them. They're quite thin for winter pjs but that's great for me. If I get too hot while I'm sleeping it can set off my eczema so I prefer thinner clothes. Then if I get too cold I can just use a blanket.

H&M Hareem Trousers - I've had a Liverpool One gift card since August and just didn't know what to spend it on. I actually haven't seen much I like in the shops recently. Clothes wise anyway. And I didn't want to spend it on something I didn't love. I intended to get a jumper from Topshop but they didn't have any I liked. I then found these trousers in H&M and loved them as soon as I saw them. I have really short legs but find hareem trousers suit me a lot better then other types. I love the colour of them, perfect for Autumn and Winter. I really like he draw string detail too. Would have preferred it in gold but that's just me being fussy!

Orly Nail Polish Trio - I had a double points voucher for Boots so decided to get these mini polishes from Orly. I've wanted to try Bonder, the basecoat, for ages since reading about it on various blogs. The trio costs around £13 whereas each polish would cost £5 if bought separately. Not a lot of saving but was my way of justifying the purchase! I'm loving Bonder and Polished so far but think the Primer is unnecessary. Word of warning though if you're thinking of buying any of the mini Orly polishes from Boots. Check the brushes before you buy. A couple I saw where all messed up and I'm glad I spotted it before buying.

 L'Occitane Hand Cream - A freebie with Marie Claire. My favourite hand cream but I really didn't like the scent of the one I tried last time this offer was on. I was hoping Cocoa Flower would smell a lot nicer. IT's much better but still not my kind of scent. This is going to stop me using it though as it's so moisturising!

OPI I Lily Love You Nail Polish - I just adore this colour! I bought it cheap from the ASOS sale and am so glad I did. It makes the perfect top coat! I've only used it over black so far but it looks amazing. Photos coming soon!

H&M Angora Blend Knee High Socks - This was another purchase made with my gift card and I got a £5 H&M gift card back for spending over a certain amount. Love these socks for when I'm wearing tights and boots!

So that's me set for a while as I'm still on my spending ban!

What have you bought recently?

Weleda Skin Food

This Skin Food from Weleda* has been a lifesaver recently as my eczema has flared up quite badly so my skin is horrendously dry. I've just been applying it daily whenever my skin is feeling dry and it's worked wonders.

Made with organic sunflower seed oil, and extracts of wild pansy, chamomile, calendula and revitalising rosemary extract to perk up tired skin, it is a great rescue remedy for lack-lustre or generally undernourished complexions.Skin Food is delicately fragranced with refreshing essential oils including sweet orange and lavandulae and is the natural choice for everyday care of the face and body.

I'm not quite sure how to describe the texture though. It's a really thick cream that doesn't really feel like a balm. Sort of sticky like a thick lipgloss if that even makes any sense! Once blended into the skin it sinks in really well but doesn't leave an oily or greasy residue.

The scent is amazing! It reminds me of a mix of Lush's Dream Cream and the typical Liz Earle scent. I love it but I can see some people not liking it.

You only need a tiny bit at a time so this 75ml tube (£8.50) will last a long time. It's also available in a 30ml tube (£4.95) which is perfect for travel or to keep in your bag.

There seems to be quite a few stores which sell Weleda and you can also browse and buy online.

Really glad I was able to try this balm as it's introduced be to a brand I haven't heard of before. I have quite a long list of products I'd like to try. Skin Food has also been sent to London Fashion Week for the models to use and has won a lot of awards.

ASOS Paint By Ciate Pixie - NOTD

I was really disappointed with this polish when it arrived. I bought about a year ago and haven't used it till now. From the stock image below you see how it looks more like a light green. Quite similar to Tiffany Blue but with a little more green. Instead it's a forest green colour which I don't like and think it doesn't suit my skin tone. I've only used it once and probably wont use it again.

I love the bottle though and the brush and formula is great. I have two others from the range which I love. Pixie only took two coats to become opaque.