L'Oréal Elvive Nutri-Gloss Crystal

Just wanted to do a quick post about these L'Oréal Elvive products. They're a shampoo and conditioner I keep coming back to when I come home. They smell really fresh and the shampoo feels like it gives my hair such a good clean and lathers really easily, you only need a little bit. The conditioner is lovely too, I've been leaving it in whilst in the bath as a hair mask and it makes my hair feel so smooth. The products are telling the truth when they say 'weightless moisture' my hair doesn't feel weighed down or greasy at all. My hair also looks so shiny too and feels so soft. Finally they're on offer at the moment in Tescos and they're pink and glittery! What's not to like?

Emma x

Jewellery And A Jumper

If you've been reading my blog you'll know that I've become obsessed with pastel pink recently. This week I had a quick look around my local Primark, New Look and Accessorize and found these lovely items.

                     

Firstly I found this beautiful pink jumper in the Primark sale, it had come down from £14 to £7. The material is really good quality unlike what the jumpers usually feel like in Primark. It's really soft and cuddly. I'm yet to wash it though but I think it will keep it's shape as the knit is dense and the material is quite thick. I think this would've been perfect for Valentine's Day because of the cute heart print, which is really what made me buy this jumper. However I think it will be perfect for this Spring as well as for Summer evenings when it gets chilly. I also think it'll be great to layer up in the winter too.

                                

I also picked up this necklace at Primark to match for around £3. I've been wanting to buy more gold jewellery recently as I wear silver most of the time and my parents bought me a shorter gold necklace for my birthday which I haven't really had a chance to wear as I've had no other gold to match it with. The gems are pale pink and have a quilted pattern on them.

These bangles are from New Look. They're great because they're made up of gold, silver and rose gold bangles so I can wear them all together or separate. I think they look really chic and simple. I think they'll be great to wear on holiday too as I can wear they round my wrist or on my arm. They were half price so £2.99!

 Finally I went in to Accessorize to find some simple gold hoops. I've wanted some for so long but was never able to find any that were quite right. I didn't want the gold to look tacky but these are a really gorgeous colour along with the pattern. They look good when my hair is down as well as up. These were £4.50 with my student discount but they were originally £5. They also fasten securely so I don't have to worry about them falling out. The pattern looks almost Ancient Egyptian.




















Hope you like these!

Emma x

OOTN Matalan Midi Skirt

Last week I picked up this amazing midi skirt from Matalan! I'm not usually one for a midi skirt as I usually feel quite restrained if it's tight fitting and I'm wearing heels. However this skirt is so comfortable to wear and the bottom hits just around the knee depending on your height. You can adjust this though as the material is stretchy enough to wear on the waist or the hips.

This skirt honestly is nothing like I've ever seen Matalan do before. I love Matalan for basics and cardigans but recently they have been on top form when it comes to fashionable pieces to bring your wardrobe into summer.They're also selling these which I'm eager to also pick up, all equally as fashionable and well priced.

When I  first saw the skirt it looked like it would cost £30+ if it was in Topshop, when I saw it was only £12 I couldn't believe it! This skirt is so fashionable in respect to it's style and colour. The colour is a pastel pink which is fast becoming the colour of 2014 spring/summer as I've mentioned before on my blog, this also makes the skirt wearable for day as well as night. I'll be wearing this skirt all year as I think it would look incredible with a fluffy knit jumper when the winter parties roll around again. Not to mention the mesh insert, which really reminds me of the new Misguided line by Nicole Scherzinger as well as other skirts I've seen in Topshop in the past.

It gives it, what I can only describe as, a sort of futuristic feel I've seen on celebrities such as Rihanna. I think it's both elegant and fun, perfect for a night out or a date. I wore it with rose gold pointed heels from Call It Spring and a loose fitting vest I found in Primark for £2, a matching clutch from New Look and Topshop Milkshake nail varnish.

Hope you all like it!

Emma x

Gradual Tans And Routine

Summer is fast approaching and with the recent sunny weather we've had in the UK I thought today's post should be on fake tans. I'm going to mention some gradual tans I've recently purchased as well as my previous tanning experiences and how I maintain my tan.


So my previous fake tan was the St. Moriz instant tanning mousse in medium. This is a really inexpensive product at £4.99 (Boots) but works really well. I know this product comes across as cheap but prior to this tan I used St Tropez mousse however this product has a lot of green pigment in which made me look a very bizarre colour. The St. Moriz mousse however is the perfect balance, you don't end up looking orange or green. This tan is good for a solid colour but will only last you a day or so until the colour starts rubbing off in places such as inside your elbow. My trick for applying this tan though is apply it the day before you are going out (preferably the evening), wear old long pyjamas and go to bed. When you wake up in the morning you will look very very dark but then go for a shower and your tan will come out lighter and incredibly even. I'm not going to lie this tan doesn't smell great but it does give you a deep even tan if you follow my steps. If you want a
high end tan though I would recommend St Tropez Bronzing Lotion (I wear this on special occasions).


Recently I went looking for a long wear tan. I thought straight away a gradual tan as I could build this up before my holiday. The only gradual tan I had used before was the Johnson's Holiday Skin but the smell of this tan is so bad and works slowly. Therefore I purchased two gradual tans to test them out. The first one is Cocoa Brown Gentle Bronze by Marissa Carter.

This tan was such a good purchase! I will admit this tan does have that developer smell but it is very good as a gradual tan due to the rate at which it develops. Within a few hours you can already see the tan working! This tan is a lotion but unlike any other gradual tan because the lotion isn't white, it comes out a coffee shade. This is helpful when applying because you can already see where the tan has been. I'd really recommend this tan as it's a mix between a gradual and an instant tan. It also gives you the perfect glowing shade like the St Moriz, not too green, not too orange. If it couldn't get any better it's only around £6 at Superdrug. They have such a good range of the Cocoa Brown products in there too. I really want to try their 'Tough Stuff' tan remover for when my tan isn't wearing off naturally and leaves marks. 

The second gradual tan I bought was by Dove. I know a lot of people use this tan as it's not dissimilar to the Johnson's Holiday Skin however I much prefer this product, it smells like apricots, very fresh and sweet. I've also been applying this product to my face unlike the Gentle Bronze as I know it's a lot softer, this is so I don't have to apply foundation every single day to look all one colour. It's also a great tan for people with fairer skin like myself, this is because it can be built up. I think it would also be a great first tan. I've been using the shade medium/dark as I never find the light/medium tans to be effective however they would be good for very very fair skin.  My favorite thing about the product however is how smooth and easy it is to apply. This tan is only £4.99 at Boots and the bottle really does go a long way.

I usually mix both the Cocoa Brown and Dove tan together to get the best of both. Dove's amazing smell and feel on the skin with Cocoa Brown's intense, easy to apply and quick colour. In combination they give me a really deep, long lasting tan. This is why I'm going to continue using them as they work perfectly for me and I shall continue to do so until my holiday in June and probably after when I need to top up my natural tan.

Moving onto my routine, I like to tan every 3 days. This may seem excessive but after the third day of tanning the colour does start to fade in different areas so in the morning I'll have a shower or bath and exfoliate my body gently with Soap and Glory's Sugar Crush Body Wash that's priced at £6.50 (boots). I cannot explain how amazing this smells, you seriously have to go and smell it next time you're in Boots, it reminds me of the chocolate lime sweets. Then after my shower I'll use the Clarins Moisture Rich Body Lotion to prepare my skin for tanning. I'll also use it through the next few days to maintain my tan and keep my skin hydrated. Then before bed after the body lotion has had all day to sink in I apply both gradual tans, wear old pyjamas as I did with St Moriz, and go to sleep. I'll then repeat the first step in the morning and have an incredibly even tan.

I hope this has been useful for preparing for summer!

Emma x

Perfect Pink Pastel Nail Varnish

I've been looking for the perfect pastel pink nail varnish for a long time. Two problems I always find is that the colour is never pigmented enough and you have to apply so many coats that the varnish never ends up drying. Or the varnish chips or flakes off after day to day activities (typing, washing up, having a bath etc).  

However recently I tried out my sisters Topshop nail varnish for the first time after much debating as to whether they were over priced for a high street nail varnish at £5. They're really not. I've been missing out for so so long.

The nail varnish I bought is amazing and I'm so surprised it hasn't chipped yet as usually they do within the first day of wear. Not to mention the colour is truly perfect, Milkshake, perfect for spring/summer. The finish is glossy and as the colour is so pigmented it looks like a professional varnish. It only takes a couple of minutes for each coat to dry, I layer about three coats however I'm sure two would do just as fine! I'm loving this nail varnish at the moment and intend to buy more from Topshop tomorrow!

Emma x

MUA Power Pout

For 2014 my New Year's Resolution was to wear more colour. So I've decided to start wearing different colours on my lips as I always use nude colours or just a lip balm. I didn't ever think that colours would suit me and I didn't think I'd be brave enough at all so I thought I'd start off with something sheer and cheap. That's when I came across the MUA Power Pouts in Superdrug! They come in a huge variety and they're only £3! I picked up a Red/Coral, Pink and Fuchsia.

The colours in order are... Justify, Rendezvous and Irreplaceable.

All the colours are very pigmented apart from the Justify (the red/coral) which just gives the lips a warm pink tint. Despite this I like to line my lips just in case the colour starts to smudge and although Justify isn't incredibly pigmented it works really well to gloss up a orange/red lipstick I've just bravely bought!

The Lipstick is In Love With Ginger Moisture Review Lipstick by Rimmel and the lip liner is Rimmels Exaggerate Full Colour lip liner in Eastend Snob.

So the first colour is the pink/nude colour - Rendezvous which is probably the safest. It's an incredibly beautiful colour and the formulation of these lip crayons are so smooth and draw onto your lips so fluidly! They're definitely a dupe for the Clinique Chubby Stick as you can probably tell. This crayon really gives that 'your lips but better' look and is beautifully muted, great to wear with bold eye makeup and also day to day.

The second colour I'm going to talk about is the Fusciha colour -Irreplacable which pleasently suprised me. I didn't think this would suit me at all and I'd end up looking like a barbie clown but it's amazing. Not to mention this colour gives the lip a stain which is great when it starts to wear off. However don't worry these lip crayons are so easy to reapply, with other lip products I often find when reapplying they either smudge or they become 'flakey', but this product doesn't do that at all so it's great to wear all day/night long! This colour gives a pop to my makeup and makes my teeth look whiter. 

Finally I use the last crayon Justify with my new Rimmel moisture renew lipstick in In Love With Ginger where it acts as a gloss more than a colour/stain. This is because it matches up perfectly and as I said before comes in handy when reapplying and needing to smooth the colour out. I never in a million years thought I'd wear orange lipstick but it looks really fresh and warms up my complexion. Not to mention it's a great statement lip suitable for both night and day and it's fast becoming this spring/ summer trend. 

All these lip crayons are wearable and affordable so don't be afraid and add some colour to your make up this spring! 

Emma x

The Beauty Blanket

At some point in our lives most women turn to beauty as a comfort blanket. Whether we use it to cover up from acne as a teenager or wrinkles later on in life. Having a beauty blanket is definitely not a bad thing, in fact I believe a beauty blanket assists women to be more confident. It enables us to mask our insecurities and feel beautiful inside as well as out. My beauty blanket acts not only as my comfort but also as my passion and hobby. I hope you enjoy!