New Glasses

At last I have new glasses! I haven't had a new pair since I was about 15 years old, that was a long, long time ago! My old ones were in terrible condition, I could barely see out of them because they had 7 years worth of grime and hairspray (beware of the hairspray if you wear glasses, it doesn't come off!) stuck to the lenses. Not only that, but every time I bent my head forwards, they fell off my face.

My fiance couldn't believe I hadn't had new ones for so long, so off we went to Specsavers where he treated me to 2 new pairs. I must say I thought £85 for a bit of plastic was extortionate, and these were Specsavers own brand glasses! Luckily they had a 2 for 1 offer on.

We went for the whole stereotypical secretary type look with the thick rimmed frames, I love them! Now I can venture outside wearing glasses, I never dared before because my old pair were all squashed and bent from sitting on them too many times!

Maybelline Pulse Perfection Mascara

I've already done a review of this mascara but here are some clear pictures of what it looks like in action.

(Please ignore the fact that half my eyebrow is missing. I haven't overplucked it, I promise! It goes through phases where there's no hair, and it's just the one side, very bizarre!)

This mascara is good for a wide awake look, perfect for daytime wear

I especially like how this looks on the lower lashes. I've found with other mascara's they just clump the lashes together

(My little bit of brown eye has made an appearance!)

I found it held the curl well...


...and the lashes still look quite full rather than sparse and spindly

I do love the effect of this mascara and how it lengthens my eyelashes, but I still believe the vibrating part is pointless and will be re-purchasing the basic Define-A-Lash when this runs out.

NOTD: Maybelline Midnight Blue

In our Maybelline goody bags we received 'Midnight Blue,' a gorgeous petrol blue nail varnish, a colour that apparently is on trend this season. I was a bit wary of it at first, as I have never worn dark nail varnish in my entire life. I am more of a pinks, corals and nudes girl. However, I gave it a go and I am happy to say I love the colour! It took a bit of getting used to but I love how dramatic it looks. I also think darker nails can look very stylish and classy, something you don't really associate with colours such as bubblegum pink!

As for the nail varnish itself, I'm very impressed. The brush makes it easy and effortless to apply, it dries amazingly fast and you only need to apply one coat. I'll definitely be having a look at the other colours in the range.

P.S I get asked a lot if my nails are real, yes they are!

Outfit Of The Day

I'm hoping to make OOTD posts more regular. Here's today's...

Lunge...and pout!

Looking very posed with the handbag

Floral vest: New Look
Tank top: H&M
Belt: Primark
Blazer: Primark
Jeggings: Boohoo
Bag: Primark

And Maybelline FOTD which I'll be posting shortly

Getting Creative...

Whilst staying at my parent's house the other weekend, we took a trip to Dunelm. On the way to the till I spotted some blank canvases and suddenly had an urge to buy one and make it pretty. Matt laughed and said I would never get round to it (I am somewhat of a procrastinator) and I don't think he could envisage the potential in the canvas like I could! But mum was as enthusiastic as I was so we got one (and it was only £1.50!)

Luckily my mum is somewhat of an interior designer and makes soft furnishings, so she has an endless supply of paints, fabrics, ribbons, lace, buttons, and all to my taste because we are both so similar and love girly things and the shabby chic look (my parents home is the epitome of shabby chic, it's beautiful, I adore it!). So out came the newspaper, mum whipped out her boxes of goodies and I got to work with the glue gun. It was like being at school again!

Here's what the finished product looks like...

I started by painting the canvas a baby pink colour...

Isn't that just the prettiest lace? The little roses were made of some sort of foam material.

I made the flower by gluing separate petals together and putting some purple beads in the centre. Then Matt suggested having the stem made out of pearls, he got quite involved in the end!

...then I glued pink hearts and clear beads along the bottom

So I was very proud of what I created, even though an eight year old probably could have done the same thing! I'm not going to hang it up until we've moved house in the new year. I'm building up a collection of pretty things that don't belong in our plain rented flat, they need to be placed lovingly in a home we own. I plan to have a pink bedroom (I'm hoping Matt won't mind) where all these pretty bits and pieces can go. I can't wait to have a bedroom that I love again. When I lived with my parents my bedroom was like a beautiful little haven where I could retreat to relax and just think about things. It's been three years since I moved out so I'm looking forward to recreating a lovely bedroom.

A/W Trend: Over-The-Knee Boots

I have a current obsession with over-the-knee boots. I first spotted some whilst browsing in Primark, they were black faux suede with studs and fringing detail (they look quite similar to the Faith ones below, second from the left). I absolutely loved them, but of course size 6 being the most common shoe size, they weren't to be found. I've since found some similar ones on the River Island website, but being priced at £85 instead of around £15 at Primark, I think I'll hold out and hope I manage to find some in my size.

Flat Boots:

I prefer flat over-the-knee boots as they are more casual and can be worn in the day time. I think they would look amazing paired with tights and a casual slouchy mini dress with a cute jacket, or they could be worn with leggings or skinny jeans. I think my problem will be finding boots that will actually sit on my thigh. Being 5'9, I'm a bit concerned they will only reach my knee!

Heeled Boots:

I also love the look of high-heeled thigh boots, but they would require careful planning with the outfit to keep them looking classy and avoid looking too Pretty Woman! But they look like they would keep you nice and warm on a night out!

These beauties are Christian Louboutin, and I think they may be the boots Madonna is sporting in her new video. I love them!

I think I'll be sticking to the flat boots though as I'll get more wear out of them and can pair them with different outfits.

What do you all think of over-the-knee boots? Will you be buying some this Autumn?

Pretty Earrings

I had my ears pierced when I was about 11, and then managed to persuade my parents to let me have them pierced a second time when I was 13. However, for a long time I didn't wear any earrings. It had roughly been about 5 years. Somehow the holes hadn't closed up so about 6 months ago when I ventured into the the beauty community, I began to build up my collection. I'm a big fan of oversized stud earrings, although I would like to own more danglies so maybe I'll out that on my birthday list! Here are some of my favourites at the moment...

These are over sized heart studs with a gorgeous floral design. I love anything with floral print! I think they were £4 from Accessorize.



Some more oversized studs, just a navy centre stone with little diamante's as petals, so cute! These were also from Accessorize for £6.



Lastly, here are some Chanel stud earrings. My cousin had a clear out and passed these along to me, she assures me they are real! I've yet to wear them, at the moment I enjoy just admiring them in my jewellery box!


Any other shops you'd recommend that sell affordable, pretty earrings?

Healthy Eating Weight Loss

I was inspired to write a healthy eating post after a little while ago I was astonished to find I’d lost a couple of inches from my hips and waist, just by changing my diet for a few weeks. I'll set the scene by describing my old lifestyle. Throughout the day I would munch my way through packets of crisps, chocolate bars, chocolate eclairs, anything easy to eat that was bad for you. On a really naughty day I'd scoff down countless numbers of packets of crisps and chocolate bars and polish off a whole box of eclairs. I hang my head in shame at what a glutton I was!

Therefore I grazed my way through junk food throughout the day and had a main meal in the evening, which usually consisted of just a whole lot of carbohydrates. For the most part our meals consisted of white rice and chicken, with no vegetables or a huge load of pasta (again no veg). After eating I would feel hugely bloated. My waist expanded and my stomach swelled up (not a nice image, I apologise) and I would look a bit pregnant. It was very uncomfortable and I hated looking at my mid-section after a meal.

On top of this I was very inactive. I’ve never been one for exercise; sweating, getting out of breath and my heart hammering away inside my chest is not for me! Although I do realise if I exercised regularly none of that would happen! I have never been one to weigh myself either, instead I prefer to take measurements of my waist and hips occasionally. I find this an easier guide to how my body has/could change. I was still slim and a size 8/10 (thank you fast metabolism!), but I felt sluggish and bloated a lot of the time, and hated how big my waist got. I swear I was also beginning to see cellulite on my stomach, something I didn’t even know was possible! Eventually I told my boyfriend we must stop buying junk food. I have no will power, if it's in the cupboard, I'll eat it. Therefore it had to be gone completely!

And so my healthy eating lifestyle began! I now eat bran flakes for breakfast, a tuna and cucumber wrap for lunch and a healthy evening meal. We loosely base our meals on the pyramid method, which consists of the majority of the meal by being made up of vegetables or salad, then protein, and finally a small amount of carbs. I think portion size had a lot to do with me losing a few inches. We like the portion measurement method whereby you use your hands as a measurement; making a fist illustrates how big the portion of carbohydrates should be, and the serving of protein should be the size of your palm. When you first do this it does look tiny (it did compared to the huge portions we used to eat) but it's amazing how quickly what first looks like a small portion becomes an amount of food that fills you nicely.

So whilst I’m still incredibly lazy and don’t do any exercise (I am toying with the idea of starting running, but it may just remain a fantasy), I did actually lose weight. I dropped around 2 inches off my waist and 2 inches off my hips. Since eating healthily I feel so much better in myself. I no longer feel like a bloated pig after eating (hooray!) and feel less sluggish. The thought of a carb-laden meal now makes me feel queasy. We used to eat two hot dogs, chips, baked beans. Bleugh! And pasta actually makes me feel physically sick because it’s so stodgy. I used to love rice but the thought of it now is not appealing. I much prefer munching on a crisp, fresh salad!

It's amazing how only a month or so can transform your views towards food. We do still have the occasional naughty treat. We’ve actually developed a bad habit of buying a box of 5 doughnuts every time we go for our weekly shop and eating one in the car before we go home! But instead of feasting on junk all day, it’s now become a treat, which is how it should be.

Our meals now basically consist of the below with some variations!

-Salmon salad (with yummy bits of avocado and feta in) with marie rose sauce & hash browns
-Coronation chicken & couscous (made from low fat mayo) with salad

We love our couscous and salad! We get the Ainsley couscous which is yummy and so easy to do, just add boiling water and stir! And it forms a great base to a meal. For healthy snacks we like carrot and cucumber sticks with houmous, yummy! So that is my new healthy eating lifestyle. The best part of losing the inches in when you place the tape measure around you at the number you used to be and have all that gaping space! Any other healthy meal ideas would be appreciated!