Shoe Shopping

I love adding to my shoe collection. You can never have too many! I bought these Schuh heels brand new from ebay for a bargainous £10. I love all the details about them, the rouched satin material, the vibrant purple colour, the ankle strap and the cute bow at the back of the heel. These are perfect for jazzing up a LBD.

Primark is my go-to shop for all footwear. They have a huge selection of shoes, boots and sandals at really affordable prices, meaning you can get about 5 pairs of shoes for the price of 1 if you were to go somewhere like Topshop! (Although they probably won't last as long.) Here are some of my favourite Primark buys...

These patent coral shoes were only £9. They'll look great in summer with a tan and brighten up an outfit.

These black faux suede heels have a hidden platform and a leg-lengthening 4.5" heel. They only cost £13 and would look good with jeans, skirts or dresses.

I've also recently been lusting after Steve Madden shoes. I know they're available in the UK, but I'm not sure where. If anyone knows of an outlet do let me know!

These Vivienne Westwood shoes have also been added to my wish list. They make me think of Barbie shoes being made of plastic and with the little peep toe and oversized heart on the toe. I love them!

Now I'm going to be a bride I've also started to look for some shoes for the big day. I don't want to spend a lot as I probably won't be wearing them again and they won't be particularly visible. These shoes from Faith caught my eye, I love the knot detail on the front. It's just a shame about the bling on the back of the heel which I feel makes them look a little tacky. I would also like a much smaller heel, a lot of dancing will be taking place and I want to be comfortable!

What are your favourite shops for shoes?

Fringe-spiration!

One of my aims for this year is to try something new with my hair and I'm becoming increasingly tempted to go for a fringe. I find there's something about girls with fringes that makes them look very fashionable, I'm not sure why but I like it! Here are some of my favourite fringe-spiration pictures...

What do you think, shall I go ahead and do it?

NOTD: 17 Raspberry Mocha

Since I discovered the whole beauty community, I've started taking notice of my nails. I used to leave them bare (and often broken) and didn't really care what they looked like. Although gel nails interest me and look lovely, I'm not keen on spending that amount of money on maintenance. So as a cheaper alternative to having groomed nails, I use nail polish. Probably not very good for my nails (I remove one colour and immediately re-apply another) but it keeps them looking pretty!

Here's a current favourite of mine...

From Boots' 17 range, Raspberry Mocha is not only affordable, it's a gorgeous colour that is suitable for any occassion. Now I have a job I'm sticking to variances of beiges, nudes and pinks so this fits in perfectly. This polish was easy to apply, quick drying and doesn't chip easily. I also bought a couple of other colours from the 17 range which I'll be trying out soon.

Raspberry Mocha is priced at £3.49 and is available exclusively at Boots

Soap & Glory: Clean On Me Creamy Clarifying Shower Gel

I'd heard Soap & Glory's Clean On Me shower gel was another must-have shower product, so I had to try it for myself!

Firstly, I love the packaging. Not only is it something pretty to have in the bathroom with the delicate baby pink colour, it is also conveniently packaged in a pump, making it easy to distribute the exact amount you need and without the hassle of trying to maneuvered flip lids or screw tops.

I needed quite a few pumps of this for it to lather up, but once it did, it felt luxuriously creamy and smelled delicious. The best part of this product for me is that it contains a built-in body moisturiser which left my skin noticeably soft and moist. Not in an oily or greasy way either, just a lovely dewy feel to the skin.

Soap & Glory has fast become my favourite bath and body brand. Inexpensive, aesthetically pleasing with the gorgeous girly retro packaging, deliciously scented and most importantly, their products really do work!

Clean On Me is priced at £5.00 for 500ml and is available at Boots

Any other Soap & Glory recommendations?

NYX Jumbo Lip Pencil - Soft Fuschia

I've tried my best to like nude lipsticks but I've come to the realisation that they just don't suit me. Hue, Creme d' Nude, Gosh's Darling, they've all been tried and tested. Each time I apply one of these light shades I look with hope in the mirror, then find myself reaching for NYX's Jumbo Lip Pencil in Soft Fuschia. This has been a favourite of mine since I bought it last year and I can't sing its praises enough!

The colour is a gorgeous pink based natural color with a hint of mauve. It's the perfect colour for me as it's not too pale and not too bright, just a lovely shade that doesn't vary too much from my natural lip colour. A more muted pink can be achieved if this is worn on top of a nude shade like MAC's Creme d' Nude or with The Body Shop's Tantalising Lip Butter on top for a more milky colour.

The consistency of these pencils is one of the best things about them. They are incredibly creamy and soft so they only needed to be applied with a light hand. For this reason they glide beautifully and don't drag along the lips. Not only perfectly creamy, but highly pigmented too. In fact I'd go as far to say this pencil is just as pigmented as my MAC lipsticks and Rouge Volupte. Amazing!

Finally, this pencil has amazing staying power, better than any other lipstick I've ever used. I apply it in the morning and it's still there in the afternoon, even after eating and drinking (albeit a little faded). Therefore there's no need to constantly re-apply, perhaps the reason why I've had this almost a year and it's still going strong! Despite the fact this lip colour is long lasting, I've never had a prolem with it drying out my lips, another bonus.

Here's a FOTD from a while back that shows the lip pencil in use...

I purchased mine from MsCuppyCakes for just $3.00 but NYX products are also available at Cherry Culture, some House of Fraser stores and ebay.

I'll be looking to try some other colours next to see if they are just as fabulous as this one.

Has anybody else tried the NYX Jumbo Lip Pencils?

Soap & Glory: The Righteous Butter

I've read so many great things about Soap & Glory's Righteous Body Butter I decided it was time to add it to my collection.

This product has a thick, creamy consistency so I find it easiest to apply on slightly damp skin. It absorbs quickly and doesn't leave a greasy or oily residue like some moisturisers can.

The best part of this product for me is that the smell reminds me of this...

Miss Dior Cherie, my all time favourite perfume! Although I have a bottle of this, because it's so darn expensive I use it sparingly. With this body butter, I can apply liberally and smell just as lovely! The scent lingers for hours after application, so if you're looking for a strongly scented body butter this is for you.

Soap & Glory describe this product as smelling like bergamot, strawberries and mandarin, with floral and fruity mid notes and musk, amber and warm vanilla base notes. Delicious! Containing Shea butter and aloe vera, this not only smells amazing but it leaves skin feeling silky smooth and soft too. As a body butter however, I must say I do prefer Soap & Glory's Peachy Cream as I find it glides along the skin more easily.

The Righteous Butter is priced at £10.00 for 300ml and is available at Boots

Looking Back & Going Forward

My first post of 2010. I hope everybody had a lovely Christmas and New Year. It's been a while since I last blogged, I've just started a new job and not only does that mean less hours in the day, but when I do have a spare few moments they're spent drifting off in my fiance's arms from exhaustion. Hopefully I'll get used to the working world soon and my blog posts won't become sporadic. Here's an overview of the past year and the year to come.

What happened in 2009...

♥ I started a beauty blog. I never imagined it would lead to having so many followers and things like being invited to beauty events and meeting the creator of Barry M!

♥ I was a bridesmaid for the first time at my brother's wedding

♥ I wrote my dissertation. The longest piece of work I have ever written at a lengthy 12,000 words. It's a tough time writing it, but when it's finished and all bound you can't help but feel proud of what you've done

♥ I graduated from Loughborough Uni with a 2.1

♥ I was proposed to in the most beautiful setting and magical way by the man of my dreams. Click here to read the details!

♥ I went to my first interview for a real job...and was offered it!

What I want to do in 2010...

♥ Change my hair. I'd love to try going lighter, and also experiment with a fringe. I've always been cautious to experiment with hair, but I've realised it's just hair, nothing too bad can happen! I love the hair in the picture below, both the cut and colour are perfect...(the outfit too!)

(I can't remember where I found this picture, maybe tumblr?)

♥ Buy our first house.We're currently house hunting and have found somewhere we love so we'll see what happens. I can't wait to move out of our awful tiny rented flat and have a home of our own. I'm already excited about decorating and have numerous wallpaper samples flying about!

♥ Learn to drive. I've wanted to drive for so long, so now I have a job I can afford to start taking lessons

♥ Do some volunteer work. Loughborough Uni have an amazing volunteer programme which offers a whole range of projects. There are options to work with the elderly, people with special needs and childen, so volunteering can mean anything from making visits to old people's homes to offer company to those who don't have family and friends, helping teach children to read after school, mentoring young offenders and offering counselling to students. It's something I've wanted to do for a while so this should be the year I do it. Click here if you'd like to find out more.

♥ Organise our wedding. We've not had any progress yet as we've been so caught up in other things like jobs, mortgages and house hunting. So we really want to get the venue booked soon and start planning the smaller details. All I have so far is a scrapbook full of dresses I love, one of which is these...

What have you got planned for this year?