L's Christmas Photos 2017

Hi all!

It's been a little while since sharing a post with you, between the two of us we've been moving, attending weddings, working and prepping for the Christmas season so took an unintentional break from blogging. It has been lovely to spend time with family and friends and tuck into the expected stash of Christmas food, so I thought today was the perfect opportunity to share some of these photos with you.

Winter Skincare Update

Good morning!

We all know skincare needs to change with the seasons just like clothing, mine has changed a lot over the years with ageing being a wonderful factor to add to the mix - so today's post is an update of the latest products I've been using and would recommend for anyone looking to try out some new products.

Collection Lip Liner in 5: Damson

Morning!

I've been meaning to write this post for a veeeeeeerrrrry long time, as I've been wearing this Collection Lip Definer all winter - well since October time seeing as we haven't really had much cold weather yet though I hear it is making an appearance this weekend...

If I'm being honest with you all, I never used to see the point in a lip liner. But ever since coming across the Urban Decay liners and realising how much better lipstick looks with them I've been sold - the Mia Wallace was my first and it's a staple that i use often now. However at £13.50 they aren't always something that you can splash out on.

The Collection Lip Definers come in at a super cheap £2.79 which is absolutely perfect when it may be a colour you are testing out or something you might not wear very often.

I've mentioned before that I'm still in the process of recovering financially after buying a house - if I'm honest I don't think that ever really happens but Urban Decay is certainly on the 'win the lottery' list for now. So I picked up Damson from Boots one day and couldn't wait to give it a go to compare the results.

First off I would say that the twist up mechanism makes life super easy, you never run out as you just need to twist up more so it's great for on the go. The only downside I can foresee is when you have one of those really precise lines to be drawn which may need the help of a sharpener which this one can't use, but you can create a sharper edge by drawing at an angle, you just may need some practice.

After this I couldn't see too much difference in the pigmentation between UD and this offering from Collection, I was really impressed by how the colour turned out and you could definitely layer it for a more dramatic look.

See the results for yourself below:

In fact, the only downside I could see to the lip definer at all was the longevity. It lasted very well, impressively actually considering its tiny price but it did start to look a little patchy and dried my lips out faster than the UD ones. To me though this isn't really a downside because I tend to use the lip liners to line my lips and give a better shape before applying lipstick, which I would no doubt reapply anyway, and could replace with lip balm if necessary once my lips were stained.

I would definitely recommend these to anyone who asked! After looking into the range a bit further so I can pick up more of them I'd have to say I'm disappointed purely because there only seems to be 3 of them.....you what?! Collection! What on earth are you doing?!
Everyone needs more than three lip liners....tut tut!

I think they need to get a move on and make more, I can't say I wouldn't buy the Urban Decay 24/7 liner as a treat for myself but I would certainly pick up these without a second thought!

What do you think of the Collection Lip Definers? Have you tried the other shades? Do you wish they also had a few more shades to add?

I imagine with the Kylie Jenner trend for super size lips they'd make a small fortune if they had more!

L xxx

Winter Wardrobe Updates

Morning pals!

Another Friday is here and we're another week closer to Christmas! It only gets more exciting from here and it's my favourite type of year. Winter clothes are also my favourite kind, layering is the best thing and I love all of the patterns and colours associated with autumn/winter clothing.

Here's what I've been buying to update my wardrobe this year:

First up I picked up this belt from Dorothy Perkins. I've had a belt for dresses very similar to this before and I wore it until it fell apart so I knew it was a good buy. It's definitely good for wearing at any time of year but as has been happening for the last few years the trend for wearing a belt to cinch in your coat is back and this one is going to be making it back into my wardrobe.

Secondly I snapped up this BEAUTIFUL scarf from Zara. I touched it in store and couldn't leave it behind. I love the patterns in tartan and the red is gorgeous and goes with all of my coats, it's a winner and was something I had no idea I needed and now cannot live without. It doesn't leave my neck during the week now!

My latest shoe purchase is from New Look and I had to order them from in store as they didn't have any left. The heel height is perfect for most occasions and the gold buckle detailing is enough to give it a bit more pizazz. These can be worn with leggings and jeans and I look forward to wearing them to the pub over the next few months.

Capes are big news and this blanket cape cardigan type garment is absolutely fabulous. It's super comfy, warm and goes with everything, literally EVERYTHING. The colours mean it complements many outfits but there are also many tartan type patters and colours available too and if I was rolling in the spare cash I'd probably get another.
This one is from New Look and I'm so glad that fashion has produced and comfortable, wearable and warm item of clothing for the winter months. I've always wanted to look chic in a cape, jeans and boots!

Lastly is my new bag also from New Look (they've clearly got a lot out of money out of me recently!) This beautiful bottle green bag has replaced my tired looking black bag for work purposes.
It's awesome, the colour is lush and it holds it's shape really well too which is perfect as I seem to be lugging a lot of paper back and forth to work at the moment!

What have you been buying to update your wardrobe? Do you have anything else on your wishlist?

I'm looking to add another coat, a lovely thick wool one would be lovely but I may have to wait until the sales for the type of quality I would be looking for. I'm fed up of buying important items like coats and finding out they are cheaply made! If you have any suggestions for some hardwearing well made coats leave them in the comments section below!

L xxx

Ollie & Nic Spencer Retro Bag

Evening all!

A late post from me tonight. I've enjoyed an evening with L tonight pigging out on sushi! We definitely ate more than we should, but at least it's reasonably healthy!

Next week it's my mum's birthday so we decided to get her a nice handbag, Ollie and Nic has an amazing sale and we managed to pick her up a real leather bag reduced from £169 to a bargain £50!!

The problem was there was a lot of temptation in the for me. The sale is amazing and is still currently on. I've needed a new decent sized bag for a while. My current one is really tatty with a broken lining etc.

I couldn't resist the bargain Spencer Retro across body bag. Reduced from £60 to an absolute bargain of £18!! I'm a massive ostrich print fan and the love the effect on bags so this on appealed to me straight away!

The burgundy colour is gorgeous and perfect for the winter months. I also love all the attention to detail on the bag such as the Ollie & Nic metal buttons on the handle and the studs on the bottom of the bag.

It feel quite a stiff material and like it will be durable and good quality. It's a really practical bag that's a decent size with lots of pockets. I like the two on the outside which will be perfect for keys and my phone when I'm listening to music. The zip pocket on the front is really handy for bus pass etc so I can easily grab them.

Inside is a large section with a zip pocket in the middle. I'm going to try and be organised and use this for make up! It also has zip pocket on the inside of the bag and separate pockets for phone and keys if I don't feel safe enough using outer pockets! Plus it has a gorgeous lining.

It's such a practical bag and for the bargain price I had to share with you all! If you are on the hunt for a new bag I'd suggest Ollie & Nic. The purses I've had I really like so I'm hoping the bag is as good!

Love M

xxx

Winter Staples

Hello!

I've been loving the colder weather recently, not so much the storms and the rain but my favourite clothes are winter ones. I just love wrapping up in layers and putting on chunky knits, boots and coats.

I thought I'd share my favourite winter clothing items today to see if yours are the same!

Leather Jacket:

I absolutely love wearing my leather jacket. It seems to go with everything I choose to wear, and for every occasion. Admittedly it's not normally the warmest item of clothing I have in my wardrobe but the fact you can layer it up means it is still a staple, and can help with the transition between months and the outdoors/indoors.

I love casually slinging it on, if only it looked as good on me as in the picture above!

Chunky knits:

You can't possibly go through winter without involving a chunky knit item in your wardrobe.
Scarves are an easy addition and fully functional, as if you needed any excuse to buy something!

I find the bigger the better when it comes to chunky knits, they're definitely more snuggly.

These jumpers from Zara are amazing, I'm hoping they're not from a previous season so I can get my hands on them. They're perfect for trousers for work and with jeans for weekends, plus with the added bit of sparkle can be worn during evenings too!

I always stick with neutral colours as I find them easy to mix and match and I find they suit me most.

Lastly, nobody can be without a hat during the winter.
I used to be firmly in the 'terrified' camp for hats, but having bought myself a huge furry one last year this year it was time for a chunky knit bobble hat.

I've fallen in love with it already and cannot wait to wear it more often.


Boots:

 

I adore boots.

I spent a lot of money on them a few years ago and now they've fallen apart or gone out of fashion. I've tried to be more sensible with my choices this time and have recently picked up a pair of knee high leather boots which are a classic style and hopefully they will last a long time.

They seem to make any outfit come together and can keep your feet a whole lot warmer than other shoes during winter, and more importantly in Britain....drier!

I tend to steer clear of suede purely for the rain reasons, suede boots are beautiful but I refuse to ruin shoes with a puddle again. Leather is definitely my friend.

These boots are beautiful and I'd love to get my hands on some like this!

Mine are similar in design apart from there's no gold bit and they have buckles at the calf level which you can adjust if necessary. They're so comfortable and were definitely a good purchase!

Coats:

Ahhhhh possibly my favourite of the lot.

Coats are amazing, I love my dressing gown and I feel like they're an outside version.

Trench coats are my particular favorite because I'm curvy and need to belt the waist to make me look like I have any shape at all.

Wool coats are definitely worth the investment and I'd love to get my hands on the black one above. It's so chic and the collar is beautiful.

Blacks, tans, greys and khaki colours are all wearable and I'd snap up any that I'd see given half a chance.
The above khaki coloured cape from Zara is beautiful with the leather details, maybe I'll add a cape to my wardrobe this year, but I'd need to find one with holes for hands so I can still function!

I feel like I've been quite boring with my choice of colours for this post but I really am a neutral and classic kind of person. However I absolutely love the bottle greens, deep reds and jewel colours such as maroons and purples and teals. I also love adding some sparkle with embellished tops and accessories.

What do you think of my Winter Staples? Are yours the same?

What kind of boots and coats do you prefer?

I cannot wait to go shopping in the sales, I can't afford much right now but I'm hoping to pick up some bargains this year. Fingers crossed I can pick up some wardrobe staples like a wool coat or different style of leather boot. What will you be looking for?

(all pictures are from Pinterest and none are my own, that site has the best pictures - I could spend hours on it!)

L xxx

Essie's Twin Sweater Set

Good morning!

Here's my final post on the latest Winter Collection from Essie. I haven't picked up all the polishes as I'm trying to be good...so have only picked up the ones I knew I'd definitely wear!

You can read the other posts here if you'd like to.

Today's final post is about Twin Sweater Set.

This is a gorgeous deep red, almost a bit brown in some lights and perfect for the winter.
I love wearing red nails in winter and love the different shades you can get which just seem to go with everything. Orange reds, pink reds, maroon reds, pillar box reds the list is endless!

I often end up wearing a lot of black navy and grey over winter and red nails always breaks things up and adds a swish of colour (unless my hands are hiding away in gloves....)

Twin Sweater Set is a standard Essie polish....2 coats and it's opaque, a top coat and it looks like glass they are so shiny.
I love how reliable they are for this and the brushes are so easy to use I can completely understand why everyone, myself included, are massive fans of Essie as a brand.

You can see the colour on my nails below without and with flash:

The colour is a beautiful deep red that will flatter many skin tones. I've been wearing this to work, out with friends and on Saturday nights out and it just seems to go with everything!

What do you think of Twin Sweater Set? Would you pick up the red for your collection?

I love the names too, they always add something more to the collections.

L xxx

 

Essie's After School Boy Blazer

Hello there!

I'm quite excited about this post as it's another tick in my checklist to own all of Essie's Winter Collection 2013.
I've previously posted about Vested Interest and Cashmere Bathrobe which I loved and now I'm here to tell you my thoughts on 'After School Boy Blazer'.

As soon as I saw this one I knew I had to pick it up but I just couldnt find it anywhere - everyone clearly had the same idea! I trawled all of Cardiff stores multiple times, the internet and also 4 separate stores in London within a 2 hour walking spree and still couldn't find it.
I'd given up all hope until I went in by chance not even looking for it and there it was! Along with the gorgeous deep red of Twin Sweater Set, but that's another post....

This colour is absolutely beautiful. It's a super dark blue/black. The photos do not do it justice whatsoever and it's hard to describe which means I'm in a bit of a pickle trying to explain this!

The photos were taken after 2 coats of polish and one of top coat without flash (above) and with (below). You can see how SUPER shiny the polish shows up and I was given many compliments when wearing it.

It's such a chic alternative to black as you can definitely tell it's not black but it's so dark it could be.



As always with Essie products the application was easy with their awesome brushes, I find that they can fill most of my nails with one swipe which makes life easy and 2 with my thumb nails.

The colour almost looks to me like it's part of a beetle; it's so dark and shiny and almost looks black but has that blue/purple/green tinge that so many of them have, this one obviously being blue.

I don't think I need to waffle on for much longer - this polish is a clear hit with me!

Have you been stocking up on the new Essie Winter Collection? Which is your favourite?

Don't forget to come back and see the next polish from the collection!

L xxx

NOTD: OPI James Bond Skyfall

Morning lovelies!

I've been cracking out the winter shades over the past few weeks and couldn't resist but share my current favourite with you.
This was one I picked up last year after being obsessed with James Bond, 007 and OPI.

This is OPI's Skyfall.

It's a gorgeous deep burgundy colour that look absolutely beautiful against pale skin and darker skin.
I love wearing this colour as it looks great for day time and evening and I've had so many compliments on it.

You can see the colour below in flash and without flash:

It's a beautiful colour and I've worn it to work and social events with many items of clothing.
These photos were taken with 2 coats of the polish and a top coat applied.

I absolutely love it and imagine it will be used for a long time to come!

What are you favourite winter shades for nails? Did you buy any polishes from OPI?

L xxx

Essie: Vested Interest

Hello!

Here's the second in my Essie Winter Collection posts. I have previously written about Cashmere Bathrobe which is a gorgeous shimmery grey and will be getting a lot of use from me. 

I haven't managed to pick up any more of the collection yet as they seem to have sold out everywhere but I did pick up Vested Interest at the same time as Cashmere Bathrobe.

This is Vested Interest, a grey green colour:

Essie say:

'Stock up on the classics. This tweedy, woolen cool gray teal nail lacquer has sartorial style all buttoned up.'

I say this colour is completely different to anything I've ever owned and I wasn't sure about it.
But I love these kinds of colours for winter and as I wear lots of black and grey, this is a nice addition to my nail polish wardrobe for a subtle addition of colour.

Granted it's not a bright colour but for work colours like this are so easy to wear, both this and Cashmere Bathrobe have proved to be great staples and alternatives to the more commonly used reds and blacks of winter.



The polish applied easily thanks to the Essie brushes being so good, and only needed 2 coats for opacity.
When the top coat was applied you can see how shiny and pretty the colour becomes, it looks perfect!



These photos show the polish with flash above and without below, the colour is quite true and there's not a lot of difference between the two.




This colour was a surprise for me as I've absolutely loved it!

I've been desperate to get my hands on the blue and red from the collection, After School Boy Blazer and Twin Sweater Set but it seems it's not meant to be so far.
I've been trying a number of times on the Boot website without any luck, it's infuriating trying to load a page that constantly says 'generic error' and it happens every time I try to find something on there.

It's really put me off trying to use the Boots website at all, how useless!

One day I will get these Essie polishes...

Which Essie product is your favourite? Which of the collection will you be picking up?

L xxx