Birthday Shopping and OOTN

So it was my birthday on Tuesday and I was lucky enough to book the week off work to chill out, and get some fun stuff done including some shopping!

I've been really good recently and although I've been buying things they've been better quality items and I've brainwashed myself into buying less....sort of.

Up until last year I'd never owned wedges and it was like an epiphany when i finally purchased a tan pair with cork wedge. They were so comfy and went with everything so I promised myself I'd have to buy some black ones and then I'd have heels and comfort every time I went out.

It's taken me til now though to find a pair I liked so I literally snapped these up from New Look when I saw them. They were only £25 and not only were they a black wedge but they also have ties for your ankles so my weirdly thin feet won't go sliding around all over the place!

I also picked up the nude clutch bag from River Island which should go with absolutely everything I own!
I was surprised that this was only £18 as their bags are normally more.
It's a decent size, has a hand clasp and a strap inside the bag and a zipper closing which means I can rest assured my stuff isn't going to fall out. I've lost far too many lipsticks this way!

These tops are from Zara, the ones on the right and centre are only£9.99 and perfect to wear underneath layers. The neon pink top on the left will be perfect to wear out with the girls and to the pubs in summer.

It's really bright and makes you happy to look at it! It also has a split at the back but this doesn't go up too far, it's more like an overlap of the material which will help keep you cool in warm weather and look chic!

I love showing skin in places other than the obvious cleavage/legs areas. Showing some back cleavage has become the latest in thing to do and it's definitely a more subtle way to show some skin.

I absolutely love blazers and macs, so picking these up was the icing on the cake!
The mac was from New Look and will be replacing one I've had from Zara for a few years which is slowly falling apart.

The orange blazer is from Zara and I cannot wait to wear it out!
As I'm going out tonight for birthday drinks with the girls I needed a dress (shown below) and the blazer will be the perfect layer to cover me up from the wind chill.
Apparently it's supposed to be -1 so it probably won't help too much but at least I'll look good right???

This dress was a bit of a different choice for me as I've previously avoided body con.

However I saw this in Lipsy and couldn't resist, so I tried it on and couldn't believe how comfortable it was and it sucked me in in all the right places!



I've recently got down to a size 10 so it was lovely to find something that fitted really well, as I still have a bit of a pooch at the front but the material on this dress seems to make it flatter!



Here's the dress with shoes and bag, what do you think???

I'm wearing them out tonight so any hair and make up suggestions would be lush!

I've been tanning all week in a bid to make myself lean and bronze so fingers crossed it will all work out!
The dress is VERY short so I am hoping that as long as my legs are brown all will be ok (and that i don't fall!)

What's your favourite part of a Saturday night out?

I AM SO EXCITED IT'S UNREAL!!!

L xxx

Review: REN Glycolactic Face Mask

Hi all!

I'm sure you've seen and heard lots about REN skincare recently. Their masks are a big favourite with bloggers and are increasingly popular due to their ethic on producing products without using any chemical nasties (more on that later).

My first purchase from REN was this Glycolactic Face Mask.

I'd seen rave reviews from others on how well it worked on brightening skin tone and evening out blemishes.

I already owned cleansing masks and hydrating masks so this was my next on the never ending wish list ;)

My skin had started to clear up (finally!) so I rushed to John Lewis and snapped this up over Christmas time when my spending was already out of control so another mask hardly made a difference.

I love REN's simple packaging, I'm not one for busy prints and  multiple colours and I love that the range seems to be colour coded. 

Orange signifies the Radiance range, and there are plenty of others that I'm sure I will be testing out soon which you can find here.

You can also find out more about REN as a company and read about their ethos into 'Clean Skincare' on this link.

It's an interesting read that doesn't waffle on like others. I had no idea that the company started in 2000, it's come such a long way since then and is now found in 50 countries all over the world.

Copied straight from the site:

REN is free from synthetic fragrance, mineral oil, petrolatum, sulfate detergents, synthetic colours, animal ingredients and parabens. In addition, REN products do not contain potential irritants including: glycols and diglycols (such as propylene glycol), PEG's, PPGs, urea, D.E.A, T.E.A, PABA and other synthetic sunscreens, aliphatic alcohols/hydrocarbons, phthalates, fumarates, amines, alkanolamines, synthetic AHAs/BHAs, polyacrylamide, metacrylate, elastomer, poloxamer, styrene, vinyl, polyquaternium, synthetic chelating agents, nylon, nitriles, nitrates, nitrosamine releasers, bromates, fluor, aluminum and alumina et al.

This is an absolutely massive list! And very impressive when you compare to other brands available to purchase on the same scale which use quite a few chemicals in their products.

Both me and M always choose 'free from' products where we can.

So back to the mask, it's basically a cross between marmalade and orange juice in smell and consistency.

I'd heard about it being like marmalade but its not as thick as that, definitely mix with orange juice and then that's about right!

I used to hate oranges, but since Christmas I've become obsessed and now I eat one almost every day. The smell now reminds me of Christmas so every time I eat one it takes me back to that and it's the same with this.

I love the smell of oranges now so when I put this mask on it always puts me in a good mood on smell alone.

REN claim that this mask:

• Removes dead skin cells to renew the complexion
• Skin looks brighter, healthier, more radiant
• Helps reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles
• Combats congestion, blackheads and blemishes

This mask has also won an award from InStyle for a Best Beauty Buy in 2008.

I follow the instructions above and slap it onto my face and neck. Make sure you avoid the eyes though as this is not something you want to get in them!

After 10 minutes or so I then wash it off using the muslin cloth that comes with the mask.

I find that even after having this on for 10 minutes my skin feels brighter and more uniform. I feel like my skin is cleaner and has had the top layer of cells removed to let newer ones shine through. It does tingle a little whilst it's on but nothing too bad and I find that it's worth the perseverance. It sort of tickles my skin and makes me want to scratch it more than anything else so I find it's a case of sitting on my hands to stop myself!

I also love that the pump has a cap of its own aside from the lid, this helps so much with stopping it from drying out which is a bonus. 

I would 100% recommend anyone who is looking for brighter skin to purchase this. REN is a great brand whose products seem to do what they claim at relatively affordable prices, and also without containing any other chemical nasties.

Have you used REN products before? What's your favourite type of mask? 

Do you use brightening products?

L xxx

Birthday Love!

If you've seen any tweets from me or M you will have seen that it was my birthday on Tuesday.

I was lucky enough to book the week off work and it was the first week off I've had without uni work or lectures to go to in years. So after my friends hen weekend I dragged M to Harry Potter Studios on Monday for a pre birthday trip.

I don't know if you have been there or want to go there but I fully recommend it whether you are a fan or not. The 'secrets' of the filming is fascinating, the sets and props are so intricately designed that anyone would appreciate them and there is of course many photo opportunities, shops and the chance to try real butter beer!



As you can see.....I was VERY excited!

I can write a post on it if anyone is interested in seeing a few snaps and my thoughts on the tour in general, just let me know.

As it was my birthday the next day I decided to buy a present to myself, from myself....as you do.

I'm a huge fan and couldn't resist the gold plated official replica of Hermione's time turner necklace:

I know I'm obsessed with HP but along with my penchant for gold jewellery this was a purchase made in heaven for me! I'm in love with it's uniqueness and it's my new pride and joy.

M also gave me my presents from her and I was so excited to see all of these individually wrapped, I'm sure you can tell I was so pleased with them all :)

I was a bit spoilt for my birthday considering it wasn't a milestone one.

Here's a few snaps of my presents:

My brother got me Breaking Bad seasons 1-4, I've always wanted to watch it so I'm glad I've finally got my hands on it and can watch them all whenever I like.

The Ralph Lauren carrier bags were quite exciting when I saw them in the morning...

 

I'd been shopping with my mum and picked up some of the jeggings and the iconic black military style blazer a few months ago, so this wasn't a surprise but I'd forgotten quite how lovely they were!
I wore them out with a white chiffon top from Warehouse for my meal in the evening. We went out for steak at Miller and Carter and it was so amazing we couldn't believe it. 100% recommend the steaks and ribs!

A blazer and skinny jeans/jeggings are a staple in my wardrobe and I thought it was about time I got some better quality pieces in my wardrobe.

Between my aunty and nan I was given 2 cardigans and 2 polo shirts from Ralph Lauren also.

I felt so spoilt and just like Kate Middleton with all my Ralph gear, if only I was the same size eh?!

(Though maybe not pregnant...)

My cousin has been working for Ralph Lauren so I imagine that there has been some serious discount passing around. I always think this is a great idea, why pay more for something??

I'd also sent my mum a not-so-subtle email a few months back requesting either of the Oz palettes from Urban Decay. I received the Theodora palette which is gorgeous and I couldn't wait to test it out.

I had no idea it had eye liner and a lipstick with it so this was a nice surprise and I would expect a post on it sometime soon!

I received some underwear from my favourite underwear shop Boux Avenue and a kit from Ojon which I can only assume will leave my hair glossy, conditioned and the envy of all of South Wales.

This would be lush as my hair is feeling a little dry of late due to the weather and air con at work.

My mum always gets me a caterpillar cake from M&S every year, but this year she went one step further and also got me the Colin the Caterpillar chocolate shape!

I absolutely love these and the chocolate tastes great, such happy memories from when i was a kid.

So there's my birthday presents in a nut shell.
I did go shopping yesterday and spent the money that I received (and a lot more on my credit card...) so I'll be putting some photos of that up soon too!

Me, M and a few of my friends are going out on the weekend to celebrate my birthday with a few cocktails. We've booked to have our make up done in Mac as we know well end up buying a lipstick soon we might as well get it done!
We cannot wait and I'm sure a post on our night out, make up, dresses and cocktails will be up next week.

This is the last week that I will be spending......I plan on getting back on the spending ban wagon and banning all purchases of cosmetics and clothes for as long as I possibly can.

But enough on that for now, I'm still smiling from my presents and shopping trip so I'll get back to my depression next week ha.

What do you think of my presents? Do you have the Oz palettes from Urban Decay? Are blazers a staple part of your wardrobe? Are you as Harry Potter obsessed as me?

L xxx

Review: Avon Nail File With Buffer

I first mentioned this product in this NOTD. My mum gave me this product as she had it in her bag and I used it and loved it and she said she'd get herself a new one (she's very good to me like that). It comes from Avon and is a 3 in 1 product. It's a metal file, a buffer and cuitcle remover (which has a plastic lid to protect 

it). It can be bought here. 

I'm not keen on the nail file. It'll do for emergencies but otherwise I don't love it. I'm not a fan of metal nail files personally. The buffer isn't something I've tried. 

I was totally draw in by the cuticle trimmer. I've always pushed mine back but not found it the best method to actually remove the excess cuticle. Where I'm a nail biter my cuticle seem to be worse. I've tried it cutters like nail clippers but found these to hard to use and a little sore if you aren't careful.

This file makes removing the cuticle so easy and neat. It's so simple, basically line the V up to wear you want your cuticle removed and gently push it along.

It removes the cuticle in one smooth motion. It leaves a neat line along the nail bed. The cuticle is removed and the nail looks tidy. There are no untidy edges with it.

I love it, I use it every time I remove my false nails.

What type of cuticle remover do you use?

Love M

xxx