Bring The Sunshine!!

Yes, it IS snowing and yes, it IS below zero degrees... BUT bring a little warmth to your look this week by rocking bright nails!

The trend of the moment is supposed to be embracing nude and simple nails... Yet I'd prefer not to pay £25 for a boring high-shine, colour-free look that wont get noticed by anyone!

I've opted for this Essie polish in the lovely vibrant shade of Capri! It reminds me of my impending Dominican Republic holiday... I say impending... It is actually in September...Sighhhhhhhhhh...

At least my nails will shine bright this week... Even if I'm slipping and sliding all over this ice and snow! What are you wearing?

Happy painting!

Friday Night Fashion: Body-Con & Studs

Getting ready for a Friday night out is risky business for us ladies. You want to look your best but dress appropriately for the occasion all whilst making sure you're not too on show (if you know what I mean).

Last night my gal pal Lauren channelled saucy pop siren Katy Perry's red carpet style opting for a white studded dress from Missguided. Pairing the dress with coral peep toes and an OPI LDN:SKN tan she looked BEAUTS!


Inspired by Christina Milian's sultry ensemble I sampled the infamous Kardashian Kollection for the first time - I opted for the black bow-detail pencil skirt from Dorothy Perkins teamed with a navy cut-out corset from the ASOS sale rail!

According to Glamour, the number 3 trend for Spring '13 are 'Peekaboo Pieces' so I'm still surprised to see the ASOS corset STILL available in the sale for £18! Bargain!

See the top 10 Spring trends this year at http://www.glamour.com/fashion/2012/09/spring-2013-most-wearable-fashion-trends#slide=3

and buy the corset (currently only available in sizes 14, 16 & 18) at http://www.asos.com/ASOS/ASOS-Corset-with-Cut-Out-Angled-Sides/Prod/pgeproduct.aspx?iid=2364149&SearchQuery=Corset&sh=0&pge=0&pgesize=-1&sort=-1&clr=Navy

Shop Lauren's style at http://www.missguided.co.uk/flarie-studded-tailored-dress

LDN : SKIN By OPI - A Friday Fake Bake Special

As far as fake tanning goes I'm an amateur. I've had a bottle of Lauren's Way sitting on my shelf since last May, haunting my milky complexion from afar!

I've always relied on Sprays done by the professionals; they know exactly what they're doing!

Yesterday, I spent the morning shaving, exfoliating and moisturising (as instructed) then headed off to get my OPI LDN:SKN Fake Bake from local beautician Stephanie Anderson.

Not only was it NOT a messy spray tan, it was expertly applied by hand AND smelled amazing! Everyone always carries on about the 'biscuit smell' that is immediately associated with fake tan but this had a lovely sweet, musty smell which reminded me of the fragrance section in a department store.

Having to go straight to work from a tanning sesh is never ideal. The last time I did this I looked worse than Jodie Marsh on competition day. After getting the OPI tan though, the colour developed just enough and actually stopped getting darker after a few hours.

The morning after, I showered apprehensively as this is usually where it all goes wrong for me; being so pale the streaking can be extremely obvious! The tan I have from OPI is so even, natural and still streak-free! Hugely successful considering some of my previous experiences!

This tan comes highly recommended by me! It comes in 3 shades available in a mousse, lotion or a spray:
Tone 1 - An everyday application that comes out over a few days;
Tone 2 - What I had... Pics will follow in tomorrow's outfit review!
Tone 3 - A really dark application suitable for your cameo on TOWIE

If you're from Hertfordshire and want to contact Stephanie, follow her on Twitter @pupsydog
(Photo belongs to Stephanie Anderson)

Thrifty Thursday - Cleverly Customised Calenders

This week's post follows on from my ideas yesterday. It's all well and good having a delightful mood board but if you have nowhere to hang it, then you have a slight problem.

 

It's the 10th of January so we should all by now have our new calenders/filos/diaries on the go...so really this week's project shouldn't cost you a penny!

 

We look at our organisers every day and all we see are numbers and pages, but why should we stare drearily and count down the days until our next big thing? I'm going to customise my diary with images similar to those on my moodboard so I can be reminded of my goals and what in turn is going to make me happy this year!

 

That weekend away - the one that is going to be the first weekend away of the year and isn't until March:

 

 

(Excuse the terrible picture quality - blame my BlackBerry!)

 

That week before the super luxurious trip to the Caribbean - the one you've spent all year preparing for:

 

 

 

Inject a little fun back into your everyday lives. I used images from the Boots magazine I mentioned yesterday (only because I haven't had a chance to go and stock up on my glossies!) but you can also take your own pics to really pump some personality into your organiser!

 

These are some of my personal photos that could be used on my moodboard/in my organiser:

 

It can literally be anything that will help you see through the year happy and successful!

Give it a go, it's just a little bit of penny-pinchin' fun

 

xx



 

Get to your Goals!

That famous saying, 'New Year, New You' - it haunts every single one of us every year. It's all very well having aims and motivation for January but, there's 11 more months to go!

 

Boots Health & Beauty Magazine has an inspiring article in the current edition (on sale for £1.50 or free for Advantage Card holders!):

MOTIVATIONAL MOOD BOARDS

 

I looked at it for a split second and immediately started thinking about what would be on mine.

My main aims for this year are:

 

1) Feel and look fitter in time for my holiday in September

 

2) Discover my own sense of style and feel more comfortable in clothes again (goodbye leggings!)

 

3) Keep more up-to-date on the current affairs that don't involve celebrities (crime, health, politics, etc.)

What are yours??

 

They're pretty much the same every year and about the same time every year... I give up! Usually around end of January, beginning of February and my motivation has gone right out of the window.

Not this year!
I quicky created this one to give an idea of what I mean:

 

It's everything I'm aiming for but visually looks so much nicer than a boring old list!

I found some more awesome ones online - they're mainly for textile moodboards but they are really awesome:

 

 

It's a fun way to keep track of what you set out to achieve at the start of the year! Which leads me on to tomorrow's Thrifty Thursday post... Motivational Diaries - you don't need to go out and spend a fortune to get on track! Spend £1 on a diary and the rest is cut and stick!

x See you tomorrow x

Tweet me @sheldan2207
Comment below
xx

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thrifty Thursday - DIY Eyebrows: E.L.F Brow Kit Review

Afternoon everyone!

This week my Eyebrow Collection from E.L.F Cosmetics arrived prompting me to test the kit ASAP!

 

Ever since the likes of TOWIE, Desperate Scousewives and Keeping Up With The Kardashians hit our screens the Power Brow seems to have hit the faces of everyone worth noticing; from Rita Ora to Cara Delevigne to Camilla Belle:

 

 

 

Having never taken much notice of my little caterpillars before, the thought of them being the centre of attention is a little daunting. Usually, I'd prefer to wear a casual smokey eye during the day NOT huge eyebrows accentuating my every emotion; but I'll give it a go anyway.

 

So this is the kit:

 

 

 

£6 from E.L.F Cosmetics it is a wonderful bargain considering it costs me £6 a week/fortnight to get my eyebrows waxed. The kit comes complete with 4 stencils (which are a little bit flimsy so take care when taking them apart from each other), tweezers, eyebrow brush, setting mascara, eyebrow gel and powder.

 

If, like me, you're a D.I.Y-brow-virgin do not fear! The instructions on the back are pretty simple. The only other extra thing I'd suggest is having an eyebrow pencil which is the right shade for your skin tone as the gel and powder in the kit are extremely light. If you want the power brow I would suggest something much darker.

 

So what do you think? This is my attempt at at the very thick 'Full Arch' (excuse the duck face - it's a natural reaction when a camera appears):

 

 

 

It was Ok but didn't seem to suit my face. I have naturally large eyes which were automatically shrunk by the thickness of the Full Arch. So I tried again - this time with the 'Soft Arch':

 

 

 

Seemed a nicer shape but still a little too thick. So then I started improvising and reduced the size by a fraction to come up with my finished shape. To finalise the look I used the gel and powder to make sure the colour was slightly more natural than just black:

 

 

 

Altogether my eyebrow efforts took approxiamtely 45 minutes! Not very efficient if you're in a rush to get to work but seems Ok if you're getting ready to party - a LOT of wine can be consumed in 45 minutes!

Overall, though, the kit was the perfect first step to doing your own eyebrows. The stencils, like I said, are rather flimsy but there is an arch to suit most faces. The gel isn't dark enough for my colouring but the powder is the perfect shade and texture to make them look natural after using a dark pencil. Very pleased that I am now on the Brow-Wagon and it won't cost me an absolute fortune!

 

What do you think? Anyone got any brow tips for me?

 

@sheldan2207 or comment below

 

xoxox

Brazen Brollies

Tis the season to... get wet! Forget about dreaming for a white Christmas, what we really wanted this Holiday Season was for the rain to stop!

However hard we begged the rain to stop falling, it still remains an issue. Popping to the bank, running for a loaf of bread, taking the dog for a walk; it's all so much harder to handle in this incessant drizzle!

What makes me even more upset is the fact that I don't even own an umbrella. Until now...
Casually trapsing through my Twitter feed earlier today I realised how stunning an umbrella can be.
'Love Umbrellas' ( @LoveUmbrellasKlair ) have changed the way I see an umbrella; they used to just be an awkward tool that had to be used to keep your freshly ironed hair straight an your perfectly polished face perfect. Now, they are playful accessories available in a rainbow of colours and girly shapes:



Seeing these beauties I wondered what other hair-saving designs can be found online? Trust me, there is no excuse for any of us to have the standard black rain-tool with the brollies I found!

Lisbeth Dahl umbrellas do girly vintage glamour perfectly and one of these would be the perfect addition to a posh frock on a night out. These ones are available from Mollie & Fred from £16.99:



Another brilliant brolly guru is Lulu Guinness; taking the LBD to umbrella form giving each one an elegant twist. These are my top Lulu picks available on her website:



Anyone else planning a payday treat?